Application - The Box

[knightfalls]

Player Information
Player name: mi
Contact: derpturk@gmail.com ; legions
Are you over 18: Yes.
Characters in The Box Already: N/A

Character Information
Character Name: Mordred
Canon: BBC's Merlin
Canon Point: Post 5.10 "The Kindness of Strangers"
Is your character Dead, Undead or Alive: Alive. For now.
History: Here.
Personality:

Smile. It confuses people.

Mordred is an enigma, a young man who is capable of great loyalty and hope for the future, but who is destined to ultimately becomes a resigned traitor. As a boy he was quiet and fearful, and preferred to use the telepathy that only those with magic could hear rather than his actual voice. He seemed nothing like the danger that he was foretold to be, and it's for that reason that Merlin helped him escape Camelot in spite of those warnings. Even as a child, he showed the sort of loyalty that he was capable of when he wanted to take care of Morgana in the druid camp the way that she had once cared for him. But it's also as a child that his darker side first appeared, when he swore that he would neither forgive nor forget a transgression against him. He also proved himself to be quite powerful where magic was concerned, already capable of tossing grown men aside with his magic.

So it's no wonder that Merlin was wary of him when he reappeared several years later. Mordred had grown into a young man with some authority over the others around him, and whose soft smiles and glances revealed nothing of what his intentions might be. He is ever quiet and observant in all that he does, watching what's going on around him while rarely giving away his own thoughts. With Mordred, you never feel entirely sure of what he's going to do before he acts. It was a surprising twist when he chose Arthur over Morgana, and saved the king from her. The love that binds us is more important than the power we wield. This was the reason he gave for it. Mordred had embraced the idea that hatred could never succeed.

As a knight of Camelot, Mordred has shown himself to be skilled with sword, seeming to rely solely on it instead of his magic. He once says that his life hasn't been easy, and that even some of the people who support sorcery still fear it. For these reasons and the death sentence that it all but guarantees, Mordred has learned to hide who he truly is. But he's still eager to prove himself in other ways and and pleased when he does. Mordred balances confidence with modesty, and is perhaps the most soft-spoken of all the knights. But he is also still young and a touch gullible. That made him good sport for pranks and teasing on his earliest rides out with the other knights, but Mordred never lost his temper for it. He reveled in their brotherhood and is known as a likable young man, trusted by all but Merlin. He proves himself to be loyal to his king over and over again, and risked his life for Arthur's in the cave of the Disir. But the fact that he didn't die as a result became a sort of proof that he was to play some role in Arthur's demise after all.

The bond between Mordred and Merlin is a strained one to say the least. They are bound by secrets, as both of them possess a magic that's forbidden in Camelot. He also keeps to some of the old ways and holds compassion in his heart, admitting that he would've done the same when Merlin gave a sorcerer a marked grave. Mordred even claimed to admire Merlin. He's aware of the sorcerer's distrust of him, but he continued to try to prove himself to the servant. He is patient and humble, and looks for the good in others and the purity of their reasons. He chooses to remain idealistic even when it isn't easy to. Mordred repeatedly expresses hope for the future, for "one day", and talks openly of his faith in Arthur. It seems that in spite of his boyhood warning, he has learned to forgive.

In the end, Mordred seems to be right about love being the most powerful force, for it is love and the loss of it that will ultimately lead him to betray all that he tried to prove himself worthy of. But even then, he surrenders to heartbreak and anger only after he's exhausted all other options, confessing and all but begging Arthur for mercy on Kara's behalf and later resisting her urging to kill the knights who were his friends. Before he becomes a pawn of destiny, he is a knight through and through.

Abilities/Strengths and Weaknesses:

Sword - Mordred is also quite skilled with a blade, with a natural talent that was fortified by his training as a knight of Camelot. Arthur even trained and encouraged him personally, believing that would one day be among his finest.

& Sorcery - Mordred is a druid and a sorcerer skilled with magic, which at its most basic seems to be a powerful form of telekinesis. With it he can move objects or toss enemies away from him. He also speak telepathically with others who have magic.

The series is a bit vague about the exact details of Mordred's magic. He was raised by the Druids, peaceful people who are known for being tied to nature and magic itself, which they used for good. Mordred's magic is arguably some of the strongest in the series, since a thief steals the Crystal of Neahtid (which can tell the past, present, and future) believing that Mordred is one of the few who can use it - and this was while he was still a child.

As an adult, it's clear that Mordred isn't on par with Merlin or Morgana, and even tells her during a confrontation that he isn't strong enough to defeat her. He uses magic more like a raw force of nature, a telekinetic force rather than spells and incantations. At his current canon point, his biggest limitation is himself and his unwillingness to actually use it anymore. He doesn't want to be discovered, feared, or used. Instead of using his magic secretly the way that Merlin does, he seems to not want to use it at all and relies on the sword instead. The only time he does use it prior to his betrayal is to throw Morgana back when he catches her off guard. His magic does seem to be tied to his emotions, especially grief, and may not be as controllable then.

"Your naivety would be charming if it wasn't so dangerous."- Mordred's greatest weakness is perhaps his youth and his idealism, as well as his willingness to seek out the good in people where it might not exist.

Samples
First Person Sample: Links from the Test Drive

Third Person Sample:

There is sorcery at work here. Mordred is sure of nothing but that, even though this doesn't entirely feel like any magic that he's ever known. But if feels real, and not a dream, so sorcery is the only answer. Could Morgana have gotten this strong when hatred has made her heart so weak? The fear and dread rises up in him at the very thought of it.

The room smells as strange as it looks. It's like a cross between the court physician's chambers and the armory, all medicine and steel. Mordred starts looking around for his own sword before he's even out of bed, fearing that he might need it for whatever or whoever's waiting outside that door. But there's no weapon, only linens and pillows and that strange bed made out of metal.

The decision to use magic if he must is a reluctant one. Mordred takes a breath, raising his hand in front of him as he walks towards the only way out. But he finds nothing on the other side of the door. The young knight begins to creep along the hospital hallways, keeping close to the wall and halting at every sound or scurry. All that he sees is more and more things that he doesn't understand, lacks even the language for.

"Arthur?" It takes him longer than most to break his silence. But he calls out for his king first, concerned for him above all else. That Arthur doesn't call back is Mordred's first reassurance. He'd much rather him be safe back in Camelot then in this strange place. The names of his fellow nights follow. Their company, on the other hand, he wouldn't turn down. But again, there's nothing.

There's one last name, and Mordred hesitates before speaking it. With all the distrust that he seems to have of him, Mordred wouldn't swear that he wasn't behind this, trapping him here for whatever reasons he has. But if he was here as well, Mordred can think of no one more determined or capable of escaping.

"Merlin?"

He's alone, just as he's been before. And like before, Mordred knows that he must learn, hide, and survive.