The Apprentices
Black Horizon follows two childhood friends Drade and Darius from the small town of Durst Ridge with aspirations to grow up to join the Royal Guard and serve with the famous General Kaidence.
But Drade’s path took a different turn when just after his twelfth birthday he discovered that twelve years prior, Elzor the court spellbinder, had travelled the country testing newborn babies for their sensitivity to magic. And now he was returning to offer him an apprenticeship as a spellbinder. An art that had been lost in Toraan since the War of the Dragon.
Drade decided to take on the apprenticeship and travelled to the Royal Palace in the capital city of New Eleanore. Where he met the nine other apprentices that Elzor had gathered, with home he would spend the next many years studying spellbinding and learning about their universe.
Drade Thatcher:
Drade grew up with difficulty connecting to other people. Not only did he suffer from general shyness with people he didn't know. But also he became infamous at school for his uncontrollable temper. A lot of the other children, especially older ones, would tease him just for the fun of provoking him. But his good friend Darius and his cousin Joanna were always there to back him up if he got into a scrap.
His relationship with his parents was strained. Especially with his father who had very anti-military sentiments and didn’t approve of Drade’s friendship with Darius. Although they all undeniably cared for each other. His parents had at first chosen not to tell him about Elzor planning to take him as an apprentice, but they found it difficult to tell him and continued putting it off, until Elzor was just days away from his visit.
Despite his difficulties with people. He goes on to form close bonds with the other apprentices, though he typically had little patience for Edi and Cuchal's antics. Due to their shared shyness and dislike of attention, he becomes especially close friends with Andriel.
Andriel:
Andriel is one of the Eriarnore. A mysterious people with aqua coloured skin, black hair, and pure black eyes. They resided in the equally mysterious stone cities of Mithak and Arthnite, located at the two highest peaks in Halidore. However Mithak was destroyed by Dracaenas during the War of the Dragon, now only Arthnite remains.
Unlike Drade, Andriel had been told from the moment she knew who Elzor was that she would be his apprentice. She grew up hearing from her parents how important she was and how proud she was going to make them. She was pressured to continuously apply to her studies and missed out on much of a social life.
Already a bit of a social outcast and with a difficulty in expressing herself. When she first left her home in Arthnite and came to New Eleanore she was taken aback by the colours and vibrancy of human cultures. Due to her shyness she was quite curt with the others. Providing short answers to their questions or just a yes or no when possible. They mistakenly took her shyness for aloofness. Even though she desperately wanted to join in on the friendships happening around her, she did not know how. However she continued to absorb Toraanim culture. Fashion, music, books, anything she could get her hands on.
It was actually Drade, realising that they both shared love for the music of Giddy Goodford, the King of Swing, that they started becoming good friends and helping her slowly open up to the others.
Lorraine Amass:
Lorraine grew up as the middle of three sisters in a family of doting parents and loving siblings who rarely fought. Her parents were a bit over protective and wanted Lorraine to have a "normal childhood", so didn't reveal Elzor's intent to take her in as an apprentice. She found out the day Elzor arrived to offer her directly when she was twelve.
Lorraine had always been incredibly gifted and keenly intelligent. She had a penchant for mathematics and before Elzor came she was dead set on attending university and studying some kind of advanced science.
She took the change of direction in her life in stride and went to spellbinding like the industrious student she always was. And of the ten she was the first to cast a spell, though the others were soon to follow. Her scientific inquisitiveness would soon come into play and she began experimenting a lot with spells. Combining her knowledge of science with her manipulation of magical energy.
She has a fairly hyperactive nature and is easily excitable, especially when talking about science. Although close friends with the other apprentices. They find that sometimes, Lorraine has to be taken in small doses.
Along with Ann, the two spellbinders have an idea of creating a school of spellbinding once they have finished their apprenticeships with Elzor.
Edi Tars:
Edi grew up in one of Toraan's most populated central cities. As such he gets along well with fellow city boy Cuchal, and feels very at home in the metropolitan capital of New Eleanore.
He was raised an only child in a fairly busy household. Both parents worked constantly, so he spent most of the time out with friends, pulling pranks and causing general mischief. Nothing too serious but he and his friends had a bit of a reputation that ranged from lovable scamps to lawless thuggish urchins depending on who was asked.
His parents had told him about Elzor's visit and that he was wanted as an apprentice when he was about ten. His decision was instant and he didn’t even comprehend why anyone would not want to live in the palace and learn to be a spellbinder. But when the time came he found it difficult to leave his family and friends behind. But he often finds himself wondering in secret if his leaving made life easier for his parents.
He gets on well with most of the apprentices but due to his nonchalant attitude and his constant pranks, he occasionally rubs the more serious apprentices like Drade, Zach, and Iseult the wrong way.
Cuchal Perileas:
Cuchal is the only apprentice to have grown up in the capital city of New Eleanore. He is pretty familiar with the palace and the surrounding area, and is usually the leader when the group ventures out of the palace. When people first meet him he seems to come off as quite antagonistic and aloof. But those that spend a lot of time with him grew to understand that it was just his humour, and the more he made fun of you, the more he liked you. After becoming fast friends with Edi, the two became the class pranksters.
The eldest in a family of three children, his parents were financially well off and Cuchal grew up often getting his way. He was also quite intelligent and observant and quickly knew how to read people and get them to do what he wanted. His parents told him about Elzor’s apprenticeship when he was nine years old. The already active chip on his shoulder only grew from then on.
Cuchal has a reputation of being the mean one of the group due to his jabbing sense of humour. Although he never purposefully goes out of his way to hurt other peoples feelings, he can sometimes take a joke a little too far, and with him and Edi egging each other on, trouble was always expected.
Ann Bath:
Ann is a PSP baby. The second youngest among four adopted siblings raised by two mothers. Their home was extremely loving and nurturing and Ann was raised to believe that being kind and true to others is among the most important things in life. Of course, honesty being part of their values, her told her about Elzor's apprenticeship as soon as she was old enough to understand. And she grew up excited for the day in which Elzor would come to take her away, but also sad that she would be leaving her home and her family that she loved dearly.
Unfortunately, some of her siblings grew jealous of her opportunity, and on the odd occasion it caused some friction and arguments. However, her home was mostly a happy one.
Due to her kind, fun, but not overly bubbly demeanour, she got on well with all the other recruits, but especially Julienne who had a similar outlook. Lorraine and Ann together had the idea of starting some kind of school of spellbinding once they completed their apprenticeships.
Lotanna Mbanefo:
Lotanna was raised in a large family. He was the oldest of six at the time he was taken to New Eleanore by Elzor, and his parents continued to have even more children after he left.
Raised in a very strict and traditional Central Katachan household. He was home schooled and only associated with other children from traditional Central Katachan families. He grew up speaking Inbebo, and only learned to speak Toraanim later in his childhood. He retains a strong accent, but can speak Toraanim fluently.
When Elzor told his parents that he wanted to offer Lotanna an apprenticeship, they were extremely hesitant. However they eventually agreed that it would be the best for the family. Lotanna himself had not really been given a choice, instead his parents told him that he would be Elzor’s apprentice when he returned.
When he first met the other apprentices, he automatically gravitated towards Lorraine, being of Central Katachan descent herself. Though he quickly discovered they had pretty much nothing else in common as she wasn't raised in the traditional manner he was and her loud excitable nature clashed with his almost stoic quiet reservation. However he does grow a close connection with Iseult as they share a similar outlook on social interaction. They can spend hours enjoying each other's company without saying a single word.
Iseult Lim:
Iseult grew up the youngest of five siblings in a small town, unable to make herself heard over her louder brothers and sisters in a household that was always shouting about something. When friends would visit they'd always comment at how everyone seems to yell at each other all the time, but the Lim children would just shrug and say that's how they are.
Iseult developed a quiet and reserved nature. When she does speak she is often snappy, concise and straight to the point, leaving little room for anyone to interrupt. She had a reputation among her group of friends as being the "stoic one".
Her grades at school were average. But more so, she had no idea what she wanted to do after graduation. So when Elzor arrived and offered her an apprenticeship, it was a huge relief and she leaped at the opportunity.
While living with the apprentices at the Royal Palace, she still retains her quiet and precise nature, and gets on the best with Lotanna due to their shared dislike of small talk.
Julienne Spires:
Julienne was raised in a tight knit North East Katachan community, though not as traditional or orthodox as the one Lotanna was raised in.
The eldest of four, Julienne went to a public school, Of all the people she knew, whether through family or school, none could say that they disliked her. She was warm, outgoing, and always had a way of connecting with everyone on some level. Usually upon meeting new people she made it a point of immediately finding shared interests, or anything they had in common.
Her parents had told her about Elzor’s apprenticeship when she was nine years old. She was so excited that she told everyone, all her family and acquaintances. Of course most people didn't believe her until Elzor came to take her to New Eleanore. It somehow became a huge event where everyone in the neighbourhood came to see if it was really him. It certainly took Elzor by surprise, but he took it in good humour.
Typical of her nature, She gets on exceptionally well with all the other apprentices, but is especially close to Ann. She often acts as mediator if she sees a fight about to break up, and is sometimes jokingly called the mother of the group.
Zach Twentley:
Zach was the third child in a family of four. His mother was a knight, and all his life he believed he was going to be squired to her and be knighted himself and have an arranged marriage, basically everything that was expected of a child of a knight. However, it was only about a week before Elzor was set to arrive that his parents told Zach about Elzor's offer.
Although the conversation was framed to Zach as his choice. His parents had clearly already made up their minds. And Zach, being raised to expect that his life choices would be dictated to him by his family, had accepted it without question. However in coming years, he would resent his real lack of choice in the matter as well as the loss of his noble status. For nobility via knighthood, and all the privileges inherent with the title are lost if they are never knighted. However despite this, he does not regret having been apprenticed to Elzor, becoming a spellbinder, and all the friends he's made along the way.
Zach is very logical minded and values rationality above all else. His straight forward manner can seem brusque at first, but he never goes out of his way to be rude, and when proved wrong, he's the first to admit it. When things turn bad, he's the first to step in take control. Quickly figuring out plans and solutions. He usually ends up being the leader when things go balls up and Elzor is not around.
Although he doesn't approve of Edi and Cuchal's pranks, he'll usually turn a blind eye as he realises there really isn't any point in trying to put a stop to their, mostly harmless, fun.
Back to Characters
Back to Black Horizon