Verti the Vagabond
Verti Sturkamil (a.k.a. Verti the Vagabond)
"Not all knowledge is good knowledge, if you don't understand how to control it. Always remember the tale of Verti the vagabond!"
The most powerful beings in this world are most undoubtedly the gods, most notably the six gods of the Golden Pantheon. But as many users of magics are aware, there is a way to ascend to godhood through deep understanding of the whole world, or entering the Somewhere, a metaphysical plane of complete understanding. Of the mortal races, apart from the dragons, the Elves and Dwarves are perhaps most aware of this.
The dwarves tell their children the story of Verti the Vagabond, a dwarf in Ancient times, even before the Ruling of Coexistence, some time after the four people got divided. And Verti was a very gifted dwarf, who was quick to learn and eager to understand the world around him.
And so he wandered, across the lands, seeking gods, dragons and other powerful beings, learning and understaning as much as he could about the ways of magic. And whenever he returned to his people, his perception was widened and he taught his people the way of the magic, as far as they could follow him. And he was an inspiration to all in his wisdom and magical prowess.
Yet Verti, who soon had seen all the world could offer, began to explore further, see further into the fabrics of the world - and suddenly he understood. And he ascended to Godhood, to take a place along the other godly beings. So he became legend.
For the years after Verti ascended, the dwarves felt enlightend. They strifed to perfect their magic, their knowledge grew and their work was marvelous. And Verti came to them guiding them, all the while he still wandered, now the domains of the world, the depths of Somewhere.
The gods always had to each of them a domain. They chose one or a few fields and perfected their understanding and control over it, fitting to their personality. Verti sought advise from Maned, to keep wandering, exploring and learning. He was fascinated by the wastness of the sea so he took this domain as his own, he was amazed by the uniqeness and structure of ice, so he adapted this domain as well.
But his thirst for knowledge, his restlessnes for travel was not quenched. He came to think of worlds beyond their world. Everything to be imagined, everything that could have been. The domain of the Multiple Universes.
The other gods warned him, they taught him, how he could not understand or controll what was not of this world, as long as he was of this world. And they where correct, as Verti soon learned. He could not adapt the Domain of the Multiverses, since he himself was of this one world.
That's when he cut all his tethers to this world.
And disappeared in a scream, that echoed to all the seas, that splintered icebergs and caused enormous floods all over Skeigham.
Verti the Vagabound never returned.
But to this day, travelling dwarves tell the story of a dwarf they met on your journeys. He seemed all but mad, rambling about the many many worlds he had seen and the many many ways he had died on them. He told about how he drowned, how he froze, how he got stung by a jellyfish and pulled under water. The stories never were the same, and no dwarf could ever find him again.
For the past 2000 years, the tale of the mad vagabond keeps coming up. Everytime the dwarf swears to Maned to have seen him. Everytime the vagaond disappeared without a trace - often after having died drowning.
The Elves yearn for perfection in magic and to achieve Ascension. The Dwarves know better. They know not to mess with knowledge no mortal is deemed to have and to be content with perfecting what you already have.
Otherwise you will end up like Verti the Vagabond.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Verti the Vagabond, when he was still mortal, was always described as rather thin and tall for a dwarf. He was always on his travels and that kept him fit and less prone to the more massive figure of many of his brethren, who prefered to stay in their mines and work there.
Body Features
His skin was already caramel, which the sun darkend even further.
Facial Features
He had a for dwarvs typical bushy beard in bronze color, adorned with some blue pebbles in it.
Physical quirks
He was right handed, had a slightly hunched over posture and used to walk with long, big steps
Specialized Equipment
He was highly specialized in all magic concering revealing things and connections, constantly leading him to his next adventure.
Mental characteristics
Accomplishments & Achievements
Verti the Vagabond is told to be one of the few Dwarves ever to ascend to godhood. He was known as a remarkable teacher and an eager learner of everything there is to learn.
Failures & Embarrassments
His endevour to claim the domain of the Multiverse resulted in a catastrophic developement, not only causing devastating floods all over the world but trapping him in a vicious cycle of wandering the multiple worlds and dying in all of them, forever.
Mental Trauma
Whenever he enters any world, he is not aware of his fate untill the very moment of his death. He will be born, growup, suffer losses and enjoy happiness, live a life - and then die an early death by water or ice, only to realize, that this cycle will repeat endlessly.
Occasionally Verti returns to this world, unrecognized and only partially aware of his true nature, driven mad by his fate.
The Verti Project
Verti is part (or origin) of a meta-joke within Worldanvil. every member of World Anvil is free (and encouraged) to create their own Verti-Incarnation, following these rules:
- Just create some kind of entity in your world, that dies by water or ice.
- Tell me about it in chat or per DM, so I can add the Verti to the collection (you can tag them with #verti as well)
- They do not need to be of a specific race, gender or even anthropomorph (we already had a planet-verti and a cyclon-verti), Just an entity.
- They do not need to be named Verti or some kind of derivative to fit your setting, but that would be appreciated.
- They do not even need to be important.
- They are usually not aware of their fate, but their fate is ultimate. Exception of the rule can be that a Verti-Incarnation is somehow very powerful, almost god like, that would enable him to realize concepts of the meta verse. Still not possible to avoid this fate though.
- The circumstances of death can be anything, bordering to the absurd. The main rule is: Ice or Water have to be involved in some kind and rather directly
Some Clarifications:
A Verti can only be a Verti, if they have truly died by Water or ice.
It is always impossible to know someone or something is a Verti before they die. Even then, almost always the entity themselves only becomes aware of being a Verti. Sometimes they manage to exclaim this fact to bystanders so the story gets known.
Exception: If a Verti is in some way very powerful, they may be aware of their fate earlier.
There is no way of ever measuring this phenmomenon
There is no way of ever preventing a Verti from their death through ice or water. It can only be delayed
There is no way to kill a Verti any other way. This is not an immortaility cheat - If something dies by something else, they were no Verti to begin with
Undead Vertis are allowed, if they have lost most of their intelligence or awareness or whatever can be counted as "being" or "personality"
Species
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Deep blue eyes, reminiscent of a calm sea
Hair
brown hair, length down to his shoulders
Character Prototype
Did you ever read of the Flower Pot in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe"?
Known Incarnations
Yeah,we do not know what that means, either.Metamagocists have speculated a way to follow the traces of Verti's fate throughout the metaverse. They are referring to some ominous "discorded Anvil of Worlds" where the incarnations of fate converse. Out of this they deduced likely scenarios of a Verti to be found.
I am very excited for the competition after reading this article. I love this character XD