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To Gaelan's Mother, he is a miracle, a sparkling, bright star that burst into a world gradually dimming her vision. He was born shortly after Baroness Fulie lost her second, and most beloved, husband. A Hyr’norai by the name of Neremyn. He was the light of her life, glowing down upon her with all the warmth of the sun above. No, he was her sun. A mass she revolved around, one she lived and breathed for. Without Neremyn she was nothing…At least not until his last gift to her safely came into the world.
When first the words “Congratulations, Madam,” drifted into her ears, she thought…Maybe it was all a dream. A figment of her imagination meant to help her deal with the loss of yet another child, the loss of the last link to Neremyn himself. The heavy warmth that settled against her breast and the tiny inhale of air told her otherwise, and after much struggle, she managed to open her eyes, to peer down at the tiny infant resting in her arms. And she cried, long and hard while she pulled that tiny bundle ever closer to her bosom.
The House of Fulie celebrated the birth of tiny Gaelan Neremyn Fulie for a full year, and as much as the Baroness would have liked to continue to celebrate his miraculous birth and life, she begrudgingly accepted the pleas of those working by her side, ending the event…Exactly six months after his first birthday.
Having a child as healthy and happy as Gaelan was a boon for the Baroness, and she treated her son as if he were the rarest being in the world. He would never want for anything, not while she yet lived. And so, it remained the same.
A rough patch briefly entered their otherwise sweet life when Gaelan was initiated into baptism. At the young and tender age of five, the boy was given the mark and forced underwater until he drowned. With the mark taken to his soul, he was subsequently revived, but it left a scar on him. For years after he was terrified of water, of being in a room with others stronger than him, of his head being touched. As with all his eventual traumas, he gradually came to grow with it, to adapt and protect himself from his fears in his way, springing forth a baffling newfound obsession for water.
Life after being initiated remained much the same. His mother swaddled him with love, he was given all he could ever want and more, and no one ever spoke a mean word to him. His continued isolation from the outside world and society as a whole didn’t help and he continued to see the world through….vaguely rose-tinted shades. His trust was freely given, as was his love and affection and it is with this personality of his that he befriended a wandering mage. Fifteen and full of curiosity, he ignored the well-wishes of his parent, of the household at large. Their friendship spanned a few years, and when Gaelan turned twenty-one the mage saw fit to gift him with their mark.
Gaelan disappeared for a week and two days, and when he returned it was battered and bruised but relatively clean. He remembered almost nothing of the days spent missing and refused to allow any to touch him, becoming especially violent when others neared him from behind. It was only after much coaxing and gentle comfort from his mother that Gaelan bared his back to her, and revealed a secret he had been planning to keep to himself until the day he died. While upset and angered, for her part the Baroness was very accepting of the mark. She made sure to surround her son with employees who would keep their mouths shut in the off chance his marks were revealed, with Gaelan no more aware than he had ever been.
Life after this mark was a blur, a life fast-moving that never ceased, and just like this, he found himself a grown man, forty-four years old, and finally learning to be comfortable in his skin. He was nowhere near a socialite but knew enough of the world around him to navigate the life of a noble with little trouble. The Baroness continued to support him in all his endeavors, and perhaps he would have stayed and continued to thrive in her household, under her care, and under her thumb…Had the alluring thrum of his magics and a need for exploration not grabbed him by the nape.
12th of Sundered Rise, 4567, nearly two months after his forty-fifth birthday, Gaelan again disappeared from House Fulie.
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As a man set adrift, Gaelan came to find that he enjoyed being alone, thriving in his newfound freedom. Idly and quietly he drifted, visiting the towns and vistas of Astoria. Never did he remain in one place, preferring to stick to solitude and his thoughts. Just like this two years passed, with Gaelan growing into himself and the magicks he possesses, but like all things, this too comes to an end. In Glade of his forty-seventh year, he found himself at an impasse. Magic in Lorien is outlawed and being a person who bears two marks himself, one of which he had come to use heavily in his private life, he felt as if his time left alive and free was quickly ticking away. His choices stood as thus; Renounce his magic and continue to pretend it does not exist both in his public and private lives…Or flee Lorien for Daravin. In the end, his love of magic won out, and with a heavy but singing heart, he began to pack what little personal possessions he possessed, leaving behind naught of his time in Lorien save his House’s memories of him and a letter lovingly penned to the Mother he was leaving behind.
His destination lay in Genteven, and from there to Boghadar. The nearly month-long boat trip left Gaelan full of thrumming excitement and much joy, the thought of finally being free to do as he pleased a heady high that swallowed up his churning fear of the sea. No sooner had he safely arrived at his destination did he set off in wonder, renting himself a room and setting off to walk the streets of Boghadar. Just the fact that he was free to use his magic as he pleased was a new feeling, and even more so was the feeling of seeing others use their own without fear of persecution. With a soaring heart and a clear mind, Gaelan settled into the busy life of the city, adjusting as if he had been born here. While he still struggles to expose his magic to those around them, he is more than comfortable in speaking of and studying magic itself.
