Peric
From Mizahar Lore
 Peric | |||||||||||
| Race | Vantha | ||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 452 AV (aged 71) | ||||||||||
| Place of birth | Avanthal | ||||||||||
| Title | Fine Arts Teacher | ||||||||||
| Skills |
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| Gnosis marks |
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Physical Description
Peric stands at 4'11", though he had been significantly taller when he was younger. He is very thin and usually wears a long, loose, grey robe that makes him look a little less slender. He is almost completely bald and his remaining hair, as well as his long beard, is completely white. Though everything in his appearance mirrors the difficulties he had to face in life, his eyes remain very vivid and never seem to lose their deep focus and calm serenity, letting out an indication that he is at peace with himself and his situation.
History
Peric started off as a typical Skyglow, taking lessons in carving, sculpting, drawing, and painting. Although his parents made sure that he had the highest possible level of education, he seemed reluctant to learn, and really struggled trying to increase his skills. After becoming an adult, his path was already chosen by his parents, who found him a spouse and arranged for a job at the Aurora Showcase. Peric did his best to adapt to this lifestyle, but, deep in his heart, he longed to be free. Indeed, for almost 30 years, he was doing ok, at least on the outside. He was a moderately successful artist, and a moderately successful husband, if we exclude the fact that he and his wife didn't seem to be able to have children. Although this would be devastating for any couple, for Peric it was simply unbearable. In truth, the main reason he had hanged on his lifestyle was the hope that one day he would have a child, one that he would raise with everything he didn't have: freedom of choice, and a correct education in the fine arts, one that harmoniously blended self-expression and correct technique.
When Peric realized that there was no hope in having a child, he found the strength, in a moment that all has faded to nothing, to be free. He left his house and his Hold, and for days slept in taverns and parks. Of course, his decision to leave his Hold was not taken lightly, and he would have been expelled from Avanthal all together, if not for his decaying health, which meant he was unfit for any kind of travel. Finally, he was allowed to occupy a small, windowless room in the Aurora Showcase, which, for all purposes, could be regarded as his "artistic prison cell". Although the living conditions in the Showcase were far from ideal, they presented him with the great chance to come in contact with many fledgling artists. And although he was frowned upon by most Vantha, especially the residents of his former Hold, there were a few people over the years that approached him in good faith. In them, Peric found the opportunity he always wanted, to be a teacher, to influence people, to help them find their true potential, and give them everything that had been deprived from him: the strength to be free, and the way to achieve that through art.
Those that had the chance to study under him hold him in the highest regard, and talk in awe of his inspirational teaching and his ability to bring out the true artist in everyone. Nevertheless, up to this day, almost 10 years after Peric first came to the Showcase, there are still many that look down on him for his decision to abandon his Hold, and most parents won't even consider sending their children to learn under him. These negative views are reinforced by those that had approached him to study under him and Peric has turned them down. They don't hesitate in describing him as a snob and a lunatic, and upon a quick investigation, he might actually be perceived that way.
Indeed, Peric is very selective of his students, and rarely accepts more than two or three per season. Before accepting a student, he submits them to a weird interview, during which he asks them all sorts of seemingly irrelevant questions, such as their favorite food and song, the place they visit most often or like the best, who their friends are and why, what is the color of the sky or the snow, what glows brighter, the sun or its reflection on a lake, which is colder, swimming on a frozen sea or standing naked in a blizzard. Peric continues the interview as long as needed for the potential student to eventually protest against the irrelevancy of the questions to her purpose there, being taught the fine arts. By then, Peric has already decided if the potential student has what is needed to be an artist: the deep will to live life in all its aspects and the ability to interpret it with artistic freedom. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer fledgling artists seem to be able to hold on to these vital traits after the many years of traditional technique-based teachings they have been submitted to. Nevertheless, when a student is accepted, she very soon finds out that Peric is a great, deeply-caring teacher, and although his artistic skills might not be exceptional, he has the ability to bring out an excellence in his students that he himself might not possess.
Moderation Guidelines
When a PC seeks apprenticeship, he/she should role play an interview with Peric. An official storyteller should be contacted upon completion of the thread and will decide if the PC is accepted for apprenticeship.