ADIOS: Turan – Aid to Votum
Throughout the pre-production of “Birth of the Wyrd Mage” I have been slowly creating more and more “characters of value”, persons who require details, backstories, and most particularly looks. Turan is the newest addition to my “family” (if you’ll pardon the lame metaphor). So let us begin, I’ve already begun writing the characters actions but I have no specified looks so this’ll be a first for both you all and myself!
Turan has been-for longer than many can remember-the High Aid to the King of Spes, his services trailing over the last two Kings and perhaps even further. While he has reportedly lived for seemingly forever his body is not one of eternal vigor, his hair has gone gray and thinned on top (though evenly spread out). His beard has shortened to a goatee with two small spikes of growth to the right and left sides of his chin. His face has sagged and the pouches under his eyes tell the story of many decades of endless servitude.
The skin on his hands, and much of his body, has become gnarled with old age and a slightly off white. He never could acquire a tan and instead was left with some dark smatterings where particularly bad sunburns left their eternal mark, it gives him an illusionary appearance of being unwashed but this is anything but true.
Turan has worn the same white coat over the same brown button up tunic for far longer than it was considered fashionable. His pants a pair of equally old brown pants that are just long enough to cover his legs when he is standing, they fit to the point of not requiring any sort of belt or support.
While his appearance is not one of a kingliness his endless servitude to the throne has left all kings with unquestioning loyalty to him, his unique and out of place dress only seeming to help them distinguish him from the otherwise indistinguishable mass they lead. His eyes are an infinitely deep brown and they bring with them a level of concern and compassion that is only overshadowed on occasion by his often calm attitude.
Turan does not have his own secrets, though they are ones of pride and not malice, with his growing age Turan has become easier to tire and often retreats to benches out of sight or to his quarters to rest a moment and recollect his thoughts (as well as his breath). His service to the king so great that he wish not to even worry them with his own health.
There is within the kingdom of Spes likely nobody more devoted to the throne than Turan, and nobody devoted more to the people beyond the King than he, he is as wise as he is wizened and as perceptive as he is altruistic. These statements may be misconstrued so to do away with turns of phrase: He is very old, very wise, hauntingly perceptive, and utterly altruistic.
It was Turan that turned away the title of High Aid, simply referring to himself as an Aid, though his position is considered by all but he to be such (there has never been one appointed since his arrival).
Perhaps a trope (the nice wise old man) but he is more inspired by a wonderful photo I found online than from a series of ideals. He is the embodiment of what I envision a single real world individual to be, perhaps completely erroneously, but that is the joy of imagination.
Turan would want it no other way.