Name
Adam Samuel Mason

Gender
Male

Age
34

Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual

Birthmark Shape
The alchemical symbol for Anneal

Location of Birthmark
Left torso, elbow height
Magical Abilities
Magical Buffer: Able to conjure a 2' radius shield of force with the ability to slow, soften, deflect, or halt incoming attacks, damage, etc. (GM's discretion as to strength), manifested by using his left forearm as a focus, much as one would a traditional shield.(Left hand must be empty)

Place of Birth
Garden City, KS

Currently Residing
Nashville, TN

Personality
Adam is a work hard/play hard kind of guy. He's friendly, prone to smile, and good-natured up until serious business rears it's head, where his demeanor becomes muted, efficient, and matter of fact, often to the point of being misinterpreted as gruff. While he doesn't subscribe to the notion of "fair play" in a fight, he is otherwise relatively honest and straightforward in his business and relations with others, and has a healthy respect for authority and the chain of command, so long as it isn't being blatantly abused.

A former wartime army NCO, Adam finds the idea of himself leading the team exhausting, and prefers the fewer headaches and greater free time over a slightly bigger paycheck. That said, he's always willing to teach, train, and mentor superiors and subordinates a like on weapons, combat, and his views on life and leadership. While reasonably intelligent and clever, Adam is prone to impatience and impulsiveness, though most often for actions that might endanger only himself, not others.

Enjoying the freedom of single life, Adam never married, and has a long chain of ex's behind him. While a definite enthusiast of intimate female companionship, he's never had an instance of fraternization; his philosophy on inter-guild relationships being the same as when he was in the service: "I don't date soldiers, or mages."

History/Bio:

Born to unknown parents, Adam was put up for adoption at an early age somewhere in the U.S. Midwest. Adopted and raised by the Mason family, Adam enjoyed a pleasant but challenging childhood; his parents loving and financially sound, yet demanded he become self sufficient as soon as he came of age.

At the age of fifteen, his fledgling arcane power manifested itself whilst intervening in a schoolyard fight. Stepping in to stop the beating of a frequently bullied classmate, he wound up taking the pummeling himself. Bruised, bloodied, but standing his ground, he threw up his left arm to try and block a face-shot that would likely have knocked him senseless. He wasn't sure what had happened next, just that the blow hadn't landed anywhere on his body, and his would be attacker was lying on the ground, clutching a wrist that was bent at a ninety-degree angle in the absolutely wrong direction. Having discreetly been observing Adam up until this point, a pair of representatives stepped in under the guise of juvenile therapists. They explained the truth behind magic, the magi, and the guild to him, and through wordcraft and a bit of deceptive magic, began tutoring and advising Adam under the guise of weekly "mental health" sessions. Upon graduating high-school, Adam enlisted in the Army for a lack of other plans, unsure of what to do with himself in terms of a mundane or magical career, eventually finding himself as a tank crewman during the second year of the Iraq War.

During his multiple combat deployments, including the retaking of Fallujah, and two stints in Afghanistan, Adam relied on his mundane skills and training to get him through multiple instances of danger and peril, rather than utilize his ability recklessly. When stateside, the guild was regularly able to bring him in for months at a time for further training, using their considerable influence to have him assigned to attend specialty schools, that never really existed. While having served honorably and without any major disciplinary actions, he was never recognized for any extraordinary heroism or valor; the guild pulling strings to ensure that he didn't stand out in any way that might be a threat to them.

Eventually being medically retired for stress injuries to his right knee, the guild stepped in and offered him a position in one of their rapid response teams. Essentially an arcane equivalent to the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group, his Nashville-based team was responsible for providing security and brute-force muscle to any guild operation involving a serious supernatural threat, or the safeguarding of critical persons, items, or locations.



Military Veteran
Adam spent over a decade in the U.S. Army, enduring hazards, discomforts, and less than ideal livings conditions. He is prone to being less shaken from suboptimal circumstances (extreme heat/cold, substandard housing/plumbing, bad cooking, cramped conditions), and has basic emergency medical training. (restore breathing, control bleeding, initial treatment of shock, fractures, burns)

Firearm Specialist: Close Combat
As a former tank crewman, Adam is trained and exceeds the standards of basic marksmanship on firearms designed to be used in close or cramped conditions: Pistols, Shotguns, Submachine Guns

Fearless
Having seen firsthand the horrors of combat and war, Adam isn't fazed by typical mundane intimidations or threats. He has no special immunities to supernatural and magical sources of fear.



PTSD, Minor
Having went to war at a relatively young age, Adam is still afflicted by minor PTSD from his experiences. Certain triggers, such as the smell of burning flesh, burning trash, and unexpected gunshots or explosions have a tendency to leave him unnaturally irritated or startled.

Addict, Nictotine
A few hours without a pinch of dip, a smoke, or other source of nictotine can leave Adam a little edgy, cranky, or unfocused.

Bum Knee
A decade of jumping on an off tanks wearing 45+ pounds of gear has taken it's tool on Adam's right knee. Still able to sprint, run, jump and climb in most situations; it might be a bit shaky after moderate use, and will definitely need a good icing the next day.

Overspecialized
His firearms training primarily limited to close range weapons, the M4 Carbine, and vehicular mounted US machine guns (M240,M2,M249), Adam is not skilled with long rifles, sniper rifles, and man-portable anti-tank weapons beyond basic familiarity.