My story is a simple tale. I was born to well-off parents. My parents are Sothure and Anite Gemcutter, you might have heard of them, they own a jewelry shop in Erudin. My family is of the line of ancient Al’kabor, a wizard of awesome power, whose influence upon the magics of Norrath are known even today. After Al’kabor, the gift of magic died out in my family. I am the first who has known its touch since my ancestor’s days. Upon my first birthday, my power first manifested itself into a physical form. I reached out my hand to touch a candle. My mother saw me and screamed a warning to my father, but my hand had already touched the flame. With my hand in its grasp, it came alive. It danced fingers of flame across my hand and never once burned me. I was delighted with my new toy. My parents were shocked and informed the High Council of Erudin immediately. An apprenticeship with one of the high wizards was arranged for me for when I came of age.
On my tenth birthday, I left my home and went to stay in the Palace of Erudin. At first, I was little more than an indentured servant, forced to perform menial chores day after day. Little did I know all the physical labor would strengthen me for the time when I would begin learning about magic. I was forced to watch the other students to satisfy my ever-growing curiosity for the arcane. I was finally starting to prepare myself to begin my training by poring over ancient tombs with my master watching behind me. Some days his lessons of magic theory were long and tedious and would completely confound me. When the day’s lessons were over, I still had my chores to do. You would never believe how tired I got of emptying the bedpans. The lessons though, are what opened my eyes. I had never realized how complex the arcane forces were. I had always thought that these stuffy old men locked themselves in their towers and just wiggled their fingers whenever they wanted something. My master laughed when I told him this. He informed me that I had it all wrong. “The magicians are the lazy ones who always wiggle their fingers for whatever they need,” he said. I voraciously consumed whatever new text my master put before me, unable to quench my thirst for lore.
Then one day my master asked me why I wanted to be a wizard. The question surprised me. I had never really thought about it until that moment. I finally responded. I told him, “I don’t know why I have this thirst for knowledge, I just know what I’m doing feels right.” My master smiled at me and said, “You are finally ready. You now understand that it is the desire to learn that gives us wizards their power.” That was the day my life was changed. He told me that I would begin my training with magical forces the following day.
That night I thought back on my unusual experience as a babe. No one knew why I hadn’t been badly burned. It was just accredited to my lineage from Al’kabor. My thoughts turned to Solusek Ro, the deity of fire. That night was the first time I prayed. While I was lying on my pallet, I made a pledge to Solusek Ro, that I would be his loyal servant in exchange for knowledge that led to power. I asked him to give me the power to live up to my ancestor’s name, and become a wizard of great power like Al’kabor. That night, I had a vision. A human figure that wore fire as a living garment came to me in my dreams. He approached me and said to me, in words I still remember to this day. He said, “All power and knowledge shall be given unto you if you remain my faithful servant.” In that moment, I knew my prayer had been heard, and that the figure before me was the Lord Solusek Ro. He held his hands out to me, palm up, and a tongue of flame sprang up from each of them. Of their own volition, my own hands started to reach out and touch the flame, just as I had done on my first birthday. The flames jumped into the palms of my hands, and danced there, almost seeming joyous. They never burned me, yet I could feel the heat that they radiated. I don’t know how long I stared at the flames in my hands, but at some point they returned back to their Master. In their place were left twin scars branded in the shape of a flame. The vision faded as I was looking at them. In the morning I woke up and remembered the dream. I looked down at my palms. The brands were still there.
The next portion of my started on my eleventh birthday, and life flew by rapidly. I was a quick learner, and grasped concepts quite easily that would boggle the other students. As my knowledge grew, I was allowed more freedom. On my twelfth birthday, I saw my parents again for the first time in two years. The reunion was over all too soon though, and then back to studying. I began carrying messages for my master as well. Once, I was even aloud to accompany him to Qeynos while he attended some business there. But it was on my fourteenth birthday that true magic happened. I was granted the title of Wizard. Finally! After four long years of drudgery, I was finally ready to go out on my own, with no watchful master hovering over me. I spent my first season wandering near my homeland, in Toxxulia Forest. I started how to use my arcane skills in a more useful manner than on the practice dummies at the Tower of Crimson Hands. Once I achieved my second season, I made the trip to Qeynos, on my own this time. I practiced on the snakes, rats, bats, and klickniks wandering near the gates. Once I had achieved sufficient strength, I went to hunt in Qeynos Hills. All the while I grabbed ever book of lore I could find in my search of knowledge. Solusek Ro continued to aid me with granting me new spells of greater power when he deemed me worthy.
I eventually traveled to Blackburrow, and singed the fur of many a gnoll. This is where I first met my friend Galkin, a human monk. He saved me from a pack of gnolls when I was about to get overwhelmed. After that we hunted together for a time. Eventually he had to leave to go back to his home city of Freeport while I continued to reside in Qeynos. When I started getting sick of the stench of gnolls, I again moved on, this time into the Everfrost Peaks. The bitter cold chilled me to the bone, and I longed for the warmth of Solusek Ro’s eternal flames. I did not reside there long.
I had long heard tales of the great Desert of Ro, and wished to gaze upon its glory myself. I journeyed to distant Freeport and fought the Dervish Cutthroats despoiling the glorious sands of my Lord. I met a young barbarian shaman by the name of Svenn during my stay in the Northern Desert of Ro. It was during this time that I came into my twelfth season. I felt it was time to move on, and I journeyed south to the Oasis of Marr with Svenn. The caiman and crocodiles were fun to hunt, even though the meat was a little stringy. I found another use for my skills as well, barbecuing. One day while I was wandering around the gypsy camp, I heard the sounds of battle. In the distance, I saw hideous green brutes attacking a group of adventures. I ran over to aid them, as they were being overwhelmed. This was my first experience with orcs. I fought them for a long time, all the way until my eighteenth season.
I heard of a mysterious land called Kunark around this time. I took the raft at the Oasis docks and got my first look at Timorous Deep, accompanied by a friendly wood elf ranger by the name of Husky Snowtreader. This is when I encountered some vile Ogre raiders. Their very look disgusted my, and Husky and I lay waste killing them until my nineteenth season. A great wanderlust took hold of me while fighting these vicious brutes. I felt compelled to travel. So I did, sadly though, Husky and I had to part ways for the time being. I found my way to Highhold Keep, and to my surprise, I beheld more gnolls and orcs laying siege to the Pass. I aided the men of Highhold until I reached my twentieth season, and became a wizard adept. I made the long journey back to Erudin to visit both my family and my old master. While there, I experienced a time of great joy and ecstasy. This is when Solusek Ro granted unto me one of the most powerful magics, that of magical transport, and when I was honored with a surname reserved for only the most powerful of wizard adepts, that of Sorcere. Reluctantly I left my family, for the calling of Solusek Ro was leading me back to Highpass.
For the first time I entered the basement of Highhold Keep, and smelled that rank moldy scent of goblin filth and dung. I set about purifying the basement with the holy fire of Solusek Ro. Many a goblin suffered my wrath and was consumed by my magics. As I neared my twenty-fourth season, I again started yearning to see my homeland. When I reached Erudin, my family was delighted with my tales of the wicked goblins, and their destruction by my hands. Even my former masters seemed impressed. Solusek Ro once again honored me, and I was granted even greater magics of magical transport, able now to teleport to almost any location I could desire on Antonica.
I was also given a vision one night. I saw an ancient temple, an abominations to all things good. Lizardmen ran rampant through it, giving glory to a false god, one who prayed off the weaknesses of others. Cazic-Thule. This temple was located in the middle of a rotten-smelling jungle known as the Feerrott. The foul smell was due in no small part to those disgusting creatures called Ogres. I have to choke back bile every time I gaze upon their hideous visage. On the south wall of the jungle, I found the entrance to the temple where the lizards resided. My greatest joy was reveling in the lizards’ fear of fire! The sweet scent of lizards being roasted alive pleased my Lord greatly. I stayed in the accursed temple for many seasons, paying homage to Solusek Ro with every lizard that I killed.
After a time I heard of an evil dark elf magician of power. Her name was Najena. I journeyed to her lair to slay her and take her power she receives from her Black Tome with Silver Runes. Once I had reached Najena’s lair, I recruited five other adventures to seek her out. We found the room in which she resides in and waited for her to make an appearance. When she finally arrived, she barely had time to cast a spell before we fell upon her and destroyed her. Unfortunately, she had hidden her book somewhere safe, and I was unable to retrieve it for myself.
I wandered for a time, seeing the many sights of Antonica. One day, as I was walking across the Southern Plains of Karana, I noticed a massive hill. This was my first sight of the Splitpaw Lair. I journeyed inside, and what did I behold but gnolls! The stronger cousins to the Sabretooths of Blackburrow and the gnolls of Highpass. I soon found a group of adventurers and set to the slaying of these creatures. Ahh, but it felt good to kill gnolls again. There is nothing quite like the sight of a flaming gnoll running about in panic.
The glorious day finally came! I have reached the twenty-ninth circle, and have finally been granted my first group transportation spells. I picked up my long time friend Svenn from the Dreadlands, and we journeyed to Everfrost together. There we hunting the woolly mammoths for many a day. The only problem with the mammoths is that they seemed to be going extinct. I had heard of the land of Kunark for some time, and had hunting in the Timorous Deep, but I had never hunted on the mainland itself. I teleported to the Dreadlands and began to walk to the Frontier Mountains. I readily joined a giant group and set about slaying them at their fortress. Once I had reached my thirtieth circle, I journeyed to the Overthere. I spent some time there, but again, as had often happened before, I was taken by wanderlust. This time I was being called to the frozen world of Velious, to bring the fire of Solusek Ro to the tundra.
I met up with my friend Brutox in North Ro, and together we traveled to Velious. He showed me around, but all too soon he had to leave. Svenn soon joined me though, and introduced me to his new family. I fought with them in the Eastern Wastes and was then accepted into their family. After we parted ways for the time being, I went back to the Iceclad Ocean and hunted with Svenn. We meet up with some fellow adventures and made our way into the Tower of Frozen Shadow. We weren’t able to get past the first floor because we were trying to get a key for everyone. I was able to obtain one. Our group slowly started leaving, so I left the Tower. Svenn traveled back to Thurgadin while I stayed in Iceclad. This time I hunted giants. The giants were mighty, but were no match for our company. Many of them fell to my magic.
