Shazzar
Chronomancer looking to buy back time for his family
"Time is the most valuable thing one can spend."
Male Human Cloistered-Scholar Wizard 1
This tall, middle-aged man has graying hair and beard; and a dark, even complexion. While he stands straight enough, he has the overall bearing and appearance of someone who has not been on the road a lot. He smiles easily and his infectious laughter seems to resonate in his chest, though there is profound sadness in his dark eyes.
A smart, warm and fatherly man, Shazzar has much patience and a great sense of humor. In moments of quiet, though, he has a tendency to fall into melancholy.
Characteristics
♦ Personality
▬ I use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition.
▬ I've read every book in the world's greatest libraries – or, at least, I like to boast that I have.
♦ Ideals
▬ Self-Improvement. The goal of a life of study is the betterment of oneself.
♦ Bond
▬ I seek to reverse time so I can spend it with my family like they deserve.
♦ Flaw
▬ I am easily distracted by the promise of information, especially concerning chronurgy.
Stats
Hit Points | 8/8 |
Armor Class | 12 |
Hit Dice | 1d6 |
Proficiency Bonus | +2 |
Speed | 30 ft. |
Passives |
Insight 13, Perception 11 |
Abilities
ABILITY | SCORE | MOD |
---|---|---|
STR | 10 | +0 |
DEX | 14 | +2 |
CON | 14 | +2 |
INT | 16 | +3 |
WIS | 12 | +1 |
CHA | 8 | -1 |
Proficiencies
Languages | Common, Draconic, Elvish, Infernal |
Weapons | Daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows |
Saves | Intelligence +5, Wisdom +3 |
Skills | Arcana +5, History +5, Insight +3, Investigation +5 |
Features & Traits
SOURCE | FEATURE/TRAIT |
Cloistered Scholar |
|
Feat |
|
Wizard |
|
Spellcasting
Wizard 1
Spell Save DC 13 | Spell Attack +5
Spells
Cantrips |
|
1st Level Slots: 2/2 |
|
* Prepared spells
Spell Save DC 13 | Spell Attack +5
Spells
Cantrips |
|
1st Level Slots: 2/2 |
|
* Prepared spells
Magic Initiate (Druid)
Spell Save DC 11 | Spell Attack +3
Spells
Cantrips |
|
1st Level Uses: 1/1 |
|
Spell Save DC 11 | Spell Attack +3
Spells
Cantrips |
|
1st Level Uses: 1/1 |
|
Spell Save DC 11 | Spell Attack +3
Spells
Cantrips |
|
1st Level Uses: 1/1 |
|
Equipment
Equipment List
♦ Cash: 2 gold, 5 silver, 5 copper
♦ On Shazzar's Person
▬ Spellbook
▬ Staff (arcane focus)
▬ Scholar's robes
▬ Dagger
▬ Belt pouch
♦ In Backpack
▬ Writing kit
▬ Borrowed book (Elminster's Treatise On The Arcane)
▬ Bedroll
▬ Mess kit
▬ Tinderbox
▬ 5 torches
▬ 5 rations
▬ Waterskin
▬ 50 ft of hemp rope
Other Stuff
Wizardly Implements
Shazzar is tidy and organized, and this reflects in the nature and the aesthetics of his implements.
Spellbook | Staff | Robes |
Crafted by Shazzar himself, this tome has a cover made of ebony wood and dark leather, with brass trims for decoration and a brass clasp for locking the tome closed. Emblazoned in the center of the front cover is a cog that bears the crest of his alma mater. | A gift from Shazzar's mentor, the arcane hierophant Derwyn Gethin, this staff is crafted from a single piece of oak that has been magically twisted into shape. Reinforcing either end of the staff are pieces of platinum that have also been magically shaped. | The robes are made mostly of hardy, bluish-gray linen, with a hooded cloak of dark-blue wool that has a metal clasp emblazoned with the symbol of Candlekeep. He wears a broad belt to which he has attached several pouches and his spellbook, and a pair of wooden boots. |
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Familiar
Narra the Fey Familiar
Shazzar met this fey spirit when they were introduced by his mentor, the arcane hierophant Derwyn. Over the course of his apprenticeship to the hierophant, he formed a bond with that spirit, who then gave him her name, so that he may call upon her to be his familiar.
Owl Form | Spider Form | Octopus Form |
People
Family
Salma (Wife) [DECEASED] |
Tamu (First Daughter) |
Nuzha (Second Daughter) |
Friends & Allies
Derwyn Gethin, Arcane Hierophant (Mentor) |
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The Application
Belshazzar "Shazzar" Zidon
Chronomancer looking to buy back time for his family
This tall, middle-aged man has graying hair and beard; and a dark, even complexion. While he stands straight enough, he has the overall bearing and appearance of someone who has not been on the road a lot. He smiles easily and his infectious laughter seems to resonate in his chest, though there is profound sadness in his dark eyes.
Build: Human Chronurgy Wizard (Cloistered Scholar)
Origin: While I hail from Daggerford, I had spent the last few decades at Candlekeep. Having lost myself in the literature and lore of that magnificent library, I have only recently returned to Daggerford - only to discover that my family had crumbled in my absence.
Include at least two of the following in your application:
- Start of Darkness: I had lost myself in my work at Candlekeep, transcribing all sorts of great literature. By the time that the administrators bade me return home, my family was no longer how I remembered them. My wife had died, apparently from having lived a hard life. My daughters now hate me, having been forced to make even harder choices just to survive. Their hateful eyes and spiteful words haunt my sleep.
- Why I Fight: For so long, I had been transcribing written words from one book to another, making no real contribution to the life of the people I respect and the people I love. No more - with all that I have remaining in me, I shall affect the world around me, positively if I can. I will prove to my little girls that this old man may have been gone for the majority of their lives, but he is here now, willing to prove himself.
- Deepest, Darkest Desire: I dream of turning back time. I wish to see my wife again, to hold her in her despair. I wish to see my children grow, to answer their silliest questions, to give them away to husbands that they cherish. I wish to be at my deathbed without regrets, with the certainty that I have given my family all that they deserved from me.
- Duchess' Designs: The fate of my family is known to many in Daggerford, and word has spread that I have returned from decades of service at Candlekeep. The Duchess thinks that I am a wizard or cleric of some power, but truth be told, my time at Candlekeep had been spent with non-magical texts - it is only recently that I’ve begun studying the arcane arts.
The following are optional things you may include on your application:
- Deity: While I have not come to rely so much on the gods, I had lived so long at Candlekeep that I’ve come to live by the tenets of Oghma, Lord of Knowledge.
- Music: Tygra's Theme, from ThunderCats. The music evokes intellect and action in equal measure. I considered Jaga's Theme, but it feels too serene, as if the character has nothing else to prove/accomplish - quite contrary to the point of this character.
- Posting Rate: I can post daily, if needed. 2-4 times a week would be a good pace for me, but I can adjust to this game's pace without problem. 😊
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Impressions: I gaze upon some of the other people who have gathered around the fire...
- The bounty hunter Joliet and the half-elf Dawn remind me so much of my own daughters. I wish I could protect these two in ways that I never had my own daughters, but even now, I barely have the power to protect myself.
- The wily likes of the halfling Andi and the sailor Samuel rub me the wrong way - at first. After all, I'm an old man, and having a sense of order around me helps in keeping my sanity. But in spending time with these folks, I've come to see deep-seated sorrows behind their eyes, and though I do not fully understand their reasons and causes, I still share their pain.
- There is something in the strength and the zest for life displayed by the warrior Dynaheir that makes me wish my daughters would be like her. She also shows some lack of direction and of conviction, and in those regards, perhaps I might be able to provide her guidance - and be able to act like a father, at least.
- The dwarf Thorben is quite an intriguing character. He babbles to himself and to his rock most of the time, but his interest can also be piqued by scholarly matters - very intriguing, indeed! Perhaps in seeking the power to reverse time for my own family, I might find a means of reversing the harm inflicted upon his mind.
Family and starting at Candlekeep: He was already married with two daughters (2 and 1 year old at the time) when he was recruited by an acquaintance to work at Candlekeep. He was no mage, but he was educated and had amazing handwriting that the administrators of Candlekeep want from someone who transcribes texts into books that fit into the library. The initial understanding was that he would be there for only a few months, so his wife had no objections.
Decades at Candlekeep: For some reason (I haven't really decided if this is magical or mundane), he became so absorbed by his work that he did not recognize the passage of time, and it did not help that nobody at Candlekeep asked about his family or asked him to return to them. He ends up staying there for over 20 years, without contacting his family. Because of the level of security at the library and his relatively-low rank, he was never notified of his wife's letters, and nobody bothered to bring them to him. Worse, his "employee orientation" never mentioned that he had to actively check his inbox so he never did.
No, he wasn't an Avowed - he might have met some of them, but he was never part of that special order. He was a contractual worker, and was confined to non-magical work at the library.
He had a sense of time passing for the day, making him realize that it's time for work, for lunch, for dinner, for sleep, and the like. But he never had a sense of time past that scope, so he couldn't count days, and it never occurred to him to check the days.
Candlekeep kept an account for him, and they just kept calculating his pay. But he never collected on any of it until his very last day - the day he left - so instead of getting it regularly, he ended up taking a lump sum at the very end of his service. It may seem like a big amount because he took a lump sum, but due to the low-level, contractual nature of his work, the rate was really not that amazing.
He tried giving money to his daughters when he found them, but they rejected it out of spite. So, he's used it instead to support himself and his arcane endeavors.
Return to Daggerford: It was only when a new "manager" came in that he was asked about his family. He finally realized his grave mistake, having essentially abandoned his family, and returned to Daggerford. His wife has been dead for nearly a decade, and his daughters have been forced into loveless marriages and absolutely hate him for abandoning them. I'm not sure yet if they're still in Daggerford, or in some other location - we can put them anywhere you think it'd be helpful to the story. But he still has a cousin in Daggerford, and he has been staying with that cousin. This would probably explain how he came into the Duchess' radar.
Becoming a Wizard: Now wanting to get back the time that he lost, he reached out to some retired mages that he'd met during his time at Candlekeep, and he has found a mentor in one of those. However, this mentor admits that he is not a chronomancer, and at the start of the mentorship, he made it clear that he can only set Shazzar on his path to learning time magic, but he can't be the one to lead him through that path, which is why Shazzar is adventuring now - to look for means of reversing time.
3 Things That Shazzar Wants
- I intend to reverse time, or to travel back through time so I can spend it meaningfully with my dear family.
- If I can have great arcane power, I shall wield it to help and protect myself and the people that I care for.
- If I can't control time, then I will make do with great wealth that I can provide to my daughters so they can have a comfortable life.
3 Things That GreysonWulffe Wants For Shazzar
- It'd be great if Shazzar can add rituals of all sorts to his spellbook, even if only to expand his utility to himself and to the party. Of course, this involves finding the rituals and having the proper resources (i.e. gold pieces, material components, and special ink) to scribe them into his spellbook.
- Magic items would also be great. He would look for things that expand on his utility, protect his person, and empower his spellcasting, in that order of preference.
- A set of expanded options for familiars would also be nice. I don't intend to use the familiar for battle so combat capabilities don't interest me, but it'd be great if the familiar can communicate to others in a meaningful language (either verbally or telepathically), has superior senses, can turn itself invisible or change shape so it can spy more effectively, and the like.
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