Birthplace: Teramer
Birth sign: The Mage
Age: 30
Height: Average
Weight: Average
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black
Description
5" 11', thin with oddly proportioned muscles, a scrawny neck. A friendly face without smile. Moves with confidence.
General Health: Great Condition
Profession: Caravan guard, artist
Faction Affiliation: None
Languages: Collatian, Common
Accent: Teramer
Strengths: Open-minded, curious
Weaknesses: Talks too freely
Governing Virtue: Compassion
Governing Throne: Enlightenment
History
Offspring of Kaduraan and Teramerian parents. Raised in traditional Teramerian style, to fight and serve the republic. Rebelled from an early age against the strict lifestyle of service to the state. While others went off to become inquisitors with assignments in far away provinces, Zhivko stayed in Aleksandrov instead choosing mercenary and other protection jobs. This allowed him to remain closer to friends in neighbouring Kaduraas.
Frequently travelled as a caravan guard from Aleksandrov to Antongrad, and back. Often in charge of checking inventory lists due to his ability to read and write at a higher level than most of his peers who had, since youth, disregarded the importance of such things.
A lengthy affair with a Kaduraan woman, the mate of a divinator from a lesser circle in Kaduraas, leads Zhivko on a path towards being an apostate. Long nights spent with his lover training in the basics of Principatus would eventually come to an end when her mate became suspicious. The woman would repeat to Zhivko words whispered from the divinator's mouth as he tossed and turned in his sleep. Over time she and Zhivko would piece together minor mantras. Zhivko would practice writing out the various words, and the woman practiced speaking them aloud. The constant fear of being caught and executed weighed heavy on his mind. His lover was motivated by a lust for power which Zhivko recognized would only lead to horrible ends for the both of them.
Every day he witnessed gruesome displays. Body parts mutilated, skull piles decorating the travel ways, executions of people charged with various crimes against the state. His world was one of depressing, horrible sights. The high stone walls, the hate-speech of his peers, the constant surveillance, and the air of righteousness displayed in his homeland drove him to question everything he was ever taught. How could this be what Decus wanted? If he was even real.
He practiced his art to remain sane. Painting simple pictures, carving wood scraps or soft rocks into any image that could bring a smile to someone's face. He would hand them out to people in the streets, or leave them in places to be found by strangers. He sought to bring some small amount of beauty to the world, however he could.
Tired of life in the west, and seeking to learn more of the First Coast, he embarks on a grand journey which culminates in seeking entrance to the Quarantine Zone where he hopes to find answers to questions that have plagued him since childhood.
Is magic inherently bad for society? How much of what the church teaches is true and how much is fable? Did Decus truly exist, did he walk alongside mortal men? And to what end? Can magic be used for positive outcomes? If magic caused the Torment then can magic solve the Torment?
The Legacy of Zhivko Aprilov
Re: The Legacy of Zhivko Aprilov
---
What had begun as a simple desire to create some high quality jewelry had quickly turned into learning the ins and outs of geology and the rough art of swinging a pickaxe. The market price of bronze ingots, used for creating proper gem settings on various jewelry pieces due to it's durability and malleability, had driven Zhivko to learn the art of bronze smelting on his own. He buys mining equipment, pick axes, lanterns, extra food and bottled water, then sets out in search of tin deposits.
---
The act of smelting, the fine tuning of the finery forge, had proven more difficult to learn than some arcane mantras had been. It was only with the aid of one of the Fort Praesidium residents that Zhivko managed to operate the small furnace.
They discuss life and art before parting ways, with a loose agreement to meet again in the future.
---
Long trips through the mine provide plenty opportunity for thought.
While resting at his small home after a laborious mining expedition, inspiration strikes. An idea for a painting which will require a very large canvas to properly express the scope of the idea enters into his mind. Zhivko makes a simple draft work to make sure he does not forget the thought, and to assist in deciding more of the details of the layout.
---
Inspired by the word of a coming art exhibition in the fort, he buys and makes large amounts of paints in preparation. On one of many trips to the Fort's market area, he encounters someone bent down studying the finery forge. Zhivko was happy to share his recently acquired knowledge on the device's intricate requirements.
---
Dissatisfied with the first dozen attempts at putting his grand work onto canvas, he takes one of the failed pieces and instead turns it into a different scene. As soon as it fully dries, he places the rectangular large canvas in his small cabin, nailing it's four corners in with thin bronze spikes. The frame cracks very slightly. The art adds 'something' that was previously desperately missing from the disparate cabin quarters. He titled the piece "Learning", and created it to remind himself or any who view it, of not just the never-ending nature of learning but also the concept of remembering how far one has gone on the path of learning already.
The painting is of two people playing a board game. They sit across from one another at a small table. There is an older man, grey in the hair and long in the beard, who sits with his hands resting patiently on the small table. He sits upright in the chair, with himself supported by it's tall back. His face is stoic, yet he studies both the board and the opponent. He does so without giving any inclination of what his own thoughts may be. Across from him sits a small boy leaned forward towards the board, intently studying the pieces to determine the optimal move. The boys brow is furrowed and his elbows rest on the table, propping up hands which push against his face. The game board appears to be something akin to chess, if not chess itself.
While the artist's skill appears somewhat lacking, the scene is expertly captured. There is a faded, cloudy quality to the background and other features of the painting, made intentionally so, as if they do not matter in comparison to the board and the players. Due to the angle which the scene is viewed from, it is difficult to "read the board" and there is no clear indication of who is currently winning the game.
---
Discussing the murder which had happened at Fort Praesidium's gate, at Fort Praesdium's gate.
Zhivko explains his distrust of the Foundry, accusing them of only having Greed in mind in all their endeavours. The person he speaks with does not agree, and continues on to explain the many philanthropic works the Foundry has begun around the area. Zhivko is told of the apartments, the museum expansion, the large buildings for faction groups, and several other works already implemented.
Zhivko, only slightly swayed by the opinions and new information, agrees to potentially reconsider his anti-Foundry stance. He still refuses to entrust his coins to their bank, although running a market stall has forced him to engage with the Foundry banking system on some level already.
---
Discussing paints, pastes, and the art of flower picking with a person met in the Fort Praesidium market.
---
What had begun as a simple desire to create some high quality jewelry had quickly turned into learning the ins and outs of geology and the rough art of swinging a pickaxe. The market price of bronze ingots, used for creating proper gem settings on various jewelry pieces due to it's durability and malleability, had driven Zhivko to learn the art of bronze smelting on his own. He buys mining equipment, pick axes, lanterns, extra food and bottled water, then sets out in search of tin deposits.
---
The act of smelting, the fine tuning of the finery forge, had proven more difficult to learn than some arcane mantras had been. It was only with the aid of one of the Fort Praesidium residents that Zhivko managed to operate the small furnace.
They discuss life and art before parting ways, with a loose agreement to meet again in the future.
---
Long trips through the mine provide plenty opportunity for thought.
While resting at his small home after a laborious mining expedition, inspiration strikes. An idea for a painting which will require a very large canvas to properly express the scope of the idea enters into his mind. Zhivko makes a simple draft work to make sure he does not forget the thought, and to assist in deciding more of the details of the layout.
---
Inspired by the word of a coming art exhibition in the fort, he buys and makes large amounts of paints in preparation. On one of many trips to the Fort's market area, he encounters someone bent down studying the finery forge. Zhivko was happy to share his recently acquired knowledge on the device's intricate requirements.
---
Dissatisfied with the first dozen attempts at putting his grand work onto canvas, he takes one of the failed pieces and instead turns it into a different scene. As soon as it fully dries, he places the rectangular large canvas in his small cabin, nailing it's four corners in with thin bronze spikes. The frame cracks very slightly. The art adds 'something' that was previously desperately missing from the disparate cabin quarters. He titled the piece "Learning", and created it to remind himself or any who view it, of not just the never-ending nature of learning but also the concept of remembering how far one has gone on the path of learning already.
The painting is of two people playing a board game. They sit across from one another at a small table. There is an older man, grey in the hair and long in the beard, who sits with his hands resting patiently on the small table. He sits upright in the chair, with himself supported by it's tall back. His face is stoic, yet he studies both the board and the opponent. He does so without giving any inclination of what his own thoughts may be. Across from him sits a small boy leaned forward towards the board, intently studying the pieces to determine the optimal move. The boys brow is furrowed and his elbows rest on the table, propping up hands which push against his face. The game board appears to be something akin to chess, if not chess itself.
While the artist's skill appears somewhat lacking, the scene is expertly captured. There is a faded, cloudy quality to the background and other features of the painting, made intentionally so, as if they do not matter in comparison to the board and the players. Due to the angle which the scene is viewed from, it is difficult to "read the board" and there is no clear indication of who is currently winning the game.
---
Discussing the murder which had happened at Fort Praesidium's gate, at Fort Praesdium's gate.
Zhivko explains his distrust of the Foundry, accusing them of only having Greed in mind in all their endeavours. The person he speaks with does not agree, and continues on to explain the many philanthropic works the Foundry has begun around the area. Zhivko is told of the apartments, the museum expansion, the large buildings for faction groups, and several other works already implemented.
Zhivko, only slightly swayed by the opinions and new information, agrees to potentially reconsider his anti-Foundry stance. He still refuses to entrust his coins to their bank, although running a market stall has forced him to engage with the Foundry banking system on some level already.
---
Discussing paints, pastes, and the art of flower picking with a person met in the Fort Praesidium market.
---