ST: 10 [0] Thrust 1d-2, Swing 1d
DX: 10 [0] Basic Speed 5, Move 5
IQ: 14 [45]
HT: 10 [0]

Point Total: 55

Advantages: Literacy [10]; Magery 2 (Solitary) [16]

Disadvantages: Easy to Read [-10]; Loner [-5]; Reduced Hit Points -1 [-5]; Shy (mild) [-5]; Unfit [-5]; Wealth (Struggling) [-10]

Quirks: Dislikes people who talk loudly; Always carries a book with him; Pipe Smoker; Looking to learn more information-gathering spells; Unhesitatingly defends his father's name

Skills: Alchemy-11 [1]; Area Knowledge (city)-13 [0.5]; History-12 [1]; Knife-9 [0.5]; Literature-12 [1]; Naturalist-11 [0.5]; Occultism-12 [0.5]; Professional Skill: Librarian-14 [2]; Psychology-13 [2]; Research-15 [4]; Sociology-13 [2]; Thaumatology-13 [1]

Grimoire (all are skill 14, with 1 point each): Apportation; Alarm; Analyze Magic; Aura; Detect Magic; Identify Plant; Identify Spell; Light; Measurement; Seek Plant; Simple Illusion; Tell Time; Wallwalker

Appearance

Celban is in his mid 20’s, about 5’6", 135 lbs, black hair with a ‘bowl’ cut, no facial hair, brown eyes, wearing a dark robe with a cowl (usually left unused) and sandals

Equipment

Small knife (1d-3 cut or imp), a book (topic varies), writing instruments, well-worn clothing

Biography

Celban is a research mage who works as an assistant librarian in the Mage’s Guild. He is technically no longer an apprentice, but still recieves occasional instruction in the magical arts in exchange for his continued work in the library. He has sometimes been ‘loaned out’ to other departments, which has resulted in some unusual skills and spells learned. However, he picked only the mimimum he needed to for spells (for the most part, they aren't especially useful for his job), preferring to spend his extra time in the library, so he is not really that good of a mage.

His father had been a wizard of some small reputation who was a fringe guild member; it came as some surprise when he deposited his eight-year old son on the guild steps for training, though he technically had the right to do so. For nearly a decade, Celban was ribbed by other students for his father's refusal to train him, which obviously (to them) mean that something was wrong with Celban. Eventually the teasing (which sometimes went further) ended, but it only reinforced Celban's introverted tendancies.

Ironically, it was not until three years ago, after his father's death, that he learned the truth from his mother: his father had always wanted to train him, but knew he was not a good enough wizard to work around Celban's particular limitation to his magical ability, so had taken him to the guild. His father had always considered this his greatest failure and was very ashamed that he was unable to train his own son. After years of hating his father, he felt great sympathy for him, and rushes to defend his name in overheard conversations, as it is all he can now do.

Celban's years as a student were fairly unremarkable. He was an average student who no one seemed to notice, unless they were picking on him about his father. He ended up spending more and more time in the library, eventually becoming an assistant to the aging (and slightly eccentric) librarian. In the last few years, he has realized how poor a selection of spells he has and is trying to acquire any new Information spells he can.

He normally keeps to himself, for various reasons, the most important being that having other people nearby interferes with his magical ability. Curiously, even before he learned of his magical ability, Celban has never really felt that comfortable being around others. Despite this, he has gone out of his way to study the way society operates, perhaps to compensate for his difficulty in interacting with it. Over the years, he has show a slight improvement in dealing with others. Various guild mages have offered theories, but most seem to think that his magical limitation started influencing his personality even before birth.. They also think that if he can overcome his introverted tendancies, he may lose the restriction on his magical ability -- or lose his ability altogether; they aren't quite sure …

Encountered

Celban is normally found in some secluded corner of the Guild’s library, either researching information for another mage or looking through old books for himself.

Canonicality

Celban uses standard GURPS rules. The background assumes that a reasonably well-organized mage's guild exists, though the character doesn't change greatly (stat-wise) if the guild is weak or nonexistant.

What if?

Although Celban is designed for a generic fantasy campaign, he could easily be used in GURPS Discworld, though he might want to invest a point or so in L-Space Theory and Language (Orangutan) (though the bit about his father being a wizard would have to be changed -- an uncle may be sufficient). He could also, with some changes, fit in a GURPS Technomancer setting.

Adventure Seeds

Information, Please: A Senior Mage in the guild needs some information from a library in another city. After selecting Celban to dig out the information, he hires the party (or assigns them, if they are also guild wizards) to escort Celban there and back. The problem, of course, it that since Celban doesn't get out often (basically because of his hard time dealing with others), he will start getting into trouble with people along the way. Hopefully some members of the party have good Intimidation, Fast-Talk or Diplomacy skills …

Field Trip: Celban is loaned to a more martial school of the guild who need someone with skills and spells actually useful in the real world to aid some students on a minor quest, to test what they have learned so far (of course, these other students are the PCs, who should be of roughly the same point total as Celban). The truth is, that while Celban does have some skills and spells that the students sorely lack, he was sent in order to "solve his problems" by forcing him to act as part of a social group; the results will probably not be what the sponsoring mage was expecting. The exact nature and difficulty of the quest is up to the GM, based on the PCs' abilities and the nature of the campaign (it should involve at least a week's travel and the retrieval of some minor but unique object).