Nathaniel Thorn

by Charlie Bowater

**Nathaniel Thorn** is a young sorcerer and Magister, heir to the House Thorn. He lives in Thorn Manor.

## Biography

Nathaniel was the oldest son of Charlotte and Alistair Thorn, he had a younger brother called Maximilian Thorn.

Maximillian and his mother perished in an accident by the docks, causing them to drown along with several other bystanders. His father, Alistair, who was at the time of the accident away on magisters' business, was a good man of his time, but after his wife and son died, he tried resurrecting them using the Chronicles of the Dead, made by his ancestor Balthasar Thorn. At the time, Nathaniel was 12 years old and the incident greatly affected his life, notably being the cause of his nightmares. The accident is also the reason for his bad relationship with the press.

After the death of his father, Nathaniel feared living alone, so he bargained two decades of his life to the family's demonic servant, Silas. Silas cared for Nathaniel each night, tucking him to bed and soothing the worst of his nightmares, most of which include illusions such as seeing his mother and Maximillian as they were after the accident.

At seventeen, Nathaniel was invited to the Great Library of Summershall where he met Elisabeth Scrivener. Elisabeth had been hiding behind a bookshelf with her friend Katrien, spying on Nathaniel to see if he had cloven hooves or pointed ears.

A year after this incident, Summershall was attacked by a rogue grimoire, and Elisabeth was framed for the crime. Nathaniel did not believe Elisabeth was responsible, so he volunteered to escort her from Sumershall to Brassbridge, where she would testify for her innocence.

While Nathaniel and Elisabeth headed to the capital, they spent lots of time together and grew surprisingly close, despite Elisabeth's fear of sorcerers. When they finally reach Brassbridge, they are attacked by a pack of lesser demons (also known as fiends). When Elisabeth is injured by one of the fiends, Nathaniel takes her to his mansion, Thorn Manor, where Silas nurses her back to health.

Later, after Elisabeth escapes from Ashcroft Manor, Nathaniel allows Elisabeth to stay in his home, despite his growing feelings for her. He spends much of his time suppressing these feelings and avoiding Elisabeth, but after much pestering, he finally opens his heart to her, and they become more than just friends.

## Physical Description

Nathaniel is tall and handsome. He has pale skin, his hair is thick and pitch black and wavy, longer than the men wore it in Summershall. He has a streak of silver through his left temple, which is his demonic mark. He has gray eyes, that are described to be "extraordinarily light in color." He uses a cane after the battle at the Royal Library, which left his knee permanently injured.

## Possessions

* **Scrying mirror**: a magical artifact. The mirror acts as a portal showing its beholder anybody within the confines of any mirror in the world.
* **Nathaniel's whip**: a rope of emerald fire summoned with magic, it's Nathaniel's weapon of choice.

## References

1. ↑ "Nathaniel was born in July 1806, but I’ve never had a specific day in mind. Maybe I’ll let a reader decide sometime!" Margaret Rogerson on Tumblr