Professor Lysandre Marival
Professor Lysandre Marival — The Wavecatcher of Ossirian Deep
Title / Role: Lead Talent Scout & Magical Outreach Coordinator, Ossirian Deep Academy
Appearance & Reputation:
Lysandre is a striking figure, tall and lithe, with aquamarine robes trimmed in flowing silver threads that shimmer like moving water. His hair is the color of wet sand at dawn, streaked with teal highlights, and he carries a signature staff shaped like a cresting wave. Everywhere he goes, water seems to ripple faintly at his feet, and students whisper that he “rides the mana like a surfboard.”
Within the academy, he is both adored and slightly feared. Faculty joke that he “treats his duties like a concert,” performing demonstrations and making every lesson a spectacle — yet those who underestimate him in magical contests quickly regret it. His flashy movement spells are renowned, a combination of instinct, talent, and sheer audacity. He graduated top of his class at Ossirian Deep, a feat made more impressive by his deliberate choice to avoid fraternities, carving his own path instead.
Personality / Governing Philosophy:
Lysandre is eccentric, playful, and theatrical, believing that magic must feel alive before a child can truly wield it. When traveling to the MortalKin to find new students, he might sing in marketplaces, dance on rooftops, or stage illusions of water sprites to prove that magic exists. His charm is irresistible to children, and even skeptical parents can’t help but be drawn in. Despite his flair for fun, he is fiercely serious about talent and potential; no one graduates from his hands without demonstrating true skill and creativity.
He believes that joy and wonder are the keys to unlocking latent mana, often stating, “Fear teaches caution, but excitement teaches mastery.” Those he recruits rarely forget the experience — sometimes more vivid than the first spell they ever cast.
Signature Conduit / Spell:
Lysandre wields a Water Conduit Staff shaped like a curling wave, allowing him to bend currents, summon water constructs, and glide over the surfaces of oceans or rivers as if surfing. Among his innovations are spells such as Aqua Pirouette — a combination movement and attack spell that spins him in water or mana currents, striking with precision — and Tidal Mirage, creating illusions that flow and ripple with the movement of the caster. His combat style is fluid, dynamic, and breathtaking to watch.
Relationship with the Academy & King:
Though not part of a fraternity, Lysandre enjoys warm relations with most faculty and maintains a professional respect for the King, even if he openly mocks the monarch’s pomposity behind closed doors. His work in scouting ensures a constant influx of new mana-born students, making him indispensable. Some Lords grumble that his methods are too playful, but every year, he returns with prodigies who astonish even the Upperclassmen.
Quote:
“Magic isn’t something you read about or fear — it’s something you dance with, sing to, and ride like a wave.”
Recruitment Missions of Professor Lysandre Marival
Overview:
Lysandre’s role is not just administrative; he is the face of magic to the mundane world. His mission is to find children who exhibit signs of latent mana — those rare sparks that hint at extraordinary potential. To do this, he travels far and wide across MortalKin lands, from bustling cities to sleepy villages, deserts to forests, always leaving traces of wonder in his wake.
Unlike the serious, cloaked emissaries of other academies, Lysandre approaches recruitment as performance and play, believing that awe and joy awaken latent magic faster than lectures or tests. A child’s first encounter with him often feels like stepping into a dream.
🔹 Methods & Style
Lysandre’s techniques are as theatrical as they are effective:
Street Performances & Spontaneous Concerts: In marketplaces or town squares, Lysandre might suddenly begin singing, his voice resonant and enchanting. As he moves through the crowd, subtle illusions ripple around him — tiny water sprites, glowing runes, or shimmering waves — hinting at the reality of magic. Children instinctively watch, curious and captivated, while adults are often drawn in, too.
Playful Challenges: Rather than traditional tests, he sets small challenges that reveal innate magical ability. A child might be asked to mimic a simple wave pattern in the air, or react to a floating riddle of mana. He rarely explains fully; he observes how imagination and instinct guide the potential caster.
Movement & Spectacle: True to his Water affinity, Lysandre often uses his signature surfing and movement spells during recruitment. He may glide over rivers, leap from rooftops riding mana currents, or spin mid-air on whirling tidal constructs. Children rarely forget the sense of wonder that accompanies these displays — and those with innate mana often instinctively interact with him, unintentionally revealing their potential.
Illusions & Storytelling: Lysandre tells stories about the Ossirian Deep as if it were a legend, but subtly demonstrates magic in ways that children cannot ignore. A “flying fish” may swirl around their feet and answer questions, or a tiny tidal wave may form to illustrate a point — harmless, playful, but undeniably magical.
🔹 Assessment & Recruitment
After observation, Lysandre identifies promising candidates:
Natural Talent: Children who instinctively manipulate mana, interact with illusions, or perform small feats of elemental control.
Creativity & Imagination: Beyond raw power, Lysandre values originality — a child who approaches problems in unexpected ways shows true potential.
Courage & Curiosity: Those who chase the magic, question it, and engage fully are the ones he invites; fear and skepticism can be nurtured but are considered lower-tier traits for recruitment.
Promising children are offered admission to Ossirian Deep on the spot. For families skeptical of magic, Lysandre provides living demonstrations — sometimes in the form of a small duel or enchanted performance — to convince them that the academy is real and safe.
🔹 Signature Recruitment Tales
The Desert Oasis Discovery: In the outskirts of Nivaris, Lysandre performed a “singing storm” over a small oasis, creating floating water glyphs that danced to his voice. A young girl instinctively summoned a protective water dome in response — the first spell anyone in her village had ever seen. She now trains under him in the Commons Track.
Market Mirage in Verdalis: A street illusion of a tidal fish parade lured a group of children into interacting with ambient mana currents. One boy, entirely unaware of his Water core, walked through the illusion, unintentionally shaping the currents to his will. Lysandre clapped loudly, inviting him to Ossirian Deep that evening.
The Rooftop Surfing Lesson: In a coastal port, Lysandre leaped onto a mana wave above the docks, spinning and singing in mid-air. Children followed him instinctively, some landing safely, some tumbling — but one young prodigy rode the wave flawlessly, revealing raw potential. Lysandre’s grin was wide: “You ride reality itself — welcome to Ossirian Deep.”
🔹 Reputation Among Mortalkin & Wizards
To MortalKin, Lysandre is a fabled eccentric: a singing magician who “rides water like wind” and appears in markets and fairs at the oddest times. Many whisper that he is not quite sane, though all agree his displays are undeniably real.
Among wizards, he is admired and sometimes envied. His performances are considered dazzling, but his magic is not to be underestimated — flashy movement spells, intricate water manipulation, and his improvisational prowess in combat make him dangerous if provoked. Fellow faculty joke that “he turns recruitment into a cabaret, and still wins every duel.”
Quote:
“Magic is not a secret you hide — it’s a story you sing, a dance you perform, and a wave you ride straight into the heart of a child’s imagination.”