Marick Lowell

Face Claim: Luxord - Kingdom Hearts


Name:
Marick Lowell (formerly Solitaire IX)
Gender:
Male
Age:
33
Birthday:
13th December
Sexuality:
Straight

Special Characteristics:
Marick has numerous tattoos on his body. One is a pair of joker cards on his left bicep, then a pair of red dice on the tricep. On his right bicep is an image of the 4 Aces, in order of Spades, Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds. His right tricep is currently untouched. Across his collarbone are the words ‘Dice With Death’ in thick black gothic lettering.

Marick also has numerous piercings in his ears including three rings at the top of his left ear and a stud in his left earlobe. All of them are platinum in colour.

Personality:

Relaxed. This is the first thing one would think of if asked about Marick. He takes everything at his own pace and will not let anyone rush him into making any decision. This is perhaps down to the training he received from the late Solitaire VIII as much as due to his own general personality. Some have also referred to Marick as being knowledgeable. He is always up to date on the goings-on in Fiore and of many of the wizards within it.

He often views life in the same sense as a game of cards. Every move you make has a ripple effect on everything around it, and can make the difference between leaving this world on a high, or having everything crumble around you. This is a view that he follows in most of what he does, from jobs to making friends. The right decisions can springboard you into a better life. The wrong decisions will just hold you back

Marick fancies himself as a bit of a ladies’ man, particularly when he’s been drinking, something which has become more of a habit and progressively more of a nuisance, as this is something he’s trying to cut out. Despite his constant increase of ex-girlfriends and one-night stands he’s actually only looking for someone who will look out for him as much as he’d look out for them. Of course, given how he pretty much resides in the local pub, the chances of finding said person are considerably more slim than if he were to be part of a guild or other establishment.

The thing that strikes people the most though is how, despite being a heavy drinker and an incredible gambler, Marick is incredibly polite, and he gives off an aura of confidence. He is also rather well-spoken, stringing a sentence together far better than many of the other, more gruff guildless mercenaries he’s worked with in the past. He speaks in a tone that is almost always friendly (and in the case of women, flirtatious and seductive) regardless of how another person may be conversing with him. He will never speak ill of anyone behind their backs, and is more than willing to inform someone if he dislikes something about them. In his own words ‘I don’t ‘hate’ or ‘dislike’ anybody, I simply dislike certain aspects of one’s personality.’ One of the things he dislikes just so happens to be the Magic Council. He feels as if guildless mages and mercenaries are tarred with the same brush as Dark Mages, a judgmental and prejudiced view that he strongly disagrees with. He also feels as if the Magic Council spends more time watching its own back than helping out the people of Fiore, something he himself does on a regular basis.

As far as mercenaries go, Marick is perhaps one of the most versatile. He is more than capable of working alone, and actually enjoys the challenge of taking on a large group of enemies with just his own magic. As part of a team however Marick becomes even more dangerous. He has a tendency to take the role as leader - perhaps a sub-conscious thing relating to his desire to run a guild - and works as both an attacker and as a supporter as and when needed, rather than playing just one role in battle. This versatility has given Marick a regular income through constant flow of jobs coming his way, something he takes pride in and enjoys doing.

If he truly trusts someone then Marick makes himself a sworn ally, ensuring that he is able to assist said person on a job at a moment’s notice. This takes some time to achieve though. For those he has befriended, he will be more than happy to work with them on any job they wish so long as the payment is split fairly and he’s given enough notice beforehand. While he may not have any real ‘friends’ at this point in time, he certainly has more than enough acquaintances and allies to work with out on the field.

Although he is usually seen as just a card player/money swindler, Marick is more than capable of holding his own in a fight. His physique and training ensures he is able to hold his own against even larger threats, something that has come in useful when his habits come back to haunt him. Regardless of how his opponents may act he will try his best to fight with respect and courtesy up to a point. If thst line is crossed though then he will snap just like any other human being, become more unpredictable and more malicious. He has a tendency to refer to younger wizards as a 'kid' during combat, almost as if he doesn't take them seriously. However this is actually to draw out their magical power so he can gauge just how powerful they can be so that he can act accordingly.

However the thing that he prides himself on the most is his magical ability. He was born with a massive amount of magical power flowing through him, but was frustrated when he couldn’t figure out how to use it. It was at the age of 10 that he was taken in by Solitaire VIII, who could feel the power he was radiating and recognised it as a perfect candidate for the Solitaire magic. Marick learned a lot from his master beyond just magic. He learned etiquette, technique, social skills, how to defend himself and numerous life skills that he would need in order to survive alone when the time came. When his master died he left Marick with a book that held the knowledge of the greatest Solitaire spell. Upon receiving this book he went into a year of seclusion in order to learn it. While he lacked the ability to bring forth massive amounts of power and not drain himself, he eventually learned to use it to a basic level. However he has vowed never to use it until he has reached a level above all other Solitaire before him.

Now after 23 years he has mastered almost all of the Solitaire magic, although there is some magic he cannot use effectively yet due to the amount of magical energy it uses up. Over time he hopes to increase is wizarding rank and thus his ability to cast more powerful magic.

Likes:
- Gambling. As a result of him being a former Solitaire he is a very talented card player with very few who can compare to him...fairly anyway.

- Alcohol. No wife, no kids, nothing to really worry about but himself. Alcohol is the perfect way to wind down after a long job. Beer is best, but he does like a nice glass of wine from time to time.

- Kyll Vie. The Eclipse Soul Ace caught Marick's attention and now he has found himself smitten by the woman. For the first time in his life he's found a woman he wants to be with and stay with, and he likes that.

- Working. Perhaps it’s boredom or maybe he’s just a workaholic, he just loves to go out and do jobs. Whatever the case it brings money in for beer…oh wait, maybe that’s why?

- Master Zeno of Eclipse Soul. His master had a lot of respect for the ES Master, which has rubbed off on him. He holds Master Zeno in high regard as a Card user, even if the magic stems from another area within the card playing realm.

Dislikes:
- Coffee. The taste is foul and the buzz doesn’t last long enough to keep him going through the day.

- Impolite trash. If you’re not gonna be respectful towards people then just keep your mouth shut.

- The Magic Council. He feels they are mostly a selfish group of mages who are immediately prejudiced against those who are not affiliated with a legal guild.

- Cheaters. If you’re gonna lose then accept it. You’re only cheating yourself if you decide to play with dirty or illegal tactics.

- Showing his emotions. He’s always seen as a tough, friendly, jokey character or as a fearsome, powerful figure, so he hates for others to see him when he’s down or upset.

- Clingy women. He’s had more than his fair share of women who just won’t leave him alone no matter what he does.

- His previous lifestyle. The life of cards, booze and women on each arm has lost its appeal over time.


Motivations:
- To one day become a Guild Master. This was the ambition of his own master who passed away before achieving it. Marick has taken this ambition on himself in his master’s memory.

- To become the ultimate card player. He’s good, but he always strives to be better. To be the best.

- To find someone to settle down with. While his current lifestyle is amazing he is aware that this won’t last forever. He’s also beginning to feel lonely.

- To create a new, more powerful Solitaire spell to bring forth a new era to Solitaire magic.

- To find the next Solitaire. There can only be one Solitaire, who then passes the title down to their student either when they retire or when they die (usually the latter). Without an heir the Solitaire lineage will collapse.

Fears:
- Being lonely for the remainder of his life.

- Not finding a student to replace him once he passes on.

- Failing his master. He was a scary old codger, and god only knows how much worse he is in the afterlife.

- Failing his friends. He prides himself on being able to achieve anything for his friends, so to fail them would be soul destroying.

- Losing his magic. Without his magic he’d have nothing really to live for right now.


General Appearance


Height:
6’2”
Weight:
165lbs
Hair:
Platinum blond and kept short and slicked back. If allowed to grow long it can grow in two different ways. The first is a scraggly look that makes him look younger. The second is when his hair grows fairly straight, giving him a suprisingly regal look. He hates both of them.
Eyes:
Electric Blue
Skin Tone:
Pale

Appearance:
Marick looks mostly youthful with the exception of his platinum blond goatee, something he decided to keep following his seclusion from the world as a reminder of the knowledge he'd learned in that time even despite his change in hair colour following his near-death experience.

His clothing of choice is usually rather simple. He wears a black leather jacket, black trousers held up by a thick brown belt and thick black boots. Beneath his coat he is usually seen wearing a simple white shirt, half buttoned allowing for his tattoo to be somewhat visible on his collarbone.


Guild/Council

Guild:
Sabertooth
Tattoo:
The left side of his neck in black.
Rank:
B