Iain MacDonald

In full: The name of Iain's father is unknown to everyone but himself, so instead, he takes his mother's and grandfather's name, resulting in Iain Mharsaili Fhionnlaigh Dòmhnallach (Finlay's Marsaili's Iain). He can trace his lineage back through several centuries, but only five generations are sufficient to identify him from the other 70% of the population called Iain MacDonald: when applicable he responds to Iain 'ic Marsaili 'ic Fionnlagh 'ic Lachlann 'ic Somhairle 'ic Eachann. In his youth, he was called Iain Neònach (Strange/Odd Iain) out of spite, but he is commonly referred to as Iain Bhàn (Fair Iain) due to the colour of his hair.

Main character in ensemble cast

20-23

Male

Choppy, uneven, wavy and very thick; he cuts it himself. Cathal calls it a mistake, just like his existence. Shorter in sides and back, has a fringe that is combed to the right and is constantly getting in his eyes.

Jagged, ropy hypertrophic scars run from his left temple, across his nose, and down the right side of his neck, as well a multitude of minor scars all over the rest of his body. He always wears long sleeves to cover up the scars on his arms, from past self-harm. Iain can partially dislocate his jaw. Bent pinky.

Iain's face is statuesque- very angular and sharply chiselled, with unusually high cheekbones, a strong brow, narrow eyes with epicanthic folds, and delicate features that look as if they've been drawn with a fine-tip pen - a classic "look" also found in other parts of the Highlands and Ireland. Eala describes his face as being dramatic in its clean structure and somewhat ageless or timeless: despite being very young his face could easily be that of a classical statue, and he has the air of someone much older than he actually is. Overall his face is rather long, and he also boasts a narrow, perfectly straight, long nose. Dancer's/swimmer's build, but not rippling with muscles. Rangy, extremely thin to the point of emaciation, long and lean - agile and fluid in his movements, looks strong but fragile at the same time, like broken glass that's been glued together; it's not broken anymore, but you can still see the cracks. The scars on Iain's face and neck reopen when he's around Cathal into gaping wounds that impair his ability to concentrate.

Extremely fair (albino), almost blue, dark circles under his eyes.

3/4 demigod (he is 3/4 deity)

Frosty, glacial blue. They reflect all light and sometimes glow a cool, lambent blue. Whenever he experiences any pleasure- a rare occurrence indeed- his eyes have been said to soften and lose their edge, or "thaw"; they become clear and brilliant blue as the waters of the Hebridean beaches.

None

7'1 c. 2015 but still growing, though he is affected by the traditional "island man stoop" and loses a few inches due to this.

Snow-white. Regular hair dye does not work on his hair.

Wild swimming in some of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Fencing, mountain- and rock-climbing, and those martial arts which require a high level of agility and flexibility. Running and sailing. Occasionally he plays chess with Seumas aka Jamie but usually gives up because he's really, really good. Playing the clàrsach and teaching himself new songs. His favourite genres of music (aside from the expansive repertoire of sad Gaelic songs,) are post-rock, experimental metal, and industrial. Iain is especially fascinated by tombs, cairns, burial sites, mausoleums, embalming practises, and burial customs. He takes a keen interest in stargazing, treasure-hunting, boat building (especially regarding ancient local traditions of boats like the birlinn or others such as the longship), Dadaist/surrealist literature, pathology, theology, and anything antique or vintage, especially photographs and cameras (in his free time, he likes adding colour to old photos), films, record players, newspapers, typewriters, maps, telescopes, diaries, radios, and computers.

Severe insomnia and depression, PTSD, and schizoid personality disorder. Iain is a high Mach - he has more psychopathic traits than anyone else, but is mostly manipulative and not completely devoid of emotion.

He will only write in oddly quaint, old-fashioned cursive that looks like something written by a child. He was raised in the Gàidhlig-speaking village of Còig Peighinnean Nis at the northernmost tip of the Isle of Lewis and spent time in Orkney and Shetland as a child, bestowing him with a sing-song, lilting, mellifluous accent that is nearly unintelligible and his speech is gratuitously interspersed with Gàidhlig loan-words (it's worth noting that most Hebrideans consider the Lewis accent to be the absolute worst of all in both Gàidhlig and English). For some reason, Iain never lost his accent. Tends to get lost in thought. Iain's soft-spoken and preternaturally quiet to the point of being mute, but has a tendency to speak in a laconic, acerbic, pointedly ironic manner with the intention of making people feel uneasy or insecure - "death by a thousand cuts". Stays cool under pressure. Natural loner. His voice is perpetually emotionless in that it always seems to be pleasantly cool and tranquil, or perhaps it's just his accent. Doesn't often look people in the eyes when speaking to them- he normally stares at a wall, or the ground. He is afflicted with island-man posture - hunched over, back against the wind. Pulls on his bangs when frustrated. Gets frequent nosebleeds, especially when he has exerted himself significantly. Has a tendency to stare off into space and get lost in his own thoughts. Randomly runs through small, insignificant facts in his mind, like reciting the times tables in Gàidhlig when he's bored or doing random maths problems. Rests his chin on his hands, or buries his face in his arms when exasperated. Squats all the way back on his heels. Refuses any sort of physical contact (it makes him uncomfortable, and he might react explosively) unless he explicitly allows someone to (it's usually Eala.) Due to PTSD, reacts quickly and violently to simple things like doors opening or someone tapping his shoulder. Blunt scissors, pencils whose tips snap off, and anything out of place irritate him. He likes being early. Hates parties and rooms full of people. If forced to attend a social event, will immediately gravitate towards the empty corners of the room. Despite being a quick thinker, he takes an absurdly long amount of time to make simple decisions. Hates doorways,

umbrellas and aeroplanes, for good reason. Iain sleeps in whatever position is the most comfortable and is a restless sleeper, with a tendency to flail or kick. He always sleeps with one eye open and a sheathed knife in his hand in case of danger. Iain hates sunny, sandy beaches and prefers stormy, rocky beaches. Overused phrases:
"Yes a bhalaich" - yes, lad; used as an intensifier at the end of a sentence
"Obh obh," or "oooft"- a general expression of displeasure
"Fleek" - a common Western isles euphemism, as in "Och, fleek me, man"
"I'm chuffed to fucking smithereens" - no, he isn't.
"Pure dead brilliant" - it probably wasn't.

Iain is fiercely independent; he doesn't want to be associated with anyone or anything or to have to owe debts to anyone. He suspects that he is part of a larger and sinister conspiracy and that someone is using him, which he hates- he feels as if he has always been used for something, and that he is nothing more than a pawn. He's extremely selfish and will do whatever it takes, even though it may be morally reprehensible, to achieve his own means - even the murder of his allies.

Depression, nihilism, cynicism, PTSD, survivor's guilt, ruthlessness, resentments, frequent headaches. Iain has a sadistic side- just ask about the "frostbite method"...

The Campbells, England, Americans (especially those who tell him how to pronounce "Samhain") and the Ullapool ferry on Sundays. He actually has a peace treaty with Fiona and Colin to "not try and kill each other before we get shit done."

Deadly fighter, good at a few sports, and incredibly powerful elemental/other magic (see notes)
He's also good at maths and brilliant with certain computer systems when he wants to be. Good with languages, fixing socks, dying, and getting into existential crises. Awkward hugs and being used as stepladder to the top shelf. See "being brutally decapitated by a ceiling fan." Lucid dreamer. When anxious, has been known to unconsciously raise the dead.

Secretly homesick. Emotionally detached. Introvert, INTJ. Calm, stute, observant ruthless, quick-witted, bitterly cynical, intelligent, logical, practical and efficient. Will improvise if needed, flexible. Socially awkward and a bookworm. Quiet and stoic, doesn't show emotion at all, believing it to be a weakness, but actually has a very unpredictable mood. Pessimist. He didn't spend a lot of time around people and isn't very emotionally intelligent, and is so brutally honest he sometimes makes people cry on accident. Iain acts like an old man in a nineteen-year-old body. Admittedly he's the most mature of the group (literally knowing and seeing almost everything), but this doesn't make him any less bitter. He feels burdened by everyone who loves him, though he never gives anything in return: He knew Tor would have a brutally short and miserable life but never told him, he didn't tell Eala he would vanish without saying goodbye, and he wept bitterly for the only time in his life after saying good night to his mother because he knew it would be the last time he would ever do so.

Blue, grey, white and black.

Eagles, wolves, cats! He personally identifies as a Grumpy Cat and shifts into a vicious Siamese (which people sometimes think is cute.). His Kellas Cat is terrifying.

Handgun and knives, but he can improvise with whatever's on hand. Despite his insistence that "you don't need fancy weapons to do shit," he has somehow acquired some of the deadliest weapons known to man- the Gae Bolga, which is intrinsically tied to Iain's life, and the Skofnung Sword.

His compass and his collection of finger bones

None. He has a difficult relationship with celery and asparagus... Iain's a super picky eater with only a few specific food groups he'll eat. He doesn't even have much of an appetite. This and his unintentional fairly low-cal diet might contribute to his unhealthy appearance. Unusual for a Scot, he doesn't drink but is a tea-drinker.

(Former) hitman, student, reluctant warrior, even more reluctant landowner

A bit of a nationalist, but he doesn't really care at this point.

Lapsed Roman Catholic

Saturday December 21, 1994

Iain's idyllic but ominous childhood was cut short by the arrival of his seventh birthday. Under the pretense of studying abroad, when Iain gained the full scope of his powers he fled overseas to avoid being captured, so instead the dark gods of Ireland came for his mother- something that haunts him to this day. After a desperate race all over the world, he finally settled in America with a job as a hitman... at fourteen years old. After going on to become one of the world's most feared and yet unknown assassins on demand, he quietly quit to make his last great journey back to Scotland and answer a question that's been nagging him for a long, long time... "Why me?"

Private boarding schools, private/public schools or wherever his "job" let him go.

Celtic burial tradition dictates that the body must be completely gone, or the soul will not depart to the Otherworld. Every time Iain kills someone, he cuts off their finger bone and adds it to his bracelet so he won't have to face the consequences of his actions. He has currently accumulated around twenty souls, and feels extremely guilty about it. Sometimes they come out of the bracelet at night.

"Silver Branch Perception," Iain's blessing and curse, is a rare magical ability inherited from his father, a hard-to-define "double vision" which grants him the ability to break way from "the habit of being human" and see things as they truly are. Thus, even as a child Iain could see things we don't normally see- the spirits of nature, the true nature of people, and the slow passing of time. He was a sad and outspoken child, to say the least. Iain has never looked at himself directly; he's afraid of what he might find there. He can briefly extend his "gift" in limited amounts to other people, and is one of the few who can eat silver apples as regular food without any unwanted side effects. He often feels burdened by the way he sees the world; having to bear the truth of the world by yourself at such a young age really takes its toll. Anyone can take advantage of this by psychologically torturing him.

The "Magic Mist" is something both Iain (limited) and his father can summon as a type of camouflage. Use of it is extremely draining; in Iain's case, it usually manifests in the shape of a shimmering, iridescent fog that wraps around him like a blanket.

He's usually extremely stoic, as he believes that emotions get in the way of business. In fact, most of the time he doesn't actually "feel" anything- just indifferent and numb.

He is extremely quick and agile; he's studied martial arts disciplines from all over the world with a variety of people when he could, and is an excellent fencer and a natural swimmer. However, his fighting style is practical and efficient, with the main purpose of getting away from or rid of the threat as soon as possible.

Being Skadi's grandson, he has the ability to cause some pretty dangerous icy effects (being impaled by icicles, choking on a snowball of your own spit,freezing all the blood in your body, your fingers falling off one by one, anyone?), as well as being a phenomenal skier. He is resistant to cold (having been hung upside down in a meat locker) and is resistant to it's negative effects for long periods of time. Whenever he;s not okay, some immediate changes may be seen, such as the temperature dropping several degrees or the floor freezing over. Iain's body temperature is lower than normal; his skin is sometimes too cold to touch, and he's been known to give people hypothermia. A possible reason for Iain's inability to cry is that his tears freeze before he can cry anymore (and by then he's usually reconsidered.)

He can see and communicate with ALL ghosts, which are often lost or angry ghosts looking for release. He sometimes holds them back from crossing over in fear and guilt; over time he has amassed about 20 souls unaccounted for. This sometimes leads to complete sensory overload, leading him to avoid places like Culloden Moor- absolute disaster. According to him the ghosts sometimes come out at night (maybe a possible reason he doesn't sleep well?)

Iain can talk to the kelpies, though they annoy him, and a variety of animals (mostly maritime.)

His preferred shapeshifting animals are a vicious Siamese cat, golden eagle or grey wolf.

People with elemental magic tend to have difficulty controlling their emotions, which is why his case is extremely rare; however, this doesn't prevent some kind of telekinesis that sometimes triggers things like sinks overflowing or bathtubs flooding.

Iain frequently hears a ringing or ticking sound in his ears and feels pressure in his head when he's about to release a large amount of magic.

Iain's compass only guides him where he needs to go; it's a dangerous tool, since it reveals some unpleasant truths about himself. Hence, he always feels "lost" and relies on it for direction, whether spiritual or physical.

He IS suicidal, but hasn't been successful in past attempts (see curse.)

Iain has a fondness for simple, poignant melodies that remind him of his childhood; his first chapter starts with the "Skye Boat Song"

He usually dresses in decrepit, torn jeans two inches too short, and a hoodie or windbreaker. He tends to wear long-sleeved shirts to hided self-harm scars. In his backpack there's always two knives, first aid supplies, needle/thread, a Swiss army knife, scissors, climbing supplies, and basic food/water.

Iain's entire existence is an accident. The Fomorians tried to make sure he'd never be born, but his mother, Muireann, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Big mistake, as Muireann was also a demigod (causing a weird rebound effect in Iain's case.) His presence was a big threat to both the Fomor and Loki and a huge asset to the Tuatha de Danaan and the Nordic gods. After being driven from his home, he roamed the world, suffering through horrifying things no one should have seen. All sides (including the Tuatha Dé) want to twist his powers for their cause. The Fomor have been cursing and twisting his life since birth to use him as their pawn.

Iain's big curse- which he isn't aware of- is that he cannot die when he most deserves to and will die when he least deserves it, but has to watch everyone he knows die in return. "Alive" means that even if he's been brutally dismembered and his remains dissolved in bubbling acid, his consciousness will still remain awake and aware of everything that is happening. This is why his past suicide attempts haven't been successful and he is entirely at anyone's mercy. If his body "dies," his consciousness will just astral-project out of his body and manifest as an invisible presence somewhere near it.

No one really knows if he's an albino or he inherited his hair from his father. He probably isn't, as he isn't afflicted with any of the usual vision problems albinism usually brings.

He's very cynical and doesn't have much willpower and doesn't really know what, or who, he's fighting for any more... one of his greatest weaknesses. He's given up on life for the most part, but claims that he feels as if he needs to stay for something bigger than he knows.

Iain can navigate the Time Sea well, though it takes longer than Tormod's method of just ripping the time skin. He doesn't often use it as an escape, rather as a resource to search for important clues. (The "Time Sea" is the sea surrounding Tír na nÓg. If you exit in the right spot, you might find yourself in a different time and place.)

He doesn't speak (or sing) often, but his voice is haunting: barely above a whisper, older, maybe a little sadder than Lleu's, and surprisingly deep. His accent is described as being Lewis, with a touch of Orkney, and frequently has the lilting singsong quality of the islands.

He experiences traumatic flashback and will sometimes spiral out of control

Iain has a bad habit of dismissing serious injuries as nothing to be worried about and mere hindrances. He has an unusually high pain tolerance and doesn't appear to care unless he is actually dying. Take the "flesh wound" scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail; that's basically his attitude.

Iain's next in line for the chieftainship of Clann Clann Dòmhnaill (MacDonald). He's actually not 100% Hebridean- a lot of him is from Orkney and Shetland.

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