Summary
Alistair Wren
Alistair has developed a phobic fear of fire as a result of the effects of the battle of Ninagal. He is currently living with the dragon keepers of the Spine, where he is recuperating and practicing his hydromancy.
Alistair is quietly confident, yet modest and likes to have jobs to do. He likes mathematics, plants, insects and meeting pretty girls. He has never been with a woman, as he has been devoted to his studies since being accepted into the college at the age of sixteen and has never had time, but would like to some day. He has two giant burrowing cockroaches named Roly and Poly. He is tall, dexterous and can do very good tumbles, often doing them over and over when he is bored.
Appearance
Standing at five foot ten, Alistair is tall and thin, with good posture. He has a boyish face with a limpid, curious gaze and long, animated eyelashes. His hair is scruffy, perpetually uncombed and often full of grass and leaves. His hair is short, pin-straight and tapered at the back, with the strands at the front falling around his forehead and parting at the centre. He has a peachy complexion and dark blue eyes with a sapphire glint to them.Alistair wears long, thick robes with sleeves that brush the ground when he leans down. He typically wears navy blue robes with silver trimmings, black robes with rose gold trimmings or canary yellow robes. His boots are short and made of felt, and worn above pristine white hose. He wears a sash around his waist and a belt, usually with a potion or spellbook attached. He wears a capelet with a clasp at the neck and a hood.
Personality
Shy when meeting new people and headstrong when he needs to be, Alistair has a kind disposition that often gets him in trouble. Speaking with a soft voice that is soothing and contemplative, he has a cheeky sense of humour and often cracks jokes when least expected. He is quiet at first and reserved, often shying away at more tongue-in-cheek topics, but when he does laugh, it is genuine. He is comfortable around fellow mages and members of the college and is affectionate towards them in a way he isn't towards strangers, but becomes shy when interacting with travelers or more dangerous people he doesn't know.Studious and passionate about his work, he beams with joy when talking about magic and always hands his assignments in on time. He is highly intelligent and loves to solve complicated problems. While he is conscientious about rules, even scolding younger mages when they break them from time to time, he has a compassionate urge to break them if the well-being of somebody else is at stake. Alistair takes his assignments seriously and will scold his colleagues for being late to class, but manages to put his regard for the rules aside when somebody is in need. When scolded for this, he can be insolent and will stick out his tongue if he disagrees with an order, especially if it is at the cost of another person's well-being.
He has no tolerance for greed or the exploitation of others for money. He is even more forgiving of violence and general acts of brutality than greed.
Alistair is hard-working and task-oriented. He likes to be doing things that contribute to something else, especially another person's benefit and excels at managing multiple tasks at once. When given a job, he will be determined to see it through to the best of its completion and will be frustrated if it doesn't go according to plan.
Alistair has an airy manner about him, as though he doesn't quite know what is going on, which is far from the truth. His absent minded demeanor is ultimately deceptive, as he is always on guard when out and about. Even when angry, he is soft in nature and struggles to raise his voice. He is bashful and struggles to accept praise for his work, even when he knows he has done it well.
Alistair can get bored if he doesn't have a job to do. Then he will just do roly-polies in the dirt.
Alistair can be quite fraternal towards people who are younger or less mature than himself. He will order them around, tell them off, only to console them when he pushes them too hard. Towards people who are older and more experienced than him, he is more timid. He will often band up with somebody and be especially affectionate towards them if they are both in trouble for the same thing. Alistair has a tendency to be high-strung, particularly about his studies and education. He is down-to-earth and modest, but is highly embarrassed when he makes mistakes, especially in instances when she should know better.
Astute and aware of his surroundings, Alistair does not follow blindly and can tell if something is unjust. However, this is only applies to the seclusion of a university. Although brave, Alistair is sheltered and doesn't know how to fend for himself when given to the mercy of the land and its dangers. He is very protective of those who are weaker than himself and will often rush into danger without thinking to help them. If somebody is put down, he will not hesitate to insult the perpetrator. When thrown into situations that are out of his control, he recoils and struggles to think, often making rash decisions in the heat of the moment.
Odd in terms of his manner and wholeheartedly kind, Alistair is an unlikely hero in a land of soldiers and knights. He will do what he needs to do and save who he needs to save, then retreat to his room in the local inn to immerse himself in his studies.
Skills
Healing - Alistair is a skilled healer and can treat any kind of ailment, from mild cuts and stab wounds, to diseases. With a broad and deep knowledge of herbs and their properties, he can recognize useful flora and fauna to use to treat fellow travelers. He is skilled in alchemy and can make potions with healing properties. He is knowledgeable of many types of diseases and how to treat them, and is learning how to grow limbs with alchemy. When Alistair heals, he pays with his life force and blood, and will suffer from low-blood pressure if he expends too much of his his healing energy. He will become light-headed and dizzy, experience a lack of feeling in his limbs and will struggle to coordinate his movements.Empathy -
Hydromancy -
Biography
The youngest son to a cartographer and his wife, Alistair Wren was born and raised in Elbion, where he lived with his parents and older brother, Theo. From a young age, Alistair displayed a keen interest in magic and it was evident that he would be the more intellectual of the two brothers. Theo, by contrast, was sociable and extroverted, with a passion for archery, whereas Alistair was shy and reserved. Alistair took great interest in the intricate details and mathematics of his father's work, and his father nurtured his passion.Alistair's mother was estranged from the home and was often away, leaving her husband to predominantly care for the two boys. As they grew up, Theo became interested in girls and often got into fights. Alistair, on the other hand, struggled to separate himself from his schoolwork. When Alistair was fifteen, it was discovered that his mother was having an affair with a sailor on one of the ships that employed Alistair's father. Devastated, Alistair's father left to work on a ship where he charted maps for their courses.
The following year, Alistair completed his final school exam and passed with flying colours. He was accepted into the Elbion college and started a course in healing. His brother was assigned to the college guard, where he was stationed on one of the towers as an archer.
Alistair thrived in university. He made many friends and developed familial like relationships with the other mages. He excelled in healing, but struggled with elemental magic. When a renowned mage named Maho Sparhawk returned to the college to work as a professor, he became particularly close to Alistair, who saw him as more of a parental figure than his real father, who had left his two sons without warning at a time when they needed him the most.
When Sparhawk was sent to Amol-Kalit on a mission as a representative of the college, it was decided that Alistair would go with him to learn some practical skills. Alistair was thrilled by the opportunity and gleefully went with his master to Amol-Kalit, where they were to discuss terms of allegiance with one of the Shahs. The mission never came to fruition, however, as the Shah's camp was attacked by Gerra, the Sultan Annuakat, at midnight. Alistair had no idea about the past history between Gerra and his teacher, and Maho promised him that if all went well, he would tell him.
This was never to be, as Maho was incinerated by a fireball that hit the stables where he was hiding with Alistair.
Alistair saw the explosion while he was running away, and to this day, believes Sparhawk to be dead.