[b]Name:[/b] Rutger Artz
[b]Age:[/b] 18 
[b]Magic:[/b] Flame God Slayer
[b]Magic Level:[/b] B

[b]History:[/b] Born and raised on a snowy mountain in a small, nearly isolated village, Rutger and his father were herders responsible for providing a great deal of meat, cheese, and wool to keep the villagers supplied during the harsh winters. As such they had more wealth than many in the small settlement; not nearly enough to be considered rich, but enough to afford a few more small luxuries--such as books. Rutger adored books, and whenever the odd peddlar braved the dangers of the mountain and brought their wares to the village square, Rutger would beg his father for enough money to buy every book he could. His parents easily relented; after all, knowledge was power.

Little did they know the power their son would gain.

One day, the peddlar brought a pile of books they had collected from all corners of Fiore, and Rutger bought them all. Among them was a book with a strange cover, blackened and dusty with the appearance and texture of charcoal. Rutger originally found, when he opened this book, that it was written in such an old dialect as to be neary indecipherable, a throwback to the days when Fiore was instead known by another name: Ishgal. He struggled to translate it so that he could read it, using other books as resources, but even then the contents simply seemed to squirm before his eyes. During a particularly cold storm, Rutger read next to the fireplace, as he usually did. Once again he was trying to decipher the book. He cried out in sudden despair when an ember popped from the fire and landed on one of the pages...but the book did not burn.

Instead, the letters within began to glow, and a warmth spread through Rutger as he watched in fascination. He felt something within him being pulled out, and the book reacted to it. From this reaction, the letters shifted, and became readable. Though Rutger did not know it, it was not only the flame that had changed the book. Within him, as within roughly 20% of Fiore's population, was the potential for magic, and the book had reacted to it, choosing him as its new owner.

He became obsessed with the book, poring over its contents day after day. He began to practice the magic in secret, his curiosity overcoming the risks and the possibility of being ridiculed by his family or the other villagers. It was here, however, that he learned just why magic was so feared. 

Black flames threatened to consume the village, and Rutger could not stop them. The only fortune to be had that day was when the heat melted part of the snow on the mountainside and caused an avalanche that managed to put out the flames, though many villagers were trapped in their homes until they could be dug free. Because of Rutger's magic, he had almost destroyed everything and everyone he had ever loved. The villagers began to treat him with fear and disdain, and his family decided it would be for the best to send him away. Rutger left the snowy village in the dead of night, keeping himself warm with his power, a blessing and a curse.

Knowing he had to find someone to help him control his abilities, he headed for the Mage Guilds...

[b]Personality:[/b] Deeply unsettled by the events of his life, Rutger is often gloomy, but when his heart finally begins to open up, traces of an imaginative, curious, and energetic youth can be seen.

[b]Team Members:[/b] N/A
[b]Three Strengths:[/b] [list]
[*]Fount of Knowledge - Rutger is widely read in a variety of subjects, and thus knows a great deal about many things.
[*]Steel Trap Memory - Rutger doesn't have a photographic memory, but it's a good one nonetheless, especially if it's something he's read.
[*]Analytical Mind - Rutger's great at discovering and putting together clues to deduce possible answers, though some of his predictions are based on "genre-savviness" rather than realism.[/list]

[b]Three Weaknesses:[/b] [list]
[*]Self Control - Rutger is still new to his magic, and has a great deal of trouble controlling it, making him dangerous in flammable areas, tight spaces, or when allies are crowded around him.
[*]Fear - Rutger is so afraid of hurting people he cares about with his magic that it severely weakens his spells and abilities.
[*]Passiveness - Rutger isn't often one to take initiative on his own, and he's stopped taking as many risks. He often tries to think of excuses to justify this to himself, and in the process is his own worst critique, creating mental blockages that can keep him from doing what's necessary out of fear of failure.[/list]

[b]Greatest Love:[/b] Reading
[b]Motivation:[/b] Learning to control his magic

[b]Appearance:[/b] 
[hider=Rutger's Image][img]http://i.imgur.com/xuqRef1.png[/img][/hider]
Rutger stands at 5 feet 10 inches and weighs around a hundred and seventy pounds, with a bit of tone from working with animals and living in a harsh environment, but not so much like a weight lifter. He has dark red, almost auburn hair that spikes sort of to the right, with a cowlick on the left and slightly back. His eyes are golden amber, and he wears a long sleeved black wool shirt under a thick blue, denim-like jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and heavy brown leather gloves lined with white wool. His pants are dark gray in color and his boots are made in the same style as his gloves. A black leather belt with a silver, square buckle holds two leather pouches, one on the side of his left hip and the other on the back of his waist. The last item of clothing he wears is a bright red woolen scarf sewn with double layers for extra warmth; this particular item was a gift from his mother before he left, and he tends to wear it all the time to remind himself of his family even if he changes the rest of his outfit.

[b]Additional Details:[/b] Always has at least one book on hand.