Name: Shafyd (given name)
Age: 19
Gender: Cis Male
Appearance: Shafyd is of average height and build for a common human of the Million Worlds. His face is square-shaped with a strong, aquiline nose and large, dark eyes beneath a shag of gently curling hazelnut hair. The features of Shafyd's face are otherwise sharp, due in large part to his water-scarce life in the deserts of Som-Babda. Shafyd's skin is a medium bronze hue with a slightly leathery texture from countless long days beneath the scorching sun. His normal attire consists of sandals and a light tunic, over which he wears a long, sand-eaten, white robe that offers his body and face protection from the harsh rays of the sun.
Personality: Shafyd, while fond of playful banter, has learned to err on the side of caution with most people. His magical abilities put many from his homeworld on edge when in his presence and teasing rarely acted to lessen their nerves. As such, Shafyd is exceedingly polite and strategically complimentary—though not disingenuously—when speaking with anyone but his closest friends; of which there are admittedly few. Regardless of the suspicion often cast upon him by his people, Shafyd endeavors to be kind and trusting whenever common sense allows.
Homeworld: Shafyd hails from a vast desert region on one of the many nameless planets on the fringes of the Million Worlds. To the people of this desert region, their home is known as Som-Babda, or, loosely, "the Place Between Horizons." The human population of Som-Babda is sparse. Most live either in small settlements around oases and desert wells or in nomadic communities that herd large sheep-sized insects similar to silkworms.
Backstory: Shafyd was born in a small town deep in the deserts of Som-Babda. Shafyd was born on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and was the fifth child of his parents. 555 is considered an unlucky number in much of Som-Babda. Supposed reasons for this unluckiness range from its similar sound to the word for "drought" in Dhes, the most commonly spoken language in Som-Babda, to the fact that a five-syllable word with a stressed fifth syllable would not fit anywhere in a traditional Som-Babdaan narrative poem except for the end of the fifth stanza which generally describes a moment of great sorrow. The definite reason for the association is lost to time though. But, thanks to this unluckiness, Shafyd was given up to the aged mystic of a nomad tribe. The old woman saw magical potential in the infant Shafyd and took him under her wing.
Style/Form: Shafyd practices his magic primarily through reading a set of carved knuckle bones taken from a species of long-legged, predatory weasels native to Som-Babda. He also carries a small metal amulet made from the broken tip of a knife which he uses in a similar manner to a dowsing rod. Shafyd practices divination through the movements of animals as well. All of Shafyd's divined knowledge comes to him more as a vague understanding or awareness rather than clear, definite information.
Affinity/Focus: Shafyd's only practiced magic before coming to the Celestial University was divination. Importantly, Shafyd is currently incapable of reading the future, only being able to divine information about the present or past. As well, the more closely guarded a piece of information, the more difficult it is for Shafyd to uncover. At present, Shafyd has trouble even divining a long-held secret on his own.
Other Skills & Interests: Skilled preparer of tea (by Som-Babdaan tastes), Amateur horticulturist, has a nice singing voice
Pet: Shafyd brought no pet with him but is very fond of animals and can even practice a basic level of communication with them through his divinations.