General Information: Name: Nockruka Raum Valravn, LCP PhD Age: Unknown Birthday: September 13th Gender: Male Category: Staff, Behavioral Correctional Institute [hr] Appearance Description: Human Description: Raum is capable of varying his human shape, but has not changed his external form in well over a hundred years. Raum prefers to take the equivalent form of a human male in his mid-thirties. He has an angular though strong looking jaw, a thin nose, and a face that is almost constantly showing something between disdain and disinterest. To put it simply, Raum has resting bitch face. It can make it difficult to tell what he is thinking, and though it might be a bane to his existence, Raum takes great delight in it during card games. Raum is a tall, angular man, with high cheek bones and black eyes that match his wispy, feather-like hair. He prefers to keep his hair trim and in place and in a classic men's cut. Raum is fond of clothes cut to his figure, and these include his suites and business wear that he dons for the majority of his time, although the same can be said for the fitted jeans and dark sweaters he wears when trying for a down to earth vibe. Natural Shape Description: In his true form, Raum takes the shape of a large, monstrous raven. His wings have been described as the size of the sky although this is perhaps the biggest hyperbole Raum has ever heard. Despite that, he is a large bird-thing that can be appropriately described as a giant raven. He has sharp, black feathers, piercing black eyes, a razor beak, and two sets of talons large enough to snatch a full grown man. Additionally, when Raum takes the shape of a standard raven, he is almost indistinguishable from a normal raven. [hr] Personality Description: Raum in three words: patient, curious, and conniving. Raum is a great lover of intellectual matters. He is an avid book reader and collector and maintains a large library at the Behavioral Correctional Facility. He enjoys studies of the mind and behavior and takes a great deal of delight in seeing plot and character development occur within the waking world. He especially enjoys music and takes great delight in slow, soothing songs that mirror the lullabies that he used to soothe well-behaved children. Raum carries himself with the air of a distinguished individual. His appearance of disinterest or disdain is often at odds with his real feelings; Raum is highly interested in the workings of things around him. However, he is more often the type to sit and wait to see how things progress. When he is ready to take action, it is always swift and decisive with no indication of hesitation. Raum is also a lover of valuable objects, especially if they are valuable. For this reason, he has a great many friends who are dragons and enjoys the company of those who can appreciate a sculpture, glass of wine, or good performance. Despite his appearance, Raum also takes great delight in watching wrestling, finding that it combines all the theatrics and good-vs-evil of a play with the raw, accessible energy of those who care about their craft without trying too hard. He enjoys melodramatic soap operas and comedies for this reason as well. What Raum cannot stand is disorder and disobedience. Raum is strict and a fan of schedules; the sun and moon rise and set every day and so does Raum. That does not mean he is predictable, but rather that he likes things in his place. Though Raum may appear inflexible and uncaring, he actually has a secret soft-spot for delinquents and troublemakers. He has grown interested in human behavior and helping individuals reform to live meaningful lives, finding they prove to be more interesting and satisfying when they are happy and healthy rather than a simple snack. He will often confess he can understand them due to his own youth, but Raum is a master of diverting the conversation away from himself and back to the individual. He is an attentive listener, although sometimes his focus may come across as intense or even frightening. While Raum may make frequent donations to charitable organizations supporting the arts, literature, and scholarship and early intervention programs for at-risk youth, he rarely attends publicity galas. He finds casual conversation difficult, and his intense gaze and aura untimately make many uncomfortable. Raum takes a great, childlike delight in jokes and riddles. He also enjoys arts and crafts, and occasionally runs a jewelry-making workshop at the facility as a reward for students who are reforming exceptionally well. Raum also enjoys the companionship of a lover regardless of gender or sex, although he is far too career focused and unwilling to leave his office to have anything substantial in terms of a relationship. One of Raum's biggest secrets is that he is especially grumpy in the early and mid-morning. If he is awoken before noon for an emergency, Raum is almost unreasonably angry and will often spout elaborate and vindictive threats. Telemarketers beware. [hr] Powers: Nachtkrapp Raum is a natchtkrapp, a monstrous raven that preys on misbehaving students who stay up past their bedtimes and cause other mischief. Raum has several traits unique to him as a result of his heritage. Limited Shapeshifting: Raum's natural form is that of a monstrous, raven-like creature. He is limited to shapeshifting into the form of a human, and to alter the size of his crow-shape. In his natural state, Raum is strong enough to carry multiple adults in his talons or, in some occasions, but stuffing them into a special bag. While this does not limit his flying ability initially, Raum will eventually tire. He tends to only carry multiple individuals if he is returning to his rook. Magical Presence, Voice: Something about Raum seems to radiate power. He casts a striking presence and can easily command the room. However, Raum's effect on others depends both on the individual and their level of misbehavior. Someone who causes trouble, misbehaves, or generally causes ill-will and malice may find themselves uncomfortable around Raum at best and face uncontrollable terror at worst. Demons in particular seem to be uneasy around him, and those who committed crimes for which they have not atoned are often unable to carry a conversation. At it's most powerful, Raum can paralyze someone from fear alone. Counter to this, individuals who are kind, considerate, or want to reform will generally find Raum a very soothing and mellow individual. He will show them considerable kindness and share with them his fondness for lullabies. Unfortunately, he is so soothing that if left unchecked, his presence might put someone to sleep. Raum has to be within a distance to be sensed by the individual for this power to be effective. For most humans, it's when they can conceivably perceive Raum with any of their senses. Magical or supernatural creatures might be able to perceive him far sooner than another human, and this may even work to Raum's disadvantage as he cannot easily hide his presence (although it's hard to argue that he wants to). Nocturnally Bound: Though Raum is exceptionally powerful, his abilities are only at their most powerful from sunset to sunrise. His passive abilities are still in affect, although weakened, and indeed even his passive abilities are nonexistent when Raum is asleep. Generally speaking, Raum must pick a single shape during the daytime; his natural shape is the easiest to maintain, though he is heavily limited in his ability to carry multiple people during the daylight hours. None of Raum's Magical Abilities (below) are able to be used during daylight hours. The exception to this is in Raum's Spirit World*. Magical Abilities: Shaman or Witchcraft-like Skills: Please note: The powers listed below are more for reference; I do not intent to RP these without seeking prior staff approval and for very specific plots. Raum is capable of wielding a great deal of magic, although he has not had a need to in many years and is honestly quite bored with the whole magic deal so he cannot foresee any reason to use these powers in the near future. His Presence and Voice have given him great success in neutralizing the powers of the misbehaving students at the Behavioral Corrections Facility and Raum has not attempted to use his powers in over a hundred years. Those who can sense auras will be able to tell that Raum was once something greater than a boogeyman, something closer to a creator god.....although one that has been retired for a great deal of time Raum gains strength through eating the hearts and flesh of kings, warriors, and delinquents. [hr] Biography: Raum is old like the island is old. He has been called many things in his time: a creator, a destroyer, an eater-of-kings, a demon, a bogeyman to scare children. All of these are Raum, and none of these are Raum. Raum will reveal few, and often contradicting, details about his past. He has told so many stories that it is possible that Raum no longer remember which version is true, but he does know that he was born sometime in the old world that would become Eastern Europe, and that he has always had a fondness for the Manta Carlos Islands. In particular, Raum used to roost on the Northwest Islet. He was attracted to it due to rumors of an old and powerful magic nestled somewhere on the island, but in truth, it was the harsh rock shores and jutting peaks that appealed to him. Few braved the island and those that did were of great interest. Indeed, it meant that few that Raum brought to the island were able to escape. As a nachtkrapp, Raum ate more than his share of misbehaving children, but eventually Raum grew less interested in the behavior itself and more interested in the reasons and motives behind the behavior. Over the course of several decades, Raum developed a keen interest in psychology and behaviorism. He has been influential in seeing that psychology courses, on both human and non-human psychology, remain available and occasionally offers a partial scholarship to a misbehaving student to change his ways. When the Behavioral Corrections Institute was built, Raum did not abandon his roost. He simply applied for a job, finding his skills and abilities well suited to reforming the misbehaving of the academy. Raum prefers to oversee things, handling the paperwork, working on the wards, and things of the more administrative nature, but he will still take on clients or kidnap detain misbehaving students if someone peaks his interest. Whether or not he's eaten any since the school was founded...well, that's a whole other issue entirely. [hr] Additional Information: Raum works at the Behavioral Corrections Facility. He has not ventured away from the islet for some time, preferring to have goods shipped to him, though recent events have made him interested in returning to the main island for supplies and goods. The magical bag Raum carries with him is essentially a bag of holding. Raum is also quite wealthy and has a multitude of items, magical and mundane, stashed somewhere on the Northwest Islet. Origin Explanation: