Azarel

Azarel is the Iconic Avenger for the Adventurer's Collective. Once a simple scholar at the Da'at Institute a series of misfortune involving the death of his best friend drove him to seek out a dead and long forgotten God and eventually take up the mantle of an Avenger.

## Appearance

Azarel is 6'0" and weighs approximately 175 lbs. He has tanned skin from many summers underneath the noon day sun and his hair is a dark brown and is in a state of perpetual bedhead. His body suffers from an unfortunate number of scars with the most prominent being a laceration that goes through his left eye, causing it to be heavily covered in cataracts. His other eye is unharmed and is a simple brown. His most common attire is a set of blue robes and hood that bears his holy symbol on the front.

## History

Thomas Nikandros grew up in a small coastal village. The village itself was primarily composed of fisherman and farmers but was large enough to have a few shops and traders. However for Thomas it was exceptionally dull. To combat the monotony, he would read any book he could get his hands on including fantasy novels, encyclopedias, magical treatises, holy tomes, political writings, etc. He developed a hunger for knowledge and as he grew older his desire only grew. Thus when Thomas turned 16, he set out to become a scholar at the Da’at Institute in the city of Te’oma.

The institute was a prestigious institution, famed for its lighthouse library and providing education for all forms of learning.  This was special as most institutions specialized in the studies of the  arcane, divine, engineering, natural science, history, or literature. During his time there Thomas explored the origin of magic and the reason for the separation between arcane and divine magic. He was not the only one interested in the origin of magic, at the university he met Caleb Aldwin, who had came here to study the fringe elements of magic. As fate would happen the two became fast friends, the first true friend Thomas ever had.

Each of their areas of study required them to spend many hours in library, poring over an innumerable amount of text and tomes. But one fateful day, Thomas stumbled upon a book he had never seen before. It’s pages were frail and yellowed, the cover worn and bleached. It was as if it had experienced eternity. Instantly curious, he began reading. The book itself spoke of a God, old as time, who led a host of angels and created humanity, but who was ultimately betrayed by his most trusted liutenant, the being known as Asmodeus. Nikandros had never heard of this God before, nor had any of his instructors. Thus he vowed to uncover the mystery of He-Who-Was.

This quest would not be without great sacrifice, for one day Thomas awoke bound and gagged in a dimly lit chamber. The walls displayed fiendish symbols and imagery, horrific mementos to the powers below. But what frightened Nikandros the most was the sight of his friend, Caleb, who stood over him, holding a jagged black knife whilst tears dripped down from his eyes. He tried to beg and plead with his friend but Caleb was resolute. His friend said that he had found something that should have never been, and he had to pay the price or everyone would suffer. As the knife plunged toward his heart, he prayed to any God that would listen. But no one answered. Just as the knife bit into his flesh he cried and prayed to He-Who-Was, pleading to allow him to continue his work. There was a flash of brilliant white light and Caleb was blown back into a wall. Thomas stood and in his hand glowed a brilliant white sword. Reeling from the blast, Caleb stumbled to his feet, and charged his former friend. Only to be skewered by the radiant blade. When morning came the faculty located the sacrificial chamber to find only the body of Caleb and fiendish imagery. Nikandros was gone, never to return again.

After the incident, Thomas began having dreams. They consisted of a series of places and people he had never seen before. He first thought that they were nothing and simply focused on putting as much distance between the him and his former school as possible. However, as time wore on the dreams became more and more vivid. He still saw glimpses of people but also flashes of ancient battles, snippets of Gods, and nightmare involving devils and demons. Thomas finally recognized them for what they were visions; messages sent to him by He-Who-Was. He began to try and decipher them, his innate curiosity rising once again. Eventually it led him to the home of an old and very angry warrior.

Her name was Mary Cathrine Bridgette O'Gill, and she would be Azarel's teacher. Mary was an avenger of St. Cuthbert, or she was. After serving a long and eventful career she was forced into retirement by the church and decided to settle down back in her hometown. She knew that she still had a purpose and thus had accepted the ruling of her church, waiting for something or someone to arrive. Her sign came to her in the form of a malnourished and socially awkward boy. To test his devotion he rebuked his pleas to train him, so Thomas waited outside her door for 3 days straight, without food or water. His stubbornness impressed O'Gill and she took him under her wing. The next three years were the hardest years of Thomas’ life. Mary was a fair but utterly brutal teacher, accepting no substitute for failure. Nikandros was either going to succeed or die. Ultimately he persevered, surviving all of his training and missions. At the end O’Gill gaver him her sword and he swore his oath. From that moment Thomas Nikandros became Azarel the Avenger.

Afterwards Azarel wandered, seeking answers and writing any wrongs he happened across. All the while he continued to dream and it led him to a collection of misfits and wayward souls. What he would find there he did not know. All he could hope was that it would lead him closer to uncovering the truth.