Skyes J. Lowell

[Skyes Lowell]

Name: Skyes J. Lowell

Nick: Prefers everyone uses his full first and last, but is known as 'Slant' to few, due to his facial appearance. Content to be called Skyes as long as no one pokes fun at his name.

Age: 22

Sex: Male

Species: As far as he can tell? Not a clue. Though his family tree points mostly towards varied types of Canine species, quite a few 'mishaps' have resulted in a woe-be-gone combination of just too many. A good quarter of his lineage is non-canine, but he's too lazy to try to figure out what's what. Skyes is content with the use of general terms to describe himself, but when asked about specifics, he becomes terribly confused. Upon questioning, his answer usually includes a snappy retort: "What do I look like to you?" Skyes settles for the term 'Mixed Canine'.

Personality: Skyes is an amiable dude, who uses his superior strength as a form of 'mediation' during times of 'conflict'.

In his noble (or maybe not so noble) nature, he takes it upon himself to serve and admire all of the feminine population, whether tall, small, old, young, foreign, or familiar. He knows no ends to his flirtatious ways and usually treats his amorous plays of affection on just about any girl in the vicinity. While doing so, he isn't as much of an idiot as some would think, and can be quite kind and indifferent to the fairer sex when he needs to be. Though to some his methods of 'attraction' are crude, he tries his best to maintain an air of nobility and chivalry. Of course, his habits are usually how he winds up waist-deep in trouble. After his failed engagement, however, Skyes has toned down the flirting a great deal. Nowadays, he's merely introduces himself and goes back to his own thoughts. Even still, the occasional lady might perk his interests, bringing out the previously-mentioned Romeo in Skyes.

All foolishness aside, Skyes has a valiant side that can never turn down a person in trouble. He often throws himself between an innocent and the offender when he spots a dire situation; though, in rare cases, he has confused the offender for the offended. (These situations become very awkward.) His power and strength makes up for his lack of thought given to any situation, and his tendency to dive into a conflict at any first signs of trouble have often caught him off-guard.

Skyes has never set too many goals for himself in life- being the younger, ignored sibling, having coward himself out of military prospects (wanting to be near his family) and failing so embarrassingly at his previous courtship, Skyes keeps his own aspirations to himself now. The few he has are plain, simple achievements to keep himself going, but the desire for a significant other still harasses him daily.

Alignment: Neutral

Family:
Lief Lowell (Father): A hardworking family man. Lief spent his younger years upon his father's merchant ship, learning the business thoroughly. As the youngest member of the Lowell Clan, he was taught early that family is everything to a Lowell. Oddly, his clan's history proves that a Lowell often fathers families of massive sizes- he quickly dismissed the tradition as hokum and strived to be one of the few that did not get tied down. One lonely week at sea, his ship was raided by a crew known as the Femme-Fatales, an infamous pirate crew consisting solely of begrudged women who had no fear of the law or death. Among their numbers was a troublesome girl who had cornered Lief as he tried to get away during the attack. By sheer luck, he knocked over some cargo, which forced her into a longboat, pinning her down and out during the remainder of the raid. After a fierce battle that concluded with the pirate crew fleeing, he returned just as she was struggling to get back onto the deck. Mairelle tried to jump over him, but tripped and collided with the confused teen. Sprawled across the floor with the girl, he instantly became attracted to her, eventually deciding to stow her in his cabin safety the next day as an official investigation swept the ship. The years passed, and he finally persuaded her to lead a clean life. Taking her hand in marriage, he forgot his previous qualms against the Lowell tradition and began life as a father soon after their union. He now spends his time with his family, head-chief of the shipping business, even though he never seems to operate in person.
Mairelle Lowell (Mother): A woman who spent a number of her years out at sea. Once a fair, youthful pirate known as Mai the Ravager, Mairelle met and fell in love with Lief when he saved her from law officials during a botched ship raid- even though he was a passenger on the attacked ship. Having no other choice but to hide with him and lay low, Mairelle got wrapped into a quick, friendly relationship with Lief, and eventually put away all thoughts of leaving him for the sea. The relationship became strained when Lief's father found out her illegal-nature, and would have resulted in nothing had Lief not defended her, protesting that she had repented and was worth renouncing his family name for. Years later, after the tensions had cooled, the two eloped and she became part of the Lowell clan, trading her position at sea and its freedoms for a family and a stable life. Easily the shortest in stature and temper, she's raised her children firmly and lovingly. Even now a kindly mother of thirteen, she is rumored to be the most deadly person with a cutlass- or a frying pan, for that matter.
Semyl Lowell (Closest sibling and life-long buddy) [See 'Semyl' section below.]
Other Siblings: 7 brothers, 5 sisters.
Older:
Irving Leon Lowell: The eldest Lowell twin. An easy going adventurer with an unrivaled fascination with sword fighting.
Cecilia Jeanette Lowell: The second of the elder twins. Caring, quiet, and quite the magical healer.
James Ricardo Lowell: Underachiever of all the Lowells. Dishonest and generally a pain in the ass.
Machiavelli Christopher Lowell: Known as the 'Playboy' Lowell. Often the source of misguidance when it comes to teaching Skyes the finer points of courtship.
Fiona Sarah Lowell: The laziest of the Lowells. Complains often and does nothing, hoping to get by on good looks. Every big family has one.
Younger:
Lief Daniel Lowell Jr.: An aspiring lad who is always getting into some form of trouble or another. A child prodigy in academics.
Rachel Kristina Lowell: Family go-fer'. Your run of the mill teenage daughter, with an unusual lonesome complex.
Micah Rudy Lowell: An angsty teen who never seems to be content with life. Dabbles in social debates.
Ralphael Matthew Lowell: A rowdy boy who spends his time wrecking havoc upon his siblings. Often grounded.
Gary Jack Lowell: Skyes's favorite little brother. A curious little pup who often looks up to and imitates Skyes.
Heather Yose Lowell: The youngest Lowell. Quick to cry, she seems to be mortally afraid of anything that moves.

Weapons: Skyes spurns weapons in favor of his own hands, and he boasts the power to back it up. He wears a pair of knuckle gloves with iron plating for extra protection and damage.

Biography:
Skyes Lowell, son of Lief and Mairelle, was born in a rather troubled time for the Lowell family. Lief was always working days and nights in order to support the family, which was at the time numbered many persons. Lief was aided by the combined incomes of three of the older Lowell children, and the family pulled through every month without too much hassle. With only his mother and his aunt to look after the remaining Lowell children, Skyes learned very quickly that it was difficult to make a name for one's self while constantly being ignored in favor of other family matters. His twin sister, Semyl, also realized this, and the two spent the majority of their time together. When Semyl wasn't around, Skyes would enjoy listening to his older relatives talk about life in general; He was often curious what a formal education was like, a luxury only his older siblings had. Various aunts, uncles, and cousins gave him many opportunities to learn about the outside world. He'd even listen in on the adults conversations on their day jobs and trades, sometimes picking up bit and pieces of interesting tidbits.

Still just a child at age seven, Skyes welcomed back two Lowells he had not seen for quite awhile, two that had journeyed off for apprenticeships. Irving and Cecilia, first and second born, had come back with wild tales of the country side, ones that included adventure, magic, riches, and just about everything the young, restrained mind of Skyes had always dreamed of. Life in the Lowell house seemed boring, never changing, almost linear-fashioned; The house was always packed with Lowells, immediate and distant, there was never anything exciting to do, and for Skyes and Semyl, their current lifestyle was just plain uninteresting. Still only children and unaware of life's inability to maintain an inert path, the two just couldn't wait for something new and unexpected to happen.

Skyes and Semyl perked up when they found out that Irving and Cecilia were willing to take them along on their next trip- to a distant, secluded place where it was rumored that one could learn and study the arts of magic. Tails wagging beyond excitement, the four Lowells set out during autumn, and after the usual hectic traveling experience, finally arrived. However, their destination seemed to be deserted- After a few days, the Lowells found out that the master of the establishment had passed away; much to the disappointment of Skyes and Semyl. Irving and Cecilia promised to teach the two pups what they at least knew up to that point, once the group returned home, and this seemed to placate Skyes for the time being.

Discontent with how things were going, Skyes and Semyl grew up restless and often fighting with one another to pass time. With Irving, Cecilia, Skyes, and Semyl returning home, the surprise addition of two new infant Lowells, and the number of non-immediate family members popping out of nowhere, Skyes and Semyl (now both early teens) soon found themselves taking off at the crack of dawn to get away from the craze. mainly just to find something to do with their time. Skyes was happy enough to just get out of the house, but Semyl's ever-active mind wanted something productive from these daytime excursions. Unknown to Skyes, she started becoming more of a delinquent by the minute, and it came to him a great shock when he discovered her jacket pockets one day bulging with wallets, watches, and, odd enough, a brick marked with a street address. ("Hey, it looked pretty. And if we get rid of the 'three', it'll have OUR house number on it!!!" she protested.) Confused, and a little ticked off, Skyes confronted her about this, but he was not able to get a straight answer from her. Semyl simply replied, "You don't have to tag along, y'know. I have my reasons, I have my ways."

Still a bit upset about the whole ordeal, Skyes eventually decided that he should keep an eye on his sister. He felt that he should be the one to put a stop to her thievery, but he learned a few weeks into this routine that she was not actually keeping any of that which she took- Tracking her down into the slums, he happened upon her tending to a group of kids, who, judging from looks alone, either had no family, home, or possibly missing both. It seemed to these kids, she was some sort of a Robin Hood; Skyes, from then on, let Semyl go about her business unhindered, and soon, even pitched in to help keep the kids occupied.

Now that Skyes was aware of what Semyl was doing, he had to start explaining their absence from home- Even in the midst of unorderly- practically chaotic- household of the Lowells, Mairelle had noticed two missing persons at meal times. Skyes was a smart one- though guiltily accomplished, Skyes managed to convince Mairelle that he and Semyl taken upon themselves apprenticeships with tradesmen. The story was full of holes, a little inconsistent, and just a tad unbelievable- but with a little luck and crossed fingers, Mairelle had bought it.

Semyl, a young teenager, had started to care for these youngsters as much as she did her own family, and the next few years were spent helping them out- whether it be finding a better location to spend the night, obtaining enough cash to eat properly, causing mischief and mayhem on dull days- All of this, while a worn-out Skyes followed from behind. While Skyes really preferred to keep an unattached status among this group, now entitled Society for Small Saps (Triple-S, as a shorter name), Semyl had come to cherish the time spent with these kids- Even the one little red fox with the unpronounceable name that everyone agreed was a little too eccentric for his own good.

These years seemed to pass quickly, and the two found themselves approaching adulthood; The pair needed actual jobs- Mairelle had noticed that not much progress was being made on these 'apprenticeships', and soon began interrogating Skyes every chance she got. This meant that Skyes would no longer have time to help these not-so-young-sters make ends meet. He and Semyl came up with a solution; Find them a comfortable, stable life. Out of the six kids that they started off with, they only had problems with two; one had left for another town, another went alongside- a third became old enough for serious (and legal) labor, and the fourth took up residence in a hardware store. Completely at a loss at what to do with the final two, but not wanting to leave them in the dust, Semyl had one final resort. Presenting these two to Lief and Mairelle as 'Foreign Exchange Students' (quite a lie) who were in need of a place to stay (not so much of a lie), she eventually convinced Lief to welcome the final two in as Lowells.

Highly surprised that some plan as crazy as that had even worked, no questions asked, Skyes forgot that this meant they no longer had their previous obligation to deal with.

The older of the twins, Semyl decided it was about time Skyes began courting, following the same fashion as Lowell men before him. Hoping to get him more involved with the romantic side of life, she introduced him to an acquaintance known as Rose McNamara. The two seemed to happily hit it off, and Semyl felt satisfied knowing she had done what she thought to be a great favor for her brother.

After a couple of months, he had announced his intentions to marry Rose. All was well. At least, as far as he thought.

A few days before the ceremony, she disappeared. When she came back, Rose had changed into a completely different person, already enraptured by another guy. After Skyes pleaded for an explanation and a chance to correct whatever she found so wrong with him, she scorned the confused dog and openly struck Skyes, renouncing her engagement to him. The commotion took place in front of a fair number of relatives- he was speechless, shocked, and just about broken.

For the following weeks, Skyes was devastated- even Semyl could not force company upon him.

A little bit of relief came in the form of a G.E.D., as Skyes and his sister found out they learned enough at home to pass off being 'home-schooled'. Now with more combined incomes within the Lowell family, as more eventually started to find meaningful jobs, Skyes and Semyl were the last (of age) to actually find any form of employment. Skyes, through reference of an uncle, became a bartender, and pulled this off quite nicely. Semyl too, had found something that brought home a worthy paycheck every two weeks, but she never disclosed anything about her job.

Skyes and Semyl continued their day jobs, and were still a little dissatisfied from before- only now with jobs. Things seemed to practically slow down to an eerie, non-eventful halt, until a letter came in- Granddad Lowell, who was a long-distant relative, had gone missing- for quite some time, actually. Knowing that Mairelle was deeply worried about her father-in-law, Skyes reassured her, and took 'stress leave' from the local bar. Semyl joined in too, though it was questionable how she managed to get time of leave within an hour of hearing the news.

Resting in a subway the night that they had departed, Skyes and Semyl plotted out their actions for the next day. But upon waking up, the two found out quickly that everything up until then was the least of their problems...

Present- Seeing that worlds had been crossed and merged, the two frantically rushed back to where their home had previously been, only to find an entirely new region in place of the old. Skyes now searches the land for the rest family, keeping contact with the few that had gathered into Soleanna after the merging of the worlds. With the help a long time friend, the orphan he protected so long ago, he hopes to reunite the Lowell clan.

Moves:
Lowell Slam - A combo invented by Skyes. He lunges to the side of the target, and brings his right elbow to a full smash to the ribs. While the force of the first hit would send the target flying to the side, Skyes maneuvers his right leg to catch/trip the target, while he brings his hand downwards for a crippling punch, closing in the distance between said Target and the ground. After this blow, he uses the same hand to grip the target, flings it backwards for another downwards slam.
Wedge Blow - Named after a golfer's wedge, a club used to smack a ball high into the air. Skyes can do something similar, too- A backflip and a foot to the jaw usually accomplishes a hit that results in the same thing.

Elemental Abilities:
Sidewinder - Skyes delivers a punch to the ground, transferring enough energy to cause a shock wave directed towards the target. The energy within the shock wave blasts apart when his hand is disconnected from the surface. The blast rips apart the ground between Skyes and the target, and a sizable chunk of the surface is sent flying upwards. If used at a curve, Skyes can sometimes arc the shock wave, hence the name 'Sidewinder'. The speed of the attack is fairly moderate, but is still hard to aim. Once the arc has been set, it can't be changed midway. Also avoidable with a correctly timed jinx or high jump.
Clay Spire - A basic ability. Does not require contact with the ground. An earthen spire rises from the surface at a blinding speed to strike the enemy. While not entirely for attack, it provides a useful substitute for an upper-cut.
Stalactite - Causes the earthen elements to form a jagged spike that descends upon the enemy. Causes greater fatigue if there is no ceiling or earth to work with, but easier to perform if there are earthen components surrounding Skyes.

Combat Style:
Skyes doesn't have a particular style, and to other hand to hand combatants, his methods may seem crude and unorganized. He places defense first, and will take a damaging hit if it means another person remains safe.

Skills
- Excels in physical strength
- Size allows Skyes to withstand a good number of blows
- Small knowledge of Earth elemental magic.
- Expertise in diversions.

Strengths:
Skyes's main advantage is his size and strength- he might not be much of a magic user, but makes up for it with brawn. He knows how to diffuse quarrels and fights easily, and often becomes the mediator of disputes.

Weaknesses:
Skyes's movements are sluggish, and he's not exactly all too flexible- others can easily run circles around him. He also can't bring himself to strike an attractive woman, allowing unneeded leeway when it comes to them.

NPC: Semyl Lowell
Gender: Female
Species: Also a mixed canine like Skyes- however, she has physical markings of a German Shepherd, making her slightly more distinguishable than her brother.
Appearance: Average height, but looks smaller when standing next to her enormous twin. She boasts a slender, powerful figure from her years of athletic cross training. Semyl travels in casual clothes, usually consisting of jeans, a shirt, and her trademark leather jacket. Bracelets adorn her wrists, and her lustrous hair is always tied back by a band.
Personality: Highly aggressive and quick to infuriate, Semyl is usually the instigator of a fight. She has the ability to rough it out with the manliest of men, and exhibits a fondness for punching things that get in her way. A fighter of speedy legs and flying knives, Semyl is not one to be messed with. Semyl is the most urbanized of the two, and where Skyes lacks in street smarts, she more than compensates for.
A fool for romantic fantasies, Semyl thinks of herself as the greatest matchmaker since Cupid, if there ever was one. She will not hesitate to join together two unsuspecting people in the hopes of kindling romance- even if one of the poor unsuspecting saps happens to be Skyes.
After all is said and done, she obviously cares a great deal for Skyes. Even if she is too 'tough' to express it most times, the two have their tender moments of brotherly and sisterly love. Through the tough exterior lies a friendly inner girl, but only her closest of allies and friends have ever seen it.
Skills: Semyl shares in her brother's elementary knowledge of elemental magic- in this case, the power of wind. While she doesn't know any offensive use for it, she can silence her steps, mask her scent, jump higher, fall great distances safely, guide thrown knives and even whisper to Skyes from meters away with her magic.
Weaknesses: Semyl is a nosy person, and any conflict that seems to be a prospective fight attracts her pugilistic side to stir some trouble. If it isn't her business, she'll make it her business- most times dragging Skyes along. To her own pleasure, she never seems to really get injured, but she fails to ever see how much her actions can hurt Skyes.
Her inability to commit to a serious life style is most reminiscent of her mother's younger days- only, Semyl hasn't grown out of the delusion of unhindered freedom to do whatever she wants.
Uses for Character: Partner Character, Storyline involvement.

[Links Tyrell]

Approved by Links and Yoli.