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He generally has two sets of gear; one for walking around town, and another for when he knows that he's going into battle. His plain-clothes look is composed of clothing with lots of pockets for his supplies, and a satchel over his shoulder which he carries his spells and other more delicate gear in. He usually wears a well worn, but intact jacket over a sweatshirt combined with reinforced cargo pants. He has been travelling for a long time, and has found ways to keeping the clothes he took with him functional for as long as possible. He also wears a pair of ragged looking gloves that have been fixed and modified over the years to either stay wearable, or assist him in moving quickly when necessary, and he carries a hat and a scarf in the satchel for colder weather. He still wears the bandage and bracer under the jacket, but does not carry his sword, and the holster for the pistol is under the jacket.
His other gear is a set of custom armor that resembles half-plate or splint-mail, all the pieces of which he has incorporated over the years. Tough, reinforced leather composes most of this outfit, with small plates of metal for protection of important areas: see Equipment for more details. He carries the satchel still for the purposes for containing his casting supplies, and has his scabbard and other supplies in easy to reach places. The holster for the pistol moves to his right thigh.
He also has a thick cloth bandage around his left arm going to his elbow that is inscribed with what seem to be enchantments and sigils of containment and sterilization for those who are aware of such things. On the same arm, he wears a thin metal and leather bracer inscribed with a dazzling array of enchantments whose primary purpose seems to be to re-direct energy to aid in defense and the casting of spells. He also wears a pair of thick leather gloves that have clearly seen use in both combat and travel, both clearly having been modified over the years to allow for better grip both while climbing, and while trying to snatch up objects to use as improvised weapons.[/spoiler]
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Outside of combat though, he’s much less brash, being unafraid to admit that he may have taken a wrong path, but always trying to maintain his dignity while doing so. With a startling amount of verbal dexterity, he will dodge questions and redirect conversations to avoid unsavory topics, particularly his past and his plans for the future.
He’s been on his own for a while as well, and while he’d never actually admit it: he relishes contact with anyone he comes across, and would rather bring hell down on himself than see the few friends he has left pay for his mistakes…though he’d rather not see himself pay for them either.[/spoiler]
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William also wears a composite armor that resembles half-plate or splint mail in composition. It is primarily leather, with small plates of lightweight metal on key areas such as the shins and forearms, as well as thin strips of metal on his sides. It is classified as light armor and allows ease of movement while protecting the wearer from light attacks; small, short fights involving reasonably well armed combatants, or general wear and tear. it won't stop a skilled fighter or hammer-blow, and is really just enough padding to protect from a punch or careless swordsman. The charms are mostly half-spells designed to activate the enchantments and complete spells that were written before a battle, with the exception of the bracer on his left arm. The bracer has a number of enchantments similar to those in his sword, all of which are designed to aid in parrying a blow by absorbing excess energy. His arm can still be wrenched, broken, removed, or otherwise incapacitated; the bracer and attached glove simply protect him from the majority of damage that could be dealt from parrying a sword, or blocking a shield slam.
When not in combat he wears the clothing stated above in the Appearance tab.
William carries a water gun inscribed with a number of enchantments that are designed to transmute the water it fires into a volatile and corrosive substance. He can use it for a variety of purposes, but primarily as a distraction and short-lived defense, or to quickly get through a locked door. It only has a small amount of water; enough to rival commercial water blasters, and must be refilled before it can be used again.
William carries a few pre-scribed spells that were written into empowered vellum. These have various uses; creating a door, throwing a fireball, creating a shield and a number of other practical spells, though he usually carries no more than five at a given time. They are contained in a sealed capsule that he wears on a strap over his back.
He has a small bag of marbles at his hip as well, all of which are enchanted with a burst of sound and bright light. These have no actual effect as far as physical damage, and are used as a distraction to quickly get away. William is not immune to their effects.
He also carries a small package containing materials for inscribing rituals: salt, a small vial of water, a few candles, chalk, and a number of other materials for that use if he needs to hand-draw something. (Key words area Hand-Draw. This isn't something he does unless he has time to do so, as it takes a significant amount of time to do, and requires his full attention. This is just a precaution in case he does have to do this.)
The last items he carries are a recurve bow, and one dozen arrows. The bow is only enchanted to resist wear and tear, and be a little bit 'springier' to apply more force on the arrow. The arrows are un-modified.[/spoiler]
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The tattoos around his right eye, as well as most of his equipment, require energy to be present for them to work. This energy can be provided by local ambience, or by Devokh, and allows him to accomplish a number of things that wouldn't normally be possible. The tattoos in particular allow him to, when energized, see the general flow of magic and other related forces, allowing him to manipulated them with his sword and bracer. The inscribed spells require energy to be cast as well, and the water pistol requires Devokh's direct presence to activate the transmutations.
The other items, such as the marbles and bracer, are different. The marbles are already enchanted, though they require the presence of the primer spells in his gloves to be used: otherwise they are just very expensive marbles. The Bracer works on the principal of redirecting the energy of a strike to prevent damage to the bearer, and allows William to parry a heavier sword or other weapon than he would normally be able to.[/spoiler]
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And it was settled. William, still traumatized from the recent past, was taken with George and Halifax to train further North, while the council itself settled things in America to prevent unsavory forces from following. His training was slow at first, mainly geared towards acclimating him to the present situation and moving him through the grieving process, though it would be over a year before he was over it enough to begin the next stage. At that point, they began to test his knowledge and abilities to determine his overall skill, and he proved to be a quick learner in the arts of enchantment and magical lore. Knowing where his talents lay, William would spend the next five years of his life travelling between the two to learn his art and balance his skill set.
And five years later, he had become a skilled enough individual to be declared a Journeyman Wizard, and be allowed to travel around to continue broadening his knowledge on his own terms. He received a standard set of travelling gear, and was given the sword by his two Masters to help him defend himself during his travels. And he set off into the wilds, starting a more than seven year trek. Over that time period, he picked up some useful tricks, broadened his offensive and defensive capabilities, modified his gear as he added to it, and forged connections that would create friends and enemies that he could rely on. He also met the Crusade: an organization of scientists, warriors and spies meant to track down and destroy scholars of magic and their creations to prevent the corruption of all sentient life. His run-ins with them were many, and all ended badly for him despite his ability to escape their grasp to date.
His most recent encounter occurred less than a year ago, when he stumbled upon a group of young weres, who he attempted to aid in getting used to their situation. He spent the better part of a month with them, making sure that they understood what had happened to them, and trying to treat any injuries that occurred as a result of their sudden changes. He was remarkably successful, and was making enough progress that he would be able to leave within the week when they were found by a small patrol of the Crusade. In the resulting scuffle, William was bitten on his left arm, and was forced to retreat deeper into the woods and abandon some of his supplies until he could retrieve them later. Unfortunately, the local area was a weak point in the Haze, and a small gate to a spirit's domain opened up...a gate which he unfortunately stepped through.
The power that embodied that realm caused the virus to accelerate and change, absorbing the nature of the creature which ruled it...which happened to be Devokh. A panicked Wizard was the last thing Devokh wanted, and he quickly tried to expel William from the realm, which ended in a stand-off in which William offered an ultimatum: help him contain the curse and forge a contract, or die.
Devokh accepted the offer, and they now travel together in the hopes of discovering a way of removing the infection completely.[/spoiler]
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William is also a cripple, magically speaking: he can't directly influence magic, and even holding a mana crystal would be dangerous to his health. The nature of his bond with Devokh is loose enough that Devokh's presence won't accelerate the progression of the virus within him (that and Devokh had a hand in constructing the enchantments and other elements that are currently keeping it from progressing), and thus won't physically harm him. The nature of Lycanthropy (in this instance) is that it consumes magical energies and uses that energy to fuel it's own growth and prevent the death of its host by granting it increased protection against the elements, increased strength and immune response, etc. Thus, directly touching these forces would cause a runaway reaction that spins that process out of control and creates the monsters of nightmare...which is why William himself can't directly use magic himself; the contract that he is a part of protects him from absorbing the magic that Devokh uses, but not any that he would try himself. Simply put: separating him from Devokh would mean that all of the enchantments and spells that require outside power would be useless (ones like the marbles and the bracer would be exceptions because the marbles already have the necessary energy in them, and the bracer works on the principle of redirecting the energy that is directly received.)
By extension, a region of 'anti-magic', or anything that nullifies magical energies would neutralize any of the equipment he has on him, in which case he would be essentially a normal human without any augments or other abilities.[/spoiler]
Devokh
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