Untitled Document

Character Name:
Rune Aderes

Rune is German (as close to Latvian as we're gonna get) and means secret. Aderes is Greek (yeah, sorry about that) and means one who protects. Secret one who protects.

Character Position:
Jumis, Sentry of Duplicity, Ensnarement, and Fortification; Captain of the Dvesele.

Birthdate and Age:
Dievs' age-peer at twenty-three years old, which is important -- he's been doing this almost his entire life, people. Capricorn-Scorpio-Scorpio, born the 22 of December.

Profile

Blood type:
Scoff.

Likes:
Dievs -- Well duh. No, really. Dievs is tops in his book. He's not only the beloved Prince, but a best friend and treasured brother. Yeah, aww. Don't expect him to hug or gush or anything. His affection for Dievs typically goes without saying. He lets his fondness for the guy slip out in quiet, subtle ways that are all too apparent to the people who matter, but which keep his manly pride intact (though if the Prince wants a hug, you can be damn sure Rune is gonna indulge him).

The Guys -- In terms of the important people in his life, after Dievs come the Dvesele. More than respecting them or liking to work with them, Rune genuinely likes them. They are, after all, the people he spends most of his time with; they're a pretty large part of his life. When Rune has time to be social, these are the guys he chooses to kick back with. It's not uncommon for him to refer to them as 'his guys' because in a sense, that's how he thinks of them.

The World Kingdom -- Rune enjoys the rough, raw, simple kind of life on Lopu more than your average Sun Kingdomer. Okay, so, the average farmer on Lopu would probably laugh in his face, but the fact of the matter is that part of him is closer to the hard-working pragmatic ethic of the World Kingdom than the scholarly, spiritual atmosphere of his home. The average folk of Lopu are people he feels he can relate to on some level, as long as they don't call him lazy or pampered. If he didn't have his duties and responsibilities, Rune would probably be content to settle into a simple farming life, raising a big family, and worrying about nothing much more than finishing all his chores before sundown. Rune is, however, still a Sun Kingdomer when it gets right down to it. Even when he's knee-deep in river mud going after that perfect fish, it's with a more peaceful sort of pleasure, not I am man, hear me roar. He's disturbingly zen and happy about hard work, something that marks him as not from the World Kingdom, thanks very much.

Taking Charge -- You can take the man out of the captain, but you can't take the captain out of the man. Or something. Rune pretty much lives to be in control. It's more than a job, it's part of who he is. He enjoys taking charge and seeing things through to completion. He doesn't so much like the power; it's more that he likes to be doing something, and his natural inclination is to be taking the lead. Yeah, he's bossy. He likes the pressure of leadership and responsibility, seeing it as an opportunity to just do what needs to be done without over-thinking it all -- action without the time for examination -- because sometimes he just likes to do.

Beer, Sports, Guy Time -- Simple man, simple pleasures.

Family -- Well, more like the idea of one day having a family. He doesn't exactly have a lot of time to court women right now, but he looks forward to finding the 'right woman' to fall in love with and raise a child or two with. It's a surprisingly romantic notion from a guy like him, but it's nonetheless one he's held pretty dear from the time he was old enough to think about such things. But don't take this to mean that he would ever ease up on his sentry duties; any perspective woman would have to understand that she would come second, not first, in his life.

Dislikes:
Arguing -- Rune usually welcomes discussion, because discussion is about exchanging ideas, and provides the opportunity to synthesize something stronger out of the integrated perspectives. Arguments, however, are not in any way productive. Minds are already made up and neither side is likely to budge. While Rune is happy to discuss things, he doesn't have much patience for arguing, particularly because when he's set on a course, there's very little that can alter his forward momentum, and he's not the sort of guy who likes to be challenged. So sit down and shut up.

Mornings -- The Dvesele captain is not a morning person. He works hard all day and cherishes his time to sleep and reenergize. Rune doesn't give that sleep up without a fight, so it usually takes an hour on average for him to start resembling a civilized human being again. Most people who know him know to give him his space until he's not going to bite anyone's head off.

Court -- For all that Saule is an enlightened place, typically without many secrets, no court worth its salt would lack a seedy underbelly of jockeying for position and trading malicious gossip. This Rune knows well. While he's duplicitous out of necessity, he sees the duplicity of courtiers as selfish and destructive, and is not something he looks kindly on. In truth, Rune despises the court pretty thoroughly. There are some -- like Azuolas -- that he knows well enough to understand that they have reasons of their own for their courtly maneuvering, but on the whole, he strongly dislikes it. Added to the mix is that he's never been one for formality or ceremony, and yet his position demands that he attend such functions on a fairly routine basis. If it weren't for the fact that he needs to be there to watch over things, he'd blow it off completely. Instead, since he does have to be there, he makes a show of flaunting protocol whenever he can get away with it, and generally ruffling court feathers whenever the opportunity arises. That it contributes to getting people to underestimate him is just an added bonus.

Dishonesty -- Eh heh heh. Hypocritical much? But then, Rune is fully aware that he engages in things he'd otherwise condemn. He's doing it for the ultimate of good causes though; what's your reason? Uh huh, thought so.

Hobbies:
Babysitting Dievs -- Yes, although it's a duty, it's also a hobby, because get this -- he actually enjoys himself doing it. Things concerning formality or courtly broo-ha-ha he leaves to Azu, who is quite frankly a great deal more qualified to handle that, but otherwise Rune is the ultimate authority in looking after the Prince. He watches out for him, makes sure he doesn't do anything foolish where the wrong person could see him, makes sure he doesn't walk off a cliff, makes sure he remembers to sleep for crying out loud. When something is wrong with Dievs, everyone knows to come to Rune; he may then direct them to go find Azu, but they come to him FIRST and if they don't, they'll be hearing from him.

Guy Stuff -- This is generally Rune's way of relaxing. He likes to kick back, end the day with a beer and enjoy himself shooting the shit with his pals. He likes playing sports -- whatever sports he can organize in the Sun Kingdom, that is (and no marbles do not count). He loves to fish, although this is a hobby he can't often indulge in. Giving him the opportunity to go rough it in the 'wilderness' and indulge in some fishing is one of the very best presents you could give him, dude. Yeah, he's gonna love being on Lopu.

Harassing Courtiers -- Not only does it help his 'simple soldier' image, but Rune just gets a kick out of giving stuffy polite society types a hard time, particularly when they're making demands of him or 'his guys'. Sometimes he's just rude, other times he acts out to throw them off balance, others he just lets Baides have at them.

Informant Ring -- Not particularly an actual hobby, but more of a duty that necessarily can't be recognized as an actual duty, Rune has formed himself a vast information ring that could rival that of just about anyone else. He could make the CIA and various Mafia organizations weep with envy. Wherever he goes - yes, even planet side - he has a network available to him, though of course it is its strongest when he's in the Sun Kingdom. His system of informants and spies and the like is completely self-sufficient, so luckily he can be thrown down planet side and not have to worry about someone feeding his fish, so to speak. No one - including and especially those IN the ring - knows that the network is really run by Rune. He has so many of his informants reporting to each other that those that end up reporting to him shrug off his involvement as typical sentry go-between.

Description:
Hair -- Multi-hued honey blond, it's shiny and has a way of attracting light to it to make it look that much prettier and gleaming. It's predominantly light, honey-tinted blond, with paler highlights woven throughout. Naturally, his hair hangs to mid-back, but its true length would have to be guessed at, as he has always worn it up. At this time, he weaves the entire silky-soft mane into a long braid, wrapping it around his head like a crown. Rebellious strands have managed their escape, drifting to frame his face and brush over his forehead. His hair, quite honestly, is really frickin' pretty.

Eyes -- Framed by longish lashes, Rune's eyes are a soft, glowing blue. Rune's eyes always look disingenuous and guileless. This is a gaze that can get you to trust its owner very, VERY easily. His eyes are also what's romantically referred to as 'ancient', that is, they have a wealth of wordly timelessness about them. Again: PRETTY.

Face -- Slim in face, Rune has rugged maturity battling with youthful zeal playing out in his features. His jaw and chin are firm and smoothly arched in concert. Rune's cheekbones sit high in his face, cradling his most dominant feature - which is his eyes. His cheekbones are nicely sculpted, but don't jut from his face like most chiseled features. Hovering between round and button-tipped, his nose is straight and mild in prominence. His mouth sports lips that are a bit fuller than is normal for men, but not remarkably so beyond the slight pout that his lower lip falls into. Not so much pretty, as handsome.

Skin tone -- His is the tan of a naturally fair-skinned person who spends his life out in the sun -- the golden-brown surfer tan, so to speak. It's a brown that shouts health and vitality. While his skin is mostly smooth and blemish-free, he has his fair share of scars which mark him as a fair bit more active than most people living on Saule. One is a small knick sitting on the bridge of his nose, another is a long thin slash across the flat of his belly, and then a smattering of scars around his right knee. All are faded white, noticeable against his tan, but obviously aged.

Build -- Rune stands at an average-to-tall height of six feet even, with a medium build. Broad shoulders and a well-muscled chest and back taper down to a trim waist and flat belly. His narrow hips frame very long legs that are all slim thigh and well-shaped calf. Lacking the musculature of a weight-lifter, he's well-built all the same, the muscle sitting lithely and toned on his lean frame. It's an active, athletic build.

Carriage -- Possessed of a learned fluid grace that any cat would envy, every one of his movement's is smooth and natural. A trained soldier, he looks comfortable in just about any pose or action. Unfortunately, due to an earlier accident, his right knee is not exactly what it used to be, and when it flares up on occasion, he has to compensate for this stiff pain. Those that know him have grown accustomed to the occasional limp he shows, and none remark upon it though they might wince in sympathy.

Attire -- Ah ha ha. In a word: GREY. No seriously, open up his wardrobe some day, and all you'll find is varying shades of grey, with some white and black thrown in for good measure. There's likely one spot of color -- probably something of slightly dated court fashion that Azuolas tried to get him to wear once upon a time. Rune's clothes are functional and comfortable above all else, though he keeps them in the good condition befitting the Captain of the Prince's guard. He may scoff at the shallow pomp of court life, but he wouldn't shame Dievs by walking around in tatters. He likes to layer in lightweight fabrics.

Personality:
What you see is only a fraction of what you get with Rune. He is, in a word, tricksy. The world (er… kingdoms) at large only sees Rune Aderes, ordinary ground-pounder in charge of the Prince's safety. They never see the crafty manipulator who works behind the scenes pulling strings people don't even know are there. They see the crass, irreverent disregard for formality, never guessing at the elegantly complicated layers of the man who has more self-control and poise than they could ever dream.

Rune plays the part of the simple soldier because as long as that's all people expect from him, they never guess that he's capable of more, or that he pulls strings (or that, in fact, any strings are being pulled at all) to make Dievs look good. Underestimating him is playing right into his game. He portrays himself as little more than Dievs' bodyguard and chief grunt. The other sentries know there's a great deal more to him than that, and even some select court officials are allowed to have an inkling as well, but none of them can guess at the depths his hidden truths go. He leaves them believing they know the full extent of his ruses, when in fact the only person besides himself who truly knows is Dievs. In fact, no one other than the Prince and the Dvesele even know that he has a third sphere of power (duplicity), the knowledge being kept secret to protect the nature of his position.

There comes a point when a mask is worn long enough that it becomes an actual feature of one's face. That Rune on the surface is a simple man with simple pleasures has become entirely true. The key here is that over a decade of living this way has given Rune a very layered personality, allowing him to truly be what he shows people while having more going on underneath -- that is, his 'masks' are actually just upper layers of personality meant to conceal the deeper ones. The dry-witted, laid back simple soldier is a layer, and under that the duty-driven, hard-nosed captain, and under that the cautious, watchful planner, and under that the shadowy, unscrupulous master-mind, and at the very core, the dedicated, loyal-above-all protector who does it all for love of his Prince, his sentries, and his people. Rune doesn't switch between them; he's all of it, all the time, simultaneously. What he seems to be operating as at any given time is merely the perception of the observer, based entirely on how much they're allowed to glimpse what's going on.

Rune does it because it's both the best way he knows how to serve his Prince, and because it allows him to take on the duties that are distasteful, those shadowy aspects of the job, so that no one else must. If there's one thing he values, it's the essential goodness of Dievs, a goodness Rune cannot bear to see tainted by pragmatic necessity. This is the ultimate guarding of his Prince, and what Rune takes the most seriously. He would sooner let Dievs be hurt than have what makes Dievs Dievs be compromised. Yes, he's kind of a bastard for taking that choice away from the Prince, but he's made a career out of being a bastard when he thinks it's called for.

He's ruthless. There is very little he won't do to reach his goals, and this is partly because he's incapable of believing that his goals (like protecting Dievs) can be anything but right and true and just. Rune would and does lie, cheat, and steal if that's what it takes. He treads the moral shadows, engages in questionable activities. Moral principles are for men like Dievs, not men like Rune, something he believes whole-heartedly. That's not to say, however, that all the tasks and planning that he is involved in are “bad” or “wrong.” Quite often, it is a matter of fixing small mistakes to make sure things turn out right. But he then allows the credit to go to Dievs, most often. In his own way, Rune sees this as protecting his lord. Rune knows well that the Heavenly Prince is often absent from the matters of day to day living and physical reality, and so he does his best to compensate for that and lessen the appearance of Dievs’ disconnection.

Rune is just as compassionate and good as the next denizen of the Sun Kingdom. But Rune proves the difference between being nice and good. His intentions are good, but he must behave “badly” often to reach his goals. Rune is a very emotional man – sensitive to his feelings and passionate in his expression of them.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t often get to express his true feelings -- partly because of the laid-back Zen culture of Saule, and partly because, well, he's a secretive bastard. And so there is a surplus of emotional energy constantly roiling inside him. This build up fuels him and sustains him when he grows tired of his games, and oftentimes, Rune-the-soldier comes off as surprisingly intense as his inner feelings search for some vent to release the pressure. Rune's also a very protective individual. He's a man always in control of events and other people, and he guards those things carefully, because he's a passionate man and feels strongly for that which he becomes attached to. He'll mother hen you if he thinks you need it, will always stand up for you, always have your back in every sense, and always have an eye on your best interests. He has to prioritize, of course, since some duties trump all others, but in the absence of conflict between them, he'll look after as much as he can.

This is his life. He practically doesn't have a life outside his duties as Jumis. Taking onto himself what he has, means he takes sole responsibility for a lot of shit, and that leaves very little time for anything but work. The only social life he has is being around Dievs and the Dvesele, or harassing over-stuffed courtiers. His two closest friends are, in fact, Dievs and Anatole, so even when he gets away from the job to chill with his pals, he's always still in the job. Rune is, quite effectively, on duty his every waking hour. Which besides being kind of pathetic, means that the Prince and the sentries are his life, so they mean quite literally everything to him.

Which makes for a great deal of potential angst, but for the fact that Rune is not hardly angsty about his life at all. He's happy and willing to do what he does and for the most part enjoys his work. He's doing it out of love for the most important person in his life, so how could he not be happy that his actions protect the Prince? That's not to say his life or time on the job isperfect. Of course he has regrets, and there are times when his unscrupulous deeds overwhelm him. But while he has occasional struggles and conflicts, feels the occasional strain, he is by and large a well-adjusted and content individual. He's a man who likes to enjoy himself and have fun, who likes the rare time-out for simple guy crap like fishing, and who does want to have a family someday.

He's a snarky, smart-ass bastard. He enjoys giving people hell when he thinks they deserve it, and humor is a large part of how he deals with situations and people. Rune is a big fan of only taking yourself as seriously as you absolutely must and to the barest minimum you can get away with. He's an advocate for loosening up and enjoying life as it comes to you every once and a while.

And he will protect your right to do that at almost any cost.

History:
Saule was at a distinct disadvantage. Its enlightened value of truth and honesty over dissembling and lies left the kingdom with a large vulnerability -- a kingdom without secrets, after all, is an easy target. Hence, the Sentry Jumis came to serve the Saule royalty, giving the kingdom and its monarchs a guard who could deceive, dupe, and lie to protect and keep secret certain weaknesses.

Since the very first Jumis, the starseed has stayed in the line of the Aderes family, a noble family as old as the Saule royal line. Each Jumis served his Royal in varying fashions, all relating to secrecy. And each Jumis trained his own replacement, instilling the importance of the position's tradition, so that each new Jumis could do the necessary.

Rihards Aderes sired one son -- Vilkacis -- when the first hints that a new Prince might be born soon became apparent. Vilkacis, however, was not entirely stable-minded. He had a rare condition, an insanity that at certain times would possess his mind and turn him into a raving madman. It only fully manifested with age, but it was obvious that Vilkacis was not fit to inherit the starseed. The young man had a wife, a stout-hearted woman who loved him, and it was from their union that Rihards hoped to have an inheritor.

Prince Dievs was born, and some months later, Vilkacis sired a son -- Rune. From the very beginning, Rihards arranged for Rune to grow up near the Prince, in the hope that the bond between one-day-sentry and Prince would develop early, and head off any potential that Rune might follow in his father's footsteps. To that end, Rune grew up in and around the palace, rather than his family's home. In fact, he had very little contact with his father at all. His grandfather became both his mentor and parental figure.

[insert ish concerning becoming Jumis, pending figuring out when Dievs' parents left]

To say that being Jumis became his life would be an understatement. After receiving the starseed, next to nothing notable has happened to him that wasn't in some way connected to his being Jumis. His friends and family are the people he works with. His interests and passions are always intertwined with duty. When Rune became Jumis, he /became/ Jumis. One day, he'll raise a family if for no other reason than to provide a son to pass the starseed onto, but for now all he's concerned with his is Prince and his guys.

Naturally, right now he's more than a little frantic (though you'd never think it to look at him) that one of his guys is missing and in unknown condition. That he has consent to asking for outside help rubs raw at every last one of his nerves, but he's sucking it up and dealing, because that's what he's good at -- getting the job done.

[insert reaction to Austras' defection, pending how that goes in storyage]

Special Skills:
Rune can out-secret and out-lie everyone. Yes, even you. Methinks he would even be able to withstand Iekare's X-RAY desire vision, because hi, nice to meet you, Sentry of duplicity here. Fact of the matter is, if Rune doesn't choose to explicitly lay it out for you, then you have no hope of figuring it out yourself, sorry.

Have you eaten at least two meals today? How many beers have you had, young man? When was the last time you slept? Are you sure you don't need a cloak going out in that weather? Rune seems like the last person in the universe to fit the mother hen bill, but he's nothing if not deceptive, now, is he? He's rarely blatant about it with anyone but Dievs, but Rune is very adept at looking out for people and getting them to do 'what's good for them'. He will cajole, manipulate, or browbeat you into it, whatever it takes, and he almost always wins.

He gets away with a ridiculous amount of crap, because A) he's become so good at getting people to underestimate him that they just wouldn't believe he'd do any of it, and B) he's just plain good at concealing and/or obfuscating what he's up to so even when people look to figure out what he's doing, it's never a clear picture.

Rune is always in the know. He's made a hobby out of running an informant ring (see Hobbies) that feeds him information from all corners of the three kingdoms. He's by no means all-seeing and all-knowing, but pertinent information has a way of getting to him. He knows where to go and who to ask, and he has his ways of convincing people to give him the dirt.

Rune is pretty good at going on the offensive when a situation calls for it (albeit sneakily, HELLO Sentry of Ensnarement), but he specializes in remaining on the defensive. His powers of digging in and holding fast are at times nigh unbeatable. He's not indestructible and neither are his defenses (whether physical or not), but he's a master of making it as hard as possible for you to breach them, thank you very much.

Powers:
Viltus Izdaribas (Chicanery) -- What at first glance seems to be a straight-forward energy beam attack, is actually duplicity at its best. The oomph of this power is not the energy beam; it's that when Jumis invokes it, he looks to be attacking from straight on, but the attack will actually come from a completely unexpected direction -- whatever Jumis picks. Even when the enemy knows not to expect the attack to come from the direction Jumis is pointed in, they still can't know where it WILL come. Additionally, he can use this power in conjunction with other people's powers, so that their attacks come from different directions as well, though he can ONLY do this with allies and only if he gets his timing exactly right. Dodging this attack is nigh impossible, by the power's very nature. It cannot defeat all-around shields, however. The energy beam is enough to take out a 'lesser' enemy, but only injures and/or weakens a 'true' opponent.

Jumis crosses his arms over his abdomen so that his hands are positioned by his hips, his fingers rigid as if to cup something. He mutters the power's name and lashes his arms out to either side, slightly extended. A bright light grows in each hand, as if gathering energy for an attack, and it flashes… then nothing. That's when a beam of smoky grey comes hurtling toward the enemy from some other point. The motions to use this power on an ally's attack are the same, except that no light forms in his hands.

Sarezgits Jautajums (Tangled Affair) -- More of a support power than an attack, it allows him to predict what an enemy's next move is, about 95 % of the time. He must be focusing on an enemy and watching them to use this power, so he can't just see into the future and foretell what everyone is likely to do. Jumis uses the insight to set a bit of a 'trap', in conjunction with his decoy attack. If he knows where an opponent will be in just a moment, he can direct his attack to fire toward that spot at the time the enemy reaches that point. Of course, there IS a five percent margin of error, so he runs the risk of firing a 'loose canon' beam of energy that could hit one of his own team. As you would expect, Jumis is very careful setting up his snare.

Jumis holds his right arm out in front of his body with his hand palm down over the ground. Whispering "Tangled webs, weave your trap," he closes his fist. As his fist closes, glowing grey lines of mist appear on the ground that only Jumis can see. A portion of the 'web' will glow with a faint light, predicting that an enemy (or team member, for that matter) will move to that spot. Similar webs form in the air with the same glowing effect. Though this could be very confusing, Jumis DOES know his power well, and can almost always (hence the margin of error) interpret what the glowing portions are predicting.

Pastiprinat Pasargat (Strengthen and Shield) -- Jumis can expend his own energy - put it out on loan, so to speak - to aid in the defense and endurance of his team. This power is basically a magical version of what he does every other day of his life - protect and look after those under his charge. Jumis uses this power when he sees someone in dire need of defense or a quick pick-me-up, and the energy he lends his target only lasts for the perceived threat that provoked Jumis to use his power. Jumis can create an actual shield to defend his target against an attack and while his ally is under it, he can lend the person a burst of energy when s/he is flagging and weak. The energy he lends is strong: his shield deflects almost everything, and his loaned-out energy is enough to get his target back on their feet with a second wind. This does, however, have its consequences, as this strong energy is coming from Jumis - he isn't drawing energy from a higher power or an element. The power comes from himself and his propensity to protect, so he feels that much drained with every burst of energy he shares.

It's not a particularly showy power - just as one fortifying his or her castle doesn't advertise each brick that he or she lays. Jumis sees someone in trouble, closes his eyes for a brief moment, and touches two fingers to his forehead, and then his heart. His eyes open and he swings his arm to point to his target. At this point a grey shield of smoky mist appears before his target. If possible (ie: when he's not engaged in a fight himself), Jumis will usually crouch or steady himself on something when he sends his energy, so as not to fall over when he feels drastically weakened.

Fuku:
Jumis begins, of course, with the basic silver-white shirt of the Dvesele, though his hugs his slim frame a bit more closely than with most. His coat, misty, indistinct grey in color, hangs about even with the hem of his shirt, again fitting a bit more snuggly to his body, though certainly not tight. This is a bit stiff-looking and well-pressed on him. The sash he wears is a soft dove grey and is nothing different from the norm, though its edges darkens to ashy grey, and from it dangles a tarnished, ancient-looking disk. Jumis wears ash grey pants, loose but not baggy and straight in the leg until they tuck into black boots that have thick soles and reach a bit higher than his ankles.

Weapon:
None here, boss.

Henshin:
When Baides hasn't hexed it to look like racy pole dance, it goes something like this -- Rune whispers "Jumis Celestial Power," under his breath, with the slightest bit of a hiss to his tone. As the henshin phrase is uttered, his body seems to shimmer and a smoky mist crawls over his form, concealing him from clear view. He's there, but he's blurry and indistinct, with the space around him glowing a blinding white. Jumis' head tilts downward, his arms folding against his chest in a self-hug posture and the smoky mist thickens and darkens. Simultaneously, the white light that has made up his background flickers, and utter black darkness descends, the only illumination remaining being a faint glow from Jumis beneath the mist. The mist pulses and solidifies into his uniform, and a defiant flash from his sash-pendent banishes the remaining mist, leaving Jumis with his head up, a blank expression on his face, and his arms crossed firmly over his chest in a forbidding pose.

Part I: Player Information

Part II: Character Information

Part III: Sentry Information

Part IV: Other Information

Part V: Grammar Check