PLAYED BY: Matt Thomas
CONTACT INFO: This e-mail address which is also how one might find me on the Book of Face
CHARACTER NAME: Alister Dark
GENDER: Male
CLASS: Mage
AGE: 34
RACE: Human
HAIR: Dishwater Blonde in color, normally kept close to the scalp
EYES: Hazel
OCCUPATION: Laborer
KNOWN SKILLS: None
BIRTHPLACE: Born in the small town of Shazael in Vandregon
APPEARANCE: Tall and lanky in stature, prefers dark clothes and cloaks.
NOTABLE TRAITS: Glasses, sometimes skin conditions of the face, blotchy and spotted.
RELATIONSHIPS: None
RUMORS: I’d have no idea
BIO / BACKGROUND HISTORY:
The child of a caring family, Alister’s father worked as a blacksmith, and his mother baked breads and assorted sweets to make ends meet. He had his young life changed forever around the age of ten. The Penitent were nigh at the gates of the town when his father, bless his soul, rushed out with the rest of the townsmen to fight the undead back so the women and children could make an escape. His mother gathered all the money she could, grabbed Alister by the hand and they fled to Aldoria. She knew in her heart of hearts that Vandregon was doomed, perhaps even the whole world, yet she had heard of a place called Mardrun across the sea that may yet be safe from the hordes of undead. She used every bit of coin she had to assure Alister’s safe passage across the sea. With tears streaming down her face, she bid her son farewell at the docks, as the boat slowly drifted away.
The sea life was rough, it seemed there was a storm every other day trying to tear the ship apart and sink it. The Captain, true to the word he gave to young Alister’s mother, kept Alister safe from the scowling glares of other passengers by allowing him to sleep on the floor of his quarters. Yet the Captain was quite stern as well, having Alister scrub the decks with only a brush and seawater. And the filth below decks was not pleasant. The Captain made it clear that through Alister’s working and earning his keep, it gave the rest of the crew, as well as other refugees, less reason to want to throw the young boy overboard. Alister had no idea what he had done to anger so many people, perhaps they simply didn’t like an orphan? Alister later came to find out that a wild rumor had spread amongst the distraught and panicked people that he was secretly the son of a penitent leader sent to help spread the undead plague to the new world. It was a fearful, chaotic time.
Regardless, after about a month of sailing and the crew arguing about whether they should have arrived yet or not, they sighted land! Who’s land? Who knew?! But surely, they thought, this had to be THEE Mardrun they were searching for. As the ship docked and passengers disembarked, the Captain pulled Alister aside and offered one last piece of advice, “Trust NO one until they’ve proven that your life is just as important to them, as theirs to you.” The words confused the young boy and to this day, he still has not fully understood their meaning. As the Captain smiled at Alister and sent him on his way, to start a new life on his own, Alister prayed to any god listening that he’d be alright and that his parents might someday manage to arrive as well. Alister never did find out the Captain’s name, but from how he took care of Alister, he almost became like a second father figure. Alister recalled referring to him as Ike, as whenever he’d ask what Alister wanted to be when he grew older, Alister would reply, “Like you Ike! Sailing the seas and seeing the world! Going on adventures every day and keeping people safe!” He’d often laugh and threaten to throw Alister overboard himself if the boy kept on about foolish dreams like those.
It turned out the ship had landed in a place that was referred to as New Aldoria. Alister wasn’t sure what was “new” about it, but he found himself looking for work to earn some room and board. Alister grew up fairly fast working many an odd job. One day he’d be helping a farmer with his cattle, and then be back out on the sea fishing the next. The adults liked his “can do” attitude as he’d go about work without much conversation. Alister never saw the point of talking much. He found he’d learn so much more by listening than flapping his gums. It was while escorting a mages’ apprentice named Neville out in the woods to gather herbs, Alister discovered that he could do magic as well. Neville liked to talk… a LOT….which Alister found mildly annoying as Neville often expected him to talk too, which wasn’t exactly in his job description. But Neville’s talking offered to Alister the learning of magic!
One day, Neville was boasting to a guard, that Alister was paired up with, about how he could toss a man near ten feet with just a blast of air. This guard wasn’t too bright and bet half his salary that he couldn’t. No sooner did the words leave the guard’s lips and poof! Poor blighter shot off like a streak in a dirty pair of knickers! Alister had closely watched what Neville did while it happened, repeated the motion and felt a surge of energy from within himself. Alister asked the young magus, “Like this?” and, well, unfortunately, what he managed was nothing quite so spectacular a sight. All Alister got was a poof of air, like a break of wind coming from one’s rear. Somehow, Neville was impressed though! He claimed Alister might be some sort of idiot savant to manage such a feat that’d taken him quite some time to manage to do properly. Neville ended up asking his teacher if he’d accept another student to which, much to Alister’s deepest gratitude, he was accepted and was taught some fairly simple spells, and correctly too! No more poofs of air for Alister! Nay! Instead, Alister might laugh in the face of heavily armored Mordoks as they charged at him as he flung them aside like a leaf in the wind. Sure, he won’t stick around for the smelly bugger to get back up and chase him down, but it was a means to defend himself slightly better than swinging a sword at it!
Eventually, Alister might come out of the daily life of trudging dirt for farmers and fishing to live day to day and take up more in the adventuring category. Perhaps help the armies fight against the Mordok hordes as they surge forth from the Dirge swamp. Alister still has hopes to see his parents again, but he may yet make a new sort of family here, one that will risk their lives for him as he would them.
