James Daniels
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Elemental Airtouched |
|---|---|
| Court | Spring Court •• |
| Freehold | Lilac Bower |
| Player | John Christensen netbard@gmail.com |
Contents |
Overview
Real Name: James Daniels
Location: Rochester, NY
Age: 30
Seeming: Elemental
Kith: Air-Touched
Court: Spring
Title: Verdant Knight of the Noonday Sun
Virtue: Hope
Vice: Wrath
Concept: A man, scarred by his past, trying to bring some good into the world.
Physical description:A very lithe 30 year old man, James moves like the wind that makes up so much of himself. His movements are careful and quiet as deep blue eyes with a hint of sadness looks upon the world. The most unusual feature is long, flowing silver hair that reaches below his shoulders. His normal garb is a gi and pair of hakama pants. A katana with cherry-wood hild sticks out of the obi. (Striking Looks x4)
Personality: James is quiet and dedicated, personality wise. He's determined to help just as much as he possibly can and will use his sword in the pursuit of such. The choice of amount of force to use, though, is one that he reserves for himself; he will decide if he will kill someone - and the answer to that question is pretty much always no. In his mind, if he is to be a weapon, he will determine how and why that weapon is wielded. No one else.
Character Livejournal: http://netbardictales.livejournal.com
A Timeline of Warfare
1978 - Born to a pair of middle-class parents in Boston, MA
1990 - Takes up Aikido, enjoying the exercise and peace of the practice a great deal.
1990 - Taken by the Gentry after watching a blue belt test, who mistakes the one-on-one open combat portion of the test for everyday practice. Conscripted into the Gentry's army.
1990 - 1995: Held within Arcadia. After losing what friends he had made within the army to his indecision and doubts, his heart hardens and he becomes a merciless killer in the hopes of bringing the war to as quick an end as possible. Slowly, with help from other Changelings, comes to realize the folly of that approach and becomes determined to make his escape.
1995 - James faces his Keeper and learns of the Keeper's true purpose - as human blacksmiths craft swords, this Gentry crafts people into weapons; James was to be his greatest creation, save for the mercy and doubt that plagued him. James is forced to overcome both of them as the Gentry threatens to take both his life and the lives of those he was escaping with; in the ensuing battle, he believes his Keeper to have been killed.
1995 - 1999: James returns from Faerie and finds his Fetch living his own life. After watching his family for a long time, he realized that he did not feel he belonged there and set out to find who he was. This journey took him through The Pride and into the Winter Court. He finally leaves The Pride to wander in an attempt to find his answers.
1999 - 2005: Wanders aimlessly through North America for most of this time, visiting freeholds and providing aid where he can. It is during this time that he joins The Praesidium as a member of the cohort, having met Gaius Arctorus for a time while in Arcadia.
2000: James is in Orlando to help with their uprising of hedge beasts.
2001 - 2003: Participates in the siege of Som i'Seely, spending most of his time protecting those who would otherwise have been ravaged by the war. Helps as many as possible get clear, which leads to a brief, mistaken rumor that he was taken by the Gentry.
2005: James joins The Praesidium
2005 - Arrives in Rochester.
2008
April: Seeing the Praesidium beset by turmoil and strife and fearing being forced to choose one side or the other, James chooses neither side and takes his leave.
May: Saga's death hits James hard and makes him realize that atonement is more than seeking forgiveness - he has to become more than what he was created to be. Furthermore, he gains information that he may not be the only elemental weapon that was created.
A Tale of Death and Blood
"He regrets so much, I think. He constantly tries to prove his goodness. Does it pain him, I wonder, that I do not care to atone?" - Tanith
James was born to a pair of middle class parents from Rochester. His childhood was rather unremarkable, save for an interest in martial arts that started in grade school. It was this interest that first attracted the Gentry to him. They needed new warriors for a war that had been going on for centuries and, so, he was taken to Arcadia. There, though, his Keeper learned that he was a peaceful man, and not one who wanted to be involved in a war. This was strange to the Fae, who wanted to forge the young man into a weapon that he could wield at his opponents.
And so he set a trap; he allowed James to become close to other captives that had been taken, made sure that they became good friends. A friendship that was shattered in a "battle" that the group was sent into. In reality, the creatures sent to face the troop were sent by the Keeper. James watched as his friends were slaughtered. A desire to not kill was made worthless by creatures that could take enormous amounts of bashing damage and keep getting up. Standing there, the dead bodies of his friends around him, he knew that there was only one choice that he could make. He would end the war the only way available to him; he would kill over and over, until the end of the war presented itself to him. (Ties possible here; perhaps other characters on the same side or on other side?)
And so he did, through battle after battle. All told, he would kill fifty captives before he was done. And through it all, he was screaming inside; he disassociated to a certain extent in a desperate attempt to not be affected by the death that he had caused. Until he merely wounded instead of killed and, in a desperate act of mercy, brought the young man to the healers. The young man might have lived, it his Keeper hadn't found him and, realizing that this was an enemy, ordered James to kill him, lest the entire tent be killed instead.
He realized that he couldn't do it anymore. The healer that he had brought the man to (Edria Meredith) told him that an escape was in the offing and he snapped up the chance. Before he made it back, though, there was one last encounter that was destined. He realized, during the escape, that they were being followed and split off of the column. He found himself at the tree where he had tied prayers to each of the victims during this war, as well as the single photo of the companions that he had made. And there he found his Keeper.
The confrontation that followed revealed several things to James. First, that he was a weapon in his Keeper's eyes; as humanity forged swords, this Fae forged humans. Second, that the only way to defeat the Keeper and to protect his new friends was to demolish the distance that he had carefully built up between himself and the killer. And as his sword cooled in the blood of his Keeper, his own body wounded greviously by his Keeper's blade, he realized the third thing - a promise he made to himself. He would never again be manipulated into killing another person.
To Wander Alone
"If actions speak louder than words, then I'm surprised the world is not deafened by his dedication." - Horace "Race" Ardent
After fighting his Gentry, James managed to make his way to another escaping group of Changelings. This group, which consisted of Gaius Arctorus, Gwalchavad, Master Atonius, and Siwan Tudor. Upon finding himself free from Arcadia, he bid farewell to them and returned to Rochester. He found that his Fetch was livign with his family and was content. He also learned, to his dismay, that there were pieces of him missing. He left Rochester to take up wandering.
His wandering led him to the Freehold of Azure Hills, where he encountered Saga. In Saga he found his first mentor, who taught him about the society he found himself in. Through several years, he began to see that there might be a path forward from the nightmarish weapon he had once been.
Sadly, though, joining the Winter court showed him that while he had learned the first piece of his answer, there were other pieces missing. Fearing that those answers would not be found in Azure Hills, he bid farewell to Saga and began a time of wandering.
This wandering would take him across most of the nation. During his time alone, he would meet with others but he would never form attachments. For a time, he traveled with Race Ardent. He would rescue Zephyr from the Hedge and bring her to Marcus in the hopes that he could help her. He would have a nearly disastrous encounter with Rattenkonigin. In general he would find people who required protection and, at all costs to himself, he would protect them.
An End to Wandering
"The gentlest evening breeze is rough in comparison to his compassion, the brightest flower pales against his passion, and his quiet voice could command the stars to fall." - Lady Zephyr
In the end, though, he discovered that his answer would not be found by aimless wandering. He began to feel that connections were needed. It was a need that would take him to meet with old friends and, finally, join The Praesidium. It would, further, lead him to the Lilac Bower where he would find a court in need of protectors, as well as other old friends. He would, finally, settle there. Leaving the Winter court, he would finally join the Spring.
Mentor's Loss
"James is a good kid, far smarter than I will ever be. I worry for him though. We've all got our demons and crosses to bare, i worry that when it comes time he won't know when to put his down. I love him like a son and it hurts that I can't find a way to help him with his burden. Fuck it we through? I'm done talking about this." - Saga
Things would continue apace until 2008. The year would start poorly - a conflict within the Praesidium would lead to most of the north-eastern Century departed. After being convinced that a conflict was coming, and realizing that his oath demanded that he stop such a conflict, he would leave the Praesidium. A powerful connection lost, James began to feel himself adrift once more.
That drifting would reach its crescendo in Cleveland. There Saga was murdered by an insane Changeling. The loss of his mentor shook him greatly and, indeed, nearly brought the murderer back upon those who had been framed - Kalen Blazenheart and the Praesidium. Barely controlling himself, he fled. In the day after, though, he realized the truth - the loss of Saga hurt so greatly, in part, because he was one of the connections tying James to the shreds of his humanity. If he wanted to find the truth of how to atone for his past, he would have to strengthen these shreds and learn how to become more than what he was.
Associations & Associates (Add yourself if you'd like)
The Praesidium - "A force of great good in this world, one that defends those who are defenseless. But could it go too far?"
Edria Meredith - "Wiser than I."
Gaius Arctorus - "The gladiator who would be a warlord. He has done great good since he returned so long ago. But I worry that, someday, his ambitions will grow too large."
Lady Zephyr - "Safety. She has come so far since she returned, and now holds so much on her shoulders."
Race - "The world needs nothing so desperately as a good man. In him, it has it."
Rattenkonigin - "She's dangerous and, in many ways, unpredictable. But she has the friendship of people this one trusts; there is more to her than the surface impression."
Saga - "He taught me the true way to survive in this world."
Kalen Blazenheart - "A primal beast who uses that as her strength to protect the Praesidium and those she considers her. This one cannot claim to understand her, it is simply enough to know that she will protect those that require protection."
Calliope
Quotes
(Some quotes have been moved up into the background. They all have proper attribution. Feel free to add a quote here, or even to a relevant portion of the narrative above!)
"The answer of how to atone for the crimes committed will be found in the path being walked, no matter how long that path goes. For now, though, those around will be protected with all the strength that can be brought to bear by this one."
"They write books about men like him and call them Heroes in the pages. I'll simply give him the praise of having a backbone and not enough sense to fear as he should. I think my praise is worth more." die Rattenkönigin
"If there is ever a man to keep me grounded, clear of mind and pure of purpose, it is James." - Gaius Arctorus
"People sometimes say that I am a light in darkness, but James is the spark, the one that lit fires, and tends to them still. He walks paths I will never understand and has the grace to accept the steps of others as equal to his own. It was he that woke me from delusion and I will never forget that." - Edria Meredith
"James is...James. A bit detached, like all elementals, so I think my overemotional beastie-ness confuses him more often than not. But he is a good man, and living, walking example of what it is to do what is right and just in this world. I value him highly and will always consider him my Brother, even if he has chosen to walk a different path for the time being." - Kalen Blazenheart
"Samurai Jim's OK, I guess...but I don't think he speaks English. He kept trying to call me 'Roxanne' or 'Ox-san' or something when I met him, and kept going on about suffocating 'sam-a' something or another...well, who knows, right? Anyway, he's polite, speaks softly, and goes out of his way not to piss in anyone's Wheaties...but I still like him, in spite of all that." - Dzxoxian Brokehorn
Rumors
- James is merely making excuses; his Keeper did nothing to him and he volunteered to become the man-killer he was in Arcadia. At any moment, he will reveal his true nature.
- He really is the villian reformed, willing to put himself in extreme harms way for the chance to stop something he sees as unjust.
- James has a somewhat tenuous relationship with The Praesidium; he has never been entirely sure that the group won't go beyond its stated goals of protection and turn into something that would violate his personal oath to be part of.
- James was taken during the end of the siege of Som i'Seely and has turned into a Loyalist rather than go back to Arcadia.
