Blake Shade

Blake is a Breton healer and a surgeon, an expert in anatomy, restoration magic and alchemy. He was born in Fell’s Run, Rivenspire, to a humble tailor, Zoellene, and a necromancer and scholar, Kellis Shade. He used to live alone in a small apartment in Shornhelm but quite recently he decided to set off on a journey and was sent by the Mages Guild to Western Skyrim.

## Appearance

Blake is very slim, on the verge of being considered scrawny. His skin is really pale, almost white, what can give an impression of him being a vampire, but the paleness is caused simply by anaemia. The severity depends on his lifestyle – when Blake is regularly eating balanced meals, his skin has a fair but healthy colour, on the other hand when malnourished and overworked, he might become deathly pale. His wavy, shoulder-length hair is raven black and strongly contrasts with his white skin. As for his height, he measures 180 cm.

Blake can hardly be considered handsome, although there is something nice, even soothing, in his soft yet still masculine facial features. However his oval face is somewhat disfigured by several scars that blemish the overall alright image. The most prominent ones are scars on his cheeks beginning in the corners of his lips and looking like an eerie smile extension, and a vertical one on his forehead, just above his left eyebrow. The scars, especially those on the cheeks, can make a little ghastly first impression, but Blake’s warm, gentle smile can usually disperse the initial shock quite quickly.

Shade either wears a stubble or shaves clean – it depends on his mood and wellbeing or simply how much time he has. His usual outfits could be described as smart casual, consisting of long, dark trousers and plain, soft coloured shirts, mostly in shades of blue, grey, black or white. All in all his most striking feature are the eyes – with deep black colour and a gentle gaze they seem to pierce right through one’s very soul with wisdom, life experience and a hint of nostalgia of someone twice his age. If somebody learns to read from their expression, they usually reflect Blake’s mood the best, especially considering his bland facial expressions and limited body language.

## Personality

Blake is a very calm, warm and polite person. He is ever so patient and understanding, loses his temper very rarely and usually speaks in a soft voice with a gentle smile on his face. When annoyed or offended he just grits his teeth, sighs and pretends nothing happened. Shade is stoical in general and has a good control over his feelings, either positive or negative. He is also a pacifist, avoids all kinds of violence unless forced by circumstances and always tries to end conflicts through conversation. He’s also empathetic, compassionate, non-judgemental and always willing to lend an ear. He doesn’t like crowds but enjoys company of other people, whether in the form of a chat or a meaningful conversation.

Simultaneously, what he tries to cover up with sociability, Shade is a very private introvert with a rather low self-esteem. It might not be obvious at the first glance, but his smiles are rarely truly genuine. People who are more familiar with him might notice a glimpse of sorrow in his eyes that seems to never fade away. Additionally, while very patient and understanding towards others, Shade tends to be very harsh for himself. He places high demands on himself and feels disappointed if he doesn’t fulfil his duties or makes a serious mistake. It upsets him more that he would admit, if despite his best efforts, his abilities are not enough to help somebody, even though he is aware that not everyone can be saved and some loss is unavoidable. All things considered, Blake appears to be a heavily troubled person deep underneath his cordial and quite likeable outer shell but given his secretiveness it can be hard to persuade him to talk about it.