OOC required:
Name: BB
Over 18? yes
Contact: Discord or dropbox

IC Required:
General
Name: Professor James Henry Blackstone
Age/DOB: 42 / November 20th, 1877
Apparent Age: late 30's early 40's.
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Marital Status: Widowed

Species
Species: Sorcerer
Type: Illusionist
Tier: Four
Focus: N/a

Powers: Herbs, magic and alchemical ingredients are used to create potions of various kinds. With the aid of 'modern' scientific methods and equipment Blackstone has refined his craft down to a bit more streamlined process. Gone are the bubbling cauldrons, dark robes and unholy chanting. In their stead James uses proper glass beakers/vials, bunsen burners and a lab coat. The sorcerer still has a decent collection of spell books on hand; that he has gone to great length to acquire and protect. Yet the man refers to them as recipes, and not spells. Favoring to view the process through a more clinical lens. When it comes to casting actual spells though even Blackstone is not beyond citing arcane words of power or weaving somatic patterns with his cane to manifest the spell he is trying to invoke. During his shows James tends to already have a handful of minor illusion spells woven in advance; to summon the occasional cloud of glowing ethereal butterflies from his hat, or to produce the visual affect of a breathtaking starry sky on the ceiling of his tent. Even using his pipe to blow smoke that briefly takes the form of a smoke cloud shaped like mythical creatures, such as unicorns or dragons, before the smoke and illusion waft away in the breeze.

The illusionist favors creating 'potions' that alter or toy with the basic five senses. Selling 'love draughts', 'hex bags' and other trinkets...all of which use illusion magic to alter the perception of those that use his wares. (i.e; making someone more appealing by magically enhancing their natural pheromones, creating a curse that leaves a faint by constant annoying ringing in someone's ear until they snap, wind chimes that sounds like softly falling rain, handkerchiefs that smell of fresh wild flowers or baked goods, or even a foul smelling concoction that repulses those that catch a whiff of it.)

Zion
Job: Illusionist/Performer/'Merchant' of potions and charms. His tent is called "Professor Blackstone's Tent of Prestidigitation and Paranormal Oddities".

Job Details: Juggler, 'magician', performs various tricks and illusions to entertain the crowds. Has a tent filled with glass jars containing all manner of strange things. Some real, some fake, some illusions. He even sprinkles in a few simple spells into his act; like making a small cloud of glowing butterflies appear out of his hat, or having his pipe smoke take the shape of a unicorn for a moment before it disappears. After the show James sells potions and enspelled trinkets to customers. Some fake, some real.

Month/year joined Zion: July 1908

Details
Personality: Some call him dour, others call him loquacious, yet none can deny that James Henry Blackstone is ever boring. Well, technically speaking, plenty can actually make that claim. Still such insidious and slanderous remarks are often best ignored. Truth be told the 'professor' is a somewhat reclusive and solitary man; favoring the company of a good cup of tea, and his books, to having actual guests over to entertain. Despite his somewhat withdrawn nature though the sorcerer never fails to dazzle and astound all the customers that step into his tent of oddities and 'magic' wonders. Between shows, and towns, though the illusionist has been known to grow a tad...mercurial. Even rarely being found after hours, indulging in a little spell or two, that let the man slip away from the dreary world. Away from reality itself, and into a far more colorful and beautiful illusory realm found only in his own mind.

While such episodes are few and far in between, mostly only occurring around the anniversary of his wife's death, the sorcerer takes to magics during these depressing times like a drunkard takes to the bottle. When not struggling with the metaphorical demons though James tends to be a warm and earnest individual. Rarely offering any unkind words, or displaying any real trace of anger. Only when a townie threatens the well being of his fellow carnival folk does Blackstone's wrath slip to the surface. Yet even then it's usually a cold rage...that is expressed in the form of a curse or tainted potion used on the locals that drew his ire. The rest of the time the illusionist seems pleasant, if not reserved. When he does deign to interact with the other members of the carnival, Blackstone can come across as polite but a tad verbose. Always eager and willing to discuss literature, science, magic, and his research. Yet lacking when it comes to knowledge of sports and most modern affairs.

PB: Robert Downey Jr

Appearance: Beyond his usually rumpled, but stylish, wardrobe Blackstone is typically thought to come off as a tad unkempt. The sorcerer favors hats, dark glasses, and heavy coats to both hide his features, and to ward of the cold chill in the air too. James also carries a cane wherever he goes, and appears to have a noticeable limp from a seemingly bad hip whenever the weather takes a turn for the worse.

History: Born in Lower Manhattan, NY in 1877, James Henry Blackstone was the old child of Richard and Mary Blackstone; his father a well off and respected surgeon. James' life was a privileged one in most regards, having been granted access to a fine education, and a home in an upstanding area. Despite the pressure to succeed, and to follow in his father's footsteps, James did quite well at school. And was even award a scholarship to attend Cornell University as well. On track for what looked to be a bright future, the young Blackstone married his childhood sweetheart when they were 17 and was living the American Dream. Sadly at the age of 19 his wife passed away, after losing the battle with cholera. Distraught by the death of his beloved, James sank into a dark depression and dropped out of college despite his parent's protests.

At a loss for what to do the young man found himself delving deep into research of another kind. Studying magic and lore, all in the hope of answering a single question...what happens once a person has slipped beyond the veil of death. For years Blackstone dedicated himself to the pursuit of such knowledge, becoming something of a skilled sorcerer along the way. After a few years, and a lot of time spend honing his magic, the 'Professor' crossed paths with the Carnival back in 1908 and ended up joining the traveling group across the country, remaining with them over the last 11 years. While the actual carnival itself doesn't really appeal to him, James tolerates it as a means to keeping himself fed, clothed, and in research supplies/money. In truth the man remains there to study the others; to learn more since there is only so much that books can teach a person, and to continue hunting for the answer to the seemingly unanswerable question.

At a Glance
~James is a well dressed, if not slightly unkempt, man with a decent collection of tailored suits.
~The Professor favors walking with a cane, and when the weather is rainy he seems to have a little limp in his gait from an apparent bad hip.
~Blackstone's accent is oddly unidentifiable; since he uses magic to make his accent sound similar to whoever is listening to him (which is all in the head/ears of the listeners only).
~Despite never being seen without his smoke pipe, James never actually smells like pipe tobacco at all. Even while smoking his pipe, the scent always favors something akin to fresh apples or honeysuckle.
~He can always been found with at least one book on his person; though the subject matter and even language of the book always varies.