Correlius Adkarus

Correlius, amidst a skirmish.

> ***"Correlius can handle disposal."***

Correlius Adkarus is a former smuggler from Mureth, having fled for unknown reasons. Since his arrival mid-Rime in 649MR, he has fallen in with the inquisitive likes of the Circle, and was one of the founding members of their fledgeling Spellguard.

## Overview

One's first impression of Correlius is as a simple, untrustworthy man; words that are not without some kernel of truth to them. He is self-serving, rabid in his hold on what little power he can gain, and with a history as a fence. By his own admission, he is a man who offers little reason to place trust in. One would not expect to find him within the ranks of the Circle, let alone as a founding member of their warrior-scholars. His arrival in the Vale was met with pestilence and the upheaval of terrible, Ruinous power, and the experience of facing such powerful forces seems to have changed him - but whether it is for the better or worse is yet unknown.

## History

#### In The Weft

Correlius Adkarus arrived in the Guardian Vale amid a turbulent time - a plague had washed over another cabal of arrivals in the Vale, a collection of Mircea Rhuu, and he and his travelling partner were caught up in the madness. Infected with the plague himself while trying to assist Vyrion and Doctor Latchkey with a cure, he found himself relying on the altruism of strangers to save him from death. Once cured by the combined efforts of the Circle, Light Camp, and the Mircea, he joined the motley alliance in a large-scale battle against Shadow Camp and their Voice of Ruin, Luther; he witnessed as the Voice vanished from the battlefield, but not before beholding the power wielded by the avatar of the Narga.

In the weeks following that fateful day, Correlius camped with the Circle, trying to gather his bearings after a tumultuous arrival. He swiftly made a fast friend in Lethe, a mercenary working for the local University, and at the behest of Vyrion, current leader of the Circle, formed the Spellguard with his new companion and a small collection of other aspirants. With a new haven, Correlius has settled into life in the Weft with what small amount of grace one can have in such a wild and chaotic land.

Since then, he has become a fixture of the Circle, persisting through Vyrion's tenure and into the Arcanist's purview. Why a former smuggler from Mureth is rooting about amid scholars of magic is currently unknown, but Correlius has made no move to depart nor foster ties elsewhere.

## Hearsay

Correlius has spent only a fledgeling time in the Guardian Vale, and has yet to develop a reputation and the rumours that accompany such. However, hearsay still flies, and those among the Circle's number have grown their own suspicions.

* Word is that Correlius was chased out of Mureth by a former employer, bitter about an act of rebellion.
* Alternatively, he was suspected of being a shifter, and forced to flee with no means to clear his name.
* Given his background, it is not impossible to believe he had too many run-ins with the Murethi spellswords.
* Some like to entertain that Correlius bore a flame for his companion, Lowren, before she departed the Weft.
* He and Lethe are planning an usurpation of the Circle, though such claims are the highest falsehoods.
* Other twisted fools suspect the only target of a coup would be Lethe himself, a worse offense.
* Perhaps he even discerned the true nature of Vyrion - but does he truly look smart enough?
* A growing rumour is that he has sworn a mage pact to the Arcanist in exchange for secret power.
* One poor fool suggested he is J'ov's spy, trading information in exchange for a cure to a mystery affliction.
* According to town gossip, he and Taliesin of Light Camp are thick as thieves.
* For the life of him, he cannot hold his liquor.

All photos by Matt Hudson.