Ian Llwyd

In the course of submitting character concepts to games over at Roleplay Online, I often revisit character concepts from previous games. While laziness and expediency have much to do with it, more often than not, it's because I made a character for a game, fell in love with it, then the game died and I never got to play the character more than a few weeks. It's rather depressing.

In some cases, I use the characters whole-cloth. In others, I take the basic idea and tweak it. Such is the case of the following character, who is easily traceable back to Colm Williamson. All of the text is original (I didn't just copy-and-paste from the previous character), but the connection is clear. The following is my character submission, following the format requested by the GM. It was accepted and the game started, but unfortunately, the game died to to GM real-life issues about two weeks into it. So now I have yet another character that may be reused in some future game.


Character Name:
Ian Llwyd

Nicknames, alter ego, nom de guerre:
The Amazing Ian

General appearance, costume, if any:
Tall, fit gentleman with short blond hair, green eyes, and a devilish grin. Wears fine suits, usually light in color, silk shirt and tie, and polished black shoes. Carries a walking stick with simple brass head and foot. He wears a gold pentagram upon a silver chain; in the center of the pentagram, there is a dodecahedron of clear crystal, suspended by an invisible force that allows it to rotate freely.

Age, real and apparent, if applicable:
32, though he is often mistaken for "mid-thirties."

Gender: Male

Powers, abilities and skills:
Conjuration: Creating creatures and objects out of thin air, shadow, and elemental forces
The Sight: Sensing magical and otherworldly forces, seeing fey and illusions for what they are
Student of the Arts: General eldritch knowledge and experience with the mystic realms
Stage Magic: Sleight-of-hand, smoke & mirrors, and cold reading
Presence: Attractive, socialite, personal magnetism
Worldly: Geographic and cultural knowledge from around the globe
Languages: English, Welsh, and a smattering of Gaelic and Latin

Background and personality:
Ian grew up in rural Wales where his family owned a small pub and bed & breakfast. He had a very social and happy upbringing, but he always longed for something more, to travel beyond the quaint village of his youth and explore the world. He got his chance when he was eleven.

It was during one local exploration through the hilly countryside that he came across a hare that had its leg caught in a snare. It was not uncommon for the locals to trap or hunt hares for food, so he should have left it there, but something made him approach closer. Though obviously in pain, it did not appear scared. Indeed, there was intelligence behind its eyes. Ian knelt down and loosened the snare. The hare quickly scampered away, but then it stopped and looked back, as if it wanted Ian to follow. He did and soon Ian found himself led to a rocky outcropping that he had never seen before. The hare ducked into a cave opening so small that Ian had to crawl after. After several yards of crawling through pitch darkness, Ian fell forward and hit his head.

When he woke, he found himself inside a cave furnished with an ancient hardwood table and a single chair. A small dusty bookshelf populated by cloudy jars, deteriorating books, and sundry other objects he did not recognize. Light was provided by a glowing pendant that sat upon the table. There was no sign of the hare and he has never seen it since.

The pendant is magical, of course, but it is not the source of his abilities. Rather, it simply opened up his eyes to the mystical world and over the next twenty years, he through himself into studying and learning the secrets of magic. He has spent the last ten years traveling the world and building his skills but he knows he is still an apprentice. He makes a living as a magician, supplementing the stage act with actual acts of magic. Eventually, he came to America and then Las Vegas, where he has created a stage act. He does two shows, actually. One is a very kid-friendly, family-oriented show with lots of lights, animals, mystical creatures, and lots of audience interaction. The late night adult show is very dark, scary, and intense.

Ian comes from humble roots and it keeps him grounded in the parallel worlds of magic and minor celebrity. But he likes people and enjoys an active social life. His pursuit of magic is driven by wonder and exploration rather than a lust of power or academic knowledge. He is not one to put down roots, but he neither is he apt to cut and run. Deep inside, he's still the kind, inquisitive boy that lead him down that rabbit hole so many years ago.

Writing sample:
Ian walked out the back of the hotel and made his way to the strip. It was late and the desert air was already cooling off. The light breeze felt good on his skin and a welcome change from the harsh stage lights of tonight's show. He enjoyed the lights, the spectacle, and the people on the strip. It buzzed with humanity and emotion: excitement, disappointment, lust, and elation. After a couple of blocks, he caught a cab. "The Rosewood," he said and handed the driver a fifty.

Elaine was waiting outside. She was wearing a long blue sequined dress with slit that went up to mid-thigh. "Hi!" she said with a wide cheerleader smile and a wave. He was glad he hadn't been keeping her long. He stepped out of the cab took her hand as he kissed her on her soft red lips. After their brief embrace, she turned and he brushed his fingers through her thick black hair. They passed by the doorman and a dozen people still waiting in line behind the velvet rope.

The nightclub was filled with music and energy without being overwhelming. They danced some, but spent most of their time in a booth drinking and chatting with friends. He had been seeing Elaine for only a week or so. She was gorgeous, bubbly, and flirtatious but not in the vapid, artificial Vegas way. Being around her made him feel happy and he could feel the stress melt away every moment they were together. But neither of them believed it was anything more than that, he hoped.

As he was finishing what he hold himself would be his last beer, he saw something from across the dance floor that gave him a bad shiver on the back of his neck and made him frown. "What's wrong?" she asked, quickly catching his change of mood. He looked in her eyes and forced a smile, "I think I'm a little drunk. You may have to take me home and pour me into bed soon." "I'll do more than pour, tiger," she giggled and snapped her teeth at him. That gave him a different kind of shiver. "Let me make a pit stop and then we'll leave," he said as he excused himself from the table.

He walked right past the restrooms and went out the disabled emergency exit. Down the alley, he saw exactly what he was afraid of. Some mostly-drunk reveler had been ensnared by a vampire who was now beginning to feed on her victim. "Hey! I wouldn't do that. You don't know where it's been!" She turned to him and hissed, "Mind your own business." "Sorry, I can't do that," he said simply and pulled a lighter from his pocket. He didn't smoke, but what he was going to do next was easier with pilot light. He waved his hand over the flame and said an incantation. A flare erupted forth and a fiery bat-shaped creature appeared. The vampire's eyes widened and she bolted as Ian's elemental chased her.

"This way, sport," he guided the man back inside and to the restroom to clean up. His neck was a little bloody, but nothing too serious or obvious--just another rough night in Sin City. He returned to Elaine. "Now, what were you saying about bed?" he grinned and made a throaty growl as they walked out to catch a cab home.