First Name: Fael
Last Name: Thaas
Aliases: Elder Maven, Andar Filwik
Appearance:
Fael keeps his face hidden at all times to conceal his true appearance. He has an acid burn on one side of his face from an encounter with a notable Captain of the Amnish Navy. His face is disfigured from several savage beatings. He carries the scars that were beyond the skill of the healers his gold employed.
Race: Tiefling
Age: 35
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 160#
Eyes: Yellow
Hair: Golden
Facial Hair Style: None
Personality Profile: Fael conducts himself with dignity and addresses others with courtesy whenever possible. He invariably lies regarding anything remotely related to his true identity and will trust few others with knowledge of himself or his plans. Those who have not seen his ability to destroy life emotionlessly would consider him friendly and perhaps even warm. Those who have earned his friendship and trust find him loyal and charming. Those who set themself against him find him infuriating. He is not given to emotion and conducts his thoughs and actions according to what logic seems rational to him.
General Health: Average
Deity: Myrkul
Initial Alignment: Lawful Evil
Profession: Necromancer
Base Class & Proposed Development: Wizard/Palemasters/Shadowdancer/Arcane scholar
Habits/Hobbies: Lurking, Sneaking, Running, Arcane experimentation, watching, Ranting about priests, trying to convince people that the gods do not exist, creating undead servants
Languages: Common, gnomish, elven, dwarven, halfling, undercommon
Weapon of Choice: Dagger
Background:
Fael's earliest memories are of white-bearded gnomes peering at him through thick glass and asking him "Feel this?" Fael's job was to either nod 'yes' or shake his head 'no.' If he answered, he received food and water. If he sullenly ignored the gnomes, he went hungry. For years, "feel this" were the only words of common Fael heard. His life was that of an experiment. His very name, "Fael Thaas" was his clumsy childhood recreation of the phrase that dominated his young formative years. These early memories were filled with pain and confusion. Fael's bright intelligence was driven to madness and lunacy in his small crystalline prison where he was prodded and tested interminably by the ever curious, ever watching, ever asking gnomes. The gnomes subjected him to test after arcane test. Fael's eyes, as watchful as those of his captors, studied their lips and watch their movements. He memorized the scrolls and books they left laying about their laboratories. His mind, left idle when not being experimented on, unraveled the mysteries of these arcane writings, mutterings, and gestures. In essence, his captors had unwittingly taught Fael the fundamentals of arcane magic.
It has been said that "curiosity killed the gnome." The maxim held true in this instance as well. The gnomes which had probed his fiendish heritage, his responses to different elements, his response to many arcane proceedings and expriments, became curious about his mind. They wondered how he would interact with other beings. They let him out of his crystalline prison. Finding himself free he mimicked what he had seen the gnomes do hundreds of times. He grabbed a handful of small darts laying on a table of spell components and mimicked the sounds and gestures made by them. He flung his hands out before him and darts of acid found their way into the startled and amazed gnomes' chests where acid burned great holes. Fael left the laboratory and stole into the darkness.
Thus started the true life of Fael Thaas when he escaped from the laboratories of a less-than-scrupulous cabal of Wizards on the Isle of Lantan. He survived through theivery initially. His heritage and natural talents combined with his fundamental understanding of magic provided him with the means to obtain everything he needed. He learned common and gnomish quickly by hiding in the shadows, listening, watching, memorizing. Fael's curiosity soon drove him to inquire more into the arcane arts. His imprisonment had instilled in him a need for power. Driven by fear he increased his knowledge of the arcane arts to gain power over the world around him. He learned of a gnomish wizard of considerable power and one dark night, sought to burglarize his residence for the powerful items he assumed would be found within. He artfully negotiated traps both mundane and magical and pilfered as many scrolls and books as he could carry. Misfortune befell him as the wizard appeared before him just as he was making his exit. It was not kindness that saved Fael but a recent laboratory accident that had killed the wizards previous apprentice. Finding the manual tasks of wizarding distasteful and degrading and recognizing the young Tiefling's gifts, the gnomish wizard offered Fael the position of apprentice.
Fael's understanding of the gnomish language was not nuanced enough to recognize the slight difference in pronunciation of the words 'apprentice' and 'slave.' Fearing that he was to be imprisoned again, Fael attacked the unprepared and unwarded wizard with a barrage of rudimentary but lethal spells. When the wizard attempted to retaliate, he found that his assailant had disappeared. Too late, he heard arcane invocations behind him a moment before a dart of acid pierced the back of his skull.
Fael claimed the residence for himself and grew in power. He maintained his position as master of the tower for a full five years before a group of gnomish wizards appeared on his doorstep. When they were not admitted, they sensed trouble and forced their way in. A colossal battle resulted which nearly obliterated the tower and left Fael as well as four of his assailants dead.
Drifting in the nothingness between planes, Fael's madness and arcane gifts made him a beacon that a lesser servant of the God Mrykul saw and perceived as useful. Fael was brought to an audience with the lesser servant of the God and was given a simple offer. He could server Myrkul and live or cease to exist. Fael assented. Thus it was that he found himself standing in the wilderness of the Sword Coast with a small symbol of the God Myrkul burned into the inner part of his left arm and a vague urgency to collect samples of blood from the most powerful creatures and beings he could find. Knowledgeable enough in the ways of magic, Fael recognized a Geas when he saw it and he obeyed, seeking out the most powerful creatures and beings on the Sword Coast for their blood and leaving them alive so that more could be collected if possible.
Over time, he met other arcanists and gradually, his natural traits of friendliness and humor manifested themselves. His desire for power quickly manifested too in his study of Necromancy. Understanding his servitude to Myrkul, he sought to understand death and undeath in hopes of somehow marshalling enough power to free himself or to please his captor enough to allow an ascent to a higher level of existence. Failing that, Fael began to make plans to garner enough power to challenge Myrkul himself.
Goals:
-Gather the blood of powerful creatures and adventurers to appease Myrkul's Geas upon him.
-Gather additional samples to understand how Myrkul makes use of the blood in order to understand his captor's power.
-Increase in power to ascend to free himself by pleasing or destroying Myrkul
-Fael's natural tendencies of friendliness and a humorous outlook on life have been twisted by his life's experience. He seeks out companionship to understand these feelings.
-Survive the ban on necromancy which is prevalent on the Sword Coast.
Plot Hooks:
-Fael is an unwilling servant of Myrkul and compelled by a Geas. He seeks to free himself from this bondage.
-Fael is compelled to seek out the blood of powerful foes to satisfy his Geas. The geas also compels him to leave these specimens alive whenever possible.
-Fael both avoids and seeks friendship as his nature battles with his life experience.