Triwatphen Manti

DISCLAIMER: Manti was originally created for a 3.5E campaign, but since it's over I've taken some creative liberties some game mechanics, so some of the stuff here is not what was in the campaign. PAGE IS CURRENTLY WIP

The elf that would be (infamously) known as Captain Manti was born in the South of the endless realms, in the heart of village nestled in the jungle. As with most of the village's children, Manti was not the product of a romantic union but selective breeding: both of their parents were unusually tall for elves, and the breeding coordinator wanted to see if this would be passed on to their child. The result was a success: the two tallest tribesmen were blessed with an equally tall child.

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Cultural differences

Southern elves are a reclusive folk, and as such they rarely mingle with the other races of the Endless Realms. Their culture and values differ greatly from those of the northern folk, and as such many aspects of Manti's upbringing may seem very, very odd to someone from the North.

Literacy and Language: Southern Elves do not rely on spoken or written words and believe that actions are the key to communication. Southern Elvish is as a result a very bare-bones language with an extremely limited vocabulary. Furthermore, it comes with a very heavy accent, and most speakers of Modern Elvish have a hard time understanding Manti when they speak their mother tongue. It is also for this reason that Manti has only recently learned to read Common, and is moving on to learn Modern Elvish. Furthermore, Manti's vocabulary is still very limited: for example, words for "skeleton", "temperature", "seasons", etc do not exist in Southern Elvish, and Manti often finds themselves paraphrasing until someone teaches them the word (i.e: "Look at that bone group!"/ "You mean a skeleton?")

Gender and Sexuality: Elves reproduce magically, meaning that they perform a ritual that draws from the essence of the two parents to create a child. This is true of all Elves, both Northern and Southern, although for Southern Elves this is the ONLY method of reproduction, while Northern elves may reproduce sexually with humans. It is for this reason that Northern Elves have adopted the idea of gender, while Southern Elves have not. The idea of gender is something Manti absolutely does not understand, but they have grasped the idea of preferred pronouns so it all pans out. This is also why Manti's sex drive is nonexistant: sexual pleasure isn't really something Southern Elves know, and their genitalia is only really used to pee.

Jobs and Family: To create a balanced child, you need to have a balance in the parents. This is why when deciding pairs, the coordinator chooses someone whose job is to stay in the village and someone whose job requires them to leave regularly. This leads to the child being raised by one parent while they further their education in the job they seem to do best in. The concept of a nuclear family is foreign to Manti, and the idea that both parents need to raise a child seems highly unnecessary to them.

Personality

Pre-Possession Manti was not well accepted amongst their peers during their time in Abarat. In contrast to Emileren's more affable nature, Triwatphen was rude, insolent, curious and incredibly stubborn. Their nonconformity, coupled with an icy demeanour and unnatural height outcasted Manti from day one. Pre-Possession Manti had no friends, and frequently broke the rules and traditions of Abarat, greatly angering the other High Priests of the Spires.

Possessed Manti is someone that has little concern for the feelings of other people because all other people are beneath them. Possessed Manti will charm their way into your heart so they can take everything from you, Possessed Manti is reckless because they do not fully understand the limits of their own body. Possessed Manti is an Elf with a mission, and that mission is to have everyone at their feet. Possessed Manti appears easygoing and chill, but gets frustrated very easily and has an explosive temper. When Possessed Manti is angry, they go full non-verbal and violent, and its best to stay out of their way.

Post-Possession Manti is different from their two past personalities, and yet kind of the same. Contrary to what most people believe, when you lose the demon in you you don't "revert", you just simply get rid of the physical demon that was possessing your body. Your memories stay the same, and you're still shaped by your lived experiences. Post-possession Manti is someone that smiles easily and is a natural charmer, not because they want something out of you, but because it's how they hide how insecure they are. Their extreme loyalty was born out of guilt for stringing the crew along on a demon-led adventure, and Manti's lack of self preservation has become less of a reckless thing and more of a self-harm thing. Post-possession Manti is trying to learn about what a good captain needs to do, but has definitely confused being a good person with "everyone else matters more than me".

Powers and Abilities

Manti's training as both a Sorcerer and a Hunter, along with the skillset of the demon that once possessed them, has turned them into a Jack of All Trades.

Magic

Spellthief: Manti's main gimmick is the ability to steal spells and spell effects so long as the person they are stealing from is not aware that they can steal from them. The spells can be held for about a day, as holding them for a longer time makes their head hurt.

Fatemaker: Manti earned the title of Fatemaker in secret, and doesn't really talk about it much. As a Fatemaker, Manti's presence makes people feel more confident in themselves and also makes them more trustworthy in the eyes of others. It's almost like Mind Control, only more subtle.

Ebon Eyes: This spell allows Manti to see through Darkness, be it magical or natural. It causes permanent damage to Manti's eyes when used in regular light levels, however.

Dark Way: Manti projects a thin, ribbon-like bridge made of darkness between two solid points.

Comprehend Language: This spell allows Manti to read or understand languages they don't actually know. They cannot speak the language, and the longer it is used the less comprehensible the words become, until the spell exhausts itself and it all goes back to being gibberish.

Skills

Rogue things: Manti has an assortment of skills that you'd usually see in a Rogue, like lock-picking, sleight-of-hand and stealth. Acrobatics: Manti has an excellent sense of balance honed from their years in the Southern Jungles. Manti is a great tree-climber.

Objects

Hat of Disguise: Currently disguised as a Chaos Crystal Earring, Manti only really uses their Hat of Disguise when they're too lazy to change clothes.

Udvati Talisman: The inconspicuous Talisman serves as a direct line to the Vang'Ka domain in the infernal planes. By focusing on the Talisman, Manti is able to get in contact with the Udvati: giant, slug-like demons with a penchant for mind control. They don't really like using the Talisman, but the knowledge of the Udvati can sometimes be the difference in a life or death situation.

Chitin Rapier: Unconventional in appearance and unremarkable in craftsmanship, the Chitin Rapier has been with Manti since the fall of Abarat. Chaos Kenku Rapier: Socketed with a Chaos Dust Crystal, this Rapier is especially effective at dispatching planar beings.

Balkan's Knife: A Halfling knife of exceptional make, this weapon is what gave Manti their neck scar. Manti gave its past owner to the Mindflayers.