Most of my people come into my head as an aura with just pieces of themselves visible among an amorphous, shapeless likeness that soon becomes concrete, usually as I get out my pencil to draw them. Sorela was no exception. Also, lots of the time, I forget just exactly how things came to be. They just sort of happen. It's as if I know deep down before I even write it out. I get inspiration somewhere and them boom! It all comes together.
Dr. Sorela is based vaguely off this gamer guy at my boyfriend's work who would come in every Friday for the MTG tournaments he judged and played in. This guy was very um... VERY large. Like 400 pounds large. He was probably my height also, so if you can imagine... Yeah... Anyway, the thing that I really liked about him was his hair. It was black and to his shoulders, and had a slight wave to it. It really went well with his round face. I later realized that both him and Sorela go by their initials, but that came about differently and is just a coincidence.
The only thing I took from him was his long hair. The rest I didn't pay much attention to. After this it gets a bit vague for a while. I had this distinct, dark aura of someone very dark and powerful that literally floated off the ground. Somehow he ended up being a professor of the school Lesko Diamond etc attend and I honestly don't remember how but he ended up playing oboe. As I thought about it, more things started formulating and it became clear to me that he was extra... special.
I had just finished creating the first draft of Osai Naori and so far only had Oja Diamond and was looking for others and I realized that he would fill that. The other thing I remember pretty clearly was that he had a nickname, based off some real like blogs of high schoolers calling this one particular teacher Captain [last name]. So, it came about that Sorela had earned the nicknames Captain Mysterioso and Captain Darkness from whatever bratty student but instead of getting mad really liked it and took it upon himself. Cuz, ya know, he would... :P Writing this down, he obtained his name for the first time. It made sense for him to be at least part-Catin, seeing as Osai Naori comes from the pure bloodlines of King Osai and his brothers (and brother in law and nephew for those history buffs keeping track!) so I took the most common Catin last name, which happens to be a pure line from Seranu, and gave him some initials. His name became S. R. Sorela. Of course, even though only a handful of people actually know what his initials stand for, I had to write it out anyway so his full name became Silanu Ravosilu Sorela, SRS or Sorela for short.
Now that he had a name, occupation, and a couple titles, he slowly began to take shape throughout my freshman year of college. Somehow it became understood that he was half Jadali and therefore from near the island since he was half Catin as well. Actually, Jadali wasn't even really solid in my mind yet so I was able to play around with cities and things which would later go both ways, each explaining the other. He was not actually born on Jadali but was born in what would become the port on Kiillaana to it- Taleah. About a month after he was born however his family moved back to Jadali as they sensed there was a great power about him which was later confirmed when he was taken to the Eldin of Leena, Ilonwyn Lochmont.
Somehow, along the way, he went from literally floating above the ground to obtaining his unmistakably unique gait and stature. He stands 6'6'' tall- towering over nearly everyone, and by far one of the tallest Men of Osai. He has a massive frame- not fat by any means, but very solid and muscular. This alone would make him quite intimidating, but adding his deep-set, shadowed, brown Catin eyes and his jet black, wavy, flowing, shoulder-length black hair only increases his darkness and majesty. He always ALWAYS wears black, but the reason would later be revealed to me. He wears all black- from the collared shirt to the pants to the large trenchcoat in the Jadali style tailored just for him. On occasion he comes to school in his traditional Jadali robes which have other colors on them but literally he wears all black. A very important thing too is that he never ever has bare arms. This would be explained later on as well. The way he walks went from floating to a very unique posture. Every movement he makes is slow and controlled and really does make him look as if he is underwater or floating. He walks and speaks very slowly and his voice is light and whispery (from his native Keoen speaking background) but low and booming in timbre (due to his height) and has a very strong accent (he sounds like Treebeard from LOTR).
Sometime later, an unusual image and idea flashed through my mind. It would be among the darker things I ever thought about writing down but it was just the way it was. I saw a body, covered with burn scars in the shape of an evil clawed hand as it slashed across the chest. I knew that this scar belonged to him which led me to realize that he, of all people in the entire HISTORY OF THE WORLD, had not only Osai Naori BUT ALSO Terabi Tana. This would make him extremely unique and very powerful. This also meant I had to find a way for him to obtain it. After a long time of thinking about everything and having other pieces fall into place, I had it all figured out and wrote out that story in itself. It was not easy by any means and obtaining Terabi Tana almost caused him to lose his mind. In his words, he "lost half of it." Obtaining this gift caused many things to happen that make him honored by all those in the know. I mean, besides being the only person who has and ever will walk my earth with both gifts working together inside him he is one of just two people who has actually killed a beast of the Realm- the other being Terabi. So yeah, that's a pretty big deal too.
Finally after almost 3 years of shaping him as things happened and I read about other things he took his concrete shape. Having both gifts, he is quite different from any "normal" person. The Osai Naori makes him very, very dark in both personality and looks. He is three times as strong as the average person of his size, which means that he is insanely strong. He also does not need sleep and literally sleeps maybe every few days, for about 20 minutes or so. He rests more often than that but usually slips into the Realm to do things there. It also makes him able to see things either as they are about to happen, will happen, or are happening worlds away, which is why he always knows when someone is coming to his office to see him and before one even knocks on the door he can be heard in his low, whispering voice, "Come in!" The Terabi Tana causes him to have Perfect Empathy which means that he can perfectly detect the current emotion of everyone around him, as well as their true intent of heart. This also causes his own aura to radiate with trust and peace, inviting all those who can see past his intimidating frame and seek his love and guidance to help them with their struggles. It also means that he can heal anyone who needs it, within reason, and means that he can traverse the Realm, doing business and talking to Terabikai past and present.
Well, I've forgotten what I've already explained and said so I'll leave with a couple facts about him:
- Having both gifts together means that he will live for 300 years, as Terabi and Osai have said, "The lifetime of three Men of Terabi." He is only 61 right now so he has a ways to go! XD
- He had the Curse of the Realm as a child, which was VERY odd as he had Osai Naori. Nobody knew what this meant until he was 14, when he was under attack for so long that the monster was weakened. He was able to be pushed beyond death because he could withstand three times what anyone else could do and the only way for a Man of Osai to die is of old age. Only when this monster was weakened was he finally given his blade of Lovelight which he thrust into its heart with his last remaining energy before his body and mind would literally shatter. It was this act that caused the evil energy to flow through his body, literally burning it, from the inside out, in the shape of the clawed hand across his chest.
- He wears his long sleeves and coat all year round to hide the massive burn scars that engulf his entire right arm, his left shoulder, and the back of his neck. The reason his hair is so long is to hide the burns on the back of his neck and the mess of scars all over his head from the falls and blows he took when the curse would overtake him.
- He speaks three languages: Keòen, his native language and the language of Terabi; Catin, because of his father and because of Osai Naori, and Kevian (English) because it is spoken almost everywhere in the world and is the prime language of Kiillaana, where he lives and works.
- He is very happily married to his lovely wife, Airi Hieldin, who also works at the university as a choral instructor. He has a son, Ashlan Sorela, who is married to his sweet wife Jiosa. They live in Dahhod (a Keòen-speaking city in Kiillaana) and have two sons- Aulivar and Aratan. Dr. Sorela and his wife visit them as often as they can, which is about once or twice a month.
- He has not only a double major but a double PhD in Oboe Performance and Catin/Jadali Musicology. He went to college for 12 full years to achieve it all and got his first professor job at the age of 30, when he became faculty at KU. He teaches his studio of students as well as the upper division Music History classes.
- Despite coming off as very serious, with his furrowed brow, etched frown, very quiet nature, and pondering face, he has a great sense of humor and knows how to make students enjoy what they are learning. This is where his Perfect Empathy comes into play really well.
- He enjoys answering questions about his life, as it is really quite unique and famous, but only when the intent of heart is set to the right reason.
- He is the "God Father" of Eagle and Winterwood Rivers and their children.
- His best friends include Midnight Fastbird (Man of Osai), Ilonwyn Lochmont (Man of Osai; Eldin of Leena), Isli Loch (The Herbalist who cared for his burns), Meiro Freloch (the Man of Terabi who was present at his obtainment of Terabi Tana), Kenyon Nihael (the 2nd oboe in the K-Phil), Winterwood Rivers (a student of his with a higher level of understanding of his life), and Airi Hieldin (his wife).
- In addition to being the equivalent of a "Keòen double-master" of Oboe Performance, he also sings and quite well. As a young child he often wandered the caves and buildings singing or playing alone and making hauntingly beautiful melodies.
- He clearly has PTSD, which is what he means by "almost lost my mind." After the unimaginable terrors he went through, it's amazing his mind isn't completely fractured. This has caused his unusual trademark mannerisms like his slow, enunciated speech; his flowing, underwater gait; his frequent long pauses of speech and movement; and his immense compassion for everyone.
- He is so cleanly mixed with both gifts that he truly is one of a kind.
- He enjoys nothing more than listening to others.
- He signs his name with the Teracor, as do most people with the last name Sorela.
1 comment:
Great story!
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