Name: Artorias Withermore
Race: Human
Age: 25, Born Uktar 1, 1331
Hair: Black
Eyes: Aquamarine
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 160
Early History
Artorias was born in the settlement of Highmoon in the Dalelands. Born in Uktar, he was given the surname of Withermore as the dense trees and flora began to die in the coming winter. He was born to a relatively happy household to a stay-at-home mother and a hunter father who may have drank a bit too much on occasion. From an early age they both noticed that Artorias possessed an uncanny eye and a mind for books and easily read through many of the stories and fiction novels his mother enjoyed keeping around the house. Much to his luck, Highmoon was also the location of The Leaves of Learning, one of the most expansive and in depth libraries in all of Faerun. He made it a point to be on the caretaker's good side at all times.
Adolescence
It was no secret that Artorias wasn't truly satisfied in Highmoon, not to the fault of his parents or the community. There just simply wasn't anything there to quench his wanderlust. A young man's game, to adventure and be in dangerous and exotic places. His mother encouraged this ideology but pushed the young man to study the arcane, in as much as he could in Highmoon. As luck would have it, the caretaker of The Leaves of Learning, Elias Sohyr, was an old tinkerer himself. Over the next several months he taught the young boy the most basic of cantrips and, having seen his near-savant level of grasping the material, began to show him more and more. The caretaker was old, tho, and was simply too venerable to be a mindful mentor to such an avaricious apatite.
The Travels
Artorias worked with his father for some years into young adulthood and built up a savings with one purpose in mind: to leave Highmoon. Then Midsummer came and his family, along with the Elias, presented him a gift. As much as they hated to see him go they knew that his potential was squandered here. Having booked passage on a chartered caravan route, his destination was set. Baldur's Gate was to be his new home. The journey would take several months, he knew, so he stocked up on as many books as he could, and brought with him notebooks to write down any memorable scenes or fascinating people he would meet. He didn't know what he was going to do once he arrived at his destination. Exciting as it was he was fearful. But the city of Baldur's Gate was massive. Surely there would be somewhere to ply is skills... and learn more along the way.
Disposition
Artorias is relatively well-mannered and sociable but having grown up in a working class family, lacks the social etiquette of more formal settings, having only books as reference material for behavior. Crowds make him nervous, preferring to be alone or in the company of one or two others and dislikes being the center of attention. He finds politics boring but understands the nature of law and why it is necessary. Rarely drinks but enjoys the taste of pipe tobacco on occasion.
Quirks and Flaws
Opposed to his rather good natured exterior, he does have a bit of an internal anger issue. Blatant ignorance annoys him. Tasks that he feels should be simple to him, even if in reality they are not simple at all, frustrate him to the point of an outburst of anger. He also loves to laugh and sometimes at inappropriate situations or comments. Most of the time he doesn't say much to people outside of general pleasantries. He finds it hard to connect with others in a deeper level and this causes him to feel a slight alienation from most others, even in a city as big as Baldur's Gate.
Goals and Aspirations
- Transcended to Mastery of the Art.
- Establish a College near Baldur's Gate.
- Guide and teach those willing to learn.
- Delve as deep as possible in the Weave.
- Study the Astral and the mind.
- Gain prestige and renown.
Possible Plot Hooks
Artorias had access to a plethora of books during his time in Highmoon, some of which are archaic and, as some would say, inherently evil. Tomes written in the blood of demons, bound in the flesh of devils and celestial. Half-finished notes on spells that turn people inside-out or erase memory entirely. He spent his entire childhood and adolescence pouring through any and all books he could find. He doesn't view the Weave as morally one way or another and his studies on the matter tend to take him to some very questionable thoughts and places. There is also a rumor about Artorias' mother and a potential mental malady.
Signet and Sigil of Withermore
