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[emberdance]

NAME as the crow flies AGE 26 D.O.B october 30 SPECIES human, mage HEIGHT 6'1" CANON original FACECLAIM ben barnes

PITCH an entertainer, dancer, and diplomat to the royal courts by day, and an assassin-for-hire by night

rite of passage, classic maverick / match in the gas tank, that's wretched / hail to the king and queen of the ruckus

SETTING fantasy, can be adapted to either low or high fantasy

AESTHETIC ember scatters / a knife's edge grin / a knife tucked into silks / a shape stepping between shadows / painted inks across smooth skin / tangled bedsheets / bare feet upon royal court floors / a black wing, aflight

LIKES

- money
- being in control
- strong sunlight
- being owed favours
- spicy food

DISLIKES

- timid people
- being alone
- exploitation of the poor
- being bored
- bad poetry

APPEARANCE as the crow flies ⸻ better known as just crow ⸻ is a tall, lean man with a narrow build. he has dark eyes, dark hair down to his shoulders with a slight wave, and fair skin that tans easily in the sun.

on his left arm he wears a prosthetic from just below the elbow, made of white porcelain and gold embellishments. crow has no visible scars, a few golden piercings in his ears, and no tattoos ⸻ though he does like to give himself temporary ink in certain themes whenever he's entertaining

BACKGROUND once upon a time, a nameless baby was left at the steps of a temple, not more than a week old, with a note pinned to him apologizing for not being able to take care of him. the temple, however, had recently closed for a long observational period, and so it fell to the next best person ⸻ a man stumbling drunk through the streets of Azar-Ban, a drunkard, a rogue, and the second in the command of the local Assassin's Guild

for the streets of Azar-Ban, the city of gold and gems, the city of silks and dyes, the city of unparalleled power, the crown jewel of the Serpent's Breath Desert, are ever merciful ⸻ but only when they want to be

the baby was raised within the Guild, at first as a ward when he was too young to be of use, and then as an apprentice when he was old enough to wield a dagger. nameless for some time, he earned the name as the crow flies by the way he moved across the city; not through streets and back alleys, but over the rooftops and steeples and domes. under the tuteledge of corbin, the second in command, crow flourished as a thief first, and then as a messenger, as a diplomat for hire, an entertainer, and finally, an assassin. he learned the ways of the guild, their magic ⸻ their ways of passing through shadows, of creating minor illusions for distraction, of absorption and reflection. crow was a good student, and when he earned the right to take on his own jobs, he took to the life like a duck to water

it didn't take him long to earn a good reputation. none new that he was with the guild, only that he was a rising player in the world of business and politics ⸻ a diplomat and advertiser for hire, available to attend royal courts and galas and sweet-talk people into buying specific wares, or coax them into agreeing with certain policies. crow eventually earned a spot in the royal court itself as an entertainer, a dancer who specialized in fire, and a magician with hands so fast that nobody could guess how he did his tricks

by day, he would entertain, and by night, he would take out the targets that the guild provided him with. the assassin's guild were ever temperamental, but were on the current king's side and worked in the shadows for his benefit ⸻ after all, he was making Azar-Ban so wealthy and that wealth was spread easily, why not prop up his reign and prevent it from ending early? so crow kills those who would sway the king into unfavorable politics, and those who might try to end his life

now favoured by the king, crow lives a lush life: piled high with gold and gems, and all the silks he could ever want. he openly takes bribes still from politicians and businessmen to whisper into the king's ear, as long as the assassin's guild approves of the message. and here and there, he travels to other cities and other royal courts, to entertain there and whisper into other ears

PERSONALITY crow is, first and foremost, a cunning creature. he is ruthless and manipulative, as charming as a cobra about to strike. he loves having power over others, and his loyalties are easily bought. despite this, he is not a bad person, merely... flexible

despite being an assassin, he carries a set of morals. crow would never kill an innocent, or someone that's just struggling to get by. he only accepts targets as long as they threaten to kill others, or are living their lives in a way that makes other suffer unduly. he is a peacock that likes to cover himself in gold and gems, but crow is surprisingly judgmental when it comes to the truly wealthy and the lords of business, despising them when they exploit others ⸻ he has never forgotten that he was abandoned by a mother that could not care for him, and hopes to help create a world where that never needs to happen again

he has a love of poetry that borders on the obsessive, and despite how much he likes to flirt and throw his charm around, he has a keen mind underneath it, with an encyclopedic knowledge of local trade and politics, including that of other cities. he may not be loyal to any one business or politician, but he is fiercely loyal to the guild and those who raised him ⸻ so, too, he is capable of being loyal to individuals that earn his respect

crow is both a relentless extrovert and deeply private; though he flirts and fucks his way through people like it's going out of style, very few people know the real him

IMPRESSIONS
VISUAL crow is never anything less than perfectly put together⸻ if someone happens to see him disheveled, it's either a deliberate ploy, or they've truly caught him off guard, which is rare. he favours dark colors, and moves with grace

ATTIRE this can vary between nothing but loose silk pants if he's firedancing, to elaborate courtly attire, to costumes. crow loves embellishments and gilded edges, he loves smooth textures and layers. this man has a wardrobe the size of an entire room

DEMEANOUR crow is almost never seen without a smile, sly and flirtatious, like he knows something you don't know. he's graceful, and every movement is deliberate. he's fairly handsy, and uses that to ruffle people and put them off balance, all the easier to manipulate and charm

AURAL a smooth timbre, with an enigmatic curl

OLFACTORY fire and smoky incense

IF WE WERE VILLIANS:

“for us, everything was a performance.” a small, private smile catches me off guard and i glance down, hoping he won’t see it. “everything poetic.”

ABILITIES
SHADOWSTEP crow can meld into shadow, and teleport between them over a short distance

MINOR ILLUSION for distraction, crow can summon a minor illusion of a small object or light

ABSORB ELEMENTS if attacked with an elemental spell, crow is capable of absorbing the element with whatever weapon he wields and then firing it back at his opponent. this does not work with extremely powerful elemental attacks, only small to medium sized attacks

DARKVISION when activated, crow can see in the dark

LINKS
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🔥 plot
🔥 au's
🔥 kinks

CODE

Comments

🔥 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐒

[emberdance]

oops i fell in love with the man i was supposed to kill

exactly as it says on the tin: I'd love to do a plot where Crow is meant to kill someone, but winds up being so charmed by him that he initially spares his life on the night he was meant to assassinate him. Every subsequent meeting is then a dance of Crow knowing he has to kill this man, and being increasingly unable to

i do my best work between the sheets

got a character in a position of political or business power? Crow would be more than happy to have a deep chat about things over dinner, whisper your character's opinions into the right ears, and end the night between the sheets

tourist guide!crow

because I love worldbuilding, and I love the weird little city of Azar-Ban that I came up, I'd love to do a plot where your character is traveling or otherwise new to the city, and it's crow's job to show them around. they can bond over good food and trips to the night markets!