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ELLIOTT FAARSKAR
Noble Misting
Contact: Prepare some mate and I'll find you.
Type:Noble
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Place of Origin: Mantiz, Western Dominance
Occupation: Musician
Relationship Status: Single
Metals Used: Bronze
Degree of Skill: Advanced (Savant)
Status: Known
Elliott Faarskar is slim and youthful. Standing at 6.1 feet tall, with a medium nose and greyish brown eyes, he has no distinguishing features. His light brown hair, though somewhat rebellious, is always combed, and he tries his best to be well dressed all the time. He tends to wear dark blue vests, and puts a small silver clip on them, as some kind of family emblem. Elliott has tried to grow a beard, like his brother Darius, but he hasn’t been able to get it to grow properly, so he instead has just a slight stubble.
Elliott Faarskar is an enthusiastic, charming young nobleman. He’s very kind and smiles all the time, trying his best to cause a good impression on absolutely everyone. Just like the other noblemen in his family, he is very loyal, and doesn’t care about showing his emotions. However, he’s a pretty good actor, and can hide his feelings very well whenever he wants to. This certainly comes in handy, since he’s very sensitive.
Elliott loves being the center of attention; seeing people’s reaction to his charming attitude makes him feel confident. Being the younger brother of a full Mistborn has always made him feel less valuable, though his relationship with Darius -and everyone in his family- is really good. They have always made him feel unique, but he’d really like to be more like his brother, and that’s his biggest insecurity.
Strengths: Elliott is most passionate about music. He is an incredible dancer, and he uses that skill -as well as his skills as a violinist- to impress noblewomen whenever he can. However, he can get easily distracted, and often starts dancing to the rhythm of allomantic pulses instead of simply following the music. He is an incredible Seeker, and has a name for each metal’s pulsing signature, like the ‘Rioter’s March’ for zinc, or his personal favorite, the ‘Ballad of Bronze’.
Weaknesses: Elliott gets distracted easily, especially when he detects someone else’s Allomancy. He starts ‘listening’ to the pulses, feeling their rhythm, following it, and completely forgets what he was doing.
Elliot is very sensitive, and gets attached to others easily, which makes betrayal and rejection really painful for him.
He’s not his brother. He feels he’s not as smart, not as powerful, and not as useful to his house as Darius is. Whenever people compare Elliott to his brother, his confidence gets instantly destroyed.
Elliott Faarskar was born in 900, son of Lord Astor Faarskar and his wife Annelle. His older brother, Darius, was already 6 years old at the time. On the next year, his sister Freya was born. Elliott grew up in a loving family; both his parents and his brother were very kind to him and smiled all the time. It wasn’t a tough life; House Faarskar was one of the most powerful noble houses in Mantiz, with a beautiful Keep where Darius and Elliott could do whatever they wanted.
Astor was a serious man, but that didn’t make him less kind towards his family. Yes, tough decisions had to be made sometimes, but he always said the most important thing was being happy. As a result, Darius and Elliott were encouraged to be whatever they wanted to be. Darius, being heir to the House, grew very interested on trading and economics. Elliott, on the other side, had an incredible passion and talent for music; ever since the first ball he had seen in Keep Faarskar when he was five, he had fallen in love with the sound of the instruments and the way people danced following the rhythm. He wasn’t really supposed to be at the ball -after all, he was still just a kid-, but he and his siblings had managed to sneak into it for a while to see what it was like.
Elliott was six when his brother Snapped. The kid wasn’t allowed to see the beating; Astor didn’t want his kids to see such brutality until it became time for them to suffer the same. So, Elliott and Freya stayed together at the boy’s room.
“Do you think he’ll be a Coinshot?” Freya loved the idea of soaring through the skies, and hoped to become a Coinshot herself someday.
“Maybe. Maybe he’ll be a Pewterarm like dad. I don’t really know how it works, I just hope we all get to be Allomancers.”
He wasn’t a Coinshot. Or a Pewterarm.
Darius was a Mistborn.
There was a Mistborn in the family. Elliott loved the idea. He thought that maybe, just maybe, if his brother was a Mistborn then so would he and Freya. He wanted to Snap as soon as he could to train with his brother, but Astor told him he would have to wait for a few years. So, Elliott waited, studying violin when he could and often playing with Freya and Darius, though his older brother started to have less and less spare time, since he had started studying and training during the afternoon. Years passed, and by the time Elliott was twelve it finally became time for him to Snap.
He instantly understood why his father hadn’t let him and Freya see the beatings. It was brutal. The pain was terrible, and Elliott’s screams resonated through the room. But the most painful thing was seeing his father just standing there, unable to do anything. Astor himself couldn’t stand the sight of a son being beaten. As soon as the beating stopped, the big nobleman moved toward the child with incredible speed and took him to his bedroom to recover. The last thing Elliott felt before falling unconscious was a cold liquid flowing down his throat, a warmth in his stomach, and a pulse, like a fast-paced rhythm for a melody that hadn’t yet started, coming from his father.
“Hey, little man.” The voice woke Elliott up. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Darius, now eighteen years old, standing at the side of his bed, with a smile on his face.
“Hey. Why aren’t you studying?”
“Why aren’t you playing the violin or running around with your sister?”
Elliott tried to chuckle, but the pain interrupted him. “I… I’m a Seeker.”
“Yes. Congratulations, you’re an Allomancer!”
“But…” Tears started forming in Elliott’s eyes, partially from the pain, but mostly from the fact that he suddenly felt inferior. ”But I’m no Mistborn. I’m not even a Coinshot, or a Pewterarm. I’m-”
“You’re Elliott Faarskar, my little brother, a good musician and an Allomancer. Plus, you’ve got far more charisma than I do. I get nervous in every ball, you know? Meanwhile, you get everyone’s attention with no effort, and always impress everybody.”
Elliott opened his mouth to speak, but didn’t find any words.
“You’re a Seeker. Yes, you’re not super strong, and you won’t be able to soar through the skies as if you were flying. But you don’t need that. You are what you make of yourself.” Darius leaned forward and lowered his voice to a whisper, his smile broadening. “Listen. Dad wanted to wait a couple days until you got better, but… take this,” he said, pulling a small vial out of his pocket. “Burn it, get used to the sensation. And Elliott... enjoy it. You are unique. Now you’ll be even more so.”
Elliott wiped his tears clumsily with his left hand and took the vial, trying to smile back at his brother. You are what you make of yourself. He drank the contents of the vial and waited, suddenly feeling the power surge within him. He reached in and started burning bronze, the warmth in his stomach feeling recomfortating. A slow pulse came from his brother. It was somehow different than the one he had felt coming from his father. He looked at his brother, a new idea coming to him.
“It’s like music.”
Darius frowned. “What?”
“It’s a pattern, just like the rhythm for a melody.”
His older brother smiled again. “There you go, then! A musician with a power related to music. See? It’s perfect for you, Elliott.”
Elliott looked down, frowning. “Darius?”
“Yes, little brother?”
“Can you… can you stay for a moment? I’d like to see what I can do. You can burn every metal, so maybe I can practice with you.”
Darius looked toward the door for a second, then turned back, grinning. “Well, I don’t think dad will mind. Here we go!”
From that moment on, Elliott started training with Darius almost every night, making him burn different metals each time to learn the differences between each one. He still felt like he was less than his brother, and seeing him burn all the different metals made him feel almost useless, but now he knew that being a Seeker was not a bad thing, especially for a musician such as himself. He decided to keep burning his bronze almost all the time, however, to try to see how far he could take his powers.
The year after Elliott Snapped, it was time for his sister Freya. Unfortunately, she wasn’t an Allomancer. At first, the girl was very sad; she wouldn’t be able to Push herself through the air across Mantiz like Darius did. However, talking to Elliott seemed to really help her, and she quickly recovered her confidence. Elliott was sure she felt more confidence than he did.
Years passed, and Elliott never stopped burning bronze. He even asked Darius to avoid burning copper during meetings with other noble houses, so that he could test his skills by sensing other people’s Allomancy. By the time Elliott was seventeen, he could easily detect what metal was being burned, if it was being flared, and even if the Allomancer was running low on it. He had been right. It was music. Sometimes, he would even get lost to the rhythm of the pulses and start dancing to it or playing a melody on the violin following that metal’s allomantic pattern. He had a name for each metal’s signature, such as the ‘Soothing lullaby’ or the ‘Warrior’s reprise’.
Emotional Allomancy was incredible for the young nobleman; depending on the selected emotions to be Soothed or Rioted, the pattern would vary slightly. It was difficult to notice, but he was slowly getting better at it. Every night, he would ask Darius to burn zinc and brass, trying to figure out exactly the variations.
The next year, Astor decided it was time to try something bold.
“I have purchased a small manor in Fellise” Astor explained his children and wife. The study was silent, and the steward, named Veeras, stood in a corner behind Elliott’s father.
“Are.. are we moving there?” Annelle, Elliott’s mother, sounded worried. Astor smiled, however, looking at her. “No, of course not. But we need to have a better presence at the Central Dominance if we want to become a Great House someday.
“Darius, I want you to go there,” he said, looking at his eldest son. “You are a full Mistborn, and as such you can show them our house is both stable and very powerful.” He made a short pause, then grinned. “Besides, you might get to find yourself a wife there. I know you would like that.”
Darius just stood there, dumbfounded. After a moment, he turned to see his siblings and his mother, his eyes suddenly stopping on Elliott, a smile appearing on his face. The boy met his eyes and Darius winked.
“Father, I’m afraid I can’t go. If I go, everybody will see our Mistborn in Luthadel and our home exposed. Anyone could simply send assassins here and obliterate our possibilities with little effort.”
Astor frowned, his smile disappearing, and looked toward Annelle. Everyone knew he wouldn’t risk getting his family killed, no matter what.
“Send Elliott instead,” continued Darius, earning a surprised stare from everyone in the room. “I know he’s young, and I might be better at politics, but he’s more experienced at socializing, and you all know it.”
Astor looked troubled. “I… I understand what you say, but it’s too dangerous. He’s only eighteen, and the nobility… It’s different there. They’re different there.”
One. Two. One. Two.
Elliott looked at his brother. Darius simply smiled. He’s Rioting dad. But no. Something was off about that pattern. At first, Elliott though Darius was running low on zinc, but that wasn’t it. He flared his bronze and finally realized it, suddenly looking to the other side, where his mother stood looking down, thoughtful, with a hint of a smile on her face. That’s it. He’s not Rioting dad. He’s-
“Darius is right, Astor. Elliott can do it.” Annelle sounded confident, though her eyes were on the verge of tears.
“I-”
“Dad, listen,” Darius said. “They have balls, a lot of them. And who’s the best dancer in this family? Who’s the charming one, the one everyone likes? If you don’t think he’ll be fine, send Veeras with him. I’m not going, I need to stay here and protect the rest of you.”
Astor looked at Elliott, worried, but after a moment turned back toward Veeras. “What do you say?”
“My Lord, I will do whatever you ask of me.”
“I don’t care, Veeras.” Astor’s voice sounded tense all the sudden, almost angry. “If I wanted someone with no opinion at all I would’ve hired a skaa steward instead of you. Speak your mind.” He took a pause and spoke again, this time more softly. “Please, Veeras. Tell me what you think.”
Veeras frowned, looking at his master, and then looked at Darius and Elliott. A slight smile appeared on his face before he spoke. “I think master Darius is right. If he goes away, anyone will be able to come and kill the rest of you. He has been this House’s most important defense for some years, now.
“That makes Lord Elliott and Lady Freya the best candidates for the travel. However -and I’m sorry if I offend, for it is not my place nor my intention to do it- Freya is still too innocent to go there alone. As you said, master Astor, the nobility there can be quite dangerous if you’re not careful enough. Besides, Elliott is very skilled with a dueling cane. I’m sure he will be able to defend himself.”
Everybody in the room turned toward Veeras, astonished by his short speech. Lord Ruler, he barely ever speaks, and all the sudden he says all this? Astor, however, smiled.
“In that case” he said, “Elliott, do you feel you can do this? I won’t make you do it if you don’t want to.”
Elliott looked at his father, then his mother, and finally his brother and sister. I’ll be away from home, he thought. But… Becoming a Great House, going to balls, maybe finding a young noblewoman…
“I’ll do it.”
Darius relaxed visibly and both Annelle and Freya smiled. Astor turned toward the Terrisman. “Can you go with him, Veeras? Can you please make sure he’s safe?”
“Of course, my Lord.”
“Well,” the nobleman said, looking at Elliott. “Get ready, then. I’ll make some arrangements. You leave next week.”
The steward nodded and started walking toward the door, but Darius stopped him. “Veeras? Keep speaking your mind. We all need some advice from time to time.”
Pewter.
Elliott moved to the side quickly to dodge the attack, his eyes closed, as if he was dancing with the air. The pattern changed as he spun, ready to strike. He rolled to the side as the pulses passed over his head, and turned back as he heard his opponent falling to the ground.
The beatings stopped.
Elliott opened his eyes to see the shadowy figure sprinting towards him. He blocked a swing from his opponent’s dueling cane with his own, then took a step back to put some distance between them. His rival took a moment, and then swung again.
One, two, three. One, two, three.
Elliott ducked the pewter-enhanced swing and smashed his cane into his opponent’s stomach, spinning quickly to try and score a second hit on his leg. He felt the sudden pressure of metals being flared, and the figure caught Elliott’s cane with his left hand, grabbing it so hard it started shattering. The rival’s dueling cane came swinging fast, and Elliot had to jump backward, letting go of his own cane to avoid getting hit.
The figure got up slowly, looking at him, before starting to sprint toward him. Elliott jumped backward again, but the rhythm changed again as a single coin shot out of his opponent’s hand and flew in his direction.
Elliot let himself fall to the ground, the coin passing just over his head. He grunted as he reached the floor, hitting his head with the cold stone. His opponent got to him before he got up, and put a foot on his chest.
“Too slow.”
“I... know.” Elliott said, trying to recover from the fall. He opened his eyes and saw Darius looming over him with a smile on his face.
“Still, that was impressive. You dodged me twice without even looking!”
“I...” Elliott was out of breath. Being only a Seeker was a real problem when fighting a Mistborn. “I can’t beat you. And you’re not even fighting.”
Darius frowned, taking a step back to allow Elliott to get up. “What do you mean?”
“The coins,” Elliott said. “You aim just over my head, so I don’t get hurt. And your pewter, instead of flaring it to get to me faster, you barely used it to catch a swing. You think I don’t realize that? You could easily defeat me, were you not so merciful.”
Darius looked down. “Brother, I...” There was a short pause. After a moment, Darius looked back at his brother, surprised. “Lord Ruler, you felt I was flaring it?”
“Of course. That’s not too hard. The tough part is knowing when you’re running low, or recognizing the exact effects of brass and zinc.”
“For the… You’re an incredible Seeker. Really.”
“I…” Elliott blushed. “I hope so. I’m not as powerful as you think.” I’m not as powerful as you.
“No. You’re even more than that.” Darius said, smiling. “Now come. You need to get ready.”
Elliott didn’t want to say goodbye. He really wanted to go to Luthadel, but he would miss his family a lot. Everyone was waiting for him at the door when he got out of Keep Faarskar. Veeras had already started taking his luggage into the carriage. Elliott looked at his mother, who had tears in her eyes, but still kept her composure.
“Well,” he said, trying his best not to cry. “I guess I’ll see you soon.”
Freya rushed in his direction and hugged him. She was crying. “Please, be safe. Please.”
Elliott looked at her, tears forming in his eyes, and forced himself to smile. “I promise I’ll be back safe. I’m not going to the Pits of Hathsin, I’m just going to Luthadel for some time!”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know which one is worse.” Astor said, forcing a smile. Elliott’s father definitely held a grudge against the city, but nobody had ever asked about it. “Anyway, take care. And send us news as often as you can, son.”
“I’ll do it. I promise.”
Elliot and Astor locked eyes for a moment, smiling. Yes, I’m certainly going to miss them. He turned toward his brother, who was standing beside Annelle, smiling.
“Take care of them, brother,” Elliott said. He leaned forward, whispering so nobody else could hear him. “And keep Soothing them for a while, it may help them.”
Darius chuckled, then looked at his younger brother. “Go. We’ll be waiting for you, Elliott. And remember, you-”
“You are what you make of yourself”, he said, smiling, his eyes filled with tears.
“Yeah. And so far, you’ve made yourself awesome. Just make sure they don’t change that.”
A few minutes later, Elliott was riding the carriage to Fellise, ready for the biggest challenge in his life. His brother’s words still rang in his head. You are what you make of yourself. And so far, you’ve made yourself awesome. He still wasn’t too sure about that. But still, he was determined to impress everyone.
Edited by Daydam, 11 January 2018 - 04:48 AM.
