Donovan Jonason
Donovan Johnathan Jonason is the black sheep of the Jonason family of Lucan, Darthuria. He is an intellectual, a wizard (albeit someone horrible) and an avid learner. He has great dreams of becoming a hero and adventurer, though more and more, as his quest progresses, he feels that he continually misses this goal.
History
Early Life
Donovan is the second son of Jonathan and Marie Jonason, third-generation Lucanians. Jonathan owns the herbalist's shoppe of the village, where his wife, Marie, works and assists him. Their first son, Johnathan Jonason II, was a general laborer around the town (chopping wood, helping construction, any other intensive work) while he was young. Johnathan ran away at age 14, while Donovan was 9.
A year later, Donovan aged 10, encountered a strange man calling himself Rosseau. He had long known of the man being the town drunk, but had been told by his parents to avoid the man, for obvious reasons. When Donovan met Rosseau, the latent magical power he housed sparked to life, burning harshly away in his soul, seeking release. In an obfuscated plane far (as far as a different plane can be) away, Magiludian agents took note. A former professor of Magiludas, William Welljinx, had retired to the peaceful, quiet life of Lucan years ago. The agents contacted him, asking him to deliver Donovan's Letter of Acceptance, but he instead asked if he could teach the young mage personally. Soon after, Donovan became Welljinx's personal apprentice. Donovan's parents were reluctant and almost disappointed by this turn out: they had hoped Donovan would one day man up and become an upstanding young man such as his brother, whom had left to become an adventurer. It was this very attitude that seeded itself in Donovan as feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing. But it was also these feelings that spawned something else: a burning desire to succeed at becoming a wizard. Not just succeeding, Donovan would say, but being the best, "the greatest."
Life As An Adventurer
Over the course of his new "adventuring" lifestyle, Donovan has seen, encountered and experienced many things. He began this life as a bright-eyed young boy looking to make something of himself as a hero and an adventurer: saving princesses, slaying dragons, saving the world. Standard fare for people that lead this lifestyle.
Of course, the stories that inspired the dream were old tales and legends left over from the Age of Heroes, when men were both born and made to become something more than mortal, such as Kyruske Rosseau. These were the kind of people that fought against insurmountable odds, took part in hopeless battles, tried to save the irredeemable and succeeded through their own wits, power and determination. Unfortunately for Donovan, the Age of Heroes and the things it brought with it had ended thousands of years ago. Even Kyruske Rosseau, a part of the Age, thrust into this new world, could not overcome the fact he now existed in a Time Without Heroes, where adventure was no longer a glorious quest into the world, where men were no longer subject to the true wanderlust and thirst for that old adventure.
Strangely, even in a world without heroes, heroism is still found. The prime example being the little-known Heroes of Ashtol, which Donovan is counted among. Donovan is one of the few people that have fanned the small, in-born spark of adventure within themselves. This spark within Donovan, even through mistakes and horrible experiences adventuring, has grown into a raging inferno in his soul. He constantly seeks to discover, learn, conquer and grow. While he is a part of the world, he does not want the world to continue shaping him as it has done for his entire life--he wants to become the greatest wizard to ever live, and shape that world in turn.
Donovan seeks adventure and the thrill and experiences it will bring. He wants to fight monsters, save innocents and wield magics none have seen before. He wants to be a hero, doing great deeds, inspiring others to follow in those footsteps of greatness. A part of him unconsciously wants to bring back a new Age of Heroes, with himself heading the revolution. He wants to travel the world and see each and every opportunity for adventure it has to offer, performing acts of heroism all the way. In the end, of course, Donovan simply wants to be acknowledged. He wants people to respect his name. He wants to become much more than just a small time wizard. He wants to outdo and outshine everyone around him so that he can make his parents proud of what he is. With the death of his parents and the loss of his father figure, Rosseau,Donovan is no longer sure exactly why he is adventuring, but he continues.
It could possibly be that now-burning sparking driving him to succeed and achieve in a way no one has done for hundreds of years. It could be his way of glossing over his own insecurities with the hope of becoming great. It could be both. Only time will tell.
Friends and Companions
Kyruske Rosseau
"Rosseau" was the village drunk and an overall vagrant to most people in Lucan. Donovan first encountered him at age 10, but eventually introduced himself the first time he entered the Stalwart Tankard around age 12. From that point on, Donovan would sit with Rosseau and drink and talk about himself and his life. Rosseau rarely had any response to give, but Donovan would continue. The man grew on Donovan, and he saw him as something more than the town drunk: he was a friend and a father-figure to Donovan. He didn't detest what Donovan was (a wizard-in-training). He didn't want him to become something "better." He accepted what Donovan was, something that was kept secret from the rest of the village.
Donovan was the first and only of the party to attempt to keep Rosseau from heading northward, doing extensive research on the Desolate North. Showing Rosseau there was nothing left of his old home for him to return to, Donovan pleaded that he stay. Rosseau ignored Donovan, pushing for the door of the Silvercoast inn, the Grumpy Ogre. Donovan stood between Rosseau and the door, but when Rosseau could not budge Donovan from his place, he grew frustrated, eventually pushing him out of the way.
In a fit of desperation, anger, and fear of abandonment, Donovan's arcane energies manifested themselves, transforming his wand into a reflection of his soul: a rapier. Ferrum is not a charm which Donovan had learned, but one that became when he willed himself some way to communicate with Rosseau: a challenge.
Unfortunately, Donovan was little challenge to the former Greatest Duelist in the World, and he was felled without effort, bleeding and broken on the ground.
When he was revived by Malachor, Donovan left for his room in the inn, a small seed of darkness floating about his soul: this incident was the first that brought truly negative emotions and energy into Donovan.
Rhiannon Mattson
Rhiannon is a young woman, daughter of Melond, adopted daughter of Derrick Mattson. Four years older than Donovan, and being one of the only children in the age range, she, Nika Abernathy and Donovan were all "friends" to an extent. Donovan has always been attracted to Rhiannon to some extent, though only recently has he begun to step away from the puppy love he felt for her. Watching what strange relationship she and Akmemnos have, Donovan has felt farther and farther distanced, outdone, and useless in comparison. Both this and his growing need/urge to push for power and adventure has diminished his attraction to her. A sense of abandonment now pervades his attitude concerning her: he has lost his parents, Kyruske, and now her.
Nika Abernathy
Nika is Rhiannon's "sister," in sense, as they spent quite a lot of time together while they grew up in Lucan. To Donovan, she has never really been much of a concern. She was a ditsy, flighty girl who enjoyed tormenting Donovan in mostly-harmless ways. Being around her, to Donovan, was the cost of being around Rhiannon. At the village of Ashtol, the night before the Bloodlord's party, Donovan was buzzed and failed in his attempt to flirt with Nika, though he scarcely remembers this. In his encounter with a demon (which he summoned), during which Nika was willing to fight and die to save him, he felt something akin to both gratitude and love to and for her. He staunchly demanded that she not attack, as she would die. When he returned to camp, she hugged him hard, crying into his shoulder, as he was safe. At that moment, his feelings did nothing but deepen. He is uncertain as to what they exactly mean, and the idea he may love her scares him, as he feels anything he is attached to is something he will eventually see destroyed.
Malachor
Malachor was a hermit in Lucan, which Donovan watched with passive interest until he was given the duty by his parents to go into the forest and collect herbs for their shop. It was a few weeks of this grueling, obnoxious work (to Donovan) until the boy stumbled upon Malachor's hut outside of town, where he found a garden, lush with herbs. Seeing this, Donovan immediately sneaked into the garden and began gathering exactly what he needed. It wasn't long until he returned one day to find the herbs bundles and labeled in a basket in the garden, expressly for Donovan. This silent offering from Malachor continued for many months until the first "adventure" Donovan had: finding Ralph and Anna. It was in this adventure that Donovan discovered two things: Malachor was a cleric of Pelor, and Malachor was a monster--one he had briefly read about; an illithid, or mind-flayer.
Donovan was quick to be suspicious, but reasoning, as a wizard, he was not to judge someone or something until further information had been collected. Donovan's spellbook is thick with notes specifically concerning Malachor: his physiology, his psychology, his psionic abilities, his divine power, his dietary needs (several entries include exactly how much and what kind of brains he may need to eat).
Donovan does not particularly like Malachor, but he considers him a friend and a companion: he knows that if he needs something, Malachor would likely be greatly willing to satiate this need. That said, he has developed a growing distaste for the illithid, not because of what he is, but who he is. He always feels Malachor prances around on a religious high-horse, condemning the actions and ideas of the party. He feels that Malachor, eventually, will hold them back to a point where Donovan will not tolerate. What this means, of course, Donovan cannot be sure.
Akmemnos
Akmemnos is something of a two-sided coin with Donovan. Donovan can easily tolerate and enjoy his presence when Rhiannon is not near or the topic of conversation: he knows much that interests Donovan, and would like to learn. But the moment Rhiannon becomes in any way, he grows both uncomfortable and irritable, anger soon following suit, more often than not. Akmemnos once betrayed the party, to devastating effect, though he turned over a new leaf and joined the party once Rosseau had left once more. Nika, Malachor and Rhiannon are all suspicious of him, though Donovan personally feels little concern. He is both expectant and prepared should Akmemnos become a turncoat once again, and he will not hesitate in striking him down and removing his remaining horn.
Abilites
Donovan is a wizard, though his exact possession of this power originally manifested in a way more akin to sorcerers: his magic is inherent, but he has also learned how to draw power from the surrounding world's arcane energies as wizards do, through study of eldritch symbols, gestures, words and components. His weaker spells are almost always cast utilizing his inherent magic. His more powerful spells are littered with words and gestures, drawing out the ambient energies of the world to complete them: his own, personal power is merely used as a catalyst.
Donovan constantly feels a fire in his soul, as magic burns away inside him. It is likely that this feeling lends itself to him in the manifestation of his urge to become the greatest wizard to ever live.
Donovan is specially trained for usage of his wand and area-encompassing spells. Contrarily, when Donovan's more powerful spells are used up (and before he can mentally prepare himself to cast them once more), his smaller spells become more powerful, as his mind is no longer occupied by the complex arcane algorithms required to cast the larger spells. These smaller spells, no longer impeded, make full use of his inherent magical power, channeling itself more potently.
Donovan is well-versed in many aspects of religion, history, and vast amounts of magic. He is a secret theorist, analyzing and detailing magic throughout much of his spellbook (such as inconsistencies between the same spell being cast over many different times, the exact amount of power needed to achieve certain magical affects, the long-term affects of arcane energies being channeled and guided through the body of a person, the different "flavors" of magic, such as dark magic, and so on). He is an herbalist, whether he realizes or not, as he had quite a bit of experience gathering and learning of herbs when he was young. Donovan lacks many social graces and skills, and has a hard time communicating and identifying with people. Years of being different and a family secret in Lucan has left him with a sense of detachment from normal people, as though he was something different (though no better). He can be incredibly jealous (such as with his brother, Johnathan II) and very unsure of himself in most situations.
Donovan possesses near-eidetic memory, though he does not visualize something, as with photographic memory, but sees words exchanged and situations experienced as though they were notes in his journal or spellbook (which they often are). He rarely consults his spellbook for spells or information he already knows, though he continually rereads what he has written beforehand--this in itself may lend to his memory itself. This memory, of course, also brings along with it the fact that when he recalls a horrible past situation, he knows it with a detail he would rather not. This mental "ability" only surfaced when he began his apprenticeship with Welljinx, so it may or may not be linked to his arcane influence.
(I don't really roleplay this very often, of course, as my memory loves being shit when it matters.)
Donovan feels that each person is a part of something larger, and connects with it in their own way: Rosseau used no kind of magic, but he had slain gods, something no mortal could do. He did not channel that power outwards, such as Donovan's fireball, but instead into himself, making him faster, stronger, more enduring. He merely extended that power with each strike of his rapier, just as Donovan does when he casts a spell.
When Malachor channels the power of Pelor, it is a different flavor of magic he is weilding, using it to heal and ease pain and inspire his allies. The power is limitless in its application, and the person whom uses it defines how its affect on the world. Nika channels the power into a control of the natural world around her, willing forth thorns and animals to do her bidding. The natural world itself is a part of this power.
Donovan seeks to be the greatest wizard to ever live: to him, in the end, means commanding the power of the universe in such a way that he does not draw forth magic to do his bidding anymore: the ever-present energies in the world simply react to his will and make it so. Magic and reality become blurred as what he wants is what is.
Donovan, over the course of his adventuring career, has become much more than a wand-waving bookworm. His body has grown and adapted to the lifestyle, becoming less frail and sickly-looking. His bones have thickened and his muscles become lean and much stronger. His body bears many scars. The left side of his face was split by a club, where a wicked scar now lurks, menacingly. Over his heart, a stab wound from Rosseau is now scarred in a circular bit of tissue. His left middle finger is nothing but a stump, bit off by Vort, one of the Bloodlord's friends. His right thigh has been hit repeatedly by crossbow bolts. He no longer wears glasses, as they are now somewhere on the bottom of the Aron. His hair is grown out and ragged, his eyes no longer shining with hopeful light. He no longer takes the practice stance of wand magic Welljinx taught him: his form is now closer to that of Rosseau, wand acting as a blade, constantly bursting magic and arcane power.
Trivia
Donovan's current wand is an artifact from the vaults on of Magiludas, and, being an artifact, it is named: Valignatsyl, or "Burning Soul." This wand was given to Donovan by Welljinx at the end of his training with a generic practice wand (Donovan is trained in the use of staffs, orbs, rods, and other arcane implements, though is only speciialized with wand magic). The exact powers, if any, of the wand itself are unknown to Donovan. The wand was selected by Welljinx because he assumed that the magical alignment and properties of the wand would match Donovan perfectly. He was correct.
Donovan feels an intense personal attachment to his wand, and has previously picked it over a much more powerful staff, simply because the staff was not his .