That day the woman conceived a child, and all too soon the couple were betrothed. When the child was born it was decided that his name would be Rex. The Curius family of the old clan Numerius was blessed with another boy to continue the line. There would be others to be sure, for the happy couple's love grew as the seasons passed, but this story focuses on the child Rex in particular.

As fate would have it, it was on the same springtime holiday fourteen years later that the village was hosting a travelling group of priests dedicated to the service and worship of Metilius, that god of knowledge and wisdom. It was during the third evening of the celebration that a knock was heard against the door of the Curius home.

It was one of the Metilius priests, and as such he was immediately offered the hospitality due an honored guest. Standing in his simple robes he explained to the couple that the order was always looking to grow their numbers, and that their son Rex was of the proper age, and would they consider having him tested for the possibility of joining the order?

Their quiet son, a priest? The Numerius clan were all farmers for generations, but if it were possible then young Rex would have an opportunity for learning and betterment of social status that would otherwise be unattainable, and there were other sons to help with the farming. The parents agreed and a daughter was sent to find Rex and bring him home.

Rex was frightened at first by the old priest, but the man's soothing speech and precise demeanor quelled his fears. He expected some kind of holy ritual but was instead surprised to be confronted with odd questions. There was a counting exercise, and another where he was blindfolded and asked to recite a list from memory of every single item within the family home. He was asked detailed questions about his knowledge of village gossip that he was somewhat embarrassed to answer, but did so fully under the priest's coaxing. He was asked to tell a joke, and then to explain it when the priest didn't seem to get it. He was asked to tell of a problem he had solved by making something new.

It was night when they were finished. The boy was inquisitive, intuitive, inventive and possessed of adequate observational skills. He had a quick wit and a handle on how to wield it. If the parents would agree, the priest offered to take the boy with them to the Metilius temple to begin the ordination process. They agreed readily, pleased that Rex was considered worthy and hopeful for their son's future.

Rex made his good-byes to his brothers and sisters and left with the traveling group three days later. He began a program of study at the temple that educated him in reading, writing, mathematics, how to observe and record events, and the wisdom of their lord Metilius. Rex found a hunger for learning and advanced quickly as a novitiate, attaining his initiate status within two years - one year shorter than the average.

As a new priest, Rex was expected to live within the temple grounds, learn as much as he could from the small but well-kept library, and fulfill his role through daily chores and worship. When the order elders thought he was ready he would be sent on to the temple at Povero and the Library of Evermist for further development in a more urban environment. Rex, however, had other ideas.

He had learned through books of much of the world outside his cloistered temple life and had developed a strong case of wanderlust. Book learning was fine, but Rex interpreted Metilius's teachings to mean that true learning, pure wisdom, could only be achieved through real visceral life experience. Books didn't change, but the outside world did daily. He had embraced Metilius's word and wanted to serve his god, but he felt the best way to do so was to explore, to go out into the world and travel, looking under the rocks and into the alleyways and finding wisdom where it was born and not read about.

That's what he told the elders, anyway. There was much debate among them for this was a departure from their usual methods of pursuing Metilius's teachings, but none found fault with the young priest's logic or his devotion to his god. While his request was unorthodox, his spirit was in the right place and moving in the right direction. Besides, if he proved himself wrong, then Metilius was still served for they had learned something new, and that was the point after all.

With his god as his guide and companion, Numerius Curious Rex set out on his journey of discovery.

To this end Rex views the world and everything around himself as an opportunity to learn. Quill and ink are always at the ready to record something important, be it an event, a meeting, or just some bit of wisdom he thought up while walking in his travels. He's a listener, and when the listening is done he's a questioner. More than one person who has shared his table at an inn or a seat in the back of a wagon has had opportunity to rue the day they decided to get to know this travelling priest.

And a priest he is, first and foremost. The collection of knowledge is a holy pursuit for Rex. Learning has spiritual meaning to him beyond the value of the facts themselves. He fosters his god's will and furthers his cause by using what he has learned to bring order to those who need it, and to enlighten those who would otherwise remain within the darkness of ignorance. To some this makes him a hero of sorts. To others, he's just a pain in the ass.

His fitness level is that of a young man who spends much of his time seated, either writing or in meditation. His body's frame is of average size and his musculature is also unimpressive, while certainly not weak by any means. He has a way of looking at you that speaks of weighing and measuring, of seeing around and through you, and when not lost in thought he's often taking in his surrounding with an observant eye. You can almost feel him wring the available information out of a scene with a glance.