Taesac Harthor

Taesac Harthor is the leading arcanist in research and development of a spell to control the possibility of magically-induced, self-sustained flight. He has been noted for excelling in the arts of abjuration, illusion, and transmutation, to the praise of the elder magi among the Kirin Tor. Taesac is a fierce pyromancer, and is fairly proficient with using fire magic in warfare. Taesac has a mixed heritage, with his father born and bred in Lordaeron, and a mother hailing from Kul Tiras. Deeply loyal to the Alliance, the mage continues his work from the city of Dalaran.
==Physical Traits==
Taesac is not quite as slim as many of the others that practice the arcane, given his fondness for consuming alcohol and fine food. His arms, however, are quite muscular. Taesac’s face gives away very few signs of aging, and it’s framed by a strong, square jaw, and shoulder-length brown hair. Chestnut in colour, and often tied into braids, his tresses emphasise the depth of his hazel eyes.
When not sporting the service robes of the Kirin Tor, he can often be found dressed in tunics of regal blue, or rich purple, often trimmed with gold and silver. He has been unfortunate enough to acquire two rather unpleasant looking scars, which he often goes to extreme lengths to keep hidden. The first is a large, star-like inlay on his breast appearing to be quite old, while the second is long and thin, spiralling around his left forearm. The latter appears to be far more recent.</p>
==Biography==
===Born Into Conflict===
Taesac was born around a year prior to the start of the Second War, in the magocrats’ city of Dalaran. His father, James, had moved there from his family’s holdings in Andorhal, in search of adventure and fortune – along the way he met his wife, Layla, living a strict and sheltered life under the stern eyes of her parents. The pair had fallen for each other and eloped back to James’ home city. Dalaran had always appealed to James, who had dabbled in sorcery since his youth, while Heather had always been interested in the quel’dorei and Thalassian culture.
After the war erupted, James was called up by the Kirin Tor to serve in a unit of spellcasters upon the battlefield. He’d gained a little notoriety amongst the city’s students, and caught the eye of a few of the elder magi when practicing his destructive powers. Their task was simple enough, to hunt down the vicious orcish warlocks and dispose of them as quickly as possible to lessen the collateral damage. His valour in the conflict earned him a certain amount of recognition within the city as an offensive sorcerer.
During the war, the family saw more frequent visits from Taesac's cousins, the sons of Layla's sister, Heather. This was a previously unheard of feat, given their estranged ties to the family. However, the relationship continued rather steadily, with the young Taesac often looking up to the boys, though never with as much admiration as he saw his father. Once the conflict ended however, the family returned to seeing each other extremely rarely.
===Claiming the Spoils===
With Dalaran starting to recover from the state it had been left in, James found himself able to dedicate more time to his research as he became more and more well-known amongst the Kirin Tor, while Layla was able to once more enjoy the somewhat more luxurious lifestyle she had dreamed of as a girl, in Crestfall.
Taesac had few friends within the city, being fairly unused to the company of others, but remained a happy child. He would often watch his father work, and pester him during his research, occasionally being rewarded with the incantations for basic spellwork. Something he'd begin to practice actively, to his mother's dismay. His father's studies tended to follow the potential for spell enhancement, and some speculate him to be one of the human pioneers of what is now known as Inscription, and fairly widely used.
===Simpler Times===
Six years after the Second War's end, and after four years of living in Dalaran, Taesac's father was asked by the Kirin Tor, to act as an emissary for them, to the now-rebuilt Kingdom of Stormwind. He would relay messages of importance between the two states, often sitting in on discussions in the Stormwind mage tower, and sending word back to his masters through scrying bowls. The family forged a home for themselves between the borders of Elwynn and Redridge, and while they weren't rich, they were by no means poor. Layla didn't seem to mind the sudden change from Dalaran finery, and would often insist that it was due to her not being like her mother or sister.
All the while, Taesac would often help out on the local farmsteads and fishing trips that the locals went on, at his parents’ insistence. Apparently it would help him understand the world for what it is, and never underestimate the true value of money. In doing so, he was often found in Lakeshire doing trade, the older he got, and is rumoured to have been quite the heartbreaker, to a few of the local girls his own age. Busy as they both were, Taesac and his father still took time out from their schedules to practice magic together, in order for the younger boy to improve.
===Learning From Loss===
Nearing the time of his sixteenth birthday, tragedy struck Taesac's household, as his father was assigned to deal with a suspected practitioner of fel magic, in the local area. Upon arrival, it was found that the demonic spellcaster had overestimated his powers, and summoned forth a small group of demons. They were however, still large enough in number to overpower him, and drain him of his magic, until he was nothing more than a dried husk. Not realising the severity of the situation upon arrival, James met a similar gory end.
Difficult as it was to process the loss of his father, the pain began to subside, and new worries began to take prominence in Taesac's mind, when he found that some of his magic had become wilder, and less-contained without the guidance of another, coming to head when he accidentally charred the field of crops belonging to a neighbour. Reluctantly, at sixteen he left his mother's side, and his home behind, to begin studies in the city of Stormwind. Once there, he was taken under the wing of the quel'dorei magistrix, Elsharin.
Upon introducing himself as Taesac Harthor on his arrival, he was to find himself extremely well-received, with many of the sanctum's number being aware of his father, and a few of them holding him in high regard. Seeing the latent potential and inherent magical power Taesac had, the magi were eager to mould his skills to better serve the Alliance, and Arcane as a whole. Here too, he was seen as a very amiable, sociable person, and made friends amongst his fellow apprentices, who also had rooms within the tower. They would often sneak off to each other’s rooms, conjuring flagons of mead to enjoy themselves. He was noted for a few conquests of the females, as well. Though despite his somewhat active social life, he always managed to dedicate time to research and study, hoping beyond hope to fulfil his father's dream, and bring honour to their name; by becoming an archmage.
===Vivid Memories===
After three and a half years of constant study, the Sanctum decided to test him in the field, to see if he could cast spells for combat use. He proved dangerously effective in this area, and his aptitude for pyromancy, lead him to burn a hole through many a foe. He also gathered many notes on his travels, taking into account the advice and experience of other arcanists he encountered. While he was never stationed in Outland, he would go out of his way to travel to Shattrath City, as well as the Exodar, to take in information from the magisters of the draenei and occasionally, blood elves.
With the Scourge's second attempt to unleash a devastating plague upon Azeroth, and their assault upon the Harbour of Stormwind, Taesac was extremely eager to exact vengeance upon them. Not only for the damage to Stormwind, but also for the destruction of his homeland, Lordaeron. However, when he reached the icy continent of Northrend, he found himself quickly drawn into the Kirin Tor, to aid them in the magically chaotic Nexus War. When he wasn't in battle with the Spellweaver's forces, he would be taking advantage of Dalaran's vast resources and library, to once more accelerate his journey to gaining the title of Archmage. Though after seeing so much unnecessary magic used around him, even after the destruction of the recent conflict, he began to have doubts about the Arcane, as well as about himself. (See also: Letters from the Rift.)
The final push in Icecrown, under the banner of the Alliance, turned out to be the last straw for Taesac. After seeing so many horrors, and losing so many people, not least two women he loved, he began to slip into a tormented depression. Using the company of harlots, and strong alcohol as his vice, he struggled for a time with his own psyche. It took a long time, but he with the help of a few close friends he eventually managed to break his habits and return to Dalaran with a clearer, optimistic mind.
==Spellwork==
Taesac has three schools that he practices regularly, and excels in more than others. That's not to say he doesn't use the basic forms of the other schools (necromancy aside, of course), but these would be the ones he focuses most of his energy into on a day to day basis. They are:
*Abjuration - Very important to him in defensive combat, and maintaining shields, and other magical barriers. During the Nexus War he would often help maintain the Transitus Shield in Coldarra, as well as helping protect Dalaran in the uncommon event that an overconfident member of the blue flight would try and attack the city. Countering spellwork is also a key part of his defensive strategy.
*Illusion - An essential school to him in his offensive spellwork. Deceiving and confusing his foes, makes taking care of them that much easier. Mirror Image, and Invisibility are common spells in his arsenal. He's also been known the manipulate bolts of fire into the images of dragon's heads, in order to derail his target's attention.
*Transmutation - In his determination to live up to his father's greatest ambition, Transmutation has been an important school of the Arcane to Taesac, and has been key to his research and study. As such, he has been working on a theory, to create a spell that offers the ability of mortal flight to the caster. Manipulating the effects of "Slow Fall" in reverse, and experimenting with teleportation techniques occupied any of the downtime he had in Dalaran, during the War. Now living in Dalaran, he continues to practice his study from the mage tower, hoping that one day an archmage will take notice of his potential, and aid him.
== Trivia ==
* Taesac speaks fluent Gnomish and Thalassian, while maintaining a basic grasp of Dwarven and Orcish. He knows a few words of other languages for research purposes.
* He has written several papers for the Kirin Tor, including one which theorised the possibilities of mortal flight, generated by arcane energy.
* Taesac has quite an active love life. He had a brief, but turbulent romance with the half-elf paladin, Arannia Ligh'thas, ending with a mutually agreed split. Taesac was involved with the priestess, Neave Cadogen, for several months after his split with Arannia. Most recently, he was frequently seen in the company of fellow mage, Izalyn, prior to his departure to fight the Nexus War, and later to serve the Alliance in Icecrown.
* Taesac has a love of fine food. Poached emperor salmon, mead-basted caribou, crocolisk au gratin, salted venison, and Stormwind Brie are among his favourite delicacies. He is also a social drinker, preferring honey mead, and snowplum brandy, or a glass of foreign wine if a vintage import is to hand.
* He's rather fond of the smell of sea air.
* Taesac has a deep-set hatred for orcs and the Forsaken, and is in constant suspicion of the sin'dorei following the actions of Kael'thas Sunstrider, and their allegiance with the Burning Legion.
Category:Characters
Category:Alliance
Category:Human
Category:Mage