I've noticed an overabundance of offensive fighters, so, instead of a nem barbarian (funny as the idea is...)
Name: Silva Wylde, The Witch of the Mountains. Neither of these are her actual name, but that name is associated with unpleasant things.
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Race: Human (From an Eastern country)
Class: Magician (Formerly Sorceress and Necromancer)
Appearance: Surprisingly, she is indeed human--albeit with elven ancestry. This is one possible contributor to her enormous height, though she claims that her entire family is known for its height--6'5 isn't outrageous by their standards. With her homeland being so obviously distant, who's going to check?
Personality: Thoughtful but morose, she seems to be caring--though obviously rather grim and unmotivated.
Brief Backstory: In her childhood, Silva was an aspiring mage--someone with a natural talent for magic and all the desire in the world to learn it and use it to its fullest potential. Despite her burgeoning power, and the potential she still held, the pressures of society confined her future to marriage and its attendant responsibilities.
This relationship, even though required more than it was chosen in her out-of-the-way town, was a happy one and did nothing to stall her progress along the magical arts. Whenever the opportunity arose, Silva would seek out passing teachers and lost knowledge. Even after gaining a child to care for, nothing would stop the sorceress in her pursuit and practice of magic.
With the defences she had prepared, it could never have ended well. High-powered magic but only amateurish defences burnt the house to the ground, and everyone in it. Worse, the fire spread, even though the initial blast was confined. It was the girl's worst nightmare, and she desperately tried to save anyone that she could. Yet, with her attention focused far away from healing, there was nothing Silva could do.
So she sought out even more esoteric teachers. Masters of wards and defences at first, but then those that the Church would love to eradicate: necromancers of all stripes and qualifications, from the unnerving to the outright diabolical. So long as there was magic, the mage would be an eager pupil. Eventually, the available knowledge was exhausted and she returned home, determined to fix the mess she'd left.
Her abilities brought nothing but a perverted mockery of the home Silva sought to reclaim, resorting to ever more outlandish combinations of magical arts to try and fix the mess she'd started. So heedless was she of being discovered that the magically sensitive--and those with sharp eyesight-- could discern something was happening in the abandoned town, earning her the nickname that has never truly been linked to her person.
Finally, despite all her abilities and knowledge, Silva admitted defeat: there was nothing that could be done to bring back what she had destroyed. Still too much of an idealist to give up, the sorceress left the mountains, vowing to not use such lethal or perverse arts ever again. Too many amends
must be made before such a fate, or stopping, can even be considered.
Wanting to distance herself as far as possible from her deeds, Silva left home for a country far to the west that hers traded silk with, learning the language on the journey and giving herself a pseudonym. It's obviously not her real name, but it's better than watching hers be mangled--or worse, recognised and linked to her past.
Equipment: None
Abilities: A magical prodigy, Silva is one of the greatest practitioners of offensive magic to have ever lived, with a comparable level of knowledge for the dark art of necromancy. This is something
totally useless to any group that the magician might join herself to: she'd be killed before persuading herself to use anything of those arts again.
Instead, she restricts herself to the tricks of charlatans and apprentices, only with more force behind them: summoning walls to block attacks, or making simple physical items do the impossible. Her skills in such alterations are nothing compared to Silva's true specialities, leaving any bridges across chasms looking unstable and conjured tents looking flimsy and ragged. It's a poor idea to rely on conjurations for more than even temporary uses, though manipulation of solid materials is more reliable.
The sole art she's skilled in and still practices is warding: the sorceress' ability to protect a person, area, or item against something is amazing. The more general the protection, the weaker, but with sufficient advance knowledge, it's entirely possible for her to construct defences sufficient for an entire group to wade through lava.
She's also an experienced cook, though unfamiliar with the food and cuisine of this country.
