[hider=Wes Downgate][center][h1]Wes Downgate[/h1]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/qHqrlBV.jpg[/IMG]

[b]"Look, don't get me wrong. I don't intend to play the part of some grand hero. I mean, that's what I summoned you for, right?"[/b]

[b]Gender:[/b] Male

[b]Age:[/b] 18[/center]

[hr]

[b]Personality:[/b] A kind-hearted and determined soul who could best be described as "an information hound and a weakling who just doesn't know when to give up". Wes is a bucket of endless curiosity and resourcefulness, and has spent his entire life dedicated to learning and seeking knowledge. Due to circumstances surrounding his youth, he doesn't take kindly to being marginalized or told he can't do something, and he's always had more brains and determination than he's had common sense, getting into trouble frequently as a child.

[b]Likes/Dislikes:[/b] New things, books/Being called "short"

[b]Biography:[/b] Born the son of a normal mother and a washed up magus father (think post-Fuyuki Kiritsugu), Wes has always been an inquisitive kid, opting to spend most of his time reading indoors when other kids were out playing. He's gone through multiple phases in his life, obsessing over animals and dinosaurs as a small child, reading mountains of books on history and mythology as a kid and a preteen, and finally shifting over to a more tech-based angle as teenager, tinkering with DIY machinery using online guides before moving on to programming and then inevitably hacking. But as he neared the twilight of his teenage years, he learned about his father's uniqueness through his mother, and began feverishly obsessing over magic, going through his father's old books and any resources he could find online (though he didn't find much at first due to the way most magi avoid technology like the plague). A true self-taught genius, though lacking in both heritage and quality of circuits, Wes liquidated most of what remained of his family's assets and life insurance once his mother passed away suddenly due to an illness she'd kept hidden from him. He used the money to fly to London and set up a meeting with a representative of the Clocktower, to beg them to let him learn magic at the prestigious institution. Perhaps taking pity on him, the Clocktower granted him entrance as a student, but quickly found he was far more trouble than he was worth with his heretical ideas and attitude. He made a lot of enemies out of his professors and fellow students, and whatever ideas he shared about "a new model of magic for the modern world" were laughed at and shot down. Wes didn't quit or back down though, and when news of the Holy Grail War reached him, he bet everything on this one chance to prove he was right and broke bad, taking pretty much every risk he could take or had to take to obtain the necessary resources to be in the War. What happens next doesn't matter to Wes. What matters is that this is the only opportunity he's ever going to get to prove that he isn't a weakling, and that his ideas are viable. The Grail, if he obtains it, is irrelevant (though he'd probably use it to skip past the consequences of what he had to do to become a Master). 

[b]Family History:[/b] Wes is a second-generation magus, and an infirm at that. Literally only a single step up from the worst of the worst by the Association's standards. However it was weakness that made Wes start thinking outside the box, tinkering with the idea of fusing magic and technology. His father, if he's even alive or knows the boy exists, has been gone for years, never being much of a family man. By all rights he's probably dead, leaving Wes 100% alone in the world. Save of course for the Servant he's about to summon...

[b]Origin:[/b] Curiosity

[b]Elemental Affinity:[/b] Fire

[b]Number of Magic Circuits:[/b] D

[b]Quality of Magic Circuits:[/b] C

[b]Od:[/b] D

[b]Magecraft:[/b] Wes is primarily a practicioner of Formalcraft with a foundation in alchemy, relying on traps, complex magic rituals, and pre-fab magic items that lose their usefulness after one use. Seen as an inherently pathetic and weak form of magic ("magecraft for dummies"), the techniques suit a person like Wes well, who doesn't place too much importance on stature or the ideas of magecraft being some sort of "sacred tradition". Specific techniques he knows/is fond of include[list]
[*][i]Transmutation:[/i] Simple alchemic synthesis, albeit a tad more versatile and advanced than standard chemistry. Skills include brewing poisons, altering the composition of metals etc.
[*][i]Mana Dowsing:[/i] By collecting samples of the local soil and water, Wes can identify residual trails of mana as well as map out local ley lines. A basic alchemy skill. 
[*][i]Hypnosis:[/i] One of the few basic tricks any Clocktower magus is expected to know to gain entry to the school. Wes has some particular talent with this simple parlor trick, and has found ways to make it work through telepresence. 
[*][i]Reinforcement:[/i] Another simple skill Wes decided to learn to try and compensate for his weak body. Wes isn't terribly good at it though, and all he can really do is reinforce his body to not give out under stress and fatigue rather than the more superhuman feats being performed by those adapt in the combat arts.
[*][i]Familiars (Animals):[/i] Wes has an affinity for smaller familiars more suited to snooping, and usually makes contracts with the leaders of the local rat population as well as a few cats and small birds like pigeons or crows. He can sustain maybe a few dozen rats due to their small size, but only three to four cats or birds at the same time.[/list]

[b]Equipment:[/b] Wes has brought with him into the Holy Grail War a grand total of[list]
[*]$50000 US dollars in the form of ¥50 coins, skimmed off the top of various criminal and Association bank accounts worldwide
[*]50 pints of animal blood, as well as 6 pints of his own blood in vials drawn over the course of a few years for spells requiring a stronger, more personal touch
[*]The keys to a smaller sort of shack in the warehouse district near the docks (bought in the first few posts)
[*]50 prepaid disposable cell phones ("burner phones") (bought in the first few posts)
[*]300 aerosol cans (bought in the first few posts
[*]250 detonator caps (bought in the first few posts)
[*]100 miniature DYI wireless cameras with night vision lenses and thermal imaging (bought in the first few posts)
[*]20 RC cars and five commercial drones (bought in the first few posts)
[*]2 laptops; a nicer, higher-end primary model that he uses for school, and a cheaper backup one (bought in the first few posts)
[*]A portable generator and a few canisters of gasoline (bought in the first few posts)
[*]A portable stove (bought in the first few posts)
[*]Matches and disposable lighters (bought in the first few posts)
[*]3 12-packs of water and emergency MREs (bought in the first few posts)
[*]Paintbrushes, straightedges, protractors and lots of stencil paper[/list]

[b]Skills:[/b] Reading, information synthesis, memorization, observation

[b]Other:[/b] He was born with a congenital heart defect that stunted his growth and prevents him from partaking in any overly strenuous exercise or stressful activities. It was the primary reason he spent so much time reading as a kid, and is the reason he is as short as he is (less than 5').[/hider]