Cúramach

Cúramach, commonly known as Cúram, is a Nøkken, and the first Fae Theo befriends in Elphame as a child. He introduced Theo to many of the other inhabitants of the Fairy world, and taught him their customs, such as not asking for names and how to interact with the local wildlife. He plays the violin, and always carries it with him, sometimes without the bow to ensure he does not enchant anyone accidentally. He fills it with water to keep himself sane away from his river.

### Physical Appearance

Cúram is a Nøk, an aquatic race of Fae that inhabit rivers and waterfalls. They are the male equivalent of the Nixie, and live almost exclusively in and around the water. Cúram, like all Nøkken, can 'become' water, and essentially disappear into it, along with their belongings. When he is in a more corporeal form, he is an unusually handsome young man, with a freckly greenish complexion and long, dark hair that is always wet, no matter how long he has been out of the water. Like all Fae, his eyes are an unusually bright green. Cúram has long, webbed fingers and toes, and as a child, Theo referred to him as a 'frog man'. He is tall, around 6 feet, 6 inches, and, like all Nøkken, can lure humans with his looks and enchanting music. Any non-Fae who hears his song will go mad, and either drown themselves or crave to hear the song again, unable to do anything but cry at the waterside, hoping the Nøk will return and play for them. His violin is of traditional wood, but has become green from spending so much time in the water.

Cúram wears simple clothing: a light linen shirt in a vaguely Celtic style, with water lilies and knot work embroidered into the hems. He keeps his trousers rolled up to just below his knees, as he frequently stands in the shallow water at the edge of his river, and he never wears shoes--if fact, he doesn't have any. He usually keeps his hair down or loosely tied half-up, but sometimes piles it in a messy sort of knot on top of his head to avoid getting others wet, particularly Theo when they're embracing or snuggled up.

### Personality

Cúram is typically mild, and has a go-with-the-flow sort of disposition, like his river. He is patient with Theo, and acts as his guide until he becomes acquainted with Elphame. He is a quiet person, but quippy, and can be sarcastic. August thinks Cúram dislikes him, as he describes him as impatient and loud when he visits Elphame with Theo, but he speaks highly of August and occasionally asks Theo how he's fairing.

Cúram spent quite a bit of his life playing his violin at the riverside in the Human world, where he lured people to himself. Like all Nøkken, he is terribly self conscious, and found comfort in the fact that people found him irresistible, even if they were under the enchantment of his music. After accidentally luring a young child and causing him to drown, he vowed never to play on the Human side again. He remains self conscious, and thinks poorly of himself, but rarely mentions it, except to Theo, whom he confides in as they become closer. Cúram had never known real love before Theo, and found he could get the same confidence in himself by spending time with him as he did luring men and women to his riverbank. Because Theo is half Fae, Cúram's violin does not enchant him, and is simply pleasant music.

Cúram is not quick to anger, and rarely raises his voice, but he will become a bit short and sarcastic when bothered. He is largely a peacemaker, but will not back down when challenged, and keeps his composure in uncomfortable situations. His cool temper often grounds Theo, who sometimes becomes quite anxious and spirals. Cúram is certainly a comfort to him, but Cúram never lets on how comforting Theo is to him in return.

### History

Cúram was born Cúramach Grá around the year 300 in what is now Scotland. As one of the Fair Folk, he could live an extraordinarily long time if he remains in Elphame, and he did not leave until he was close to 1200 years old, the human equivalent of about 17 or 18. Until then, he lived with his family where he was the only son of 12 siblings, and the youngest. He learned to stay out of the way, but not to let himself be pushed around by his older sisters. As Nixies, they spent quite a bit of time singing, lamenting on their woes--mostly their looks. They soon learned they could make any human man fall in love with them by singing to them, and soon left Elphame. A few married human men, others preferred to lure them to their deaths, as it made them feel powerful, less self conscious.

Perhaps it was because of his sister's vanity, for Cúram soon followed suit. He so envied the other Fae, with their glittering skin and dainty faces, shimmery wings and appearances that let them pass as human. He knew his own music would enchant anyone he chose, that anybody nearby would immediately become enamored, and the thought was intoxicating. He began using Fairy Rings to hop between worlds, and seduced many, many people. He knew somewhere deep down that he shouldn't find so much joy in making humans go mad, but to have someone call out for him from the riverbank, to want nothing more in the world than to see him, gave him such a thrill he found himself unable to stop.

Cúram was once playing his violin on the riverbank, more for his own enjoyment than anything else, for he was unaware anyone was nearby. He should have returned to Elphame before he began, but he did not, and a young girl playing by the river heard his tune. She was only around 7 or 8 years old, and she was unable to resist the enchantment. Most adults simply drive themselves crazy seeking a reprise of the Nøkken's song, but children were more vulnerable, and the child drowned herself. After that, Cúram vowed he would never use his song to lure anyone ever again. He would simply have to live out his life without anyone yearning for him, with nobody seeking him out. He would be alone.

Unable to stay around so many other Nøkken, he left and went as far away as he could using Fairy Rings, across the sea and eventually to what is today the the East Coast of the United States. He found a river and sat on it's bank, playing mournful melodies on his violin. Because of his understanding disposition and the fact he made himself easy to find, he soon became known to the nearby Fae as a good listener, someone who offered good advice. Young Fae would often sit beside him on the riverbank or wait patiently in the reeds for him to finish his song, then tell him their woes or their joys or ask advice. He was glad others sought him out, but it wasn't the same as before...He wanted someone to be infatuated with him again, but he would not use his music to lure a human again.

Cúram met Theo on his fifth birthday while passing by the Fairy Ring in the woods. He found Theo bizarre, as he had never seen a human pass into Elphame without dying first, and even then, they rarely stayed long enough to converse with the locals. Their souls could often be seen as shooting stars flying over Elphame, moving on to the next world, but Cúram had never seen one as a physical being. His own curiosity got the best of him, and he allowed Theo to walk with him back to the riverbank, suspecting he was Fae from his bright green eyes and fiery hair. There, he discovered his violin was unable to enchant the boy, and Cúram's suspicion was confirmed. From then on, any time Theo came to visit Elphame, he would spend time with Cúram, listening to him play the violin, swimming in the river, skipping stones, or just talking. As Theo grew older, they grew closer and Theo began spending the majority of his time in Elphame with Cúram. He came to realize Theo had feelings for him, and wanted to be with him simply for him, not due to an enchantment or to use him only as a listening ear. For the first time, he felt what it was like to be truly cared for, and it was better than any enchantment from his violin.