CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT: Falcon Argentus Firebrand

So I've been thinking that a nice addition to this blog would be a recurring Character Spotlight to not only provide other great writers with recognition, but to delve deeper into the world I have created and those that inhabit it.  I'm setting a goal to add a new character spotlight every other week, so let's hope I can stick to it.

This week, we are presenting the character known as "Falcon Argentus Firebrand", a Tiefling Wizard with an affinity for wielding fire.  This character has been integral to the group, by always asking all the right questions at the right time.  He's massacred skeletons in bulk, seen covert experiments commissioned by the Enclave, dealt with dopplegangers, helped to defeat two dragons, resisted the temptations of an ancient necromantic artifact and helped to save a town from utter undead destruction.  He is a force to be reckoned with, that is for sure.

This background was written by a good friend of mine, Mike Zavarello, and truly exemplifies how powerful words can be... 

You can see more of his work at, http://blog.bright-matrix.net/.

Falcon Argentus Firebrand, Tiefling Wizard

Many a tiefling has a harrowing tale of struggle, strife, or surfeit to mark their formative years. Perhaps they lived their childhoods in darkened warrens, dangerous alleyways, or beneath the feet of races more blessed by the light of the gods. Perhaps they are cursed, chased, or chastened by their experiences. Perhaps they are hated, harrowed, or haunted by those around them. By some twist in the chains of Fate, Falcon Argentus Firebrand avoided much of these woes and weariness.

His sires unknown to him, Falcon spent his early life amidst his greatest love: books. His ward was a wizened tiefling warlock who went by the name of Sparrow (it amused her to carry such an innocent moniker upon her devilish features). Her home was a dusty, cramped, but cozy library of the arcane arts. Wedged between two taller brownstones in the city of Tul Argent, it was easily missed amidst the bustle of the marketplace nearby. Falcon fell into the deft hands of Sparrow after a series of riots in the seedier boroughs of Tul Argent shattered the local tiefling community and left him an orphan at the age of three. Seeing the sharp eyes and keen insight in her young charge, the elder tiefling bestowed him the avian name of “Falcon” and began to imbue in him the mysteries of magick. His talents were revealed to be unique; the young wizard seemed to have a knack for flame magick, perhaps a vestige of his demonic heritage. Sparrow indulged Falcon’s steady thirst for knowledge and guided his journey into the arcane. Her teachings were firm but fair. She demanded much discipline and control, but repaid his loyalty and dutifulness with praise and purpose. Falcon’s adolescent years passed with warmth, security, and general satisfaction, aspects many tieflings see scant little of in their lifetimes. He was still reviled by others in Tul Argent who remembered the riots of years past, but as time progressed, their baleful gazes and whispered curses became something beneath him; worthy of ignoring the ignorance behind them.

The sixteen years spent under Sparrow’s tutelage taught Falcon much about the cerebral disciplines of arcana, religion, history, and diplomacy, while the silent parade of the library’s patrons ignited in him a desire to learn ever more about the realms beyond the city walls. Upon the age when most apprenticeships ended, Sparrow granted Falcon the leave to pursue his own path. It was a turning point for him; he battled for days between the thrill of moving along with his life and leaving the comforting warmth of his longtime tutor before finally departing Tul Argent to strike out alone. It wouldn’t be long before the Wizard’s Enclave would approach him, offering him another chance to indulge his desire to delve further into thaumaturgy. Two years after his initiation, he learned of Sparrow’s death. Saddened and enraged by the loss of his guardian, he saturated himself in the teachings of religion to dull pains he rarely encountered in his life. He became enamored of the Raven Queen and discovered in her mantle another true purpose to his existence. He swore an oath to her to that very night, and devoted his life to living in her service alongside his studies in magick.

Falcon is tall but not slight; broad, but not thick of limb. With dark crimson skin, gray eyes, and deep violet waves of hair parted by curving, twining horns of dull bronze, he cuts a quiet but imposing figure. He stands slightly above average height, is strong of build, and lean of frame.

True to his nature as a student of the arcane arts, Falcon is calm, composed, and a man of few words. He gives great consideration to each thought and decision before acting. Falcon’s studious upbringing and resulting induction into the Wizard’s Enclave has given him an arrogant cast, but his demeanor softens when in the company of friends. His steady awareness of the world around him often makes others a trifle disconcerted, as though he knows more than one should. Falcon’s devotion to the Raven Queen is unswerving; he believes strongly that fate and death are unyielding forces that cannot and should not be swayed. He shows no pity for those who attempt to break free from the chains of destiny, which makes him appear cold and uncaring at times. Though he would admit this to no one, Falcon is quietly convinced that his fortunate upbringing is a gift from the Goddess of Winter herself. He considers himself truly blessed to have been brought before her, even though it was Sparrow’s death that led him to this path.