Marcellus Cyr
Marcellus Cyr (a.k.a. Marcel)
Born into the Nilfgaardian Empire only to flee from it in shame, Marcel is a gifted mage struggling to find his place in a world consumed by chaos.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Marcel has a lithe, athletic build. Conditioned for agility over raw strength, he has an average frame with a moderate amount of bulk from everyday tasks but tends to leave the heavy lifting to others.
Body Features
A myriad of deep scars and poorly healed burn marks can be found across his torso, arms, and back. His left arm is particularly damaged with lacerations crisscrossing across his forearm and the rotator cuff in his shoulder slightly twisted. These are mostly hidden by illusions but can still be felt by touch.
Facial Features
Marcel has dark green eyes that appear almost grey in brightly lit areas. On the right side of his face, several deep scars can be found around his eye and down across his cheek.
Special abilities
An accomplished sorcerer and personally tutored by Sebastien du Versailles, Marcel has powerful magical abilities. He has a noted preference for water magic and uses spells of ice and cold to snare his foes without harming them and control the battlefield in equal measure. The most common application of this is when he shrouds a combat area in fog to divide and confuse the enemy. When fighting offensively, he tends to use air and fire magic to bombard his attackers with streaks of flame and bolts of lightning.
Possessing potent telepathic abilities that have been honed over his many years of espionage for the Empire, Marcel is able to read the thoughts of others with relative ease, though he has developed a dislike for doing so after his own recent struggles. When working in Arthand’s clinic, Marcel discovered that he also possesses the ability to magically heal others though he’s unsure as to the extent of this power and prefers trained physicians to tend to wounds.
His ongoing interest in the magic of death and feverish research into the subject in the wake of Sebastien’s death has left him with some knowledge of necromancy, as well as the capacity to utilize it.
Apparel & Accessories
Marcel wears an amulet around his neck containing a deep emerald stone set inside a rectangular metallic frame. He refrains from wearing armor and instead dons a long coat with a tunic underneath, leather pants, and high studded boots. Thick, reinforced gloves sit on both of his hands, partially to shield him from the cold but mostly to lessen the effects of his own magic on his skin. Notably, a metallic armguard runs down his left arm from the peak of his shoulder all the way to the wrist, strapped over his leather coat. It connects and overlaps with the bracers that protect his forearms and serves an undisclosed function.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Marcel was born in the year 1203 as Joost var Linden to a wealthy family in Etoila, a seaside nation that had historically enjoyed a lasting peace with high living standards and wealth. When he was a child, Nilfgaard, under the command of Emperor Fergus, launched a devastating invasion of Etoila and conquered the nation, absorbing it into their empire. His earliest memories of Nilfgaard are seeing soldiers in black armor marching the streets.
It was around this time he began demonstrating signs of magic. He could hear what others were thinking, much to the glee of his power-hungry mother. She made frequent use of his abilities to advance herself in social circles, learning dark secrets she would then use to blackmail her enemies. That was until a Nilfgaardian mage holidaying in Etoila sensed a young Marcel probing his mind and decided to take him under his wing. The mage, Sebastien du Versailles, removed him from his family in spite of their protests and enrolled him in Gweision Haul where he began his formal education in the magical arts. Deciding that he needed a more imperial-sounding name, Sebastien renamed him “Marcellus”.
Under his critical eye, Marcel developed control of his abilities and learned skills crucial to survival in the Nilfgaardian Empire. When he finished his formal education and passed all the required examinations, he was taken to the heart of Nilfgaard where Sebastian personally mentored him from then onwards.
Over time, Marcel became an adept sorcerer and talented spy; following Sebastien’s commands faithfully as his right-hand man.
Gender Identity
Marcel uses he/him/his pronouns and identifies as a male.
Education
Trained by Sebastien in the art of espionage, Marcel is a talented spy. Even without the aid of his magic, he is a capable infiltrator and manipulator, more than able to extract information from people from seemingly unimportant conversations. He is adept at navigating social situations and can contend with even the most deceptive schemers. One of Marcel’s more recent talents comes in the form of unlikely leadership ability. Due to the breadth and scale of his past traumas, he has a great deal of confidence that he channels into quiet authority. Combined with his keen analytic mind and tactical prowess, he has a proven ability to make sound, intelligent decisions while also considering those around him. Initially restricted to magic alone, Marcel has since been trained by the Witcher Ceadric to fight with blades, opting for twin daggers instead of a longsword. He fights in a style that is derivative of the Wolf variant of swordplay but is significantly less refined.
Employment
Marcel is currently working as a mercenary, aiding the Witcher School of the Wolf. He is also teaching the young elf, Blathen, how to speak in the Common Speech.
Mental Trauma
Marcel carries a deep degree of trauma from his past. He has yet to disclose the source but it manifests most commonly in his explosive temper.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
For all of the intellectual complexity that comes with his checkered past, Marcel's motivations are fairly straightforward. He fights simply for a better life and hopes to create something new in the Northern Kingdoms.
Likes & Dislikes
Marcel enjoys reading and when not studying arcane grimoires, he has a penchant for romantic fiction. In addition, he has a fondness for cooking and seeks out new recipes when visiting new locations.
He dislikes physical exercise and poetry.
Virtues & Personality perks
Weary, controlled, and empathetic, Marcel is constantly fighting not to be defined by his past traumas. Once proud and fanatically loyal to the Nilfgaardian Empire, he has now come to see the world in greyer, less rigid terms. While his experiences have hardened him considerably, he strives to avoid conflict where possible and is very slow in his interactions with others, sometimes appearing tired or exasperated when in reality, he’s simply processing events at his own pace. As a mage, his mystical longevity has left him somewhat oblivious to matters of a time, seldom ever rushing anything unless the need is urgent. Thanks in large part to his experiences in Nilfgaard, he holds a dim, cynical view of patriotism and reserves his allegiances for his close friends alone; this particular aspect of his personality brings him into frequent conflict with Naeve. On the whole, Marcel appears calm, disciplined, and easy-going; occasionally sociable and always observant but weighed down by a deep sadness. When triggered, he is a powerful force to be reckoned with and there are precious few that can talk him down without resorting to violence.
Vices & Personality flaws
As part of his ongoing struggles with his mental stability, Marcel can be incredibly vengeful and has a foul temper, capable of snapping from one extreme to another at a moment’s notice. This is usually a result of one or more of his allies or loved ones being threatened or past memories being pulled to the surface. When in this state, he is extremely chaotic and difficult to reason with, often exerting the full force of his magic against those in his line of fire.
Personality Quirks
Marcel is protective of his left arm and uses his right one for most tasks.
Social
Family Ties
Marcel hasn't seen his family in almost five decades and has little to no connection with them. He remains unaware of whether or not they're alive and doesn't particularly care to find out.
Religious Views
Marcel believes in the gods but remains convinced that many of their mortal priests are inauthentic conmen, thieves, and schemers. He chooses to believe that the gods judge people by their deeds and character rather than gold spilled at the doors of churches and frequent attendance at ceremonies.
Social Aptitude
Marcel has been trained to control social situations with the aim of turning them to his benefit. He can navigate most social environments with ease.
Speech
Patient and controlled, Marcel speaks slowly and often leaves pauses between sentences so he can think about his words. Well-spoken and articulate, it's fairly apparent he's been formally educated. His Nilfgaardian accent has thinned somewhat but is easily identifiable when he isn't actively hiding it.
Wealth & Financial state
Cut off from his former life in Nilfgaard, Marcel has lost all of his accumulated wealth. He is now starting from scratch in the North.
A talented sorcerer strengthened and humbled by the traumas in his life, Marcel is determined to bring some semblance of peace to the world and create a better life for himself and those he cares for.
View Character Profile
Alignment
Species
Age
68
Birthplace
Etoila, Province of Nilfgaard
Children
Current Residence
Kaer Morhen
Gender
Male
Eyes
Green
Hair
Blonde
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale
Height
5"11
Weight
76kg
Quotes & Catchphrases
“Pain you can control becomes power.”
