Will Cartesian

Description:

+5	Warding
+4	Earth	Melee Weapons
+3	Domination	Ranged Weapons	Endurance
+2	Alertness	Athletics	Investigation	Resolve
+1	Academics	Contacting	Leadership	Resources	Survival

Stunts

Command (Domination, p128): +1 Domination bonus to cause a state of mind in target
Create Earth (Elements, p129): Creating earth material with no source
Summon Lesser Earth Elemental (Elements, p130): Summon Cairn of Gnomes (pp338,121)
Personal Magic Item (Special, pp118,165-167):
Lieutenant (Leadership, pp94,165-167):

Aspects

Child Prodigy: Prodigious ability to perform a variety of types of magic, discovered in childhood (Loses concentration by being distracted by other activities)

Musketeer: Has an aptitude for gaining an advantage in physical conflict, based on his training and the fighting experience gained from adventures (Makes a misjudgment which puts him at a disadvantage)

Fellowship of Power: Success when performing magic is enhanced when working with one or more other wizards on the same task (A wizard essential to a task refuses to help or is unavailable, or leaks confidential information)

Friends in High Places: Influential and powerful wizards support Will in his career (Support is not forthcoming in this particular instance)

Go for it!: Boldness in the face of danger brings success (Boldness that becomes recklessness causes unnecessary risk to life)

Live and Let Live: Tolerant of misdeeds and faults of others (Unwittingly aids the bad guys by misjudging their intentions or character)

Ambassador of Goodwill: Serves ably as an intermediary among parties who are not meeting face to face (Perceived as taking sides, which is damaging to his credentials)

Things are Complicated: Willing to work with people who might have hidden agendas (Becomes indecisive and confused)

None the Wiser: Sometimes it is best not to disclose something you did or know (Not disclosing confidential information causes trouble when found out)

Return the Favor: Establishing and returning favors is beneficial for success in Will’s work (A favor given to others causes trouble (perhaps because it offends someone), or a favor not returned causes trouble (perhaps because Will was depending upon it))

The Excellent Enchanted Ring of the Magnanimous Magi: Talisman: Silver finger ring that has the enchantments Extend Range, Extend Duration, and Augment Attack (page 144)

Equipment

Longsword (+3) with scabbard
Main gauche (+1, Enhances Defence, Close Combat Weapon) with scabbard
Leather armor (-0, Minor)
Personal Magic Item, a silver ring The Excellent Enchanted Ring of the Magnanimous Magi
Maintains a bag full of 20-30 rocks, which weigh altogether about 20 pounds
Camping gear – bedroll, cooking pot and eating utensils, 2 torches, water bag
Knife with thin blade (+1, Small, Close Combat Weapon, Poor Defence), scabbard, and harness for strapping to inside of arm
Utility knife (for example, use in a campsite, cutting rope, etc.)
Axe for utility (for example, cutting wood at a campsite)
Various lengths of rope
Satchels and bags for carrying supplies on horseback
Harness for torso made of thin leather that fits underneath armor and clothing and bearing a thin pocket in the back for carrying courier items
Several sets of clothing suitable for mounted travel, for day-to-day wear, and for appearances among gentle folk, including outerwear for cold weather

The following would be necessary for Will’s work:

Four general-purpose horses well-trained and of superior endurance (for traveling long distances), plus saddle and tack for each, for the use of Will and his sidekick. Two are used as remounts when traveling.

Bio:

Will comes from a large, wealthy merchant family. Growing up, Will exhibited a quick and inquisitive mind and was physically active. His development and education was entrusted to Excelsius, a noted scholar and practitioner of magic. Will had a prodigious aptitude for magic (aspect Child Prodigy) but was too restless for a life devoted exclusively to magic or the world of trade. With his superior talent for magic, Will developed into a skilled wizard as well as having time to be physically active. Excelsius and his aides trained Will to investigate magic in the field, to observe the practice of magic by others and to look for something new.

Will’s career would require travel and involve personal danger. Will became proficient in armed combat and horsemanship. He began acting as a courier, conveying small objects of great value, such as gems, letters of credit, and other documents for banks and merchants. His work as a courier combined easily with his travels to investigate magic.

Over a period of years, his travels involved many dangerous encounters. He became a master swordsman through his experience in dealing successfully with dangerous situations and opponents (aspect Musketeer).

His reports of magic has earned him respect by important natural philosophers. Will aspires to make an important contribution to the growing body of knowledge of magic.

Legends

Legend: Agent of Evil

A trouble-maker had been spreading accusations of faulty and fabricated scholarship regarding the works of several respected and important natural philosophers in The Visage of Strife. The accusations were false. The maligned wizards wondered what was behind the smear campaign. Perhaps some unknown enemies were trying to stir something up?

Will agreed to apprehend the miscreant. With his investigation skill and connections with other wizards (aspect Fellowship of Power), Will was able to discover the man’s habits and hangouts. Will persuaded the trouble-maker, with the aid of magic, to go with him to a certain house for discussions and refreshments. The man’s name was Skwirley.

Will’s co-conspirators interrogated the villain. They discovered, with the aid of magic, that the man was commissioned by a deranged wizard known as Malfinger in the city of Loonchester, 120 miles distant. The wizard had at one time been brilliant and respected, but now had turned wicked and vengeful, jealous of the success of others. He had wanted to discredit his rivals in The Visage of Strife and had caused the prisoner to spread the false accusations. A geas was laid upon the agent to cease and desist, and he was made to feel good about it. Then Will took the man to the town of Waytinkle, 15 miles distant down the road to Loonchester, and set him free. The wizards decided to take no action against Malfinger for now.

To demonstrate their appreciation of his aid, the wizards gifted Will with an enchanted silver finger ring and assured him of support in his career (aspect Friends in High Places). Will named the ring The Excellent Enchanted Ring of the Magnanimous Magi (aspect of the same name.)

Legend: Bane Of Bandits

One day Will and his aide were riding down a road through the forest known as Darkwood 8 miles outside of The Visage of Strife. Will was conveying a letter of credit from the city of Marburg, about 60 miles away from The Visage of Strife. The document was given into his care by Mighty Oak Associates (a banking firm), to be delivered to Meister Overlook at Deepwater Enterprises (an export-import company) in The Visage Of Strife, without fail within two days.

As Will and sidekick trotted around a curve in the narrow road that wound through the woods, they came suddenly upon three men standing in the road about 20 yards ahead. The men had muskets leveled. Will took them to be brigands. Will instantly knew he had to go for it if he was survive and deliver the goods (aspect Go For It). Will launched destructive magic which put down one of the bandits and discharged two pistols which downed another. Dismounting, he disarmed the third with swordplay.

Will told the disarmed man that if he wanted a better life, he should go to The Visage of Strife and seek out Meister Morgan Cartesian. The meister might have gainful employment for him, but it wouldn’t be robbery. Will gave the man a codeword which would eventually bring him into the meister’s presence, but didn’t reveal his own name or relationship to the meister (aspect Live and Let Live).

Guest Legends

Alister Machen

When rumors began circulating that one Alister Machen was organizing a guild of wizards for profit, several members of the Society Of Natural Philosophy became concerned about his intentions. They were reluctant to approach him directly to discuss their concerns, thinking that this would be too provocative. Instead, they sent Will to try to find out what Meister Machen was up to.

Will obtained an interview with Meister Machen, who seemed openly and honestly to reveal his plans and ambitions, which had the appearance of being benevolent and beneficial to all. Will dutifully reported this information to those who sent him, careful not to let his own impressions color his report, and not simply reporting what he thought his commissioners wanted to hear (aspect Ambassador Of Good Will).

Will realized that there is good and bad in everyone, people have hidden agendas, including his own friends and sponsors, and many powerful men are ambitious. Will was not concerned about Meister Machen, because the activities of powerful men are complicated. (aspect Things Are Complicated).

Guardian the Krugreppean

Will was told by informants that the Krugreppean called Guardian had been engaged to track down a certain man. It turned out that this man could be the thief who stole a valuable magical artifact from the laboratory of the powerful wizard Hadralius.

Will investigated, and with the help of contacts and other wizards, was able to determine the direction that the thief headed out of the city after the theft, and when this has occurred. He informed Guardian gladly of what he had found out, for this was the same Krugreppean who had saved Will from robbery a couple of years ago (aspect Return the Favor).

He also told Guardian that the villain was likely to be in possession of a stolen magic device that Will was trying to recover. The Krugreppean tracked the thief down and recovered the stolen device. Guardian and Will agreed that there was no reason for anyone to know about the artifact, just to avoid complications about its disposal. Will quietly returned it to the rightful owner (aspect None the Wiser)