Name: Dia Lyn, Son of Ariya & Bornis Lyn
Age: 18
Race: Human
Physical Description: Dia Lyn is a tall boy, standing at "6,2", despite this however, his body is thin and bony making him look overall small. His skin is pale, with several burn scars running up and down his arms. He has a soft face with a pointed chin, lightly dotted with stubble, and brown hair that is cut short and messy, with wide brown eyes. Adding all of these things together, it often (much to his own annoyance) has him confused for being of a much younger age than he actually is.
in terms of clothing, Dia Lyn typically wears a white tunic now stained and spotted with dirt, hand sewn by himself. It has a simple picture of a Robin formed out of a piece of green cloth on the front of it. He also wears a pair of muddy brown pants, with several patches of cloth sewn over the rips on his knees hat have been scuffed and cuts with a pair of sturdy workman's boots about a size too large for his small feet. While he does have a green cloak, he typically keeps it tucked inside the backpack that he wears slung over his shoulder (as it only has one good strap left, and he hasn't found the time to sew it back together again.) His belt is possibly the only thing he owns that seems brand new with a homemade sheath hanging off his left hip, which carries his most prized possession: His trusty sword!
Possessions:
Longsword: A one-handed blade Dia Lyn forged for himself after countless days of research and practice. He claims it is his most prized possession. It has a flat hilt, and a short grip, wrapped in red leather, that leads down to a circular steel pommel. The blade itself is roughly three and one half feet long, and made of strong steel. There is a mark along the base of the blade, that looks like several scratches in the metal, from a failed inscribing attempt on his part.
Sewing Kit: Simple needle and thread for a man that constantly seems to need to replace his aging clothing and supplies, kept tucked away in his backpack.
Fathers Smithing Hammer: A tough iron hammer, used to forge blades and armor, though it has not seen use in a long while. An item of particular importance to him, he protects it fiercely.
Tiny Apartment: A small apartment in the residential district with the simple necessities. It has only a mattress on the floor, a bathroom and a kitchen, with most of his stuff strewn about. He has never put much thought into keeping it tidy and believes it to be only a temporary living space.
Powers or Strengths:
Natural Blacksmith: From his father, he learned how to forge weapons and armors and he shows a natural talent for it. Though his lack of official training means it might take him longer than normal, the quality of the arms and armor made is also considered to be above average.
Talented Seamster: He has also learned, due to his unfortunate habit of often ribbing his clothing, how to sew quite well, and is able to make decent repairs in short order. He uses it as a form of stress relief when things get rough, and describes the whole ordeal as "oddly therapeutic."
Decent Swordsman: Dia Lyn has also trained lightly with his sword, and while he is no accomplished warrior, he is still able to fight somewhat effectively if the situation calls for it, though the more complex skills are beyond his current reach.
Sword Enchanting: Not even he remembers when first he learned he had the ability to imbue swords with magical energy, causing them to strike with a stronger force than normal, and give off a bright green glow. It is a skill that takes time though, requiring him to run his hand over the length of the blade slowly while concentrating. The more time he takes, the stronger the enchantment seems to become. The enchantments typically last proportionally to the amount of time he takes to channel the magic with twenty seconds of channeling being equal to a one minute enchantment. It is a draining process, and even twenty seconds worth of channeling can leave him winded, any more putting him in serious threat of exhaustion. If his concentration is broken before he can complete the enchantment, there is a possibility of the sword shattering from a violent influx of magic.
Dia Lyn is unsure if this ability stretches to other weapon types, and has only ever attempted it with swords.
Weaknesses and Flaws:
Physically Weak: When Dia Lyn was a young boy, he had a terrible sickness that left him bedridden for months on end, barely able to eat or sleep. Eventually, he was cured, but the scars of the illness stick with him, leaving him weak and prone to exhaustion, as well as giving his skin its pale color.
Needs To Feel Needed: Since he spent so much of his youth in bed, and undergoing treatments, it left his already poor father to work in the hot forge by himself, sometimes for days on end without sleep. Dia Lyn has always harbored a deep regret that he could not help his father during these times, and constantly strives to make himself seem strong and useful to the people around him, so as not to appear as a burden. Because of this, he is often overly cheerful and helpful, even when his help may not be wanted.
Scarred: Forcing himself to work in the forge while not strong enough caused him to get severely burned by the fires, leaving his arms and chest with twisted scars to remind him. He generally keeps them as covered as he can.
Naive: Finally, he is over idealistic, believing that people are all naturally good, and because of this, he is easily trusting (though not dumb, he is quite bright, and does not take to getting burned twice.)
History:
Dia Lyn grew up in a Forge inside of Shim, born and raised around fire and metal. The sound of his childhood was the gruff voice of his father, as well as the crash of hammer against anvil. His father worked the forges daily, making tools for the townsfolk when needed but his real passion was making weapons and armor for the people in Marn. He would forge large batches before taking them to be sold in his old wagon. When Dia Lyn was born, his father was overjoyed to have a son whom he could show the art of smithing too, but Dia Lyn, was not born a strong set of hands but as a sickly, scrawny child.
Though he could tell that his father and mother loved him very much, Dia Lyn could not shake the feeling that his father was sorely disappointed in him. Dia Lyn, hated this feeling more than all others.
At night when it was time for bed, Ariya-his mother-would tell him stories of brave Knights, who fought Dragons, and Demons, and Beasts most foul. Dia Lyn idolized these men, and how they always arrived in the nick of time to save the day. They were useful, loved, and outstanding people.
When he could bear no longer, at eleven years old, Dia Lyn-still weak, though alive-heard his parents talking about how they could no longer afford the metals needed for the forge, and would need to make even larger shipments. It seemed that blacksmithing in a small town was just not a profitable enough business, and his fathers own tendency to let the people "pay him when they have the money" (which they never seemed too) left them in even deeper trouble. Dia Lyn rose from his bed and crept out while his parents spoke. He crept into their forge, and stoked the fire-making sure it was as hot as it needed to be. He grabbed one of his fathers unfinished blades and began to work setting everything up. When it was time, he raised the hammer in his hands, preparing to bring it down only to feel suddenly very light-headed and weak. The hammer fell from his grasp, landing on the floor beside him as his body pitched sideways. He reached out, looking for anything to stop his fall, only to grasp the hot coals. He let out a cry of anguish and tossed himself out of the fire before blacking out completely, sobbing on the ground.
When he awoke some time later, a young woman was standing over his bed, a white vial in her hands. His parents stood at the end, staring down with a mix of concern and relief on their faces. His arms and chest were wrapped in bandages, which the woman dripped a silvery liquid onto from her vial. He learned later that this healer had not been cheap.
Years passed and Dia Lyn was forbidden from ever entering the Forge without supervision again. Though, as he grew older, he grew stronger. He was able to move for longer and eat more, though he still not a strong boy, or a healthy one. But he was able to help more and he began to go with his father to bring the shipments. He learned to cook and clean around the house, and with his help the family managed to stay afloat. Still, there were many days where the family went without food, and many more where Dia Lyn found himself bound to his bed, but on those days he could rise, he felt truly alive.
It was during one of those days that he was in the Forge, while his father made a new set of horse-shoes for a neighbor of theirs, that Dia Lyn grabbed a sword that his father had created, assuring him that he would be very careful. As he examined it, he ran his hand over the flat of the blade, feeling the cool metal against his skin, and felt in his heart of hearts at one with it. His eyes closed, and still he ran his fingers over it. Time seemed to glide by, but his trance was broken by the rough shaking of his father, whom had grabbed his shoulders and was in the midst of lightly shaking him. In Dia's hand, the metal blade now was shining, casting green light over the room. This was his first encounter with his gift, which his father told him to keep hidden, though he practiced in secret. Sometimes using the exhaustion it created to lull him to sleep when sleep escaped him.
It was only a year ago that his father whom had taught him so well and his mother passed away, sickness and exhaustion taking them both, leaving Dia Lyn alone. They had a very small funeral, which was attended only by himself and a few villagers that had owed his father money.Aftwerwards Dia Lyn returned to the Forge and made plans for what remained of his life. He could not stay in the Forge, nor in Shim he reckoned. There was no longer anything left for him here. He found a buyer for the Forge, and used the money to purchase himself some nicer clothes and supplies for his trip.
The rest of the plan was simple enough. He rode a wagon into Marn, hitching a ride with one of his fathers old friends. Once there, he sought out his new residence. What he found, was a small apartment, just large enough for him and his things. It suited him fine. He didn't care for comfort or for anything extravagant or lavish. Once his new lodgings were set, he hitched a ride back on the same wagon to say goodbye to the Forge for good.
On what was supposed to be his final day in Shim, Dia Lyn saw his fathers hammer in the old forge and picked it up, clutching it close to his chest. With eyes aflame he found the last of his fathers steel and set to work. There was no plan. His heart was guiding him. It took hours, perhaps longer, but when he staggered out of that Forge for the last time he did so with the finely-crafted Longsword that he wears now upon his hip, a memorial for a life gone by.
He set out with only one goal: He would become like the Knights in his mothers story, and spread good where he could, His fathers trusty hammer in tow.
Dia Lyn
Re: Dia Lyn
Approved.