TRIHAN'S PROFILE

The Orb of Souls
A powerful artifact capable of separating a being's soul from its body and trapping it indefinitely, or until the user chooses to reunite them. Its history is oft-questioned, but there have been enough records of its use to more-or-less confirm its existence.

Timeline
1000 years ago - Alleged creation of the Orb. Serpentalis believes it to be a manifestation of the Eye of the Creator, and subsequently they think there is a twin to it that has the power to permanently fuse a soul to a shell (effectively making the user immortal). Zodiac, on the other hand, believes it to be a pearl gifted to Virgo from Cancer that fell to the land plane of Gidaria. Why Cancer did not retrieve it at the time is a question the High Prelates have never deigned to answer.
980 years ago - First semi-believable recording of the Orb's use in combat. Yorlach the Bloody brought a swift end to the War of the Five Tragedies (and caused the fifth tragedy that gave the war its eventual name) by tearing out the soul of the enemy commander in front of his troops. This brutal act caused the unconditional surrender of the surviving forces, but they were all slaughtered regardless.
520 years ago - The whereabouts of the Orb in the intravening 460 years is unknown to all and speculated by few, but an archaic journal discovered in some ruins near Carafax reveals that at this time the Orb came into the possession of Jik, an imp of small intelligence and smaller temper. The journal, that of one Burkin--a talentless wandering spellcrafter--says that he was fortunate enough to fish up the Orb one day, at the time having no idea as to its purpose or power. He lost it to Jik in a game of chance, much to his chagrin. The few pages after this entry detail a horrific bloodbath when Jik went on a rampage and nearly shattered the orb by trying to pull out more souls than it could hold. The crack it sustained diminished its power; it could now only remove emotions from the target rather than their entire soul.
300 years ago - After another 220 years a military report stated outright that the Orb was responsible for a spate of "deaths" which were plaguing Darkriver. It was initially a mystery as the victims were still breathing, but possessed no emotions. Burkin's journal was submitted as evidence to support the claim. A hunt began to find and destroy the Orb before it could be used for further harm.
250 years ago - It took 50 years, but finally the Orb was found in the possession of Cafrim, who was at the time Arch-Chancellor of Carafax's Spellcrafting Academy. The first known person who kept the Orb as a collector's item rather than doing harm with it. Despite his benevolent use of the artifact, it was wrested from his grasp and destroyed in a public ceremony.
100 years ago - Strange reports began to surface about Cafrim's extraordinary longevity. Although his records were highly confidential, it was getting more difficult to hide the fact that he was more than a century old. When confronted, it finally came to light that Serpentalis had been correct in their belief; the Orb had a twin which Cafrim had used to become immortal. It was deemed a heretical object and ordered destroyed, but no one could locate it and Cafrim would not divulge its location. As he could not be killed, the death penalty could not be enforced. Cafrim was instead sentenced to eternal imprisonment in the Black Cells, a dread prison from which no one had ever emerged alive.
20 years ago - Now nearing his two-hundredth century of life, Cafrim shocked the world by writing a biography of his exploits during the years before his incarceration. This drew the attention of several scholars, who visited his cell in droves to interview him about the revelations he had penned. One such visitor, Madriol Garamon, became a renowned spellcrafter of unparalleled power after speaking with Cafrim. Rumour abounds that he was chosen to be the successor of the Immortality Orb as Cafrim no longer wanted to be bound to his weak, frail mortal shell.
Present day - The rumours of Cafrim grooming Madriol as his successor seem to hold water; Cafrim died three days ago, and no one alive believes he would end his immortality without passing on the secret of the Orb's location. Gidaria's child emperor, at the behest of his cabinet of advisors, wishes to interrogate Madriol, but this is made difficult by the fact that Madriol's reputation and philanthropic gestures had previously afforded him a declaration of diplomatic immunity in such matters.

1. Sebastian Kennedy
A middle-aged man, well preserved by expensive plastic surgery to retain the looks of his youth.
Sebastian was born into a rich family and started playing the stock market at the age of 16, like his father. The investment system his father developed has paid dividends and his lifestyle reflects this; Sebastian is used to only the very best, but his opulence has lost him the few friends he had and despite his fortune he's a bitterly lonely man.

1. Melina Millhouse
A blue-eyed mousy brunette with overlarge glasses and no fashion sense.
From the moment she was old enough to hold a mouse, Melina was in love with technology and all things geek. She is often teased for the glasses she wears, but nobody really seems to notice that without them she's quite an attractive girl. She has a boyfriend, but it isn't serious and he isn't really into "that geek stuff". She longs to someday find someone with whom she can enjoy intellectual conversations.