Jonathan Abraxas
Character InformationName: Jonathan Abraxas
Aliases: Brax, Johnny Abraxas
Race: Human, mixed heritage
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Appearance: Johnny Abraxas is a young-looking man with dark eyes and hair, pale skin, and normal expression which looks poised to become either a smile or a frown at a moment's notice. In the rich, deep brown of his irises is a spark of curiosity and good humour that is hard to miss, and found charming by many. His hair is rarely combed, but he is usually clean-shaven, and well-presented. While he looks largely Birigi, there are enough hints of more exotic parentage to suggest that he did not come across his 'median' looks by a pure bloodline.
Despite these seemingly normal features, the most striking part of Brax's appearance is something that he conceals beneath his clothes. Rough, ragged scars, decades old but plain still, cover his body in strange whirls and elaborate runic shapes not entirely unlike those seen on some Viir. Though he has not used any magical Technique in years, the process of magic flowing through his body causes the flesh beneath these scars to shimmer a deep crystal hue, the precise colour of which seems to depend on the type of Technique being used. In such colours the appearance is beautiful and intricate rather than one of lingering mutilation.
Current Outfit: Jonathan wears clothes in a variety of colours, sometimes many colours at once, but more often than not these are understated, in dark or dull hues which tie in visually with the dark greys and earthy tones that he favours more than anything else. No matter the weather he wears long-sleeved shirts, but in warm weather these are usually of flowing cotton that cover his flesh while allowing air flow. In winter he is rarely seen without a scarf, a long charcoal grey coat, and a fedora hat. No matter the weather he is almost always adorned with a small gold loop earring, and a pair of steel wire-framed rose-tinted glasses. With nods to and adornments from a variety of cultures both well-known and obscure in his fashion sense, his appearance would perhaps be best described as eccentric and chaotic, yet somehow it usually seems to work in the end.
Personality: Jonathan makes every effort to seem like an average, if reserved and academic, member of any culture he finds himself in. In his youth Brax was of a criminal persuasion, and so that has left him with a certain moral flexibility, but for the most part he values ethics, and generally bends his moral inclinations only on matters of principle. Deeply curious and possessed of a probing mind, Jonathan is fascinated by new knowledge of any kind, but particularly that which relates to history, anthropology, language, or mystical principles. The world itself is of great interest to him, and anything which helps him to understand it, or the people around him, and how they each came to be as they are, is a source of inspiration and motivation. While he is thoroughly enthralled by learning about the way in which magic works, and has a significant talent for the art of enchantment, Brax is deeply hesitant at the idea of learning techniques himself.
He reveres Azaarin for all that she is, Bontra for his compassion and freedom, Noggle for his knowledge and wisdom, Zil for the dragon's insights and presidency over epiphany, and Santso for the subtler understanding possessed by the spider.
Background: Jonathan Abraxas never knew his parents, nor even whether that was the name he was left by them. His earliest memories are of the Gentle Boughs Orphanage in Feldon. Despite the peaceful-sounding name, it was not a kind place to grow up; the children were worked in a variety of ways as cheap labour for the owners of the home, and punished harshly when they failed to do so to the expectations of the adults. Unable to believe that life outside the walls could be less forgiving that life inside the home, Jonathan ran away at a young age. He found some friends on the street, and harsh, cold wisdom, too, in the months it took for him to be found and dragged back.
It was only a few weeks until he escaped again, this time being chased by the home's vicious collared hybrids. With them snapping at his heels, Jonathan tore through the nearest escape he could find, into the back door of a shop, in the middle of a nondescript alley. It turned out that the store he'd entered was a hybrid pet store, and the owner a powerful and kind ex-adventurer who turned the pursuers back abruptly and easily before bringing the child in to see if he was injured, and hear the tale of how he had come to be in those straits. Though legal constraints prevented the store owner from doing anything further, she offered the boy a place to stay when he needed it, and protection from the pursuers when in the store.
Jonathan stayed there that night, and for a week thereafter before police came looking for him there, and he slipped away, staying on the streets again for a time rather than bring trouble to the woman who had helped him so much. Things got difficult outside, so he returned for a few days, establishing a pattern of constant movement through the area around the Pet Store. During his time there he befriended the hybrids, and learned to work with them, but also he was taught other things, like how to read and write, and the stories of adventure that the woman had to tell. Several months passed, and he was captured again, but now with the lessons and self-reliance Jonathan had learned, along with the place of safety he could run to, the orphanage all but had a revolving door for him.
On the streets Jonathan was trained in necessity and survival, at the Pet Store he learned curiosity, family, and the value of knowledge, and from the orphanage he was taught defiance and the strength to persevere. As he grew, the boy learned more subtle and obscure lessons from his benefactor in the pet store, and even from the hybrids themselves, wherein he came to study various techniques and methods of using magic. It was a skill that came more easily to Brax than any other, though he discovered that his flesh reacted to the use of such abilities in a strange way, translucent, shimmering patterns appearing on his skin as he used them not unlike those of the Viir in shape. His benefactor, the store owner, suggested that it may be a sign of some hidden potential, some great power that he was yet to unlock, but in truth it was something that none of them really understood - perhaps so simple as the strange alchemy of genetics which produced the boy's unusual features.
Despite that it was the orphanage he had always feared, it was the harshness of street life that finally scarred Johnny irreparably. As he started to learn and grow in his use of Techniques, he began to apply them in the criminal enterprises he engaged in, running with his friends on the street. They never took much, but they lived rough and weren't about to starve when so many had so much more than them. The markings were hidden during the long winter by Brax's clothing, but come summer they were finally spied by the others he ran with. Afraid of them, seeing them as some kind of Viir curse or hint of hidden darkness, they reacted with hate born of that fear, turning on their former friend and carving the symbols into his skin so that he could no longer 'hide what he was'.
Bleeding, somehow he managed to get to the pet store, where he was tended with care. Everything had changed though, and Jonathan no longer wanted to live the life he had. Still underage, he nonetheless took off, hitchhiking away from the city to see the world.
From Feldon, Brax began to wander the world. Though he knew he hadn't the strength to face the challenges that the storekeeper had, particularly now that he was too afraid to use his Techniques, Johnny was bright and possessed of certain skills not known to most. He managed to get work on an archaeological expedition in Orakan, later working as an assistant to Professor Fitzgerald who had headed the expedition. Fitzgerald's recommendation got him work elsewhere as he continue to travel in other countries, learning a little of the language in each place, studying other cultures and tongues. It was through these years of semi-scholarly transience that Jonathan finally discovered that his ambition was to learn, and to teach what he knew.
Now with a clear vision of what he wants to do with his life, Jonathan is about to settle in Critter City to attend the college there, and work part-time. Though the world of Mur may be possessed of many mysteries and fascinating places, Critter City seems a fine place to begin exploring them. With the relative safety and stability of the city, the contest to hone his skills, and the places and secrets to explore outside of Critter City's limits, it's everything that Brax might want to forge himself into a great scholar and, though he has no intention of it thus far, a great spellcaster.
Experience Tracker
Free Experience: 134
Bonus Experience: 42
Stats
Skills
Affinities
Charm, Crystal
Stuff
Money: 400 Coins
Stashed: 0 Coins
Bank: 0 Coins
Gear: None
Defensive Gear: None
Readied Weapons: None
Bag: Basic Pouch, Inventory 10, Steal 25.
Inventory:
- Basic Owner's Bracelet
- Basic Pet's Collar
Excess Items: None
Storage: None
Dwellings: Apartment 1001
Vehicles: None
Tastes
Favorite Tastes: Tea
Liked Tastes: Dairy, Fruit
Disliked Tastes: Vegetable, Seeds
Allergic Tastes: Beer
Languages
- Alltongue, Perfect Inflection
- Imperial, Barbaric
- Cossia, Fluent
- Old Hassian, Barbaric
- V'jar, Barbaric
Social Tracker
Pet/Owner: None
Others Known: None
Qualities
Techniques
None