Erk

Life as an Orphan (Fanon)
As a child, Erk was orphaned very young; his first memories are of an orphanage just outside Aquelia. The orphanage was run by an old priest who brought several religious texts in to give the oprhans a semblance of a proper upbringing. He taught Erk how to read at a young age, but would only help with religious texts. When Erk's interest left religion and pursued other topics, the priest stopped teaching him. Erk continued to read regardless and taught himself as best he could. While he didn't fully understand it, he gained a very basic knowledge of the core fundamental workings of magic from holy tomes.

One cold, winter day, Erk found a heavy, complex black tome in the back of the church, far separated from other tomes. He tried to get through it as well as he could, but much of it was too complicated for a twelve year old. So instead, he took it to the priest and asked what the word was. Turned out the word was part of a key incantation of a shamanistic ritual and the book was a basic tome of dark magic. Despite the fact Erk didn't leave the orphanage often, he was accused of being a shaman, a blasphemer, a heretic, every name under the sun before being kicked out.

He wandered the streets of Aquelia for a few days, unsure of what to do with himself. As luck would have it, he spotted a book lying in the snow. Being Erk, he picked it up and began reading it... only to be arrested for theft twenty minutes later by soldiers looking for Marquess Reglay's missing tome. They brought him before the marquess, who, after hearing the charges, asked Erk if he understood anything in the tome. Despite no background in anima magic, he understood bits and pieces from the other tomes he had read. Impressed, the marquess introduced himself as Lord Pent Reglay, Mage-General of Etruria, and took the orphan in as his student. Within three days, he had gone from an orphanage to his own room in a castle.

Life as a Noble
Castle Wrigley had other magic teachers for the noble children of Etruria and Erk did his best to attend every class he could. He quickly found that he was quite adept with magic and was constantly near or at the top of his classes.

While Pent and his wife Louise were more than thrilled to have Erk around, he found himself largely unpopular with many of the other members of the castle. While he enjoyed the chance at education, he was shunned by virtually all the other students, who were none too pleased to have to share instruction with a filthy commoner just because Pent favored him. Similarly, many of the servants saw him with disdain, thinking that it should be them in his position. While there were a few, like the future Mage-General Cecilia, who did not mind his lack of title, he more or less became much more withdrawn to his studies.

However, Erk was extremely focused on making a good impression on his adopted parents. A few months in, there came a period of time where he collapsed at his desk and nearly died. This was, in retrospect, entirely his fault, as he was already eating very little in order to maintain his studies; within the past few days, he was so focused that he hadn't eaten or drank anything in days. When the healers were very reluctant to heal Erk, Louise took it on herself to nurse him back to life. While recovering, Pent gave him a picture book to remind him that there was more to magic than studying.

Lyndis' Legion and Priscilla's Contract
At the age of fourteen, Erk went out on a training sabbatical to hone his skills. While in Lycia, he took on an escort contract, taking a frail, young priestess to the capital, Ostia. This proved to be a mistake, as the frail priestess was Serra. One day, upon finding themselves lost and arguing, they came across bandits who were attacking a group headed by Lyn. The bandits mistook them as part of the group and attacked. After the bandits were defeated, Serra learned that Lyn was Lady Lyndis Caelin and dragged Erk along on the inheritance dispute. Erk proved to be a crucial member of Lyndis' Legion, ending when the usurper, her uncle Lundgren, was slain. Following this, he escorted Serra to Ostia and fled to Etruria.

He wasn't there for long. At the age of fifteen, at Pent's suggestion, he took another contract, this time with the much more pleasing Lady Priscilla Caerleon. Originally a Cornwell, Priscilla was a noble adopted into another noble family, but she was separated from her birth family. With Erk, she searched for any sign of her family, especially her brother, Raymond. They got sidetracked, so to speak, in Laus, when the Marquess took a fancy to her and prevented her from leaving the village until she agreed to marry him. With Priscilla's permission, Erk snuck out of the village to get support or reinforcements to break the siege and leave. He ran into Serra instead. However, Serra was part of an army now, so Erk joined up to free Priscilla. When she was free, she decided to stick with the army in hopes that she'd find her family.

From there, Erk played his role as the first anima mage in the army, followed shortly thereafter by his teacher, Pent, and a bright young girl who, in his opinion, was born to do magic, Nino. While investigating the disappearance of Marquess Pherae, they uncovered a plot to take over the world by harnessing the power of dragons. Over the course of the fighting, Erk's potential grew into actual talent; he was recognized as such by giving him a guiding ring.

With the support of the legendary Athos, who was Pent's magic teacher, they defeated Nergal, though Athos died in the process. In response, Pent resigned as the Mage-General to continue Athos' research. His decision caused a great uproar with the nobility. With the position vacant, the Etrurian king offered the position to the sixteen year old Erk. For political reasons, Erk declined and became a magic teacher himself.

Personality
If anything describes Erk, it's studious. He could spend days inside the library if given the option. His studies are the most important thing in the world to him, and he has a tendency to get irritable when people distract or attempt to separate him from them.

He prides himself on his achievements, caring little if someone is better than him or not as long as he meets his own goals. Failures hit him harder than most people, even when it isn't specifically his fault. He blames himself and gets into a minor rut when this happens. Compliments, on the other hand, make him nervous, and typically get buried under modesty. Erk has a difficult time accepting positive feelings of any greater magnitude than acquaintanceship; it takes him years for him to admit that he cares for his adoptive family. He doesn't open up easily.

Erk's got an independent streak a mile wide. He rarely asks for help and when he does, it's in a convoluted and indirect manner. While he may accept help offered (don't expect him to ask for it) accepting anyone for reasons beyond practicality can be difficult. That's not to say he abhors companionship, though. As he grows closer to people, willingly or unwillingly, he begins to show genuine concern for them and is visibly bothered when he finds he cannot help him.

Due to his time with Serra, he is willing to do most anything one would ask of him, and if he considers the person a friend, he will likely suggest any of the various things he can do to help. He's actually quite adept at taking care of others. Taking care of himself, however, is another matter. Erk has a tremendous level of focus and consequently forgets simple things at times, like getting to bed at reasonable hours or, say, eating.

Erk has a pretty serious fear of affection. When receiving a compliment, for example, he freezes up, entirely unsure how to react. Similarly, telling people that he cares about them is a tall order - it took three years for him just to say as much to his very kind and loving adopted family. This spreads to physical contact as well. If he's not alright with it (he's never alright with it) any form of contact will likely make him recoil like a snake just bit him. If he initiates the contact (again, that doesn't happen often) then it's alright.

Abilities
Formal teaching, a minor conflict and a war leave you with a few extra skills.


 * Magic! Naturally. Don't let his age fool you - he is a very skilled mage. Even using the weakest tomes, he's capable of killing if he connects twice. Three or four times against a particularly resistant opponent. He was considered General material at 16 for a reason. While he specializes in elemental magic, he's also capable of healing with staves.
 * Fitness! Being a glass cannon puts a bit of an emphasis on not being hit. A bit on the frail side in comparison, but outside of combat, he's in surprisingly good shape. If you need to ask whether Erk can keep up, it would have to be fairly intensive for him to seriously slow down.
 * Caretaker! After Serra orders you around, you actually learn a thing or two about taking care of others. Past this, he's quick to offer his assistance in this manner if something is wrong with a friend.

CR
Subaru Nakajima A bit of an odd girl - what kind of girl goes looking at books of women in suggestive poses? - but the first person he met in Micro. Even if it was a brazen display of technology that made him gape. If there's something he doesn't understand, there's a good chance he'll ask Subaru first.

Nodoka Miyazaki Erk has a soft spot for Nodoka. While he tends to be the worrier and overly polite member of a group, Nodoka's got him beat, and through talking with her, he can get a vague idea of how people see him. He finds her near constant blushing oddly appealing.

Sancia D'aragon Erk is understandably awkward around Sancia. Part of this because she's the first person he slept with essentially on a whim... only to meet up with her later. She's rather forward with what she wants, which for Erk is at least something familiar. The fact that she's a princess throws him off, as he tries to show respect for a position that doesn't mean much in Micro.

Kairi Erk has a tendency to run into the happy, chipper, optimistic types. Kairi's pretty much the definition of that, and Erk finds her attitude somewhat appealing. Not one that he'd subscribe to, but interesting to hear about. However, it doesn't help that he sees her as a benevolent, redheaded Serra.

Cammy White Cammy definitely sticks out in Erk's mind, mainly due to her fighting style. He rather likes her and appreciates the open honesty she gave him, admitting that she wasn't being herself when he wouldn't have known any better.

Da Qiao Seriously, how is it that he runs into all the overly optimistic people? Erk's a few steps away from being irritated by her constant optimism, if only because unlike Kairi, she seems to ignore what's in front of her for idealism.

Random Facts

 * Erk is greatly confused by technology. There's a very large disconnect between what he sees and what it does.


 * Erk doesn't like doctors, healers, clerics, what have you, for anything beyond practical reasons.

Threads, Logs, and Misc.
Bold links are threads that eventually lead to sex.

➤ Entries

Volume I - Arrival Hideyoshi, Kururu, Kay, Azalie

Volume II - Training Yamamoto

Volume III - Adaptation Kairi, Sancia

➤ Threads

First View of Technology Subaru

Colette's Chip Problems Colette

Cammy's Training Cammy

Cameras are the Scariest Things Ever Subaru

Copping a (Wing) Feel Leanne

Learning the Virtue of Resistance Kairi

Seriously, Enough With the Damn Optimism Da Qiao

Don't Read and Walk? Rose

Wanna Do It? Yuuka

The Micro Witch Project? Sancia

Halloween Maze Leanne

Have a Nice Trip, See you-*shot* Misuzu

More Purple-Haired Bookworms! Nodoka

➤ Logs

Laptop Lessons Nodoka

➤ Possessions
 * Clothes more similar in style to this, only a blue robe and red cloak.


 * A guiding ring


 * A picture book


 * Several magical tomes


 * A healing staff

➤ Funds


 * Acct #: 15936978
 * Entry Funds: 75µ
 * Initial Funds: 0µ
 * Earned: 95µ
 * Spent: 0µ
 * Current Funds: 170µ