Marsin Morrow
Driver
Marsin is one of the primary drivers of the Mana Powered Mine Carts in the haldae settlement found in the Onyx Valley Ruins. He is known for being reckless and pushing the limits of the carts, which causes more work for Mira. Begrudgingly, Mira will diligently fix the carts that Marsin breaks, but gives him stern talkings to while she works.
Warm Welcome
One of the first people you will talk to in the Onyx Valley Ruins is Marsin. He takes pride in being a member of the unofficial welcome wagon. Always eager to offer advice, warmth, and support to the new members of the haldae settlement, he is well regarded even by those who have been at the settlement for a long time. However, he’s not perfect and often teaches people bad habits, especially when teaching them to drive.
by RandoScorpio via MidJourney
As handsome and happy as he seems, sometimes I've seen him with this faraway sadness in his eyes. I shudder to think what his life was like before, but I'm grateful he's given my young ones something joyful to look forward to.
He welcomed me when no one else did, and gave me hospitality instead of hostility. I think despite his flaws, Marsin may be the best of us.
by RandoScorpio via MidJourney
Bringer of Stories and Wisdom
Some might call Marsin a bit of a bard. He doesn’t sing or play any instruments, instead he will weave stories for the youngest of the haldae refugees. Many of his fantastic stories have reached other haldae settlements across Costrus, building a new culture for the haldae people, who have none. His stories include important lessons about plants that contain Mana, and the dangers of playing with things you don’t know how to use. Among his most treasured tales is a creation myth that stands apart from those of the humans and yildae. It is a story that lends worth and value to the haldae. Many of his stories also feature a haldae protagonist who is clever, cunning, beautiful, and strong of heart and body.
by RandoScorpio via MidJourney
Click for Marsin's Creation Myth
Once upon a time when the land was young, the spirits frolicked amongst themselves and created as they pleased. Everywhere they went, there were trails of mana. The magic that exists in our world is simply the left over touch of these spirits. The many glowing grasses, trees, and flowers came first, and soon ponds and rivers were filled with all kinds of creatures. Not to be outdone, the spirit of the forest created animals, large and small to dance and play with. Another spirit who didn’t know what to create saw these animals and gave them the gift of a form to resemble the spirits themselves. Two legs, eyes, arms, and pointed ears, these became the yildae fierce and primal. From the yildae, another spirit created a creature that could not change into animals, and instead had only the qualities of the spirit’s forms. These were the humans, designed to be a steady force in the world and a way to ground the restless yildae. Satisfied with their creations, the spirits left our material plane, choosing to watch us from afar, allowing the world to progress and entertain them.
Soon the yildae and humans fought bloody wars over who was better. The stronger yildae drove humans from Costrus and settled across the land, scattering amongst the animals. But, humans are resilient and they came back. This time, a clever spirit reached down to the world and allowed the humans and yildae to come together to create the haldae. A blend of the best traits from each species, although still flawed as all creatures are.
We were gifted the long lives and heightened senses of the yildae, but the steady, sturdy nature of humans. Of course, as similar to each, we are just as different. Humans became scared of our more powerful nature and put us in chains, and the yildae see us as less than them. This is simply because they do not understand our purpose to bring them both together, to heal this war-torn land. We are just waiting for a leader to bring about this part of the story.
I'm not reckless, I'm passionate.
Marsin and Mira
Marsin looked at me with that cocky grin of his, sharp canines on display with his dark silver ears perked straight up on his head. He wasn't sorry for destroying my hard work at all. His pride made my blood boil for a moment before I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting my anger dissapate.
"Marsin, you're lucky I love you like family. Look at this mess, and you seem so pleased with yourself." I shook my head and began pulling my silver hair up into a messy bun, flattening my large black cat ears to more easily place the mess of loose curls between them.
"I am pleased Mira. I made 6 trips this week, and brought back 40 new haldae out of those terrible mines." Marsin straightened his spine and nodded curtly.
"Yes, that's wonderful, but these carts can only handle so much pressure and rough driving. This one will be down another week for repairs, which means I'll be busy doing that instead of working my route to make rescues in the rest of the country. I'll have to send one of my apprentices and they still have a lot to learn. You're making the rest of us take risks." I dusted my hands off on my leather pants and sighed as his ears dropped a little.
"You just don't understand the mines like I do," he shuddered and his eyes looked through me instead of at me, "it's the worst imaginable place to live Mira...please, forgive me."
I smiled softly and cocked my head to the side before reaching out to hug the much taller man. "I know. It's hard to talk about, and it was awful for you, I can't imagine what it was like."
I paused, unsure of what to say next, so I just held onto him as his arms snaked around me like a comfortable blanket of safety. Marsin never meant to cause me trouble or work. "I'll forgive you, but try to rein yourself in a bit. We also need to be able to support the people we bring here. I love your enthusasim to save our people. But I hate the risks you take. I don't know what we'd all do without you though."
by RandoScorpio via MidJourney
I’m no good for the position of a leader. I have too much hatred, I’d never be able to bring humans and yildae together because I’d never let humans near another haldae if I had the choice and power to make it happen. It should be you Mira. This place wouldn’t exist without you, and if you disappeared we’d fall apart in weeks.
What’s In Your Pockets Marsin?
In his pockets Marsin keeps a small piece of unrefined iron as a touchstone that anchors and fuels his hatred of humans. As well as this reminder of darker times, he has a soft blue feather. It isn’t Brie’s if you must know. Absolutely it isn’t. Even if it was, he’d never admit it.
Marsin also has a pouch on his belt, with a piece of paper containing detailed descriptions and small pictures of plants and how to gather them in the tunnels while he’s out. He also carries a knife in a holster gifted to him by Mira. The leather sheath never seems to get dirty, and the blade is never dull, Marsin is sure the strange runes stamped in the leather are to thank but he doesn’t know how they work.
by RandoScorpio via MidJourney
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Current Location
Currently Boarded Vehicle
Ethnicity
Age
26
Circumstances of Birth
Born to be a slave for the Kingdom of Argentia
Birthplace
Helmfirth Mines
Family
Children
Pronouns
He/him/his
Sex
Male
Gender
Man
Presentation
Soft Masculine
Eyes
Deep gold
Hair
Short, wild, shaggy, grey
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tanned
Height
6' 0"
Weight
150lbs
Aligned Organization
Motivations
Free the haldae, give them the start of culture through stories, teach them basic self love, and worth through this process. Convince Mira to step up and be the leader he sees she could be. Teach as many as he can how to drive the mana powered carts.
Strengths
He is approachable, warm and caring. His driving skills and ability to teach others are the best at the Onyx Ruin settlement. Marsin is an excellent storyteller and culture builder for the haldae. He is strongly motivated by the hope Mir gave him the day she pulled him out of the mines of Helmfirth.
Flaws
Impulsive and reckless, he only sees his objective. His time in Helmfirth planted a deep hatred and distrust of humans, a wound that will likely never heal for the rest of his life. Despite driving the mine carts, Marsin is hopeless at alchemy and relies on others to provide the fuel for the vehicle.
Once upon a time...
Once upon a time, there was a young fox haldae who knew nothing but darkness. Born to work in the Helmfirth Mines, to live and die by the orders of the humans that inflicted pain and hardship on him and everyone else like him. He kept his head down, worked hard, and fell into the rhythms of life at the mines. However, at night the young boy would listen quietly as an older man wove incredible stories of a world with green grass, fields that stretched as far as the eye could see, vast oceans with more water than he could imagine, and the glowing flowers at the edges of deep forest. This boy lived for those stories and as he grew, he kept them alive in his heart, even after his mentor was long gone. He resolved to tell these stories to anyone who would listen, even while working.
When the boy was entering adulthood, he was ushered with a few small children into a corner of the mines that no one really used. The woman who was guiding them looked a little younger than him. Her silver hair glistened in the low light of the torches. Her black ears stuck up like his, but their shape was different. She wasn’t a fox, but a cat. Her clothes didn’t look like the dirty rags the other workers wore. As skeptical as he was, the young man stepped through a wall in the mines and was greeted by the most wonderful contraption he had ever laid eyes on.
The cart looked strange without horses, but it hummed lightly with mana and it seemed to shudder and shake occasionally. The silver-haired woman lifted the small children up into the back of the horseless cart and the young man helped while he got a closer look at the strange mechanism that powered the vehicle. When the woman climbed up, taking the reins in her hands and set the cart into motion, the young man felt his heart skip a beat as wind blew through his scraggly gray hair.
"I'm Mir. What's your name?" The woman's attention was split between the tunnel ahead and talking to the man. Her voice was soft and gentle.
"I'm called Marsin."
by RandoScorpio via MidJourney
The article is really well done. The story is great
Thank you very much!