I'd like to throw my hat in the ring. 


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Appearance: http://d-torres.deviantart.com/art/Mage-NPC-431762772

[img]http://orig15.deviantart.net/0acb/f/2014/035/a/3/mage_npc_by_d_torres-d7526ac.jpg[/img]


Name: Thomas Amell
Age: 32
Race: Human, Ilyan
Profession: Priest
 
Personality: Skeptical, inquisitive, pragmatic are three words that best describe Thomas. Not always the easiest to work with, Thomas is known for his ability to get the job done. 
 
Backstory: Thomas was born the third son to a lesser-known noble family in the countryside of Ilya. Holdovers from a previous age, they maintained their small fortune through rents from the nearby towns and farmlands. Though not particularly wealthy, his family counted themselves among the local dignitaries and well-to-do. Rambunctious from an early age, Thomas’ own curiosity often found him in trouble in the small sleepy hamlet of Riverview. At a young age he was presented the choice of the seminary or officer’s school as the only right and proper options for his life. He chose the former. Happy he would no longer be a liability to them among local social circles, his parents shipped him off to the top divinity school located just outside Ilya’s capital city. 

At school Thomas was finally given the chance to put all his energy and talents into something productive. He was quickly recognized as gifted in the divine arts, and was given private instruction in divine magic in addition to his theological work. During the days he would attend classes with the rest of the students, and in the evening he would spend his nights in the study of his mentor and tutor Father Aquinas. Over his few short years in the seminary, Thomas rapidly became one of the best healers at the college. When the time finally came for him to take his vows, he was summoned before the dean. In the dean’s office he was met by a senior member of the royal armed forces. The man told him that his abilities as a healer and a scholar were in great need, and should be used in service of the crown. After taking his vows, Thomas would be assigned to support royal expeditionary forces as both a chaplain and healer. 

The first few months in his new post were filled with physical combat training. Having never touched a musket in his life, he was now expected to be able to shoot reliably and reload in under a minute. After marksmanship was sword melee and hand-to-hand. Unlike his academic pursuits, Thomas didn’t take well to combat training. Though he never quite mastered hitting targets at 100 yards, the need for adequate healers eventually graduated him from the training early. Before he knew what happened he found himself on his first deployment.

Thomas has served in the Royal Expeditionary Forces for seven years now. He has found himself all over Yggdrassil, intervening on behalf on the crown in everything from humanitarian crises, to diplomatic standoffs, to skirmishes with the Ironhoff Dominion. Over that time he developed his skills in divine magic farther than he had ever thought possible. He was also confronted with the realities of empire. The world was much different than the one found in his studies. The intentions of his superiors didn’t always seem in keeping with that of Ilya, not to mention that of the holy scriptures. Deployment after deployment he began to grow weary of the politics of Yggdrassil. He yearned for something greater. 

It was this yearning that made him jump at the chance to join a new expedition to the New World. Throughout his short career that dark continent had loomed over him. His colleagues told him it was a quagmire, a graveyard. They assured him if he wanted a long and successful career in the service, he should avoid the New World at all costs. Yet, he still felt a calling towards it. He knew that a long career as a pawn on the chessboard of Yggdrassil was meaningless when something so sinister lay just across the ocean. He could no longer just standby while the people of all races were being slaughtered by the blight. It was time for him to act. 

 
Skills and Abilities: 
-Divine Magic: Healing powers, knowledge of alchemic ingredients and recipes in poultices and antidotes, and powers erect magical wards and barriers. 
-Proficient with a blade, and so-so with a gun. 

 
Equipment: Shortblade, Rune Pattern Ethergun, Common Alchemic ingredients, Holy scriptures 

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