Edgar Clancy Vulkain

"'Edgar Clancy Vulkain. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.'  - Vulkain"Edgar Clancy Vulkain is an Avian; a species that can switch between either a human or bird form. Having been the butler to the Grant family since Callum was a child, the catastrophe that befall Callum's home village separated them. Following Callum's ascension into a Dragonborn, the two were finally able to reunite; since then, Vulkain has served as Callum's faithful butler, following him anywhere he goes. He currently serves as Callum's right hand man in Yggdrasil.

Lost Heir
While Vulkain's own origins remain a mystery, he was part of a race long thought extinct; the Avians were bird people, and powerful magicians and wizards. It was believed that due to the paranoia of humans, the Avians were either exterminated or exiled from the known lands. Regardless, Vulkain stayed, assuming a human disguise to avoid prosecution from the violent pro-human mobs. He eventually would become indebted to the Grant family, raising a 7 year-old Callum into adolescence.

When non-human populations had become fed up with the senseless violence caused by mankind, the uprising was sparked and cities were invaded across Avanth. Callum's hometown was one of them, where his parents were killed when their mansion collapsed. Vulkain desperately tried to save the child, but Callum was missing when Vulkain was finally able to excavate the rubble on the day after the razing.

The next 4 years, Vulkain tirelessly searched for Callum. The political climate of Avanth had significantly changed in those passing 4 years, with human presence being phased out in favorite of sapient non-human species. By the time the two finally reunited, Callum had been permanently affected by his experiences. A bright-eyed idealist had been hardened into a realist of cold truths. Feeling himself to blame, Vulkain remained loyal and stayed by Callum's side.

With Callum's newfound power, both he and Vulkain began to travel to different dimensions. Seeing what other worlds had to offer, it was eventually decided that Callum could make himself of his new power, and expand upon it. Much like his ability to walk between planes, Yggdrasil was formed with the idea that multiple sites would be founded in multiple places. Vulkain served as his right hand throughout the initial process of the company's founding, eventually becoming Callum's number two through their various operations.

The War and After
Upon arrival in Avashesh, Vulkain set to work on paving the way for Callum to arrive. Their first course of action was setting up a base of operations; the chosen location was the capital of the Spiral Isles, known as Neo Haven. Despite numerous setbacks, the set up was completed and Yggdrasil continued their operations within the new land. Past that, Callum would play the field and manipulate multiple sides, as he always had. Such was his business, Yggdrasil would soon get swept up into the coming war against Rubidia. With Jasper's opening offensive against the Spiral Isles, the city was attacked by the Crimsonhead Militia. Thanks to Vulkain's efforts and HEAVEN, the damage was minimal.

While the war effort would continue elsewhere, Yggdrasil's involvement in the events was limited, aside from occasionally lending assets to HEAVEN. For them, it was business as usual; a chance encounter with a strapping young fellow led Vulkain into meeting Carnifex, a curious man with an endless amount of questions. His armor was made from dragon bone, and Vulkain was quick to understand why Callum had made a deal with him. So, while the war raged on, Vulkain had assigned Carnifex a tutor within the company, teaching him the trade secrets to crafting their mechanical frames. Despite having a very rudimentary knowledge of technology, Carnifex seemed to be a quick learner and caught on very easily. By the end of 3 months, he knew more than enough and happily upheld his end of the deal; a spike off his armor, to give to Callum.

With Callum abroad, Vulkain continues to manage the company in his absence. Though, given that he had been separated from his master once before, Vulkain ensures that he calls him quite frequently.

Human
Normally, Vulkain appears as a human male of peak fitness, despite his age. He is muscular and well-defined, though well into his late 50’s. His face is covered with scars, specifically two X-shaped scars above each of his eyebrows, a cut across his nose and one along his lower left-side jaw. His eyes are a dull yellow, with graying hair that’s typically combed back. More than often, he sports a light beard, only a couple inches in length. Over his face, he wears a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, to help with his sight. This may be a mere facade to make him appear more friendly; considering that he’s an Avian, he has near-perfect eyesight. Tattoos cover his torso, with various designs; most notable of which are a deer’s skull, being hoisted by the talons of a bird. His typical attire consists of sharp suits, which are almost always black in color.

Avian
In his Avian form, Vulkain appears as a mighty humanoid bird that stands at roughly his usual height. In this form, his musculature increases significantly, easily seen as he lacks any full-body attire. His skin is a dull and muted grey, with odd sigils and markings upon his biceps and thighs. Fingernails and toenails become sharp and black, matching a bird's talons. A glorious mane of fur covers most of his head, which trails mid-way down his back in a tail of sorts. Framing his face is an ornate golden mask; it is perfectly fit around his beak and sharp, red eyes. This theme of gold armor extended to the rest of his outfit: a gold harness loosely cradles his torso, with gold armlets around his forearms and anklets around his ankles. A golden belt is wrapped around his waist, which secures a patterned waist cloth and crimson shorts to his double-jointed legs. His wings, consisting a lighter grey, extended 12 feet when fully unfurled.

Personality
Once a man of science, Vulkain had been driven to extreme bouts of suicidal depression due to unknown factors. Though he had been ready to kill himself, Callum convinced him otherwise. Now, Vulkain serves as Callum’s faithful butler. His past mistakes have caused him to renounce his scientific ways entirely, focused solely on the protection of his master and maintenance of whatever facility he currently resides in. Vulkain is a gentleman above all else; no matter the person, he always attempts to maintain a facade of politeness and friendliness. There are rare instances in that, when overt threatened by another person, he may be moved to act. In combat, Vulkain is just as collected as he is normally. He never overestimates his enemies, and always takes every minor nuance into consideration. If Callum were in danger in any way or form, Vulkain will always be at his side and take every step necessary to keep his master away from harm. Though, he still finds himself haunted by his past failures; his kind demeanor is just a mask that hides his pain.

Abilities
As an Avian, Vulkain can assume a bird form that gives him increased muscle mass, wings and powerful talons. He is capable of sustained flight for at least 3 hours straight, and it could have been even more if not for his old age. His claws and talons can cut through steel with ease, with severity furthered by the high speeds he can reach. Aside from his physical abilities, Vulkain can draw "glyphs" on the air, using them to cast magic. The type and color of glyph directly effects what kind of magic he uses: orange, blue, green and white glyphs cast fire, water, earth and wind magic, respectively. The cast sign directly influences the intensity of the spell, as well; depending on how intricate the glyph is, it will be more powerful. Of course, this means that Vulkain would require more time to trace it, leaving himself vulnerable to attack during that time.

Callum Grant
Vulkain has been a part of Callum's life since he was a child, and has always been faithful to the Grant family. Despite this, Vulkain holds himself partially responsible for being unable to save his parents, and the following decade it took for him to locate the missing Callum. Vulkain is completely loyal towards Callum, still seeing him as the scared child who nearly died all those years ago. Vulkain's insistence on caring for Callum mimics that of a parental figure, much to Callum's occasional chagrin.