Rinn Tourmaline (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
analyzedmagic) wrote2022-07-05 11:59 am
analyzedmagic) wrote2022-07-05 11:59 am
Background Basics
In this modern fantasy world, elves are not only real, you can find them in most places you find humans. We teach them about our technology and they teach those suited to learn about their magic. They've integrated with our own society... For the most part.
Rinn Tourmaline is an underground elf, one of the two types of elves that still do what they can to remain separate from humanity. They live beneath the earth's surface, settling where gemstones can be found. Their magic interacts most strongly with stones and metals, after all, which has allowed them to stay underground while still living comfortable lives. Most underground elves are craftsmen, and Rinn was no exception. He and his older sister both were trained in their parents' trade from a young age, making jewelry imbued with specific magical properties. It's a common trade for underground elves, but the highly traditional Tourmalines take great pride in it.
Of course, there are limits to what can be done underground, even with magic, and some things just won't grow down there no matter what. Trades are done with the surface for certain produce and related goods, but those interactions are kept professional and brief. No one really wants to be the person whose turn it is to go up... Except Rinn. A naturally curious man, he was excited to see what else was out there when the duty fell on him. He certainly didn't keep things to the point, and what he saw while exploring the surface delighted him, particularly things like electricity, technology, and science! Sure, there were things where he came from that could fill a similar role, but nothing exactly the same.
He took this new-found fascination back home, and tried to recreate as best he could what he found. But between limited resources and an even more limited understanding of these things, Rinn had little luck. In fact, it wasn't long before he was causing problems. This culminated in an explosion that left his sister with a scar and destroyed a huge gem deposit, the latter being the final straw. Rinn was cast out from his settlement, and instead of going to find other underground elves to take him in, he went up to the surface, aided in by a community of "common" elves that had long-ago integrated into human society.
He wasn't as bothered as perhaps he should have been by being outcast, especially not at first. Rinn never truly fit in with his own kind... But he misses his family. They do come up to visit him, but their nerves over doing so - and, as Rinn interprets it, over being around him - are always clear. Yet he can see they miss him too, so Rinn does feel a lot of guilt for putting his family in this position.
Rinn is currently working doing appraisals of gems and metals at a pawn shop, a job perfect for an underground elf, as well as another part-time job as a coffee shop barista. (The caffeine he has access to there is a huge help for his energy levels as he tries to learn EVERYTHING he can!) He's hoping he can save up to get an education about the science and technology he loves, because his independent studies haven't been going well... There's been a couple of fires and some minor explosions.
Rinn Tourmaline is an underground elf, one of the two types of elves that still do what they can to remain separate from humanity. They live beneath the earth's surface, settling where gemstones can be found. Their magic interacts most strongly with stones and metals, after all, which has allowed them to stay underground while still living comfortable lives. Most underground elves are craftsmen, and Rinn was no exception. He and his older sister both were trained in their parents' trade from a young age, making jewelry imbued with specific magical properties. It's a common trade for underground elves, but the highly traditional Tourmalines take great pride in it.
Of course, there are limits to what can be done underground, even with magic, and some things just won't grow down there no matter what. Trades are done with the surface for certain produce and related goods, but those interactions are kept professional and brief. No one really wants to be the person whose turn it is to go up... Except Rinn. A naturally curious man, he was excited to see what else was out there when the duty fell on him. He certainly didn't keep things to the point, and what he saw while exploring the surface delighted him, particularly things like electricity, technology, and science! Sure, there were things where he came from that could fill a similar role, but nothing exactly the same.
He took this new-found fascination back home, and tried to recreate as best he could what he found. But between limited resources and an even more limited understanding of these things, Rinn had little luck. In fact, it wasn't long before he was causing problems. This culminated in an explosion that left his sister with a scar and destroyed a huge gem deposit, the latter being the final straw. Rinn was cast out from his settlement, and instead of going to find other underground elves to take him in, he went up to the surface, aided in by a community of "common" elves that had long-ago integrated into human society.
He wasn't as bothered as perhaps he should have been by being outcast, especially not at first. Rinn never truly fit in with his own kind... But he misses his family. They do come up to visit him, but their nerves over doing so - and, as Rinn interprets it, over being around him - are always clear. Yet he can see they miss him too, so Rinn does feel a lot of guilt for putting his family in this position.
Rinn is currently working doing appraisals of gems and metals at a pawn shop, a job perfect for an underground elf, as well as another part-time job as a coffee shop barista. (The caffeine he has access to there is a huge help for his energy levels as he tries to learn EVERYTHING he can!) He's hoping he can save up to get an education about the science and technology he loves, because his independent studies haven't been going well... There's been a couple of fires and some minor explosions.