![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
User Name/Nick: Sy
User DW: N/A
E-mail/Plurk/Discord/PM to a character journal/alternate method of contact: @ anstaar on plurk, PM journal
Other Characters Currently In-Game: Fitz Kreiner, Xie Lian
Character Name: Nathaniel/John Mandrake
Series: Bartimaeus Sequence
Age: The timeline isn't entirely clear, but I believe he's 15 by his pull point
From When?: The end of The Golem's Eye, knocked unconscious Nathaniel is almost killed by the Golem before being saved at the last moment
Inmate Justification: Nathaniel was once an idealist, who has become willing to set aside his ideals, and moral qualms, for the sake of his own political career. He enslaves spirits, looks down on 'commoners' and is convinced of magicians' right to rule. He has a vindictive streak that has led to the death of people he didn't mean to get caught in the crossfire. He needs to reembrace his better qualities, and move past his prejudices.
Arrival: Against his will
Abilities/Powers: Weedy teenager. He also has extensive knowledge of languages, and principles of summoning, banishing and banishing spirits (not much help as he can't summon spirits on the Barge)
Inmate Information:
Nathaniel is a product of his society. Throughout the history of his world, magicians have been the ruling class in whatever is the current dominating nation. He was born into a British Empire that has been ascendent since William Gladstone took parliament out of commoner hands and went forth to conquer Prague, defeating the formerly prominent Czech Empire. A Britain where no one could remember a time when this hadn’t been so (in part because part of their rule involves limiting most people’s access to knowledge). Magicians keep themselves removed from the experience of the ordinary commoner, remaining in the center of the city and the suburbs; leaving the streets clogged with small shops, waste grounds, and factories to the commoners – with their presence felt mostly in the vigilance spheres floating randomly above the streets, a constant reminder of their power and that they are the protectors of Britain against all her lurking enemies.
It's within this context that Nathaniel, at age five, was given up by his parents to become a magician’s apprentice. His parents having answered the advertisements explaining that giving a child up to be an apprentice would be in exchange for a great deal of economic compensation. This separation is standard, in fact required, of magicians. All memories of their life before, especially birth names, are supposed to be forgotten. Magicians are powerful, but that power is dependent on great paranoia and secrecy.
Nathaniel doesn’t have any inherent powers. As with all magicians, his ‘magic’ is based off being able to enslave spirits and order them to perform great feats. The spirits, obviously wanting to be free, take any opportunity to try to kill their masters, both for revenge and because this severs the connection that’s binding them to Earth. Nathaniel has been taught that ‘demons’ are wicked and will hurt you if they can. His master, Mr. Underwood, locked him in a room with hundreds of imps for twenty minutes, a traumatizing experience, especially for a boy who was only six, that worked to engrain hate and fear in his heart, a show that remains. The only way to survive is to be secretive and paranoid, and it’s not surprising that this is the attitude with which he approaches all of life.
Though he wouldn’t articulate it the same way, Nathaniel receives several lessons that impress on him that ‘wicked and will hurt you if they can’ also applies to magicians. He was terrified by the imps, but it was Mr. Underwood who summoned them. When he speaks back to Simon Lovelace when the magician dismisses his ability to answer difficult questions, the man uses a spirit to hurt him. The strong rule, the weak have to show deference because they’re helpless to do anything else. Therefore, Nathaniel is determined not to be weak.
Nathaniel is not just a product of his society, but someone who dreams of being an active enforcer of it. Nathaniel could’ve easily just lived a life as a passive beneficiary of his privileged position. He could have been a scholar or a minor government employee or anything else what would’ve given him a mostly danger free life, of much better quality than that of a commoner. But Nathaniel wants power. He wants to be one of the strong who can do what they want to the weak. He’s willing to compromise his ideals, betraying promises, and hurting people just to advance in a career that offers the thrill of being recognized as important and in control, even as what it also offers is a life of unhappiness, constantly on a tightrope of keeping favor while not seeming dangerous, never being able to trust anyone and endless threats.
It’s important that he did have ideals that he’s now compromising. Growing up in the household of a not particularly powerful magician who was far from having an important position, combined with his isolation, Nathaniel truly believed in what he was told about magicians. He believed that they were honorable, wise, and virtuous. That they deserved to rule, not because of their power, but because they used that power nobly. They are the natural guardians of the state. A true magician wouldn’t compromise the safety of the innocent or break a promise. Even when he learns that the magicians in charge don’t live up to his childhood imagination, he considers them personal failings, not that the stories were untrue. Part of him still believes that if he had enough power, he wouldn’t just be safe, but also the hero he’d dreamed of being.
Martha Underwood, Nathaniel’s first master’s wife, was a surrogate mother to him – even as his master failed in his duty to be a protector. She gave him attention and kindness, and return gained his uncomplicated loyalty. Magicians often dismiss the idea of true loyalty as even being possible, but Nathaniel remembers what it’s like. He had a teacher who tried to protect him, despite being a commoner who had no chance against magicians, which stops him from fully being able to dismiss the idea that people will help without coercion or benefit to themselves. He has a desire for justice, instead of simply wanting to do everything and anything that will preserve his own life. He also tends not to let little things like laws get in the way, from theft to kidnapping to lying to the government.
Nathaniel is ambitious, power-hungry, vindictive, manipulative, and sure of his own superiority. He’s also a teenager who still has guilt about doing the wrong thing, can see positive qualities in people, is willing to risk his own life for a greater good, and has almost no examples of how to act well if you’re in a position of power.
Path to Redemption:
Nathaniel responds to being challenged, especially once he gets past his initial anger. He likes being able to showoff his intelligence, and be recognized by other people, something that can leave him open to manipulation. Playing on his interest in learning, not wanting to seem like he has a limited view point and morality can all be useful. He needs to learn better ways to deal with his temper and his paranoia.
He's deeply ambitious, which could be a positive quality for him, if he can channel it into what he actually wants to achieve instead of just trampling others. He's also been betrayed by two people who had a duty to protect him, so would do well with someone who he could believe wouldn't abandon him to danger to save themselves.
Nathaniel doesn't really like who he is, but he doesn't know who else he could be, and is afraid that a path that wouldn't leave him in a position of power would leave him as helpless and so someone who would be hurt by others.
History: history
Sample Network Entry:
[His hair is carefully swept back, expression one he hopes projects cool control, absolutely no tension to be spotted here.]
My name is John Mandrake, assistant to the director of Internal Affairs. I've introduced myself before, none of that has changed. Use of any other name will not be acknowledged.
[Someone isn't happy with pairing day. Not that his acknowledgement of 'John Mandrake' is usually that great. He couldn't be called happy with this in general. He manages to straighten even further, on a different note -]
I would also like to remind you that there is a clear system to where you can find a specific film or audio recording. I have even put up a chart up on the shelves themselves, so you don't have to work to remember. There is absolutely no reason for you to put some cheap romance film in the documentary section. [He waves the offending case.]
You can take five seconds to do it right.
Sample RP: spam
Special Notes:
User DW: N/A
E-mail/Plurk/Discord/PM to a character journal/alternate method of contact: @ anstaar on plurk, PM journal
Other Characters Currently In-Game: Fitz Kreiner, Xie Lian
Character Name: Nathaniel/John Mandrake
Series: Bartimaeus Sequence
Age: The timeline isn't entirely clear, but I believe he's 15 by his pull point
From When?: The end of The Golem's Eye, knocked unconscious Nathaniel is almost killed by the Golem before being saved at the last moment
Inmate Justification: Nathaniel was once an idealist, who has become willing to set aside his ideals, and moral qualms, for the sake of his own political career. He enslaves spirits, looks down on 'commoners' and is convinced of magicians' right to rule. He has a vindictive streak that has led to the death of people he didn't mean to get caught in the crossfire. He needs to reembrace his better qualities, and move past his prejudices.
Arrival: Against his will
Abilities/Powers: Weedy teenager. He also has extensive knowledge of languages, and principles of summoning, banishing and banishing spirits (not much help as he can't summon spirits on the Barge)
Inmate Information:
Nathaniel is a product of his society. Throughout the history of his world, magicians have been the ruling class in whatever is the current dominating nation. He was born into a British Empire that has been ascendent since William Gladstone took parliament out of commoner hands and went forth to conquer Prague, defeating the formerly prominent Czech Empire. A Britain where no one could remember a time when this hadn’t been so (in part because part of their rule involves limiting most people’s access to knowledge). Magicians keep themselves removed from the experience of the ordinary commoner, remaining in the center of the city and the suburbs; leaving the streets clogged with small shops, waste grounds, and factories to the commoners – with their presence felt mostly in the vigilance spheres floating randomly above the streets, a constant reminder of their power and that they are the protectors of Britain against all her lurking enemies.
It's within this context that Nathaniel, at age five, was given up by his parents to become a magician’s apprentice. His parents having answered the advertisements explaining that giving a child up to be an apprentice would be in exchange for a great deal of economic compensation. This separation is standard, in fact required, of magicians. All memories of their life before, especially birth names, are supposed to be forgotten. Magicians are powerful, but that power is dependent on great paranoia and secrecy.
Nathaniel doesn’t have any inherent powers. As with all magicians, his ‘magic’ is based off being able to enslave spirits and order them to perform great feats. The spirits, obviously wanting to be free, take any opportunity to try to kill their masters, both for revenge and because this severs the connection that’s binding them to Earth. Nathaniel has been taught that ‘demons’ are wicked and will hurt you if they can. His master, Mr. Underwood, locked him in a room with hundreds of imps for twenty minutes, a traumatizing experience, especially for a boy who was only six, that worked to engrain hate and fear in his heart, a show that remains. The only way to survive is to be secretive and paranoid, and it’s not surprising that this is the attitude with which he approaches all of life.
Though he wouldn’t articulate it the same way, Nathaniel receives several lessons that impress on him that ‘wicked and will hurt you if they can’ also applies to magicians. He was terrified by the imps, but it was Mr. Underwood who summoned them. When he speaks back to Simon Lovelace when the magician dismisses his ability to answer difficult questions, the man uses a spirit to hurt him. The strong rule, the weak have to show deference because they’re helpless to do anything else. Therefore, Nathaniel is determined not to be weak.
Nathaniel is not just a product of his society, but someone who dreams of being an active enforcer of it. Nathaniel could’ve easily just lived a life as a passive beneficiary of his privileged position. He could have been a scholar or a minor government employee or anything else what would’ve given him a mostly danger free life, of much better quality than that of a commoner. But Nathaniel wants power. He wants to be one of the strong who can do what they want to the weak. He’s willing to compromise his ideals, betraying promises, and hurting people just to advance in a career that offers the thrill of being recognized as important and in control, even as what it also offers is a life of unhappiness, constantly on a tightrope of keeping favor while not seeming dangerous, never being able to trust anyone and endless threats.
It’s important that he did have ideals that he’s now compromising. Growing up in the household of a not particularly powerful magician who was far from having an important position, combined with his isolation, Nathaniel truly believed in what he was told about magicians. He believed that they were honorable, wise, and virtuous. That they deserved to rule, not because of their power, but because they used that power nobly. They are the natural guardians of the state. A true magician wouldn’t compromise the safety of the innocent or break a promise. Even when he learns that the magicians in charge don’t live up to his childhood imagination, he considers them personal failings, not that the stories were untrue. Part of him still believes that if he had enough power, he wouldn’t just be safe, but also the hero he’d dreamed of being.
Martha Underwood, Nathaniel’s first master’s wife, was a surrogate mother to him – even as his master failed in his duty to be a protector. She gave him attention and kindness, and return gained his uncomplicated loyalty. Magicians often dismiss the idea of true loyalty as even being possible, but Nathaniel remembers what it’s like. He had a teacher who tried to protect him, despite being a commoner who had no chance against magicians, which stops him from fully being able to dismiss the idea that people will help without coercion or benefit to themselves. He has a desire for justice, instead of simply wanting to do everything and anything that will preserve his own life. He also tends not to let little things like laws get in the way, from theft to kidnapping to lying to the government.
Nathaniel is ambitious, power-hungry, vindictive, manipulative, and sure of his own superiority. He’s also a teenager who still has guilt about doing the wrong thing, can see positive qualities in people, is willing to risk his own life for a greater good, and has almost no examples of how to act well if you’re in a position of power.
Path to Redemption:
Nathaniel responds to being challenged, especially once he gets past his initial anger. He likes being able to showoff his intelligence, and be recognized by other people, something that can leave him open to manipulation. Playing on his interest in learning, not wanting to seem like he has a limited view point and morality can all be useful. He needs to learn better ways to deal with his temper and his paranoia.
He's deeply ambitious, which could be a positive quality for him, if he can channel it into what he actually wants to achieve instead of just trampling others. He's also been betrayed by two people who had a duty to protect him, so would do well with someone who he could believe wouldn't abandon him to danger to save themselves.
Nathaniel doesn't really like who he is, but he doesn't know who else he could be, and is afraid that a path that wouldn't leave him in a position of power would leave him as helpless and so someone who would be hurt by others.
History: history
Sample Network Entry:
[His hair is carefully swept back, expression one he hopes projects cool control, absolutely no tension to be spotted here.]
My name is John Mandrake, assistant to the director of Internal Affairs. I've introduced myself before, none of that has changed. Use of any other name will not be acknowledged.
[Someone isn't happy with pairing day. Not that his acknowledgement of 'John Mandrake' is usually that great. He couldn't be called happy with this in general. He manages to straighten even further, on a different note -]
I would also like to remind you that there is a clear system to where you can find a specific film or audio recording. I have even put up a chart up on the shelves themselves, so you don't have to work to remember. There is absolutely no reason for you to put some cheap romance film in the documentary section. [He waves the offending case.]
You can take five seconds to do it right.
Sample RP: spam
Special Notes:
