Wendel Ashby

[Montleberry]

First Name: Wendel
Last Name: Ashby (he took his wife’s last name when he married, never having learned his own.)

Appearance:
Race: Human, Cormyrian
Age: 64 (he is not sure, knows himself to be “around sixty”)
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 148 lbs
Eyes: Light Blue, faded to near grey with age. Always wears glasses.
Hair: Grey, balding.
Facial Hair Style: Meticulously clean shaven.

Personality Profile: Gentle, scholarly, patient and kind. A highly moral man, and something of a prude who dislikes alcohol and cursing as well as "bawdy talk". Despite being highly moral, he follows the belief of Oghma's church that no knowledge can be considered evil and is likely one of the few goodly folk who would call an angel one moment and Avasculate an enemy the next.

General Health: Due to a long active farmer’s life followed by many years on the road Wendel is highly fit for his age. Other than poor eyesight and painful arthritis that has troubled him since being captured by the Zhentarim, having his hands broken and tortured on the rack, he is quite healthy. His bowels trouble him in his later years, which he likely talks about more than most people would prefer.

Deity: Oghma
Alignment: Neutral Good (50/100)
Profession: Sage, Guide of Candlekeep, Divine Hand of Oghma.
Base Class & Proposed Development: Wizard17/Cleric5/ASOC8 (30)

Habits/Hobbies: As a sage Wendel is interested in most subjects. A generalist Wizard, his areas of expertise are Arcane Magic, Metamagic, religion, history, geology and botany. He frequently writes books and poems of lore, several of which are now housed in the Candlekeep Library. He is especially fond of begonia flowers. His Wizard’s Sigil is a silver begonia.

Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Draconic. Due to his long studies Wendel can often make out much of what is said in most languages.

Weapon of Choice: His flaming scimitar or the Candlekeep Guide’s Staff. Properly warded Wendel is a surprisingly good swordsman, for a mage.

Background:
Born to caravan merchants traveling the lands around the Sea of Fallen Stars, Wendel was found as a toddler by a kindly old witch who came across of remains of his parent's caravan, not long sacked by bandits.

Finding the squalling toddler amid the wreckage the witch Telora could not bring herself to leave him to his fate and carried him back to her cottage in the wood not far from Marsember, Cormyr. At first intending to deliver him to an orphanage the witch soon became impressed by the bright mind Wendel possessed, even as a small child. Deciding he was "passing bright" she began to raise him as her own.

As Wendel grew from a boy to a young man he easily mastered his basic lessons in the Art. When the old witch passed some 16 years later a saddened Wendel left his studies of magic and settled down on a small farm just outside the gates of Suzail. In the town he quickly fell in love with an older woman, a librarian and archivist of the church of Oghma named Gwendelin and was married soon after.

For nearly thirty five years he lived the content and quiet life of a married farmer and scholar until his wife, some fifteen years his senior, passed on. Soon after as he pondered his future as a widower he had a strange dream he attributes to Oghma calling him to service, instructing him to attend his magical studies long left aside, to travel to Candlekeep and to become a priest of the Church.

Taking nearly ten years to make the journey west, often stopping for long periods of time to learn the lore of the lands he passed through the old man, now in his early sixties finally arrived at the gates of Candlekeep.

After joining the Avowed and diligently going about his studies and duties, Wendel rose through the ranks of Candlekeep. When the previous Guide, the elf Vauk who was over nine hundred years old, retired Wendel was selected as the Guide to replace him. He also is one of the more senior priests of Oghma at Candlekeep. While he is more a Wizard than a cleric, this is not uncommon for Oghma’s clergy. He is accounted to hold the rank of Divine Hand of Oghma within the Church, one of the more senior ranks, being one of the more learned and powerful servants of Oghma in the area. Oghma himself has directly intervened on Wendel's behalf at least twice since he arrived on the Coast, once even speaking to him directly.

Wendel is an honest, gentle and kindly person, still deeply in love with his late wife. Only those who would threaten his beloved familiar, the weasel Gwen, those who would seek to destroy knowledge and those who prey on the weak are likely to raise anger in him. He also has a deep seated hatred for the Zhents.

Despite his scholarship, he speaks in a rustic manner, due to his somewhat isolated upbringing.

Goals: To advance all manner of learning. To perfect the art of begonia grafting, To faithfully serve Oghma in all things every day of his life. To see his wife again in the House of Knowledge when he dies.

Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts: Very early in his career on the Sword Coast while attempting to help an injured man Wendel got himself abducted by a powerful being. Wendel was cursed during this encounter, a curse he does not speak openly of, very few having any knowledge of it. He has been carrying this curse for nearly all the time he has been in the area and is determined to see it undone. Recent events have left him closer to tracking this being down and perhaps lifting his curse.

[DM RabidBadger]

Reviewed - Gold Rewarded.