:: Basic Information ::
Name :: Riven [meaning "split, broken, or torn"]
Date of Rebirth :: February 4, 2004
Age :: Adult
Race :: Fa'e
Moral Alignment :: Neutral / Neutral Good
Gender :: Physically androgynous, referred to as male
Sexuality :: Asexual
Height :: Including his tail, Riven is a good seven feet long. However, he
stands (so to speak) five feet three inches tall, but always floats about a foot off the ground, thus appearing six foot three. Are you confused yet?
Weight :: Extraordinarily light for his size - about forty pounds.
Likes :: Balance, order, supporting others, having some sort of cause/direction, change (generally/conceptually), new experiences, variety and choice.
Dislikes :: Chaos (the being), chaos (the state), feeling penned up/trapped/helpless, lack of direction, stagnation.
Favorite Colors :: To look at: vivid, bold colors, the brighter the better. To wear: soft rare gray shades.
Favorite Foods :: Most foods, especially fruit juices and foods with rich/many-layered flavors - particularly spiced and complicated dishes.
Favorite Music :: Strings, woodwinds, soft percussion (especially chimes and bells).
Essentially :: The keeper of balance.
:: Personality ::
Riven's primary concern in all things is balance. He wants to be both balanced within himself and maintain balance in those around him. In moral terms, he thinks on a scale of balance-to-chaos instead of good-to-evil. Riven takes his duties as Spiritkeeper quite seriously, but he also wants to balance those duties with a life in the 'real world'.
As an adult, Riven has matured considerably. He tends to take on the role of leader and arbitrator more often, almost unconsciously at times. He is happy to give advice, and anyone asking him for help will be sure of Riven's careful thought and consideration if nothing else. He also has a large soft spot for children, and is more than willing to teach and mentor them. In general, Riven is gentle and friendly towards everyone until they give him a reason not to be. He's very non-judgmental, and is as at home with 'evil' Fa'e as he is with 'good' Fa'e... provided they, too, retain balance.
While Riven isn't as naive as he used to be, he still tends to take things very literally and to not understand innuendo or terms of speech. 'Riven logic' remains infamous among the Fa'e, as does his propensity for asking rapid-fire questions if he's curious about something. Riven can be endlessly fascinated by simple things that others might pass by. Many things in this world are new experiences for him.
Riven has a shaky grasp of the English language, and while his vocabulary is much more advanced now, using words he's unfamiliar with - or words/names that are hard to pronounce - is a good way to confuse him. His spelling is also atrocious, and he reads rather slowly. Still, Riven is intelligent - he just tends to think a bit differently than most people.
:: Physical Abilities ::
Floating :: Riven can float up to six feet above the ground if he chooses, but usually maintains a cruising altitude of one foot. Although Riven has wings, they are insubstantial and only allow flight within the Spirit Realm.
Phasing :: Riven can turn himself insubstantial and phase through physical matter; he can control this ability at both a conscious and unconscious/reflexive level. Resolidifying inside objects, however, is a Very Bad Idea. While phased out, Riven can still be hit by magical attacks, though not physical ones. Phasing is all-or-nothing - Riven is either wholly tangible or wholly intangible. There is no middle ground unless Riven is injured (see below).
Physical Immunities :: Because Riven's body is made of condensed spirit matter instead of actual flesh, he does not need to eat, drink, or breathe - though he can do all of the above if he wants to. If Riven is physically injured, the injured part of his body usually diffuses into an awkward half-insubstantial state until it heals.
:: Supernatural Abilities ::
Spirit Awareness :: Riven can sense spirits and detect spiritual power. Riven can see everything from the spirits of the dead to the spiritual essence of a tree. However, Riven can only see and attempt to interact with these spirits - he cannot control them in any way.
He can also sense the spirits of sentient beings around him, though to a very limited extent. The discernment he gains from this aspect of his spirit-sense isn't so much a special power as an awareness of another set of markers (beyond, say, facial expression, body language, and tone of voice) by which he can judge someone's state.
Chaos Awareness :: Riven can sense the influence of Chaos. To him, any Chaotic manifestation within his range feels like a wound or injury, causing Riven uneasy discomfort at best, physical pain at worst. His range of awareness in the 'real world' is five miles around him; in the Spirit Realm, he can sense the well-being of the entire Barrier.
Spirit Travel :: Riven can instantly travel to the Spirit Realm and take others with him if he wishes. Those who come with him have to be physically touching him, and he cannot transport them against their wills. Although Riven travels to the Spirit Realm physically, any companions will come only in spirit - their bodies will remain behind. Upon returning, they will wake up in their own bodies.
Barrier/Warding Magic :: Riven has limited barrier/warding magic. The barriers he can create can serve both as physical and magical protection, with special strength against Chaotic power. However, the wards require a lot of power and time to create, and they must be placed in one specific location. They're more like immovable walls or structures than like shields. Still, while these wards aren't movable, flexible, or fast, they are extremely powerful once invoked.
Summoning :: Riven can summon beings from the Spirit Realm. There are many kinds of spirits that Riven can call to him for help (full listing
here), each of which has its own special method of fighting and defense. Any spirit that Riven calls must swear fealty to him prior to its summoning. (Note: This section is being revamped somewhat.)
:: Fighting Abilities ::
Weaponry :: Riven is trained to use spears. Preferably, he will use his ancient weapon, Aeintor, which is a five-foot-long spear with a crystalline blade. That blade, however, will only cut Chaos or those tainted with Chaos' power.
Style :: Fast-moving, primarily offensive; if fighting with Aeintor against non-Tainted/Chaotic opponents, Riven uses the shaft as a quarterstaff. If fighting with Aeintor against Tainted/Chaotic opponents - or with a normal spear - Riven uses the weapon more traditionally, incorporating slashing and stabbing movements. Riven will only fight to kill against Tainted/Chaotic opponents; otherwise, he'll try to disarm, disable, or knock out his opponents without doing excessive damage. Because of his phasing ability, Riven dedicates much more energy to offense rather than active defense.
Strengths :: Riven's primary combat strength is his ability to phase into intangibility, which he can do on very quick reflex. While phased, he cannot be hit by any physical attack (unless it's Chaos-tainted); nor can he be forced to phase in again. If he's fighting with Aeintor, he can retain his grip on the spear even while phased out. In addition, Riven's floating ability means he has complete stability on every type of terrain - since he has no feet, it's impossible for him to lose his footing.
Weaknesses :: Riven can be hit by magic, even while phased out - and because of his usual reliance on phasing to keep himself safe, he has next to no dodging reflexes. (He has learned how to parry weapon strikes, but with only average skill.) If he's fighting with a weapon that isn't Aeintor, the weapon will drop through his hands when he phases, and he won't be able to pick it up again until he becomes solid. In addition, because of Riven's extremely light weight, his strikes aren't as physically powerful as one might think. They still hurt, but he's unlikely to break bones or do significant damage to armored opponents.
(Riven can also summon spirits to fight with/for him, but he hasn't had much experience using his summons in that way.)
