Daniel Arkmenetide
Profile
Basic Information
Name:
Daniel Arkmenetide
Nickname(s):
Age:
34
Birth Date:
4th Fire, 8261
Height:
5'8"
Gender:
Male
Race:
Human
Class:
Exorcist
Occupation:
Abbot of Cantor
Guild(s):
Cantor Abbey
Enhancement(s):
Atros' Favour
Likes
Arguing, camping outdoors, baklava, bread and the smell of baking, swimming, being in control, fiery spirits
Dislikes
Disrespect, losing, cold weather, animals, children below the age of 10, helpless attitudes
Personality
Altruistic | Serious | Tenacious | Combative | Competitive | Obstinate
To the vast majority of people who know Daniel, especially those who know him as the Abbot of Cantor, he’s the essence of an honour student - upright, diligent, serious, prudish and the kind of person who one would assume is right because he carries himself with the air of being right. And this is very much intentional - he tries very much to be good and respectable. He takes his duties as a priest, healer and leader very seriously - which means making an effort to be patient, helpful, and judicious as possible.
Truthfully, much of his respectability is built from experience rather than nature. The diligence and desire to be good is real but he is not, inherently, a peaceful kind of person. He has a huge competitive streak and a strong desire to prove himself, which often leads to silly contests ranging from harmless playfighting to idiotic pissing contests. He would be arrogant if he hadn't already learnt his lesson long ago - but even if he has acquired some modicum of humbleness, he still carries a conviction of being right that makes him obstinate, judgmental and adversarial at times. If he feels he’s not been listened to, he is more than happy to take matters into his own hands against all others’ wishes. He is, at heart, a petty little bitch with a taste for spite.
And he knows it, to some degree. Though he doesn't always succeed, he is very aware of his own bad personality and does his best to hide it. He is hard to get close to behind his clean persona... unless, by accident or otherwise, one has seen him vulnerable or undignified and shown that they don't think any less of him for it.
Veneer or no veneer, he cannot deny that he thrives under pressure far more than he does in a peaceful, boring environment. He quickly takes charge in a crisis, faces challenges with stubborn tenacity, and is unafraid of big decisions. That same confidence can also lead him to obsession and taking undue liberties in the name of self-proclaimed justice. But however it comes out and however one might see him, he is no coward.
History
Born in Nisalvini to busy academic parents, Daniel learnt independence from an early age. They were fine when around, but were both devoted to their careers and often absent. Fortunately or unfortunately for them, he became a precocious, bossy child who imposed himself on people without need for encouragement. With a house full of research material and family friends of all kinds of casters, many of whom found his aggressive interest entertaining, he picked up a smattering of skills above his age grade and thought himself very accomplished.
When he was 14, an opportunity arrived at his parents’ doorstep that would take them abroad, but would leave them no time to raise their increasingly demanding son. It was too great an opportunity to miss in their eyes, so they decided to send him to boarding school in Miras while they left to pursue it. The least they could do, they thought, was to let him choose the school - and under big aspirations to become both mage and healer, he picked a general casting school.
It so happened that his father had considerable influence with the school through work, so many of the faculty were lenient to him. His existing experience with all kinds of magic and healing made him a big fish in a little pond - and with those two factors, he quickly grew arrogant. He maintained great marks and was careful not to break rules, but became a verbal bully to some of the slower students. The staff looked the other way, unsure of what to do with him, until he - who was at that time dabbling with summoning and classic healing - tried to scare a classmate in a basic summoning class with a familiar which he lost control of. The teacher intervened in time so it wasn’t fatal, but that classmate ended up in hospital and Daniel - who took a defensive attitude for fear of losing face - was suspended from classes.
To keep the matter discreet, they reached an agreement with his parents to transfer him to private tutorship. He was sent to Delverne to study under his mother's friend, Hegio Noster, until he got over himself. Now without lackeys and status in a foreign culture, he was forced to reflect and come to terms with his own glaring problems. He decided to turn his attention away from magecraft towards healing, intending to make up for his actions. With Hegio’s sponsorship, he entered a specialist classic healing school in Delverne. He absorbed the Aureanist culture of the place as a moral compass and though his personality still leaned to the aggressive side, he channeled it more productively towards learning Exorcism.
By age 21 he was qualified to graduate, which meant choosing a mission in wider Alva to serve at for a few years. He chose a small one in Bratkowice - a post seen as thankless and unnecessarily difficult for the formality of graduation, but that was why he chose it so he insisted. He travelled to Bratkowice via Song-Lu and spent the next three years working his way into the largely skeptical village society. His progress was slow but positive; at least the locals began to warm to his eagerness, even if they thought his religion silly. It was there in Bratkowice that he took on what became later known as ‘his plague’, an incident he speaks little of other than the bare basics - that it was a sudden rampant disease, and while he contained it with the help of a Sage who sealed it behind his eyes, the weight of the resulting Exorcist's Burden was enough to force him away to recuperate.
He was brought back to the Kingdom by mission-mates at age 24, and ended up taking refuge at Cantor Abbey. For two difficult years he lived there as an invalid - blinded, subject to frequent seizures and comas, and mostly kept out of sight within the Abbey for fear of scaring people. With a lot of help, by the end of the second year he was able to overcome his burden and new blindness enough to move around without a chaperone. He quickly began travelling out as a healing minister, impatient to start giving back. Thanks to a few dramatic cases early on, he soon became a popular call-out for deathbeds and serious injuries - and over the next three years he became one of the most sought-after healers locally. His skill and willingness earned him good repute, and the fanciful speculation that started circulating about his rather dramatic history kept people curious.
It was at the end of those three years that he decided he was ready to have his eye seals broken and move on... But very shortly after, he was appointed Abbot of Cantor following the previous Abbess' sudden murder - to general surprise including his own. He had heard the rumours that he was being considered as a successor, but had been entirely dismissive of them since he wasn’t a local. His own ambitions were to resume missionary work and return to his unfinished business in the Empire, not to become an Abbot. It took several months and a lot of grumping around to accept this new role, but he eventually did out of respect for the people around him.
Current Story
After the events of the Therras quest, he is more or less doing his job resettling the Cantish and plotting how to rescue Alis. In the back of his mind is also Triss' revelation that the plague was caused by a forbidden disease familiar - and what that means about his experiences in Bratkowice.
Additional Info
The marks on his eyes were put there by a Sage, to keep them shut and prevent the plague from 'escaping' through them. The seals are broken now but the marks are permanent.
His power as an Exorcist is unusual because of the size of his Burden. It's a bit of a mystery how he managed to absorb so much in the first place, but he has it now. He has some difficulty controlling it, because it tends to come out like water bursting from a broken faucet.
The most obvious shadow effects of his Burden are a low body temperature (his hands are always freezing) and inability to keep weight on (he would like to be buff but alas).
He credits Aureanism with helping him become a better person, and so feels betrayed by everything that has happened with the coming of Aurea. He still holds to the lifestyle and general teachings, but struggles with how hollow it feels now that he knows what Aurea and Delverne stand for.
Easily embarrassed by boobs, butts and reminders of his own trashy past actions.
His love language is one part (play)fighting and one part nagging.
Relations
Herod & Linette
His absent parents, who he hasn't seen in many years. He takes more after his serious, fussy mum but is fond of cheery lads/jocks like his father. They fell out of contact after they moved from Nisalvini and he went off to Bratkowice. He's so used to the distance that he doesn't realise it, but a lot of his defiance comes from seeking and not getting their attention. There's no bad blood between them but he doesn't feel compelled to seek them out.
Hegio Noster
His tutor for a few of his teenage years; a connection from his mother's side. He has a deep respect for the old elf and his mentorship. Despite the increase in distance after many years of no contact and Hegio's change with Selene's coma, he's more attached than he'd publicly admit.
Karmenie Valence
The former Abbess. A highly respected leader, and even something of a parent figure. He particularly respected her ability to make things happen with minimal fuss despite her clear quirks, and appreciated her brusque humour. As an older fellow Exorcist, she helped him a lot with the issue of his Burden.
Aliswen Eiragarth
Not-so-secret girlfriend. He rather admires her fiery, rough-housing spirit and likes the levity he gets from being around her. As much as he adores her, he still tends to keep things from her - on a conscious level because she has enough politics and trauma to worry about, and subconsciously because he wants to keep the simple joy of her company separate from the darker parts of his life.
