Meet Inez, Jurek, and Alistair

Meet Inez!

Appearance: Inez has a slight build and boyish haircut, but her graceful movements make her come across as more pixie-ish than tomboy. A native of the Noplali Desert, she has copper-colored skin, brown eyes, and dark brown hair.

Likes: Magic, philosophy, books, the smell of creosote, beauty, contemplating the eternal verities, Styx goblins

Dislikes: People who talk over her, people who act like school is boring, vinegaroons

Occupation: Student at Melieh's Academy of Magic

Favorite Food:  Empanadas

Spirit Animal: Squirrel

Spirit Vegetable: Lemon

Little Known Fact: Growing up in the desert, Inez heard stories about snow in the north, and was excited to finally be able to see some as a student. Unfortunately for her, the Capital has been going through a warm spell, and it hasn’t once snowed in all of her three years at the Academy.

Growing up on her family’s orchard, Inez learned everything she could about irrigation, meteorology, and agriculture, but this was never enough to satiate her curiosity. Thus, she read everything she could get her hands on, from fine art to mathematics and beyond. When she discovered that she was a magician and would therefore be offered a place at the Academy, many of her acquaintances said it was a shame all that studying wouldn’t be put to use, which confused Inez no end. She hadn’t been studying for “use”, she’d been studying because she liked learning new things.

Once at the Academy, Inez excelled at all her classes, but was frustrated by most other students’ lack of interest in the theory behind magic. Though something of a loner at first, Inez soon made friends with several of her classmates and found attentive mentors in many of the school’s professors.

Meet Alistair!

Appearance: Alistair gives off a somewhat malnourished appearance due to his short stature, pallid skin, and dark circles under his eyes. The dark circles, at least, are due to his studying long into the night.

Likes: Magic, philosophy, philanthropy, anatomical charts, organization, Styx goblins

Dislikes: Seeing people die and not being able to save them, the smell of formaldehyde, hypocrisy

Occupation: Student at Melieh's Academy of Magic

Favorite Food: Plain bread (because it’s easy to eat while studying)

Spirit Animal: Raccoon

Spirit Vegetable: Leek

Little Known Fact: Alistair is a member of the first generation to be born and raised in the Capital, which originally made him something of a curiosity to his classmates, all of whom grew up in other countries.

Alistair’s family are renowned as some of the most skilled doctors in the Empire. He intended to follow his parents’ and brother’s footsteps by studying medicine until he discovered that he could perform magic. Even so, Alistair made a promise to himself upon entering the Academy that he would find a way to use magic to save lives.

Naturally gifted, he rose to the top of his class alongside Inez, though he tends to favor practicality more than theory. Though initially the two students got on each other’s nerves, their shared interest in Styx goblins and magical research helped them to become friends.

Meet Jurek! (pronounced Yurrick) 

Appearance: Jurek is tall and muscular, with a mane of brown hair he usually wears tied back in a ponytail. Though he’s only sixteen, people habitually mistake him for an adult; he just has one of those faces.

Likes: Animals, violin music, tea, autumn, country dances, helping people

Dislikes: Making mistakes, bullies, hot weather

Occupation: Student at Melieh's Academy of Magic

Favorite Food: Cinnamon rolls

Spirit Animal: Cow

Spirit Vegetable: Potato

Little Known Fact: On his first day in the Capital, someone picked his pocket. He didn’t begrudge them, because he figured they needed the money more than him.

Jurek grew up on a farm outside of Clifftonshire, with his parents, grandparents, and three siblings and learned that he could do magic when he accidentally set a hay cart ablaze. His family sent him off to the Capital with a mix of pride and apprehension, wondering how the gentle-natured, country-bred Jurek would fare in the big city. After the unfortunate incident of losing his wallet on the first day, he became a little more cautious and observant, and ended up adapting well to his new surroundings.

Though he is fairly skilled at conjuring fire and vanishing objects, he fails at almost all other spells. Despite his abysmal track record at academics, he and Inez became friends when they reached for the last donut in the cafeteria at the same time, decided to spilt it in half, and got talking about their lessons. Though Jurek gets along well with most other students, he noticed that Inez was more of a loner, and went out of his way to befriend her after that.