Theodore Ashwood

Godiva Ashwood (elder sister)

> *"This changes things."*
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> ~ Theodore, frequently.
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**Theodore Ashwood** was a Union-born wizard, naturalist, and inventor of the onomantic method that under the pseudonym **Scintillifer Blackbranch,** boarded the "Goldbreaker" to explore the Kingdom of Auresia. Adverse circumstances have forced him to return to his original identity. Before managing to complete his investigation of the mysterious events surrounding the Auresian War and his survey of the foreign empire he was killed, in a successful attempt on his life.

## Appearance

Theodore was a tall man of strong jaw and long face as well as lanky proportion. His hair was a sandy blonde and his eyes were green.

As Scintillifer Blackbranch, he dyed his hair black and wore black lenses. He took very good care of his appearance, wearing impeccable clothing of fine design, like a fine black tunic with silvered floral motives and a black cloak, as well as being cleanly shaven at all times

Having shed the persona, he wore his hair short and let his beard grow out, sufficing with just keeping himself clean. He later acquired a set of white robes for his travel in the desert, in which he died.

## Personality and Traits

Theodore Ashwood was primarily a curious man, driven by his desire to discover more about Auresia in his endeavours. Easy-going and energetic he was quick to embrace new opportunities and acquaint himself with his surroundings. However he could at times be immature, stubborn or prone to fits of eccentricity. He tended to consider his opinion to be the best-informed one, even if he didn't always blatantly show it. Having spent most of his life indoors he tended to either shy away from combat, unused to its harsh reality or engage with uncharacteristic glee in reducing his enemies with his quickly growing magical power, but over time gained a realistic understanding of the price of human lives, as well as a tactical intellect.

He had a distaste for governmental authority, seeing it as stifling and ultimately feeding into the small-minded plans of a select few to the detriment of the many. Theodore seemed to be full of bottled-up regret for his previous decisions and his absconding of his home, but is also determined to look forwards, not dwelling too much on his mistakes

## Abilities

Theodore was a man of frail build and insignificant physical strength, mostly used to solving his problems with words, however he wasn't unused to occasionally getting his hands dirty. In combat he relied on invoking various spells to impede and harm his enemies and of course-running away. Over the time of his misadventure in Auresian lands he regained and refined upon tactical knowledge imparted to him in his youth, becoming a shrewd fighter.

### Encyclopedic Knowledge

Theodore was a polymath of sorts, knowledgeable in both natural history as well as the magical sciences, with a decent knowledge of general history, able to recall various minutiae easily.

### Onomantic Magic

Having discovered the Universal Syntax and having learned to speak it, he commanded magic with finesse, able to use things' real names to invoke or harm them, alongside with summoning more traditional elemental magic as is needed. While his raw magical power was never immense, he compensated by using it in creative ways, such as launching incendiary projectiles via an accelerating spell or applying his magic to refine alchemical components.

## Relationships with Other Characters

Theodore was a genial and outgoing, if somewhat mysterious person, that often was the one to approach others. He enjoyed listening to people's stories and learning more about their cultures or ways of thinking as well. He occasionally offered advice, but often disparaged the quality of his own wisdom.

### Lina Iskaar

At first he found the mysterious young woman interesting, as she hid her identity and refused to remove her protective mask, but after it was revealed that she was in fact the heir to the house of Iskaar, and after being forced to depend on her for survival-and vice-versa, he began to find her willful personality grating. Regardless, he saw her as a comrade to which he owed a certain amount of loyalty. This did not stop him from constantly chiding her on her decisions, seeing them as a risk for the entire group. He however also gave her constructive advice on several issues.

### Lukkas Gale

Theodore had a relationship of mutual trust with the young man, even if the two often disagreed on philosophical questions, with Theodore considering individuality, personal freedom and equality to be more important, while Lukkas was a believer in the importance of a natural and proper order that was reflected in social hierarchy. The two also had a mutual interest in nature, which differed again in Theodore seeing it as a phenomenon to be understood, but not something which's laws applied to mankind, while Lukkas saw it as a force to be respected and served by man. Regardless of their differences however, Theodore respected Lukkas and enjoyed their conversations.

### Aglar

Theodore had a trusting relationship with the dwarven pirate, the two having a mutual love for exotic and bizzare cuisine, trading spices with him several times. Aglar also seemed to listen to Theodore's advice, when it came down to dealing with other people.

### Yashu

Theodore was the first of the group to put his trust in the hunter and humbly beseech his help in hunting down the monster terrorizing the village of Haili. Theodore spent some of his time talking to Yashu about the local wildlife, and his knowledge of nature.

### Hum of the Zuka

Initially Theodore was accursed by Hum for claiming to be a Union colonist in the Midsea Civilizations, but as the two learned of each other's respective missions, the two came to show great respect, as each saw the other as trying to save his people and perhaps the greater world from the threats that the Golden Kingdom and the Thornborn were.