Polarnis ([pɒ:la:nIs])
Polarnis Leyoh
Polarnis is the Guardian Mage of Ousiikai - the Crystal of Waters. While one of the Six Mages of The Crystal Circle, he is frequently hard to track down, even via Linking. Because of his natural affinity to water, and desiring to discover many types while he still had life, his meanderings frequently take him beyond Qal'ath's boundaries and earn the wrath of Frehghan.
“I am glad you could finally join us, Polarnis,” he spat, “your wanderings are disrupting our work.” “Now, Frehghan, let’s not begin with a dispute shall we?” Claris interjected. “Fine,” Frehghan conceded, “but my complaint still stands.” “I am here now, which is what matters,” Polarnis pointed out, “I was merely at The Well measuring the depth of the Water. And keeping my connection to it as strong as I can.”From Wrenched, Dag Ona
The Chronicles of Qal'ath
(Unpublished)
Does His Name Have a Meaning?
His First Name
Not every citizen of Qal'ath can trace their name back to a distinct meaning, even those who may have Foyiitùn connections in previous generations. Polarnis himself was not sure when asked, but admitted to not really having thought about it.His Family Name
Most lone mages give up acknowledging their family name. Part of this is as a way of protecting their parents and/or siblings, but often it is that such identities become less important than the role they play. Polarnis kept his family name on official documentation, though now the only surviving one able to pass on the name. His family name is Tanoh. As he was born in Ley-tan, that explains half of the name. Oh is a shortened form of Hoh, translated as "Height" or "Hill" in Common Tongue. Thus it is likely that the family lived on the upper hill portion of the village. If that is true, then his parents and their ancestors may have been wealthy. The fact no one can recall what Polarnis did with the family's wealth, coupled with his humble and calm heart, means most believe he used it for something benevolent. It is a matter Polarnis refuses to speak about.Chronicler's Note:
While an avid scholar, the study of people and history were not his subjects. I, however, think there's a chance his name was a "micro-prophecy" on the part of his parents. Here is my POSSIBLE translation.Pòhlànànysz, when passed through Foyiitùn's "language smoothing" becomes Pòhlanysz. And once that is impacted by the Qalathian natives' language, which often filters out the Woodsmen's stylising, it becomes Polarnis. As Polarnis is a rugged type, sometimes wearing animal skins or leathers and who is frequently not at home, the meaning fits.
- Pòh, meaning "skin" or "leather.
- Là, meaning "who" or "whoever"
- Na, meaning "not"
- Nysz, meaning "home".
Physical Description
Polarnis is short and slim and, in normal light, or away from towns and villages, has pale blue eyes. Given the infrequent occurrence of his sleeping in a bed, or even a roll-mat, he almost always wears a beard, though has little other hair remaining on his head. The Mage argues that he has no need for being "clean cut". However, his beard has to be kept fairly short nowadays. This is due to the fact that, a number of years ago, he let it grow to his knees, such that, when wet, it had put more pressure on his neck than he had realised, especially after a wash. He jokes about it now, but such a minor thing (as he saw it) did lead to the pain persisting even to this day.Clothing
While there is no "formal" religion in the Realm of Qal'ath, many people assume he is from such an organisation due to his attire. He wears a rough, loose, brown robe, with long sleeves and tied with a belt. And he only occasionally uses footwear. In colder weather he does wear an animal skin garment, which was created from a wolf and a bear, somewhere North of the Forest of Doon. Being a Circle Member and not inclined to kill other creatures, even in the name of self-preservation, the skin and fur were taken from animals who had passed naturally.The Crystal of Waters
Though most people who encounter Polarnis will not notice it, he wears a fine silver bracelet into which Ousiikai (The Crystal of Waters) was set. Unlike other jewellery, even of the other Crystal Circle mages, his was plain - a simple band with edges, save for an oval marked out to hold the Crystal. But this bracelet was kept hidden beneath his sleeve, both for Its protection and because, under other circumstances, he would not draw attention to himself with such adornments.Eyes
As is the case for most Elemental Mages, and especially The Crystal Circle, Polarnis' Element had an impact on his physical form. For him, Ousii affected his eyes. Normally, they are pale blue. However, they alter their colour depending on the composition of the local water or any particular body of water he might have focussed on. Thus at the Grànousii-an-Ormàszil Ocean, they would appear a vivid blue, at Lake Paxeux, they glistened more, and at Sanous ('Bloodwater' in Common Tongue) near the Myrt Wood they would deepen to a sombre brown, or sometimes a dirty-red colour. While it did not grant him any extra Elemental power for wielding, it did seem to increase "geographical" Myst Sensitivity. i.e. he was better able to understand water and Waters when focussing on them.Chronicler's Note:
Conjecture: if Polarnis had been able to use The Lens, I think it is likely that his eyes would change to match whichever lake (liquid or frozen) he was looking at. Proximity is not a limiting factor. The key seems to be where his attention was, more than the location of his physical body. I did ask Farynna about this sometime after 553AFD and we both, without evidence of course, believed it to be at least possible.
The Wanderer
As mentioned, he tends to be away from the Crystal Tower far more than the other Guardian Mages. Given that Qal'ath was founded in a fertile, well-watered area, there is no shortage of water within the Realm and its neighbouring territories. While he rarely spoke about Ousii beyond Shevezz to the South, and The Forest of Doon to the North, records (not his) were found of where he felt his primary responsibilities within the Realm were.Thus, per the records, he sought to protect the Realm by wandering between sources of Water, keeping his connection to Ousii strong, and silently doing his work. The fact that he missed meetings or did not recognise the passage of days or weeks at a time did aggravate people, but even Frehghan accepted that Polarnis was doing his duty as the Guardian Mage of Waters as well as he could.The Well
Measuring the depths of the waters, the speed they flowed and how clear they were was his top concern. Being situated just North of Bezélan, he believed The Well would be one of the first locations to show a shift towards Elemental imbalance.Grànousii-an-Ormàszil
Such a large body of water as the Grànousii-an-Ormàszil Ocean provides much benefit to the Wild Marshes, Shevezz City, Bezélan and beyond Qal'ath's borders. Equally, he wrote, it could cause much devastation, especially if Evàsùlii increased in frequency or strength. He visited various points along the coast, seeking to still any minor imbalances while they remained small.Oasis of Tarran
While it is such a small body of water, the Oasis of Tarran sits at a critical position within the Wilderness of Tarran. It is primarily fed from the Umbous Aivyt river, which trickles from Lake Paxeux. Loss of vegetation, or nesting birds could signal the source was drying up. Equally, if it appeared to be filling more, then investigation as to whether it was Lake Paxeux draining more quickly, or the river within the Great Canyon was trying to burst through the mountainous barrier.
Article Sections
Current Status
Discerning the implications of rising water levels.
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Currently Held Titles
Year of Birth
495 AFD
58 Years old
Birthplace
Ley-tan
Children
Current Residence
Outdoors. Usually.
Gender
Male
Eyes
Pale Blue (in normal light or in built-up areas)
Hair
On his head: none if he has visited a barber, otherwise a ring of dark grey around the back of his head and over the ears.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tanned brown, pot-marked and scarred.
Height
5'6"
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Submitted To
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by FJ Brodie. The unframed version is available on Patreon (patreon.com/fjbrodie)
Entry for Worldbuilding Summer Camp 2023
Answering: "a character driven by wanderlust or the desire to explore"
This world, its characters, locations, maps and everything else is of my own creation. ⓒ 2021-2024 F. J. Brodie
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