Talos Perdison
Keywords: intelligent, inventor, meek,
Age: # (date)
Height:
Build: lanky
Occupation:
Connections: Kirkcaldy (wife), Athena (daughter), Djerod (father figure), Pavel (uncle), Dr. M (mentor), Emmeline (adoptive mother), Black (aunt), Jack (mother figure)
Age: # (date)
Height:
Build: lanky
Occupation:
Connections: Kirkcaldy (wife), Athena (daughter), Djerod (father figure), Pavel (uncle), Dr. M (mentor), Emmeline (adoptive mother), Black (aunt), Jack (mother figure)
Appearance
Talos has thick, sleek grey hair, navy blue eyes, and olive skin. His skin would be a much more robust olive if he ever got any real measure of sunlight.
Attire: Talos's uniform is navy blue, grey, and lavender. It consists of a grey long-sleeve shirt accented in lavender and grey pants, knee-high black boots, a black belt with a lvender buckle, and a navy blue jacket. The jacket has strips for sleeves which are loose up top, gathered at the elbow and then proceed flat along the cloth of his shirt. The jacket tucks under his belt and has a cape-like tail to it with a tiny little split at the middle of the bottom. Talos's uniform is actually something he gained from the Darkness. It is enmeshed with his soul and he cannot be out of it for long. It may be a mark of shame for him, but he does not hide it.
Additional: Talos has markings on his forehead: a triangle with the point facing down flanked by two paralellograms. This markings were previously lavender, but have faded to grey as he has gotten older. He also used to have a small teardrop marking under his left eye, but it's now vanished.
Attire: Talos's uniform is navy blue, grey, and lavender. It consists of a grey long-sleeve shirt accented in lavender and grey pants, knee-high black boots, a black belt with a lvender buckle, and a navy blue jacket. The jacket has strips for sleeves which are loose up top, gathered at the elbow and then proceed flat along the cloth of his shirt. The jacket tucks under his belt and has a cape-like tail to it with a tiny little split at the middle of the bottom. Talos's uniform is actually something he gained from the Darkness. It is enmeshed with his soul and he cannot be out of it for long. It may be a mark of shame for him, but he does not hide it.
Additional: Talos has markings on his forehead: a triangle with the point facing down flanked by two paralellograms. This markings were previously lavender, but have faded to grey as he has gotten older. He also used to have a small teardrop marking under his left eye, but it's now vanished.
Best References
Personality
Talos's greatest joy in life is inventing things. He loves to take things apart, reassemble them into something new, and connect seemingly unrelated concepts to solve problems. He's at his best when he's in his workshop fiddling with his mechanics and electronics, able to throw himself so thoroughly into his work that the rest of creation disappears.
But Talos can hardly live in a bubble. He suffers from poor health and an aching loneliness. When he has come up with some new solution and excitedly turns to share only to find there is no one there to see, his heart breaks a little. When he is fiddling with a device and can't get it to work he wants someone there to bounce ideas off of. And when his joints ache and his heart flutters he just wants someone to snuggle against until he's feeling better.
Unfortunately, Talos has trouble communicating with others. He's not a very good speaker and is plagued by social anxieties. When others notice him, he's both happy and scared. Happy that maybe there is a chance, however small, to diminish his loneliness, and terrified that no one will like him. He worries that people might see straight through him to the dark scars and painful secrets that line his past and reject him. With so few outlets, he bottles up his emotions until they come spilling out in bursts of angry, senseless frustration, and then runs away and hides for days or weeks on end, cowering with fear at the certainty that now people must truly hate him.
To the few people who know him well, he can be sweet and caring. He worries much of the time, but with careful and persistent repetition can be convinced that he is loved unconditionally, allowing him to relax and be comfortable with himself. There is a brashness to him that's charmingly honest and without pretext.
Thanks to a network of dedicated support, he has improved over the years, to the point where now he displays a bit of his workshop confidence to the rest of the world. Recently, he has begun exploring his artistic side, working on metalwork sculptures for gardens.
But Talos can hardly live in a bubble. He suffers from poor health and an aching loneliness. When he has come up with some new solution and excitedly turns to share only to find there is no one there to see, his heart breaks a little. When he is fiddling with a device and can't get it to work he wants someone there to bounce ideas off of. And when his joints ache and his heart flutters he just wants someone to snuggle against until he's feeling better.
Unfortunately, Talos has trouble communicating with others. He's not a very good speaker and is plagued by social anxieties. When others notice him, he's both happy and scared. Happy that maybe there is a chance, however small, to diminish his loneliness, and terrified that no one will like him. He worries that people might see straight through him to the dark scars and painful secrets that line his past and reject him. With so few outlets, he bottles up his emotions until they come spilling out in bursts of angry, senseless frustration, and then runs away and hides for days or weeks on end, cowering with fear at the certainty that now people must truly hate him.
To the few people who know him well, he can be sweet and caring. He worries much of the time, but with careful and persistent repetition can be convinced that he is loved unconditionally, allowing him to relax and be comfortable with himself. There is a brashness to him that's charmingly honest and without pretext.
Thanks to a network of dedicated support, he has improved over the years, to the point where now he displays a bit of his workshop confidence to the rest of the world. Recently, he has begun exploring his artistic side, working on metalwork sculptures for gardens.
History
Birth and Rebirth
Born in ancient Greece, Talos was descended from Athenian nobility, and reputedly from the god Ares himself. His father was a soldier who was off at war most of his life and he lived with his mother, Perdix. From a young age he showed a gift for invention and studied under Perdix's brother, Daedalus. But some say he shone too bright and Daedalus was jealous of the boy's talent. Daedalus discovered Talos and Perdix together and used this as an excuse to throw Talos from the roof of the Acropolis, killing him. Perdix was so consumed with grief she hanged herself. And so things might have lain forever had not the gods sprang anew some three thousand years later and Talos was reborn in the body of a partridge to advise these reborn warriors as they faced a great new enemy. From beyond the pale of the void, the Darkness reached out to consume the Earth.
Talos's new life was a frustrating one. Trapped in the body of a bird, he lacked the one thing that truly mattered to him: hands, useful for inventing things and manipulating tools. The gods-reborn treated him often with a great deal of contempt, and when he dared to love one of them, she laughed at him. Hurt, angry, and upset, Talos approached the Darkness and was given a choice. Join the darkness, regain a human form, and betray his people and his planet, or stay with the new gods who held him in such low regard. He chose the Darkness and was granted a new human form, but so painful was the process of transforming back that tears sprang from his eyes and one marked him upon the cheek.
Born in ancient Greece, Talos was descended from Athenian nobility, and reputedly from the god Ares himself. His father was a soldier who was off at war most of his life and he lived with his mother, Perdix. From a young age he showed a gift for invention and studied under Perdix's brother, Daedalus. But some say he shone too bright and Daedalus was jealous of the boy's talent. Daedalus discovered Talos and Perdix together and used this as an excuse to throw Talos from the roof of the Acropolis, killing him. Perdix was so consumed with grief she hanged herself. And so things might have lain forever had not the gods sprang anew some three thousand years later and Talos was reborn in the body of a partridge to advise these reborn warriors as they faced a great new enemy. From beyond the pale of the void, the Darkness reached out to consume the Earth.
Talos's new life was a frustrating one. Trapped in the body of a bird, he lacked the one thing that truly mattered to him: hands, useful for inventing things and manipulating tools. The gods-reborn treated him often with a great deal of contempt, and when he dared to love one of them, she laughed at him. Hurt, angry, and upset, Talos approached the Darkness and was given a choice. Join the darkness, regain a human form, and betray his people and his planet, or stay with the new gods who held him in such low regard. He chose the Darkness and was granted a new human form, but so painful was the process of transforming back that tears sprang from his eyes and one marked him upon the cheek.
The Price of Betrayal
His new human form was fraught with problems. It was small and scrawny, sick constantly, and he had trouble digesting food and was often malnourished. But he had hands. He took up the drafting tools of this new age and a whole slew of new wonders poured forth through his pencil. He learned and adapted to all the modern developments, like electricity and computer chips, even dabbling in computer programming. He suddenly had so much he could do and explore.
He should have been happy, but his betrayal of his comrades hung heavy on his heart and he became consumed with fears of retribution, which were well-founded. His former allies targeted him as much as they were able. He retreated more and more into a mindspace of wild terrors, until a praetorix, Emmeline, showed him the way back out. She drew him away from the conflict for the Earth, told him not to worry, and hid him. More than that, she stayed near him constantly, and demonstrated that even though she knew all his dark secrets and could see straight through him, she still loved him. She had come across the universes to find him because of that love, her soul reaching out to him across the Void and beyond.
His new human form was fraught with problems. It was small and scrawny, sick constantly, and he had trouble digesting food and was often malnourished. But he had hands. He took up the drafting tools of this new age and a whole slew of new wonders poured forth through his pencil. He learned and adapted to all the modern developments, like electricity and computer chips, even dabbling in computer programming. He suddenly had so much he could do and explore.
He should have been happy, but his betrayal of his comrades hung heavy on his heart and he became consumed with fears of retribution, which were well-founded. His former allies targeted him as much as they were able. He retreated more and more into a mindspace of wild terrors, until a praetorix, Emmeline, showed him the way back out. She drew him away from the conflict for the Earth, told him not to worry, and hid him. More than that, she stayed near him constantly, and demonstrated that even though she knew all his dark secrets and could see straight through him, she still loved him. She had come across the universes to find him because of that love, her soul reaching out to him across the Void and beyond.
The Many Worlds
What Emm brought him to was a universe of wonders and people unlike any he had before seen. The house she lived in was full of people just like him, people marked by failures and mistakes and glaring imperfections. It didn't matter, because what they formed was a strange family, and even though Talos was greatly troubled, other members of this family reached out to him, Pavel and the Grey Mage in particular. People went out of their way to make Talos feel as safe as he was capable, and his capability grew with every day.
What Emm brought him to was a universe of wonders and people unlike any he had before seen. The house she lived in was full of people just like him, people marked by failures and mistakes and glaring imperfections. It didn't matter, because what they formed was a strange family, and even though Talos was greatly troubled, other members of this family reached out to him, Pavel and the Grey Mage in particular. People went out of their way to make Talos feel as safe as he was capable, and his capability grew with every day.
A New War
Then, the household discovered a terrible truth. There existed a Great Enemy, far greater than any mere Darkness, and this enemy wanted to seal them away until they starved and died. That enemy was Deity Command. It was time again to make a choice, and Talos chose his new family. The Household as a whole decided to fight against the enemy once more, and Talos, with his little bits of invention and industry and innovation, became a part of that. He designed the factories that churned out their armaments and fabricated the tools and components they needed to build their bases. He coded parts of their new information systems, and refined their industrial designs and processes. He had so much work to do that he could almost forget there was a war at all, focusing completely on fixing the problems before him.
The Household grew around him until it became something more than a little ragtag gruop of friends and family. It became a massive behemoth of hundreds and then thousands of people working against the enemy, an amorphous giant mass of strangers. Talos became somewhat lost in it. The new faces and intricacies of the Triumvirate scared him. He lost track of the important friends he had made in the household, some perishing, others just drifting off to distant places. Talos was especially sad to hear of Marlu, who had turned to the enemy just as Talos once had, betraying everyone, but it was some small comfort that instead of turning on him, the Triumvirate tried to help Marlu. Emm even left to rescue him, technically perishing in the process, through she lived on in her many clones and in this sense never once abandoned Talos.
The war raged fifteen years, but Talos physically aged perhaps five or six. It was hard to tell. His constantly-drained body eked forward in age and growth like a snail across the ocean, seeming to take forever to reach any sort of conclusion. It was emotionally draining on top of everything. He longed to be older, wiser, different and better than that boy who had sold his people out to the Darkness.
Then, the household discovered a terrible truth. There existed a Great Enemy, far greater than any mere Darkness, and this enemy wanted to seal them away until they starved and died. That enemy was Deity Command. It was time again to make a choice, and Talos chose his new family. The Household as a whole decided to fight against the enemy once more, and Talos, with his little bits of invention and industry and innovation, became a part of that. He designed the factories that churned out their armaments and fabricated the tools and components they needed to build their bases. He coded parts of their new information systems, and refined their industrial designs and processes. He had so much work to do that he could almost forget there was a war at all, focusing completely on fixing the problems before him.
The Household grew around him until it became something more than a little ragtag gruop of friends and family. It became a massive behemoth of hundreds and then thousands of people working against the enemy, an amorphous giant mass of strangers. Talos became somewhat lost in it. The new faces and intricacies of the Triumvirate scared him. He lost track of the important friends he had made in the household, some perishing, others just drifting off to distant places. Talos was especially sad to hear of Marlu, who had turned to the enemy just as Talos once had, betraying everyone, but it was some small comfort that instead of turning on him, the Triumvirate tried to help Marlu. Emm even left to rescue him, technically perishing in the process, through she lived on in her many clones and in this sense never once abandoned Talos.
The war raged fifteen years, but Talos physically aged perhaps five or six. It was hard to tell. His constantly-drained body eked forward in age and growth like a snail across the ocean, seeming to take forever to reach any sort of conclusion. It was emotionally draining on top of everything. He longed to be older, wiser, different and better than that boy who had sold his people out to the Darkness.
War's End
Finally, the threads of war reached their end, knitting together at the Conference, when Deity Command agreed to a peace treaty. Talos found himself dismantling the factories and destroying the artifacts of the war one by one. At first he worried there would be nothing for him to do, but instead of scattering to the wind, most members of the Triumvirate stuck together in the war's aftermath. All those people meant a need for various facilities and housing and technology. Talos devised a new neighborhood communication system and built some beautiful metalwork sundials for the yards of people's houses.
Finally, the threads of war reached their end, knitting together at the Conference, when Deity Command agreed to a peace treaty. Talos found himself dismantling the factories and destroying the artifacts of the war one by one. At first he worried there would be nothing for him to do, but instead of scattering to the wind, most members of the Triumvirate stuck together in the war's aftermath. All those people meant a need for various facilities and housing and technology. Talos devised a new neighborhood communication system and built some beautiful metalwork sundials for the yards of people's houses.
A New Friend
Talos missed the days of the little cozy household, though, and there were so few people he really knew any more. Pavel stepped in and convinced Dr. M to take Talos on as an apprentice, distracting Talos very effectively. Pavel furthermore convinced Talos to explore some of the Triumvirate's new places. In the course of his timid explorations, he met Kirkcaldy.
Even though the pollen in the garden where they met made him sneeze a lot, Kirkcaldy was very kind to Talos, and asked him to join her again. He accepted and they began to meet regularly. Kirkcaldy seemed to Talos like a radiant burst of sunlight, caring and sweet and compassionate. Most of all, she was understanding when there were things Talos didn't want to talk about, or things he really did want to talk about but was afraid to. Talos found he could tell Kirkcaldy anything, and no matter how bad it seemed, she never thought any less of him. Eventually, he told her he liked her, and she said she liked him, too. They began dating, and after a year, Talos asked Kirkcaldy to marry him.
Talos missed the days of the little cozy household, though, and there were so few people he really knew any more. Pavel stepped in and convinced Dr. M to take Talos on as an apprentice, distracting Talos very effectively. Pavel furthermore convinced Talos to explore some of the Triumvirate's new places. In the course of his timid explorations, he met Kirkcaldy.
Even though the pollen in the garden where they met made him sneeze a lot, Kirkcaldy was very kind to Talos, and asked him to join her again. He accepted and they began to meet regularly. Kirkcaldy seemed to Talos like a radiant burst of sunlight, caring and sweet and compassionate. Most of all, she was understanding when there were things Talos didn't want to talk about, or things he really did want to talk about but was afraid to. Talos found he could tell Kirkcaldy anything, and no matter how bad it seemed, she never thought any less of him. Eventually, he told her he liked her, and she said she liked him, too. They began dating, and after a year, Talos asked Kirkcaldy to marry him.
Starting a Family
Soon after marrying, Kirkcaldy became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Athena. Athena was a bubbly, curious child, having inherited all of her father's inquisitive nature and her mother's effervescent kindness. Talos enjoyed making toys for Athena, and as soon as she was old enough to walk, she got to join him in his workshop (though he didn't let her use any real tools in the beginning). Knowing that educational opportunities were limited in the Many Worlds, Kirkcaldy became certified as a teacher.
Talos and Kirkcaldy raised Athena with patience and calmness. They set limits when necessary, made decisions together, and always backed each other up. Athena flourished, but both Talos and Kirkcaldy worried Athena was spending all her time around adults instead of children her own age because there were so few children her age around in the Many Worlds. They decided to move to Earth and chose the quiet mountain town of Arbovale, West Virginia. Athena began attending elementary school. It was a hard adjustment at first, but they were quickly accepted by the community and they loved the life the town afforded them, with fresh air and beautiful forested mountain vistas.
Soon after marrying, Kirkcaldy became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, whom they named Athena. Athena was a bubbly, curious child, having inherited all of her father's inquisitive nature and her mother's effervescent kindness. Talos enjoyed making toys for Athena, and as soon as she was old enough to walk, she got to join him in his workshop (though he didn't let her use any real tools in the beginning). Knowing that educational opportunities were limited in the Many Worlds, Kirkcaldy became certified as a teacher.
Talos and Kirkcaldy raised Athena with patience and calmness. They set limits when necessary, made decisions together, and always backed each other up. Athena flourished, but both Talos and Kirkcaldy worried Athena was spending all her time around adults instead of children her own age because there were so few children her age around in the Many Worlds. They decided to move to Earth and chose the quiet mountain town of Arbovale, West Virginia. Athena began attending elementary school. It was a hard adjustment at first, but they were quickly accepted by the community and they loved the life the town afforded them, with fresh air and beautiful forested mountain vistas.
A New Goddess
When she was eight years old, Athena manifested the powers of the goddess Athena. Talos was both elated and worried. On the one hand, he had been devoted to Athena in his original life, and was honored to have his daughter as the goddess's new incarnation, but on the other hand, the reborn gods he had once advised had been nothing but trouble, and he had turned his back on them, which could spell trouble again. Talos had no wish to invite any strife back into his life now that things were actually happy and calm.
Though he was reluctant, Talos took it upon himself to train his daughter in the use of her newfound powers lest she be caught unprepared. To Athena, it was nothing more than a secret, fun game, but Talos worried incessantly about what might happen.
In the end, it was Athena who put his mind at ease. She researched the other reborn gods that Talos had once known and advised. Many had died fighting the Darkness and each other, but of the survivors, she found Terpsichore and arranged a meeting. With Athena's wise moderation, the meeting went well, and the first step was taken to reunite the reborn Greek gods.
More importantly, Athena had a divine inspiration and was able to use her newfound godhood to purify Talos of the stain the Darkness had put upon his soul so many years ago. Talos was finally restored to his full human self, freed from the frailty and sickness that had plagued him for so long, and restored to his position as a minor descendant of the Greek pantheon. In the process, the tear marking disappeared from Talos's cheek.
When she was eight years old, Athena manifested the powers of the goddess Athena. Talos was both elated and worried. On the one hand, he had been devoted to Athena in his original life, and was honored to have his daughter as the goddess's new incarnation, but on the other hand, the reborn gods he had once advised had been nothing but trouble, and he had turned his back on them, which could spell trouble again. Talos had no wish to invite any strife back into his life now that things were actually happy and calm.
Though he was reluctant, Talos took it upon himself to train his daughter in the use of her newfound powers lest she be caught unprepared. To Athena, it was nothing more than a secret, fun game, but Talos worried incessantly about what might happen.
In the end, it was Athena who put his mind at ease. She researched the other reborn gods that Talos had once known and advised. Many had died fighting the Darkness and each other, but of the survivors, she found Terpsichore and arranged a meeting. With Athena's wise moderation, the meeting went well, and the first step was taken to reunite the reborn Greek gods.
More importantly, Athena had a divine inspiration and was able to use her newfound godhood to purify Talos of the stain the Darkness had put upon his soul so many years ago. Talos was finally restored to his full human self, freed from the frailty and sickness that had plagued him for so long, and restored to his position as a minor descendant of the Greek pantheon. In the process, the tear marking disappeared from Talos's cheek.
The Nexus
While working in his workshop one night, a crystal appeared before Talos. When he touched it, he was teleported to a forgotten dimension called the Nexus. While he was the first to arrive, he was not the last, and people from all sorts of universes began appearing at the Nexus. Talos decided to help revive this formerly lost universe. Within a few weeks, a crystal also appeared to Athena, and they set about the task of reviving the Nexus together.
While working in his workshop one night, a crystal appeared before Talos. When he touched it, he was teleported to a forgotten dimension called the Nexus. While he was the first to arrive, he was not the last, and people from all sorts of universes began appearing at the Nexus. Talos decided to help revive this formerly lost universe. Within a few weeks, a crystal also appeared to Athena, and they set about the task of reviving the Nexus together.
Gallery
Artists, please use the Primary References first!