Gabriel's Backstory

My parents were two commoners from the streets. In the Grand Cosmic plan, they didn’t equate to much importance. I loved them with all my heart, they were the greatest parents a child like myself could have. I loved reading, books were my escape from the low life I had. I read all of the books in my home, the few books that I had. My parents were proud of me like parents are, I was their only child. I didn’t make friends all too well during my youth, people thought I was weird to read books over playing with rocks in the mud. On what seemed like an ordinary day I received a letter, attached was a sum of gold and a note which directed me to buy more books. The letter was signed “A Benefactor” and I was blown away by their wholesome generosity. I ran straight out with my newly acquired money and bought books about epic tales of the past.

Every so often another letter would arrive for me with an attached sum of gold designated for more books. However one of these letters was different, there was a parcel attached which contained a journal in a brown leather cover. The kids outside kept calling it my spellbook and referred to me as a wizard. I was taken aback at first but few weeks after I received my 12th and final letter from the Benefactor. It contained a fully paid for writ of admission to the most prestigious school in Vicentia, The Royal Vicentian Academy. My parents were overjoyed by the discovery of this writ and helped me pack up right away. I was nervous for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to expect or what to pack, I had no plan.

It was the morning of my 7th birthday, I put on my finest clothing then grabbed the bag with all of my stuff and ran off to the cart that would carry me to the Academy. I watched helplessly as I got closer to the intimidating structure. We stopped at the majestic and imposing gates so the guards could search our bags. I shuffled mindlessly out of the cart and untied my pack. The guard gave me the most astonished look when he saw my writ, fully paid for. We were then escorted down the pathway and into the school. I was awestruck by the splendor of the school, everyone was so refined and dignified. I eventually found my way to my room, my uniform awaiting me on my bed with my lesson outline. The lessons listed were daunting, I would be here for many years of my life.

I tried to sleep that first night as best I could but it was hard, the pressure of this whole situation was enough to make anyone stressed. I went to class that first morning to find a dreadful surprise. Not only did I stand out as a commoner amongst the nobility and even royalty of this school but the first task was an aptitude test. I sat in the seat I was assigned to and took in a deep breath before I began. I finished first. The wait for our grades was the hardest part, I had no friends and no one wanted to be seen talking with someone like me, a commoner. Finally, after an hour of boredom and shame, the grades were announced. I completed the exam first and with 100% accuracy. Over the course of my next 3 years, I was still just the commoner boy, but my 100% average carried weight around the academy. When I was 11 I was approached by a professor who asked if I wanted to branch out into more fields, I had been studying in History, Tactics, and Politics up to this point. When I was offered to study Swordplay and Magic amongst other subjects like Botany, I gladly accepted at the first chance I could get.

Over time I became a talking point throughout the school, eventually, that died down and I still hadn’t made many friends. I was studying in every field I could get myself into. On one mundane afternoon during one of my break days, I went for a walk off site to read some books about Religion. I fell in love with the tales of Clerics and Priests spreading the name of their God or Goddess in devotion. I read through many books of the deities and found my way to one Goddess in particular. The Red Knight, I was captivated by her portfolio of strategy, planning, and tactics. I returned to the building later that night with a new found faith.

My next few years of school were the same old lessons and studying, not much happened to me. I made a few friends with some of the other students including this one girl. When I was 17 I started my final and hardest years of schooling. It took a lot more effort to keep up my 100% average in every lesson but I put all of my efforts into it. I kept running into that girl around the school. During one of my break days, I went out of my way to track her down. We ended up talking until the late hours of the night, we walked back to the school together, It was past our curfew hours and the guards were active on their night shift. Her room was on the other side of the building so I offered for her to stay in my room with me. Morning came around and I woke up next to her in bed. We brushed it off and proceeded with our school lives. This occurrence happened at least once a week as she became a great study partner and often fell asleep in my chambers.

It was my final year in this school and my lessons had become bittersweet, I was going to miss the order and clarity provided by the people around me. I had finally made friends, I was even dating a noble. The year ended like any other, except I was awarded for graduating with 100% throughout all of the years I was there. I was given an offer from the King to become a Royal Tactician in training but I asked and received my wish to put that on hold until I had more world experiences, my girlfriend left me with a promise that when I accepted the position she would be waiting for me. My other friends paid off a source to buy me a sword which manipulated lightning, and a coat of magical protection.

I was finally free into the world and I made it my goal to study and observe the things I had learned in school, I studied the stars and the moon, I watched people and creatures and their life tactics to acquire food. I sat in open cities and people watched. I didn't buy books to store my findings, I kept mental notes, and I never write notes in my spellbook. For the next few years of my life, I lived peacefully, moving my tower from road to road and traveling around the kingdom with any adventurers who would shelter me until they forced me out.