Born as the second son of a well off, but still at the lower end merchant family Nicodemus wasn’t really destined to greatness, at best perhaps he’d follow in his father and elder brother's footsteps. A good, if uneventful life in a large city filled with people sharing the same fate. Not a bad way to live, considering the world and how short and brutal life elsewhere could be.
The turning point in his story wasn’t drastic or huge, no murdered family, prophecy or destiny, instead it was a regular day at the market. Not much older than twelve at the time Nicodemus along with his older brother, who was sixteen at the time had been allowed to take the day of early from the family store. Among the many stores and stalles the brothers had a favourite area, the wandering merchants courters. There was always a good tale, something exotic to see or buy there. Among the fortune tellers and barder was a low ranking mage from the college, mostly earning a few coins on his merger talents, weaving illusions for the crowd of grand
battles and far of places.
As enraptured as only children could be the brothers watched, around them the market place was forgotten, instead knights and wizards battled
monsters. Then as soon as it had happened the magic was spent and the world disappeared, dissolving into nothing.
It wasn’t the battle, the shining knights or glorious sorceress, not even the world which had been so real you could smell, tast and touch it that captured him. It was the fact that with a flick of his wrist the sorcerer had made it, then unmade it. It was there, then it wasn’t. It had been so real, yet it wasn’t?
It kept him up late at night. What if this world, the one he considered real could be made or unmade just as easily. Who or what held his world together, what were the barriers, the boundaries?
What if he all knew was just held together by some whimsical beings desire, and could just as easily return to nothing. While his brother did the same as usual, the thoughts continued to plague Nicodemus. While somewhere else such thoughts might have led to nothing and eventually he’d have moved on, he had the fortune or misfortune of being born in
Elbion. If there was one place to find answers this was the starting area, magic was what had made him ask the question. It was also the tool to find the answer.
That thought would led Nicodemus to later apply to the Elbion academy four years later. While he wasn’t from a rich family nor knew the right people he had a decent education and showed promise enough that at the age of seventeen he was accepted.
It was a long road, studies, chores, tasks and tests, but he graduated. While a good student, he wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. If anything a lot of the teachers who had at the start looked at him as promising was put of by his almost singel minded determination towards, runes, wards and what they considered lesser forms of magic. A few tried to turn him away, but the headstrong young man kept on. As such while he did graduate with good marks and got the opportunity to continue on as a field researcher, he wasn’t really one of note. Just another face in the large crowd of bottom sorcerer, which fit him just fine.
He had what he wanted, access to some of the best libraries in the known world and a job that allowed him to travle far and wide. To look for clues to older civilisations and explore
ruins, and more importantly to him, keep expanding what his knowledge base and get closer to his goal.
Rune Magic: Being a researcher with a special interest in early magic theory as well as thirst for knowledge about how the world really works, Nicodemus has unlike many of his peers focused a lot of his time and effort into rune magic. His main focus being the study of magical barriers, warding schemes and boundaries of all kinds.
Summoning: As a natural extension of the previous skills he has also knowledge and interest in summoning and conjuring. This as means to study what happens when a creature breaks the barriers of reality, as a way to gain insight.
Necromancy: As an extension of his focus on boundaries and history, Nicodemus has branched out to necromancy as means to both study how souls are effected when summoned, it’s affect on the world around and to gathering knowledge. After all, every traveler knows that the ancient dead knows a lot.
Barter: While not having followed in his father or older brothers footsteps Nicodemus still knows a good deal when he sees it, how to maneuverer people towards his desired outcome and that if a deal looks too good to be true it most likely is.
Gambler: One of his few breaks from the serious workaholic he can be at times is his fondness of games of chance and skill. It doesn’t have to involve money, just the chance to bet. As such he has quit the stone face when it comes to bluffing.
Strengths:
- Observant & Patient: Used to long nights studying arcane tomes as well as archeological surveys that can take long times to bear fruits or sometimes not at all has learned Nicodemus the value of keeping his eyes open and taking his time.
- Knowledgeable: Having graduated from the
Elbion College, and later working as a researcher for the same institution means that Nicodemus know a lot within his area of expertise. That along with a love of reading means he has a vast amount of learning to drawn on.
- Determine: Always feeling like he has something to prove to himself and the world Nicodemus is the very picture of determination.
Weaknesses:
- Lack of direct power: Having invested most of his time and effort into none direct magic, Nicodemus needs to be prepared and well stocked with the right materials to work his magic.
- Inferiority complex: Being the second son from a lower class merchant family surrounded by the rich and powerful at the College means that Nicodemus has felt humiliated as well as embarrassed a lot. While the worst of the feeling has passed as he’s grown older, the nagging feeling of not being good enough is still there at the most inopportune moments.
- Single mindedness: While his determination is a strength, it can also be a weakness. Being so focused on one goal and idea that he can easily be distracted or thrown off guard by too many new factors or complications.
