In order to understand Teodron, one needs to understand his parents. Guntyre was a dwarven builder—who fancied himself an architect, and may very well have been if his own boasting didn’t always undermine his efforts—while Salmira was a junior human mage studying, of all things, rune magic, considered obsolete at best and frivolous at worst by many of her colleagues. They met one night in a tavern, and sparks flew, though initially not of the romantic kind. Instead, Guntyre felt Salmira was a useless academic, as he believed in tangible, useful things and felt strong foundations, whereas Salmira saw knowledge as the foundation of everything that made civilization work. They got into a furious debate that lasted until the tavern finally closed its doors. And then it happened again the next night. And the night after that. And many more nights, until the arguments had grown into something deeper and truer.

Eventually, they started a family. Teodron was their firstborn, the first of four and the only boy. Both parents doted on him and his sisters (Elsbeter, Antaya, and Liatry, in age order), though both were kept busy with their respective work. From his father, Teodron learned the value of hard work, loyalty, kindness, industry, and strength of mind and body, while his mother instilled in him a great sense of curiosity and introduced him to the great mysteries of the world. That included both some rudimentary magic as well as her faith: Salmira hailed from Amol-Kalit, and she worshipped Naspar, God of Scholarship and Magic. Out of respect for Guntyre—not that he believed in theology, decrying it as the stuff of nonsense, but fair was fair—Salmira also taught Teodron the importance of Munnun, God of Trade and Artisanry. She would spin tales of all the deities and their wondrous powers, though time and cultural drift distorted some of it. In addition, Guntyre would occasionally share snippets of his own upbringing in Celestialism. Metisa, the Mother of Civilization, held a special place in Guntyre’s esteem, whether Teodron’s father was aware of it or not.

Teodron was incredibly happy growing up. He mostly worked for his father, fully intending to inherit the family business. Though secretly he longed to follow in his mother’s footsteps—the ancient magical artifacts that combined the best of technology and the arcane had always been of particular interest of him—it wasn’t something he felt strongly about. His first twenty years, which was still young for a half-dwarf such as he, were spent like this.

Until the day that everything changed. Teodron never learned the full details of the incident, perhaps because his father kept them from the son, or perhaps because they were unknown. But all that he found out was that after a magical accident at the college, Salmira was missing presumed dead.

He spent the next couple of days in a numb haze, doing his best to take care of his father and his sisters. Liatry was too young to know exactly what happened, but she was distraught, as were they all. Life had to go on, though, and after the funeral and the long period of mourning, Guntyre and Teodron went back to building homes and laying bricks. But suddenly it wasn’t enough for Teodron, and after thinking long and hard, he told his father of his intention to apply to the college. Guntyre, pleaded, threatened, wept, and begged, but Teodron was as stubborn as both his parents combined and he prevailed in the end. He was determined to unlock greater feats of magic and technology by combining both than both his parents could create individually. And maybe, just maybe, he was hoping to find answers regarding his

Despite his dwarven blood, Teodron could use magic, perhaps a gift from his human mother. And despite that blood, and maybe again due to his mother’s membership at the college, Teodron’s application was accepted. He managed to get through the interview and then—though it was difficult—he passed through the five preliminary trials. Since then, he’s been a proud student at the College of Elbion, ignoring those who feel his heritage might limit him as a mage.