Post by Scott Free on Nov 13, 2006 20:39:59 GMT -5
Age: 28
Race: Coyote/Human Hybrid
Weapons: Cane/Wand
Steel edged playing cards
Abilities:
Wild Stage Magic: Mikasi is able to replicate the effects of traditional stage magic through purely magical means. Though he must meet the traditional requirements of the trick or routine (an example of this would be preventing others from seeing him directly when teleporting). The downside to this ability is that the more grandiose and amazing tricks are draining so he must rest periodically to avoid burning out.
Escape Artist: Even when deprived of magic Mikasi is an accomplished escape artist who can use his body and surroundings to extricate himself from a hold, bonds or confined space.
Sixth sense: as an offshoot of his wild stage magic ability Mikasi is able to see and communicate with spirits and other apparitions who are still attached to the physical world.
Items:
Multiple packs of steel edged playing cards.
A classic magicians wand that is the size of a cane.
A white cape that has a large suicide king design. (the cape can be manipulated by Mikasi to change size, shape, and move around through his Wild Stage Magic)
Appearance:
Mikasi is 6 feet tall and appears to be a very gangly individual, appearing so thin that he looks as if a stiff breeze would blow him away. With a very narrow face the only prominent characteristics are two overly large canine teeth and amber eyes. His hair is a motley assortment of black, silvers, and gray. It is long and untamed reaching his mid back, though he will sometimes tie it back to keep it out of his eyes. He has two other features which mark him as being non-human: his ears since they are silvery dog ears located on the top of his head, and a large bushy dog tail which is a mixture of silvers, greys, and black in coloring. His clothing nearly always consists of black dress pants, knee high boots, a white dress shirt with a black cummerbund, and a tuxedo jacket which is always opened. This is topped off with his white cape.
Personality:
A trickster and showman at heart he views the world as one large performance. Good and evil are merely perspectives to Mikasi. He can’t bring himself to see what he considers a chaotic world in absolutes. To him a poor undeserving victim is someone who was unable to keeps himself ahead of the pack, and a rich villain is an appealing target. Mikasi is not above lying and cheating to get ahead since misdirection and manipulating perspective have long been the hallmarks of the stage.
History:
Mikasi has no memory of his parents or his early childhood. His earliest memories consist of trying to survive on the streets by picking pockets and skillfully acquiring what he needed to survive. This chapter of his life ended when he tried to pick the pocket of an older gentleman who managed to catch him in the act. Instead of handing him over to the town guard the man introduced himself as Harry Gillette and offered him the opportunity to be apprenticed to him.
In order to escape the guards Mikasi agreed and was led to a decrepit saloon and theater. Gillette then began training the boy in stage magic. In a world where wild magic, alchemy, fey and elves exist non-magical illusions and parlor tricks are met with disdain and had fallen out of favor. Gillette decided to train Mikasi so that what he believed to be a dying art would be able to live on since he was the only traditional practitioner at the time.
The training went well and Harry and Mikasi formed a bit of a semi-dysfunctional family with Harry being a sort of eccentric grandfather. Nothing was out of the ordinary until Mikasi was attempting to replicate the water trap escape which he had discovered while browsing through Harry’s books of tricks. He had a friend assist him since Harry was unavailable and it went perfectly in all of the dry runs. Unfortunately his assistant forgot to remove the pins in the hinges on the roof of the water trap and Mikasi was trapped in a box of glass filling with water and surrounded by curtains, with no way to escape the box or signal for help. When he realized that the top of the trap would not open he thought that it was only stuck. As the water rose in the trap and panic began to set in he was trying everything to be able to get out. Then as he was crying out against luck and fortune he began willing the trick to work since there was nothing else that he could do. Then suddenly he could breathe, and he realized that he was standing upright with hand cuffs and leg shackles removed. Reaching up he removed his blindfold to find himself standing behind his assistant.
Realizing that something strange was going on he tried to replicate a similar effect with a less life threatening trick. Overtime he was able to determine the limits of what he referred to as his Wild Stage Magic. When he began to understand the possibilities of his ability he began planning with his mentor to reopen the saloon and theatre and try to bring about a rebirth to their profession. Unfortunately before they were able to proceed Harry now of an advanced age slipped away in his sleep. Mikasi was devastated at the loss of his mentor and father figure.
The as time went by he came across the description of an old routine of a magician pretending to communicate with the dead. He read the description he looked up to see a spectral figure of Harry Gillette floating in front of him. Shocked he fell back out of his chair and ran screaming for the nearest priest, dragged him back to the theater and to the room where the ghost was and told him to perform an exorcism or anything that would get rid of the ghost. Unfortunately the priest thought that Mikasi was crazy and threatened to have him thrown into a sanitarium if he bothered him again. The priest then stormed out leaving Mikasi with a laughing specter of Harry. As soon as the ghost was sure that Mikasi could see and hear him, and Mikasi was sure that he wasn’t crazy they tried to figure out what was going on. When they came to the conclusion that it was his Wild Magic creating an ability to communicate with the dead he soon found out that there were ghosts everywhere in Faethaven even though no one was able to see them.
Even worse when they realized that he could see and hear them, they began pestering him to resolve the unfinished business which forced them to remain behind. As he tried to deactivate the ability to get them to leave him alone he realized that he couldn’t, he still could see the ghosts and hear them as well. He began helping the more aggressive ones in order to be left alone. Then when he tried to help his mentor move on the next life, he found out that it was impossible. The business that bound Harry to the physical world was that he felt that he needed to watch over his apprentice. Now Mikasi is stuck with the living population of Faethaven thinking he was just as eccentric as old “crazy” Harry Gillette because he said he could talk with ghosts, and with the ghosts harassing him because he appears to be the only way they can move on. Now Mikasi is trying to find a way to reopen the old saloon/theater while dealing with a ghostly mentor, ongoing on going harassment from the spectral population, and a skeptical populace.
