Application for adstringendum
Name: Rae
Livejournal: lysdexicmun
Contact: On file!
Other Characters Played: Yuca Collabel, Elite Four Will
Are you 18 or over? Yes!
Canon: The Bartimaus Trilogy, by Jonathon Stroud
Character: Nathaniel || John Mandrake
Timeline: The end of the series, post-death.
Personality:
Throughout the series, Nathaniel goes through a series of changes as the environment around him changes. As a boy, his heart was pure, his motivations noble- he wanted justice and what was best for everyone, even going so far as to offer to sacrifice himself so that his master (whom he practically loathed) would not be hurt. He wanted to change things for the better, wanted to live for his country, and- deep down, some small part of him wanted to be recognized and praised for his aptitude.
But, as the books progress and he moves into the realm of the bigshot magicians, their coldness begins to take its toll on Nathaniel's good heart. The praise that he finally recieves begins to go to his head, and as he's finally appreciated, finally taken care of, he begins to try and model himself after the other magicians. I believe that this began as a simple desire to be like them, still blinded with his loyalty and innocence- and as he emulated them further, he never quite realized that he was changing to become like them, until the loyalty and his good nature were buried further and further underneath his fancy clothes and his startlingly developed pride.
After a time, he learned to draw the pride and power around him like a cloak- that the magicians around him preyed on weakness and vulnerability. He learned that his nobility, his good heart would be seen as a weakness, and he began to hide it. The more and more he hid these qualities, the more and more he forgot they were there. After a time, he became just like them, without even realizing it. Bartimaeus himself notes that, even when the demon is of no more use to him, Nathaniel keeps him around as a reminder of his past- the person he used to be, despite the fact that he isn't allowed to be that person anymore.
When Nathaniel finally saw the corruption of those around him, he kept his head held high, convinced that he was somehow better than the other magicians. He still had morals, of course he did. He was still noble... in a sense. He spent years thinking himself better than the bloodthirsty scavengers that were his colleagues, years delluding himself into believing that he was above their petty power struggles.
However, all of that changes in a single moment in the third book- while trying to save a commoner, he tells her that he is a magician and she has nothing to fear. Much to his confusion, she reacts negatively and shoves him away, scrambling to run from him. This lone action (coupled with several other 'The Reason You Suck Speeches') forces him to see his position in a new light. That he wasn't any better than the rest of him, that he had lived his life corrupt, ruling over a class that hated him. This revelation changes him- he becomes determined to save the commoners, not for his own glory, but to repent for everything he had done in the last five years of his life. There's not much to work with after this realization as made, as the third book ends shortly thereafter, but it can be assumed that Nathaniel would have taken strides to begin treating others as equals and seeing the world through eyes other than his own power-hungry ones.
In delving into his individual personality traits a bit more, perhaps the most relevant aspect of Nathaniel's personality that persists throughout the series is his sharp mind. Nathaniel is nothing short of a child prodigy- by the age of seventeen, he occupied one of the seats of the elite council who governed over all of Great Britain, and he did it all without any help whatsoever. His start at humble beginnings, tutored by a second-rate magician puts rest to any question that he was simply given the title- Nathaniel worked himself to the bone to master his art, and became one of the most proficient people in the country at it. At twelve, he had summoned a fourth level djinni- a feat which some magicians three times his age would have balked at, and as his mastery and control grew, he had the ability to summon many more demons of similar and even greater power simultaneously.
Just an example of his intelligence- as a young child, he was learned in the skills of- "mathematics, modern languages (French, Czech), geography, and history. [...] Shortly after his eighth birthday, Nathaniel's curriculum was expanded. He began to study chemistry and physics on one hand, and the history of religion on the other. He also began several other key languages, including Latin, Aramic, and Hebrew." (Amulet of Samarkand, pg 59). In addition to all of this, Nathaniel became skilled in art, somewhat passable in several musical instruments, mastered geography, and learned from the feats of the great magician's past. In short- he's very, very intelligent.
This intelligence twists itself throughout the series, blossoming from an innocent desire to do good into means to achieve his own goals. After he began to interact with magicians more often, Nathaniel began using his intelligence underhandedly, setting elaborate traps for his opponents, luring people into their demise, and even keeping matters of national importance to himself so that he could catch the criminal and take up all of the glory- which is a stark contrast to how he was at the humble age of twelve, when all he wanted was to be seen. His intelligence gave birth to his ambition, which spurred him on throughout most of the series- to be recognized, to attain more power, to hold a higher position in the government, to be glorified- all of those things became his major motivators for quite some time, giving birth to his arrogance.
For being told all his life that he was special, being separated from the commoners by means of 'us' and 'them' has lead Nathaniel into believing that he was somehow better than them. That by his power, he could control them- and while he convinced himself that it was for their own good- he believed in a flawed system which limited the growth of anyone who wasn't chosen to be a magician. Still, his arrogance wasn't entirely unwarranted- as stated, he was exeptionally brilliant, and he had the feats in his life to show it. However, instead of being humble and noble about it as he was in the beginning of the trilogy, Nathaniel allowed his arrogance to rule him and twist him into ambition. After all, if he was so amazing, then why was he slaving away doing this task, when he could prove himself to be so much better? Even when he is finally put on the ruling council amongst the Prime Minister's own cabinet or sorts, Nathaniel isn't happy. He wants to prove himself yet again, wants even more glory, even though there is... really not much higher he can climb.
Beneath the surface of arrogance and intelligence is perhaps Nathaniel's greatest influence: isolation. From the age of five (and even before that- his parents willingly gave him up, took the money for him, and ran), he has had nobody on his side. He grew up in a world where his parents abandoned him, his master loathed him, and the other magicians vied for his downfall. Nathaniel has never had so much as a single friend throughout his entire life, which stunted his emotional development quite a bit. He grew up paranoid, ambitious, and self serving with nobody to share his secrets with, nobody to support him when he was in distress. Thus, he learned to internalize everything that could be used against him- from his fears, to his longings, to his idealistic views of nobility and honor. Everything was shoved deep inside of him where his enemies wouldn't be able to find- and after a time, he'd forgotten this as well.
The isolation is almost a painful motif throughout the trilogy- it is so relevant in almost every chapter that Nathaniel has always been and will always be alone. Even though he becomes a member of the ruling council, even though he saves London time and again, even though he proves himself with knowledge and dignity... everyone- even his 'friends', even his 'master'- still watches him like a snake ready to strike and feed off of his downfall. There is no respite, there is no safe haven for him.
But after all that, with Bartimaeus remaining at his side, why didn't he trust him? After the djinni kept his birth name a secret for all those years Nathaniel had abused him- why didn't the magician ever begin to confide him? The answer is simple and a tag bigoted: because Bartimaeus is a spirit- and deep, deep down, Nathaniel is terrified of the very demons he employs. In his youth, Nathaniel's first master decided to instill the boy with a healthy fear of demons, and at the age of six years old, Nathaniel was left for hours to cower and scream in a room full of dozens of imps, all scratching and snarling and whispering awful things to him. That experience, and the lesson learned- 'Demons are wicked creatures, and they will hurt you if they can'- has been burned so vividly into his mind that he repeats the phrase, verbatim, eleven years after the fact. They're comfortable when he can control them- quirky and annoying when he has power over them- but he will never, ever trust them.
That fear, that distrust, morphs itself into something very close to hatred for demons, even though he utilizes them as his tools. He separates himself from them because they are cruel and hateful and he thinks himself better than them because they have no feelings, in his mind. They're wicked, cunning, and they look to kill and eat their captor by any means possible. As he progresses through Adstring, I'm planning for this distrust- of the supernatural, of people different and more powerful than he is- to linger on and manifest itself with a few of the residents here.
And after all that- the study, the ambition, the isolation, the rise to power... how many points in the 'social skills' category do you think he has? Nathaniel can pass for a government representative, he knows how to deal with people and how to handle himself in government meetings, but when it comes to personal relationships, his attempts at any such things are utterly laughable. At seventeen, he had finally begun to discover what girls are, and upon his attraction to another member of the council, he proceeds to make an idiot of himself in front of her... several times. Nathaniel is smooth, calculated, intelligent, unless you get him in the room with a woman who he's attracted to. He's mocked several times for it, and his rival, a beautiful woman named Jane Farrar, uses her charm to her advantage in trying to embarass him further in front of his peets.
So, in having never had a girlfriend- or even a friend in general who wasn't trying to stab him in the back- Nathaniel... doesn't really know how to handle them, even when they try to present themselves to him. His cool, collected appearance is immediately thrown into something of a mockery in the face of such a simple concept. He is by no means a loner, just... very political about his words and his friendships, through no obvious fault of his own.
Upon his arrival to Adstringendum, Nathaniel's first order of business would be to try to bring order to it- as is the magician's perogative when seeing anything close to chaos. He likes his life neat, ordered, his books alphabetical, and his meals planned out days in advance. Nathaniel is very prim and proper, fashionable to a point, too serious for his own good, and, ironically enough, somewhat foppish. But don't let that make you underestimate him- at the humble age of seventeen, Nathaniel has proven time and again that he is not a force to be tifled with.
Background:
Nathaniel's history is both interesting and long- spanning over three books in a trilogy. As he's pulled from the very end of aforementioned trilogy, that's a lot of ground to cover. I'll try to make it concise.
Firstly, a description of Nat's world is in order, to help make the events of his life clear. The world presented to us in The Bartimaeus Trilogy is a world that can be equated to our own- with one key difference. Thousands of years before the present times, humans discovered a parallel reality, so to speak, called simply The Other Place. The Other Place houses a variety of spirits in their free-floating selves, and upon learning their true names, certain individuals from the human world can call the spirits over and bend them to their will. Over time these skills were refined, put to further use, and the manipulation of the spirits became an enviable skill.
Because of this event, the history of the human world changed drastically as opposed to the history of our own world. Although the current year has never been explicitly stated, there have been several hints to show that they live in modern times, even though technology is less developed than it is in our own world. We know that the year is around 2008, as events in 1898 were described as happening 'a hundred and ten years ago'. Despite this, Great Britain still has rule over the colonies in North America (in the second and third book, the revolutionary war as a current event is mentioned several times in passing). A number of historical figures are also mentioned- such as King Solomon, William Gladstone, and Ptolemy- and they were all celebrated magicians in Nathaniel's world. Mythology- flying carpets (a spirit woven into the cloth), the sinking of Atlantis (a major summoning gone wrong), and several mythological creatures (succubus, lamia, jackals, gargoyles) are also mentioned as existing in Nathaniel's universe, as controllable spirits from the Other Place.
The spirits have inhibited the growth of technology in this world as well. While computers, planes, and the internet exists, weapons and associated research are hundreds of years in the past- for example, it's present time, and humans are still using muskets to try to kill one another (though, to be fair, they're more readily using the demons they control to kill one another). Additionally, not much stock is given to computers and the like. Most commoners are too poor to afford such things, and most magicians are too wrapped up in their studies to use them.
All of this is nice background information, but it's by far overshadowed by the looming class system. London, and most of the other magical capitols of the world operate on a two-tiered class system: the commoners and the magicians. Much like the muggles of Harry Potter, commoners are treated with little regard and respect, and elitism runs rampant among the magicians. Though the commoners know about magic and demons and all sorts of things, they don't know the finer points (such as all of the magician's magic comes from said demons/spirits/what-have-you). Magician's rule the countries selfishly, treating commoners as second class citizens and doing anything they can to bolster their own power and reputation. Even the shabbiest of magicians is better off than the richest (and I mean 'richest' in the sense that they have more money than the other poor folk) commoner. This class system is all Nathaniel has known.
True names are the ultimate source of power in this world. For this reason, all magicians keep their birth names a secret and choose a public name- if a demon knows their true name, then that spirit has power over the magician and can overcome his magic. A demon's true name needs to be known in order for the demon to be summoned, and as long as the spirit's name is known and the magician's is not, then the power is entirely in the magician's hand. This is how 99.99% of transactions between magicians and demons work- the exception being Bartimaeus and Nathaniel.
Magicians have a very set system for passing on their knowledge. The government offers up large sums of money to parents in order to put their children 'up for adoption'. The parents then deposit their children, fill out a few forms, and leave their lives forever at the age of five. The child is adopted by a magician and spends the next long years of their lives slowly learning all of the secrets that the magicians have- by the age of 12, the child assumes a new, public name, and is recognized as an apprentice. This goes on until the child eventually knows enough to move away from their Master and continue studies themselves (as noted several times in the book, there are no limits to age, merely limits to knowledge).
And with that basic summary, let's get to Nathaniel himself.
The first book represents Nathaniel's innocence as he is first exposed to the unkind world of magic and power as an apprentice to a cruel, second-rate magician. In this book, he sets out to get revenge on Lovelace, another magician who had humiliated him, by stealing an amulet that he knew was somehow crucial to Lovelace's plan for power (though how exactly, was beyond him at the time). Through a series of mishaps, Lovelace found his way back to Nathaniel's master's house and destroyed it in his attempt to regain the amulet, killing both Nathaniel's master and his master's wife in the process. Nathaniel himself was saved by the demon, Bartimaeus, that he had summoned to steal the amulet in the first place- and, wanted by the government for murdering his master, Nathaniel sets out to try and expose Lovelace for the power hungry fraud he is.
Lovelace's plan entails summoning a powerful demon- so powerful that his presence causes rift in the fabric of reality- while all of the government officials are gathered. Lovelace himself is protected by the amulet, but Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are able to steal it from him in the midst of the battle and Nathaniel manages to break the summoning horn, releasing the spirit from this world. As a reward for saving the ruling body of London, his name is cleared, he is given apprenticeship to one of the most powerful magicians in the state, and recognized for the prodigy that he truly is.
Two years later, we pick up again on the second book- this time Nathaniel (going now by his magician name of John Mandrake) is fourteen, and his ego has stretched beyond his power. He occupies a minor position in the government and is tasked with bringing the commoner's resistance to a halt. He struggles with this throughout the book, but is distracted by the rampage of a golem throughout London, which he is forced to investigate along with Bartimaeus. Finally though, he is able to capture the leader of the resistance, Kitty, (by kidnapping her childhood friend and holding him hostage, while neglecting to mention any of this to his superiors). However, his progress is cut short, and he is taken in by the government as a conspirator to overthrow the prime minister, due to the suspicious things he had done to capture Kitty- and in trying to keep his progress secret, so he could take the glory for himself.
When he explains his case, he is set free, under the circumstances that he give them the girl and find the magical treasures that the Resistance had stolen. As he is doing this, the golem strikes again and, although he tries to subdue it with one of the stolen treasures (a legendary staff, used by a famous magician), it backfires and knocks him out cold. Disgruntled and encouraged by Bartimaeus, Kitty destroys the golem and saves Nathaniel's life, before escaping him and going into hiding. Nathaniel takes the credit for the doomed golem, reports Kitty as dead, and returns the staff- becoming the hero of the day once more, though this time, it's not by his own doing.
The third book opens with Nathaniel living by himself at the age of seventeen, having been promoted to one of the high ranking government officials in the prime minister's personal council. He has attained this position through hard work, dedication, and the recognition of his former feats in defense of the state- but the constant drain on his energies wears him thin and run ragged. He's put in charge of capturing the remaining members of the Resistance, and also left to deal with rising turmoil over the war going on in the Americas. With all of the strain on his position, Nathaniel ignores the raising dissent amidst London, as well as the foreshadowing of his eccentric friend showing him an entirely new way to summon demons- by bringing them inside of your own body and controlling their abilities as your own.
Nathaniel, inevitably becomes in trouble with his superiors yet again- except this time, it's due to releasing Bartimaeus before he could tell him pivotal information (which he would have died doing), showing some semblance of a heart inside of the corrupted official he'd become. In his distress, it's also revealed to him that Kitty is alive- a fact that Bartimaeus had purposefully hidden from him for the last three years. Angrily, he hunts her down, and upon finding her, he is ushered to the theater, where all of the London officials are watching the opening of a grand play- heralded by none other than the eccentric magician from before.
The entire play is a set-up, used to capture the governing force of London, and Nathaniel and Kitty are not exempt. The two of them are taken to the capitol building, where the playwright set up summoning circles, and convinces his allies to summon demons inside of themselves. However, he chooses to summon one of the most powerful demons in existence, and his mind is crushed underneath it's power. The demon takes control of things next, ordering the magicians one by one to come up and summon a demon inside of themselves to be crushed and controlled- or die. Nathaniel and Kitty are allowed to leave upon Bartimaeus' request, and Kitty realizes that the only way that they can save all of London from being overrun by demons is if Nathaniel takes a demon inside of himself and combines it with the power of the staff he failed to use three years prior.
After much deliberation, Nathaniel agrees and collects the staff, summoning Bartimaeus inside of himself before setting off to kill the magicians who were already taken over by the spirits. Things are going quite well- Nathaniel can taste victory- before he realizes that the staff, at maximum controllable power, isn't enough to destroy the lead demon who had orchestrated the whole thing. It's here that he's wounded by a glancing blow to the side- badly, and he begins to lose consciousness, left standing only through Bartimaeus' force of will. With a sluggish mind, he decides to let the entire power of the staff go, as well as collapsing the building around them on top of them both- if that can't stop the rampaging spirit, nothing can.
With that decided, on the final page of the last book, Nathaniel saves Bartimaeus- releasing him from his body before they can die together- and lets the power of the staff explode out, destroying the building, the demon, and himself in his final heroic act.
Abilities/Additional Notes:
In being a magician, Nathaniel has the capability to summon spirits to do his bidding, upon learning their true names. Since he has lost the link to the Other Place, however, he will not be able to summon anything there into Adstringendum. However, he may or may not be able to mess around with a few of our resident spirits hanging around Adstring, if that would be allowed.
In the books, it is explicitly stated that the magicians have no power of their own- they use their demon's power to look as if they are capable of many tasks. Since death breaks the summoning contracts, however, Nathaniel has no demons enslaved to him, and as such, is bringing no demons to Adstringendum and... has no power. (Though, would it be possible for him to summon something residing in Adstringendum to use as a weapon? Doesn't necessarily have to be an Animus, just something spirity. >>.)
Since he is a magician, Nathaniel also wears specially made contact lenses that allow him to see into the second and third 'planes'. These planes are basically where spirits show their true form- in essence, he is able to see past some illusions, as well as be able to vaguely see auras and see spirits as they travel about the world.
And as a last additional note, since I'm bringing Nathaniel in here post-death... reading the rules regarding character death, it's stated that they'd be brought back alive, but without their non-fatal injuries healed. Since he was badly wounded in the side prior to his death, I'm assuming it's okay if I bring him in on the verge of collapse from his injury? I kind of want to, just to get some quick healer CR or something, orz.
Sample Journal Post:
[The video switches on to show a nice looking young man- in his late teens, it looks like, though the bags under his eyes seemed out of place for someone so young. His hair is black and short, his expression, his posture- everything curt and straightforward. Like a business transaction.]
Adstringendum.
[He holds up a few papers, as if showing the camera.]
I've been doing a bit of research, and I feel it's time to introduce myself to you all. My name is John Mandrake. Through some investigation, I can see that you all have some semblance of magical power- I'd like to know more about that, later.
First- [Nathaniel John tilts his head inquisitively, a slight frown finding his face.] -I haven't heard anything about your governing body throughout my studies. Surely, you must have one. If anyone would be so kind as to point me to the nearest official, I can put myself to use and have things squared away in no time.
[A flickering smile, and he nods his head.]
Thank you.
Sample RP:
His bones, he vaguely realized, were sticking out of his side. Problematic.
And without Bartimaeus there to stabilize him (where was he? Where was he?), Nathaniel wasn't quite capable of remaining standing for very long. That was fine. He could lay down. Which he did- but in an action that was less 'laying down' and more 'collapsing'. Which was okay as well. He was dying, there weren't many people to make fun of him here.
Dying, dying- dead? Why wasn't he dead? Nathaniel distinctly remembered his last words to the djinni, remembered the staff exploding in light- remembered bringing the hell of glass and iron raining down on top of him and Nouda. He remembered more pain, sharp pain- and then nothing. His memory cut off there like a bad record. Nothing screaming (other than the shattering of glass, the groaning of metal), no slow, sodden goodbyes. Just... nothing.
And then he was here. Bleeding all over the floor of some poor bastards house, and were those intestines? No, no they weren't, it was just blood and his suit was ruined, and if Nathaniel didn't get help fast, he was going to die all over again.
Livejournal: lysdexicmun
Contact: On file!
Other Characters Played: Yuca Collabel, Elite Four Will
Are you 18 or over? Yes!
Canon: The Bartimaus Trilogy, by Jonathon Stroud
Character: Nathaniel || John Mandrake
Timeline: The end of the series, post-death.
Personality:
Throughout the series, Nathaniel goes through a series of changes as the environment around him changes. As a boy, his heart was pure, his motivations noble- he wanted justice and what was best for everyone, even going so far as to offer to sacrifice himself so that his master (whom he practically loathed) would not be hurt. He wanted to change things for the better, wanted to live for his country, and- deep down, some small part of him wanted to be recognized and praised for his aptitude.
But, as the books progress and he moves into the realm of the bigshot magicians, their coldness begins to take its toll on Nathaniel's good heart. The praise that he finally recieves begins to go to his head, and as he's finally appreciated, finally taken care of, he begins to try and model himself after the other magicians. I believe that this began as a simple desire to be like them, still blinded with his loyalty and innocence- and as he emulated them further, he never quite realized that he was changing to become like them, until the loyalty and his good nature were buried further and further underneath his fancy clothes and his startlingly developed pride.
After a time, he learned to draw the pride and power around him like a cloak- that the magicians around him preyed on weakness and vulnerability. He learned that his nobility, his good heart would be seen as a weakness, and he began to hide it. The more and more he hid these qualities, the more and more he forgot they were there. After a time, he became just like them, without even realizing it. Bartimaeus himself notes that, even when the demon is of no more use to him, Nathaniel keeps him around as a reminder of his past- the person he used to be, despite the fact that he isn't allowed to be that person anymore.
When Nathaniel finally saw the corruption of those around him, he kept his head held high, convinced that he was somehow better than the other magicians. He still had morals, of course he did. He was still noble... in a sense. He spent years thinking himself better than the bloodthirsty scavengers that were his colleagues, years delluding himself into believing that he was above their petty power struggles.
However, all of that changes in a single moment in the third book- while trying to save a commoner, he tells her that he is a magician and she has nothing to fear. Much to his confusion, she reacts negatively and shoves him away, scrambling to run from him. This lone action (coupled with several other 'The Reason You Suck Speeches') forces him to see his position in a new light. That he wasn't any better than the rest of him, that he had lived his life corrupt, ruling over a class that hated him. This revelation changes him- he becomes determined to save the commoners, not for his own glory, but to repent for everything he had done in the last five years of his life. There's not much to work with after this realization as made, as the third book ends shortly thereafter, but it can be assumed that Nathaniel would have taken strides to begin treating others as equals and seeing the world through eyes other than his own power-hungry ones.
In delving into his individual personality traits a bit more, perhaps the most relevant aspect of Nathaniel's personality that persists throughout the series is his sharp mind. Nathaniel is nothing short of a child prodigy- by the age of seventeen, he occupied one of the seats of the elite council who governed over all of Great Britain, and he did it all without any help whatsoever. His start at humble beginnings, tutored by a second-rate magician puts rest to any question that he was simply given the title- Nathaniel worked himself to the bone to master his art, and became one of the most proficient people in the country at it. At twelve, he had summoned a fourth level djinni- a feat which some magicians three times his age would have balked at, and as his mastery and control grew, he had the ability to summon many more demons of similar and even greater power simultaneously.
Just an example of his intelligence- as a young child, he was learned in the skills of- "mathematics, modern languages (French, Czech), geography, and history. [...] Shortly after his eighth birthday, Nathaniel's curriculum was expanded. He began to study chemistry and physics on one hand, and the history of religion on the other. He also began several other key languages, including Latin, Aramic, and Hebrew." (Amulet of Samarkand, pg 59). In addition to all of this, Nathaniel became skilled in art, somewhat passable in several musical instruments, mastered geography, and learned from the feats of the great magician's past. In short- he's very, very intelligent.
This intelligence twists itself throughout the series, blossoming from an innocent desire to do good into means to achieve his own goals. After he began to interact with magicians more often, Nathaniel began using his intelligence underhandedly, setting elaborate traps for his opponents, luring people into their demise, and even keeping matters of national importance to himself so that he could catch the criminal and take up all of the glory- which is a stark contrast to how he was at the humble age of twelve, when all he wanted was to be seen. His intelligence gave birth to his ambition, which spurred him on throughout most of the series- to be recognized, to attain more power, to hold a higher position in the government, to be glorified- all of those things became his major motivators for quite some time, giving birth to his arrogance.
For being told all his life that he was special, being separated from the commoners by means of 'us' and 'them' has lead Nathaniel into believing that he was somehow better than them. That by his power, he could control them- and while he convinced himself that it was for their own good- he believed in a flawed system which limited the growth of anyone who wasn't chosen to be a magician. Still, his arrogance wasn't entirely unwarranted- as stated, he was exeptionally brilliant, and he had the feats in his life to show it. However, instead of being humble and noble about it as he was in the beginning of the trilogy, Nathaniel allowed his arrogance to rule him and twist him into ambition. After all, if he was so amazing, then why was he slaving away doing this task, when he could prove himself to be so much better? Even when he is finally put on the ruling council amongst the Prime Minister's own cabinet or sorts, Nathaniel isn't happy. He wants to prove himself yet again, wants even more glory, even though there is... really not much higher he can climb.
Beneath the surface of arrogance and intelligence is perhaps Nathaniel's greatest influence: isolation. From the age of five (and even before that- his parents willingly gave him up, took the money for him, and ran), he has had nobody on his side. He grew up in a world where his parents abandoned him, his master loathed him, and the other magicians vied for his downfall. Nathaniel has never had so much as a single friend throughout his entire life, which stunted his emotional development quite a bit. He grew up paranoid, ambitious, and self serving with nobody to share his secrets with, nobody to support him when he was in distress. Thus, he learned to internalize everything that could be used against him- from his fears, to his longings, to his idealistic views of nobility and honor. Everything was shoved deep inside of him where his enemies wouldn't be able to find- and after a time, he'd forgotten this as well.
The isolation is almost a painful motif throughout the trilogy- it is so relevant in almost every chapter that Nathaniel has always been and will always be alone. Even though he becomes a member of the ruling council, even though he saves London time and again, even though he proves himself with knowledge and dignity... everyone- even his 'friends', even his 'master'- still watches him like a snake ready to strike and feed off of his downfall. There is no respite, there is no safe haven for him.
But after all that, with Bartimaeus remaining at his side, why didn't he trust him? After the djinni kept his birth name a secret for all those years Nathaniel had abused him- why didn't the magician ever begin to confide him? The answer is simple and a tag bigoted: because Bartimaeus is a spirit- and deep, deep down, Nathaniel is terrified of the very demons he employs. In his youth, Nathaniel's first master decided to instill the boy with a healthy fear of demons, and at the age of six years old, Nathaniel was left for hours to cower and scream in a room full of dozens of imps, all scratching and snarling and whispering awful things to him. That experience, and the lesson learned- 'Demons are wicked creatures, and they will hurt you if they can'- has been burned so vividly into his mind that he repeats the phrase, verbatim, eleven years after the fact. They're comfortable when he can control them- quirky and annoying when he has power over them- but he will never, ever trust them.
That fear, that distrust, morphs itself into something very close to hatred for demons, even though he utilizes them as his tools. He separates himself from them because they are cruel and hateful and he thinks himself better than them because they have no feelings, in his mind. They're wicked, cunning, and they look to kill and eat their captor by any means possible. As he progresses through Adstring, I'm planning for this distrust- of the supernatural, of people different and more powerful than he is- to linger on and manifest itself with a few of the residents here.
And after all that- the study, the ambition, the isolation, the rise to power... how many points in the 'social skills' category do you think he has? Nathaniel can pass for a government representative, he knows how to deal with people and how to handle himself in government meetings, but when it comes to personal relationships, his attempts at any such things are utterly laughable. At seventeen, he had finally begun to discover what girls are, and upon his attraction to another member of the council, he proceeds to make an idiot of himself in front of her... several times. Nathaniel is smooth, calculated, intelligent, unless you get him in the room with a woman who he's attracted to. He's mocked several times for it, and his rival, a beautiful woman named Jane Farrar, uses her charm to her advantage in trying to embarass him further in front of his peets.
So, in having never had a girlfriend- or even a friend in general who wasn't trying to stab him in the back- Nathaniel... doesn't really know how to handle them, even when they try to present themselves to him. His cool, collected appearance is immediately thrown into something of a mockery in the face of such a simple concept. He is by no means a loner, just... very political about his words and his friendships, through no obvious fault of his own.
Upon his arrival to Adstringendum, Nathaniel's first order of business would be to try to bring order to it- as is the magician's perogative when seeing anything close to chaos. He likes his life neat, ordered, his books alphabetical, and his meals planned out days in advance. Nathaniel is very prim and proper, fashionable to a point, too serious for his own good, and, ironically enough, somewhat foppish. But don't let that make you underestimate him- at the humble age of seventeen, Nathaniel has proven time and again that he is not a force to be tifled with.
Background:
Nathaniel's history is both interesting and long- spanning over three books in a trilogy. As he's pulled from the very end of aforementioned trilogy, that's a lot of ground to cover. I'll try to make it concise.
Firstly, a description of Nat's world is in order, to help make the events of his life clear. The world presented to us in The Bartimaeus Trilogy is a world that can be equated to our own- with one key difference. Thousands of years before the present times, humans discovered a parallel reality, so to speak, called simply The Other Place. The Other Place houses a variety of spirits in their free-floating selves, and upon learning their true names, certain individuals from the human world can call the spirits over and bend them to their will. Over time these skills were refined, put to further use, and the manipulation of the spirits became an enviable skill.
Because of this event, the history of the human world changed drastically as opposed to the history of our own world. Although the current year has never been explicitly stated, there have been several hints to show that they live in modern times, even though technology is less developed than it is in our own world. We know that the year is around 2008, as events in 1898 were described as happening 'a hundred and ten years ago'. Despite this, Great Britain still has rule over the colonies in North America (in the second and third book, the revolutionary war as a current event is mentioned several times in passing). A number of historical figures are also mentioned- such as King Solomon, William Gladstone, and Ptolemy- and they were all celebrated magicians in Nathaniel's world. Mythology- flying carpets (a spirit woven into the cloth), the sinking of Atlantis (a major summoning gone wrong), and several mythological creatures (succubus, lamia, jackals, gargoyles) are also mentioned as existing in Nathaniel's universe, as controllable spirits from the Other Place.
The spirits have inhibited the growth of technology in this world as well. While computers, planes, and the internet exists, weapons and associated research are hundreds of years in the past- for example, it's present time, and humans are still using muskets to try to kill one another (though, to be fair, they're more readily using the demons they control to kill one another). Additionally, not much stock is given to computers and the like. Most commoners are too poor to afford such things, and most magicians are too wrapped up in their studies to use them.
All of this is nice background information, but it's by far overshadowed by the looming class system. London, and most of the other magical capitols of the world operate on a two-tiered class system: the commoners and the magicians. Much like the muggles of Harry Potter, commoners are treated with little regard and respect, and elitism runs rampant among the magicians. Though the commoners know about magic and demons and all sorts of things, they don't know the finer points (such as all of the magician's magic comes from said demons/spirits/what-have-you). Magician's rule the countries selfishly, treating commoners as second class citizens and doing anything they can to bolster their own power and reputation. Even the shabbiest of magicians is better off than the richest (and I mean 'richest' in the sense that they have more money than the other poor folk) commoner. This class system is all Nathaniel has known.
True names are the ultimate source of power in this world. For this reason, all magicians keep their birth names a secret and choose a public name- if a demon knows their true name, then that spirit has power over the magician and can overcome his magic. A demon's true name needs to be known in order for the demon to be summoned, and as long as the spirit's name is known and the magician's is not, then the power is entirely in the magician's hand. This is how 99.99% of transactions between magicians and demons work- the exception being Bartimaeus and Nathaniel.
Magicians have a very set system for passing on their knowledge. The government offers up large sums of money to parents in order to put their children 'up for adoption'. The parents then deposit their children, fill out a few forms, and leave their lives forever at the age of five. The child is adopted by a magician and spends the next long years of their lives slowly learning all of the secrets that the magicians have- by the age of 12, the child assumes a new, public name, and is recognized as an apprentice. This goes on until the child eventually knows enough to move away from their Master and continue studies themselves (as noted several times in the book, there are no limits to age, merely limits to knowledge).
And with that basic summary, let's get to Nathaniel himself.
The first book represents Nathaniel's innocence as he is first exposed to the unkind world of magic and power as an apprentice to a cruel, second-rate magician. In this book, he sets out to get revenge on Lovelace, another magician who had humiliated him, by stealing an amulet that he knew was somehow crucial to Lovelace's plan for power (though how exactly, was beyond him at the time). Through a series of mishaps, Lovelace found his way back to Nathaniel's master's house and destroyed it in his attempt to regain the amulet, killing both Nathaniel's master and his master's wife in the process. Nathaniel himself was saved by the demon, Bartimaeus, that he had summoned to steal the amulet in the first place- and, wanted by the government for murdering his master, Nathaniel sets out to try and expose Lovelace for the power hungry fraud he is.
Lovelace's plan entails summoning a powerful demon- so powerful that his presence causes rift in the fabric of reality- while all of the government officials are gathered. Lovelace himself is protected by the amulet, but Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are able to steal it from him in the midst of the battle and Nathaniel manages to break the summoning horn, releasing the spirit from this world. As a reward for saving the ruling body of London, his name is cleared, he is given apprenticeship to one of the most powerful magicians in the state, and recognized for the prodigy that he truly is.
Two years later, we pick up again on the second book- this time Nathaniel (going now by his magician name of John Mandrake) is fourteen, and his ego has stretched beyond his power. He occupies a minor position in the government and is tasked with bringing the commoner's resistance to a halt. He struggles with this throughout the book, but is distracted by the rampage of a golem throughout London, which he is forced to investigate along with Bartimaeus. Finally though, he is able to capture the leader of the resistance, Kitty, (by kidnapping her childhood friend and holding him hostage, while neglecting to mention any of this to his superiors). However, his progress is cut short, and he is taken in by the government as a conspirator to overthrow the prime minister, due to the suspicious things he had done to capture Kitty- and in trying to keep his progress secret, so he could take the glory for himself.
When he explains his case, he is set free, under the circumstances that he give them the girl and find the magical treasures that the Resistance had stolen. As he is doing this, the golem strikes again and, although he tries to subdue it with one of the stolen treasures (a legendary staff, used by a famous magician), it backfires and knocks him out cold. Disgruntled and encouraged by Bartimaeus, Kitty destroys the golem and saves Nathaniel's life, before escaping him and going into hiding. Nathaniel takes the credit for the doomed golem, reports Kitty as dead, and returns the staff- becoming the hero of the day once more, though this time, it's not by his own doing.
The third book opens with Nathaniel living by himself at the age of seventeen, having been promoted to one of the high ranking government officials in the prime minister's personal council. He has attained this position through hard work, dedication, and the recognition of his former feats in defense of the state- but the constant drain on his energies wears him thin and run ragged. He's put in charge of capturing the remaining members of the Resistance, and also left to deal with rising turmoil over the war going on in the Americas. With all of the strain on his position, Nathaniel ignores the raising dissent amidst London, as well as the foreshadowing of his eccentric friend showing him an entirely new way to summon demons- by bringing them inside of your own body and controlling their abilities as your own.
Nathaniel, inevitably becomes in trouble with his superiors yet again- except this time, it's due to releasing Bartimaeus before he could tell him pivotal information (which he would have died doing), showing some semblance of a heart inside of the corrupted official he'd become. In his distress, it's also revealed to him that Kitty is alive- a fact that Bartimaeus had purposefully hidden from him for the last three years. Angrily, he hunts her down, and upon finding her, he is ushered to the theater, where all of the London officials are watching the opening of a grand play- heralded by none other than the eccentric magician from before.
The entire play is a set-up, used to capture the governing force of London, and Nathaniel and Kitty are not exempt. The two of them are taken to the capitol building, where the playwright set up summoning circles, and convinces his allies to summon demons inside of themselves. However, he chooses to summon one of the most powerful demons in existence, and his mind is crushed underneath it's power. The demon takes control of things next, ordering the magicians one by one to come up and summon a demon inside of themselves to be crushed and controlled- or die. Nathaniel and Kitty are allowed to leave upon Bartimaeus' request, and Kitty realizes that the only way that they can save all of London from being overrun by demons is if Nathaniel takes a demon inside of himself and combines it with the power of the staff he failed to use three years prior.
After much deliberation, Nathaniel agrees and collects the staff, summoning Bartimaeus inside of himself before setting off to kill the magicians who were already taken over by the spirits. Things are going quite well- Nathaniel can taste victory- before he realizes that the staff, at maximum controllable power, isn't enough to destroy the lead demon who had orchestrated the whole thing. It's here that he's wounded by a glancing blow to the side- badly, and he begins to lose consciousness, left standing only through Bartimaeus' force of will. With a sluggish mind, he decides to let the entire power of the staff go, as well as collapsing the building around them on top of them both- if that can't stop the rampaging spirit, nothing can.
With that decided, on the final page of the last book, Nathaniel saves Bartimaeus- releasing him from his body before they can die together- and lets the power of the staff explode out, destroying the building, the demon, and himself in his final heroic act.
Abilities/Additional Notes:
In being a magician, Nathaniel has the capability to summon spirits to do his bidding, upon learning their true names. Since he has lost the link to the Other Place, however, he will not be able to summon anything there into Adstringendum. However, he may or may not be able to mess around with a few of our resident spirits hanging around Adstring, if that would be allowed.
In the books, it is explicitly stated that the magicians have no power of their own- they use their demon's power to look as if they are capable of many tasks. Since death breaks the summoning contracts, however, Nathaniel has no demons enslaved to him, and as such, is bringing no demons to Adstringendum and... has no power. (Though, would it be possible for him to summon something residing in Adstringendum to use as a weapon? Doesn't necessarily have to be an Animus, just something spirity. >>.)
Since he is a magician, Nathaniel also wears specially made contact lenses that allow him to see into the second and third 'planes'. These planes are basically where spirits show their true form- in essence, he is able to see past some illusions, as well as be able to vaguely see auras and see spirits as they travel about the world.
And as a last additional note, since I'm bringing Nathaniel in here post-death... reading the rules regarding character death, it's stated that they'd be brought back alive, but without their non-fatal injuries healed. Since he was badly wounded in the side prior to his death, I'm assuming it's okay if I bring him in on the verge of collapse from his injury? I kind of want to, just to get some quick healer CR or something, orz.
Sample Journal Post:
[The video switches on to show a nice looking young man- in his late teens, it looks like, though the bags under his eyes seemed out of place for someone so young. His hair is black and short, his expression, his posture- everything curt and straightforward. Like a business transaction.]
Adstringendum.
[He holds up a few papers, as if showing the camera.]
I've been doing a bit of research, and I feel it's time to introduce myself to you all. My name is John Mandrake. Through some investigation, I can see that you all have some semblance of magical power- I'd like to know more about that, later.
First- [Nathaniel John tilts his head inquisitively, a slight frown finding his face.] -I haven't heard anything about your governing body throughout my studies. Surely, you must have one. If anyone would be so kind as to point me to the nearest official, I can put myself to use and have things squared away in no time.
[A flickering smile, and he nods his head.]
Thank you.
Sample RP:
His bones, he vaguely realized, were sticking out of his side. Problematic.
And without Bartimaeus there to stabilize him (where was he? Where was he?), Nathaniel wasn't quite capable of remaining standing for very long. That was fine. He could lay down. Which he did- but in an action that was less 'laying down' and more 'collapsing'. Which was okay as well. He was dying, there weren't many people to make fun of him here.
Dying, dying- dead? Why wasn't he dead? Nathaniel distinctly remembered his last words to the djinni, remembered the staff exploding in light- remembered bringing the hell of glass and iron raining down on top of him and Nouda. He remembered more pain, sharp pain- and then nothing. His memory cut off there like a bad record. Nothing screaming (other than the shattering of glass, the groaning of metal), no slow, sodden goodbyes. Just... nothing.
And then he was here. Bleeding all over the floor of some poor bastards house, and were those intestines? No, no they weren't, it was just blood and his suit was ruined, and if Nathaniel didn't get help fast, he was going to die all over again.