Urza Carthalion

Urza Carthalion is a human wizard and a member of the adventuring party known as The Five Titans, primarily filling a utility role due to the numerous spells at his disposal.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Urza tends to be considered extremely attractive for a human male, though there are many who are not attracted due to interests in different aesthetics. Standing at 5'8" and weighing 130 lbs, he is quite lean. He has pale ivory skin, off black hair and aquamarine eyes. He lacks body hair and has an androgynous body shape. Notably, he does not have a belly button, which he is admittedly self-conscious about.

After a period of time attuned to and studying The Book of Vile Darkness, Urza received a Dark Mark due to prolonged contact with the artifact of pure evil. His right eye had become corrupted, inflicted with nightmarish distortion. The eyeball is black, with an unearthly red iris; the skin around the eye has also darkened, with seven tendrils of the corruption spreading further into his face.

### **Personality**

Initially, Urza was a party boy, interested only in himself. His motivations were often either self-centered whims or spiteful plans. This reflected in his study of magic, being an Abjurer his skillset revolved around protecting himself. He would often insult others if they didn't play into the role of adoring bystander and reward the people who made him feel charming (though this was often due to the prestige of his family name or money). This rough exterior was a façade to cover up his sensitivity over his family rejecting his interests, him never having true friends or true love. This personality resulted from self-preservation, because if no one would care about Urza, then he would surely make up for that.

After some weeks with his fellow Titans, Urza's personality has mostly evolved. Finally having friends that care for him as much as he cares for them, his sense of purpose and feeling of acceptance leads him to extending the protective bubble around them. Urza will offer his advice but never assumes his word is more important than any other fellow Titan, viewing them all as equals. He will fill them in on his plans to get their feedback and waits for his friends' acceptance before moving forward with anything that could endanger them or cause problems for the group.

Urza tries to give off a cool, composed outward demeanor but will often be the most sensitive of the group. This sensitivity is usually over his pride being hurt or his friends' opinions of him shifting negatively. But this emotionality of his allows him to see the same weaknesses in others, which he will often exploit to get under their skin as a means of shifting the balance of power in a discussion. He used this method during the Titans' discussion with Dwella in her chambers in Kumun, causing her to have an emotional outburst.

He likes to keep his attitude appropriate to the current event; tactical when dealing with battles, reserved and pensive during investigations, yet he still makes time to cut loose and enjoy a party or celebration. He makes sure to get down to business when he needs to but also to unwind and enjoy life when he can.

## **Biography**

### **Background**

`The noble Carthalions from Lathandia have owned stock in various industries for generations, but they seemingly got their start in lumber. Varris Carthalion, the patriarch of the family, currently tends to investing in numerous operations to maintain the family's wealth. Magdelene Carthalion, Varris' wife, plays the role of public face, going to ceremonies and banquets, seeking partnerships and opportunities. This left them both very little time to raise their children. Drath, the eldest son, is set to inherit the family's business and is quite the spitting image of his father, mirroring his personality as well. Athrandi, the eldest sister, has recently begun looking for suitors to forge an alliance with another noble family. Urza Carthalion has been the black sheep, spending his time researching arcane knowledge. His focus on "laymen's work" as his family puts it has ostracized him. Due to an ultimatum from his parents to "be normal," Urza was cast out from enjoying the luxury his family holds. Now he sets out to gather the capital and connections needed to make a business of his own.`

The Carthalion family line traces back through Varris, the oldest child of Negan Carthalion and Thalia Carthalion (née Linvala), while Urza's matriarchal side is the Varchild lineage, with Magdelene being the youngest of two daughters between Konrad and Elenora.

After a communication through time with his grandmother Urza learned he had an uncle of the same name who looked similar to him, as well as that his family seemingly ages differently than normal humans, with his father being over 170+ years old. Later, Sharptooth explored repressed memories in Urza through a door located in an extra-dimensional space located within Urza's belly button. Sharptooth saw baby Urza with his family, Dwella's family, and even Tornal's family (making Urza approximately 170 years old). The vision culminated with a massive explosion, killing people and potentially baby Urza, and with him being sent forward through time to be birthed by Magdelene (who Urza believed was his biological mother).

### **Life with The Five Titans**

#### The Rising Sun Arc

##### **The Selfish Abjurer**

In the beginning, Urza reflected the culture of Highlife, where he was raised. Even as a more progressive member of the noble society, he would often put himself above the common folk and party members. His goals for magic where self-centered and his pursuit was mostly in spite of his family, who shunned his interest in the arcane. Though gifted in the protective art of Abjuration, Urza would utilize that gift to bolster his own health, place protective magic on himself, and the like, reflecting his narcissistic and vain life up to that point.

This pattern slowly faded in time, as Urza grew to care for his fellow group members, seeing them as friends. He started to pursue spells to assist others with their needs and desires, giving Cassava a chance to speak with a loved one who (seemingly) passed away with Phantasmal Spirit for example. Urza began seeking his friends requests for spells to learn and include them in his journey of magical growth.

##### **Visions and Reform**

After a two day ordeal of sleepless nights full of mending a burnt field with Cassava's help, guarding his poisoned friends while they slept, and dealing with apprehending/interrogating Dwella with The Guild, Urza was notified he had a strange magical presence from the guard captain and told to seek out Pastor Fray in the temple in Rookerhelm. He drank a strange concoction and saw a vision from the past of his grandmother wielding a terrifying weapon, cloaked in draconic armor as she lay waste in a battle. The need for answers and desire to gain these visions of other times led him to experimenting with time itself.

Eventually, after a sudden battle with Mara, Urza began to understand the training and undertook his journey into the little known school of Chronomancy. Around this time, he began casting Magic Aura on Tornal daily for a week, not knowing what secret she held but understanding her wish to hide it. During this period, Urza's relationship with the others grew rocky, his discontent due to numerous small reasons adding up. This uneasiness with the other Titans ended after a lengthy siege on on orc camp in vengeance for Sharptooth's tribes' attack. Urza began the siege by creating a black hole that shot plasma blasts (7th level Storm Sphere); upon seeing Matilda unconscious and tied up, he went against his nature and bravely charged to save her, even wielding the Luck Blade to keep orcs back as she rose to her feet.

##### **A Force of Will**

After some time ruminating on his encounters with Dwella, Urza began to feel she had the capacity for redemption still. Due to Penelope's belief that she isn't entirely bad, Urza convinced his fellow Titans to parlay with Dwella during a chance encounter, rather than battle. Though he failed to convince her to revoke her path with The Sun Cult of Tharizdun, Urza was convinced there was still hope. In time, the Titans found themselves in a puzzle dungeon of an old being under the influence of the Sun Cult. Upon discovering the fragment of Dwella's soul that held her good intent locked away in a magic mirror, the Titans tricked the riddlemaster into swapping places with her. After the Titans helped grant this fragment a body, she left for Ladon to wait for the attempted restoration. Urza began planning on resurrecting Dwella's husband and scheming how to undo a ritual of lichdom.

Despite his attempts to convince lich-Dwella to let him help her be restored, her anger and depression kept her wary of Urza and she dismissed the Titans. The following days led to a battle in an arena where Urza was teamed up with Brog, a secret agent of the Sun Cult who beat Urza unconscious in private and delivered him to Mara. Urza awoke to Mara attempting to cast Modify Memory, in hopes of marrying and getting access to his bloodline. After a failed casting, she then tried casting Dominate Monster to force him to do her bidding, which also failed. After some taunting, she accidentally gave him a small chance of escaping by removing his gag, which he quickly acted upon and fled to his comrades who were in the process of rescuing him from his captivity. Sharptooth died during this liberation attempt and the following day, after much uncertainty over his return and anguish over his friend dying for him, Urza Resurrected Sharptooth.

Many days later, Urza convinced his fellow Titans to round up the people whom they are close to and care for, to take away in magical solitude for their own protection while the Titans hunt down the source of their anguish. Toward the tail end of this plan, upon scouting out the location that was planned to be teleported to, the Titans gained the acceptance of spirits within the House of Purity. In this location, The Book of Vile Darkness was found, and after some confrontation from his fellow Titans, Urza teleported away with it, determined to unearth the secrets within.

## **Relationships**

### **Cassava Thorne**

Urza is regularly vocal about how Cassava's natural gift for magic astounds him, while Cassava often compliments Urza on his vast knowledge of the arcane at large. They regularly encourage one another in their less-than-innocent pursuits, as well as occasionally mirror one another in spell usage (Urza casting Slow while Cassava casts Haste).

### **Ealo Grove**

Urza teases Ealo for his blindness in a gentle way, often as an attempt to bring out Ealo's personality beneath the cool exterior he tends to show. Beyond this, though, Urza tends to be the most tender with Ealo out of the group in serious discussions and regularly seeks to find ways to make Ealo's life easier.

Urza enjoys spending time with Ealo while helping him train to control the elements better. He also finds Ealo's place in the world due to his race fascinating, but doesn't bring up the notion out of respect.

### **Sharptooth**

Between enjoying revelries and the mutual respect between one another, Urza and Sharptooth are always on the same page. Urza makes sure to stop Sharptooth from calling himself stupid, explaining he is intelligent in other things. Due to each being a foil to one another, Sharptooth is the party member Urza teases the least.

Urza currently is stricken with guilt and grief over Sharptooth dying during the assault to retrieve Urza from his kidnapping. A mere seconds after escaping Mara's clutches, Urza ran into Sharptooth's dead body being carried by Sun Cult goons, which unleashed his rage and caused him to give no quarter in avenging his friend. Urza was grateful Sharptooth wished to return to his friends upon a successful resurrection the next day.

### **Tornal Pliskin**

Urza directs most of his teasing toward Tornal, as he enjoys the banter when she snaps back with an equivalent insult. Over time, he has occasionally flirted with her, partly due to it being his nature and partly to see what her reaction is. Urza spent seven days casting Magic Aura on Tornal daily to attempt to permanently have her aura appear human, though he decided not to investigate why she would have wanted such a process done. She also tends to be the recipient of Urza's Gift of Alacrity.

Lately, Urza's perspective on Tornal has been a rollercoaster. At times he's sensitive and compassionate with her, but will often find himself at odds with her on fundamental issues. Despite the rockiness, he still treats her respectfully and offers her equal help as the other Titans receive.

## **Character Information**

### **Quests**

#### Pre-Guild Work

Urza wandered around Lathandia for a week before meeting his eventual companions, often avoiding danger due to being scared. He then helped the group recover seedlings, haul an iron shipment, and fight off bandits of the Sun Cult to achieve membership in The Guild.

#### Beginning Adventures with The Five Titans

Urza was busy while The Five Titans escorted a person to Mark Tuffet's home but came in to assist their battle with a gnoll king. After discovering Mark's lichdom and involvement with the Sun Cult, the group informed the guild. Shortly after, they quested to save changelings from a hag in the Solonaor Forest, resulting in a maze traversal and an encounter with Mark Tuffet in which Urza counterspelled all his means of escape. The group then beat him and brought him back to Rookerhelm for justice, granting Urza his spellbook.

The Five Titans then began tracking down the the Sun Cult liches they knew of; Mara when she attacked Ealo's home, and Duella being called out by Urza the following day in front of the Guild leaders. After Duella's escape, The Five Titans left to purge Lathandia of bandits, leading to an awkward situation for Urza in dealing with a High Life guard captain. Eventually, they found themselves squaring off with Mara once again, this time killing her and capturing her brother (again having an escape foiled with counterspell). Upon turning the genasi siblings in to Rookerhelm authorities, the group made their way southwest to fell a terrible boar causing havoc in the countryside.

After slaughtering the boar and bringing its remains in for a celebration, Urza and Tornal played matchmakers to barter for magical items. The following day, the group fought through a nightmare of an alternative timeline where they had joined the Sun Cult. This day began to reestablish the rift between Urza and the other titans once more, due to his cautious and suspicious nature around Rose, as well as various reactions to the people of Ladon.

The Titans then began a sabbatical, being too busy with personal concerns to take on quests.

### **Urza's Magnificent Mansion**

Upon plundering the Hag's treasure, Urza's found loot was a special scroll that bestowed the ability to innately cast Magnificent Mansion, as well as a 7th level spell slot to do so. After taking the time to get to know his fellow group members, he did his best to make their private quarters reflect them as much as possible. The mansion also came with two additional, non-spectral servants whom the party named Mr. Fancy and Rose.

Urza was often at odds with these two servants, and was suspicious of them due to not being included in the spell itself. As time went on, this distrust of them as well as his aggravation at Rose began to erode the emotional growth of Urza as well as his connection to the other party members.

In time, as the Titans arrived near Dusktusk, Tornal revealed of the nature of Mr. Fancy and Rose due to their forms flickering and becoming distorted. Urza pieced together that they were souls trapped within the mansion due to powerful necromantic rites and spells being cast, leaving them casualties of dark magic. Being uncomfortable keeping captured spirits, he resolved to cleansing the mansion of them. His reasoning shifted from disdain to pity and after learning their nature, stopped making them wait on the Titans and even conjured meals and beds for them as a gesture of sympathy.

After learning the ritual to cleanse the mansion of the two inhabitants, Urza gave the fellow Titans a chance at saying goodbye. His plan was to get in a bathtub with Mr. Fancy and Rose and use Resilient Sphere to pull them out of the mansion as it was dispelled. Upon success, the spirits were freed and the mansion was restored to its normal state.

#### Urza's Shitty Shack

During the quest to travel into Austin Border to investigate the attack on Sharptooth's Clan, Urza's discontent with the baggage that came with the mansion along with the spell being at the cusp of his control normally led to it manifesting as a run down, hideous shack. Most everything in it is uncomfortable and barely serves the needs of the people who stayed in it, even prompting Ealo to sleep outside it in disgust.

After approximately two weeks, Urza restored his composure and managed to create the shack in a clean framework. This overpristine, sterile room was a step above the shack in every way and slightly more comfortable. A few days later, the proper mansion was restored.

### **Magical Items**

At this time, Urza had a wand which can switch between casting Fireball or Lightning Bolt that has the ability to have the damage type changed by swapping the focusing crystal at the tip. This wand was later traded with Tornal for the Luck Blade, in order to help her long range offense as well as give Urza a backup weapon in case his magic is not an option. Urza also bartered for a Barrier Tattoo to bolster his defenses. He has acquired and purchased numerous books, scrolls, and spell components.

#### Grimoire Infinitus

After tricking a shapeshifting sphinx riddlemaster to free a fragment of Dwella's soul, the Titans looted its treasure room. Urza found the Grimoire Infinitus on a pedestal near the riddlemaster's observation throne. At this time, it is in its dormant state and Urza has no knowledge of how to bring it to its awakened or exalted states.

#### The Book of Vile Darkness

After the Titans successfully dealt with making the House of Purity a safe place to teleport to, they found The Book of Vile Darkness. A small argument ensued, with Sharptooth, Ealo, and even Cassava calling for the immediate destruction of the book. Yet Urza maintained that he could unlock the secrets within to grow his power and further his value to the group. Seeing that the others would not be swayed to his side, Urza teleported away with the book, back to Dusktusk, to have a head start in studying the book due to his friends being on the other side of the island.

Urza took as many precautions as he could to not be tainted by the book; he waited until a day when he could force his fate (through use of the Oracle feat) to not be corrupted by the evil within before attuning. He became smelly, gained 40 lbs, and started growing scales, and before the attunement could be completed he had to kill two creatures of his alignment. Urza chose to kill a pair of cows, to stay as pure as he could during the process. After 5 grueling days of studying for 16 hours a day, Urza unlocked the hidden potential within the book. Following this time, he studied up as much as he could while he waited for his friends to return. Before handing the book off for Ealo to beseech Sylvanus to destroy it, Urza ripped out pages relating to both time magic and lichdom. After losing his attunement to the book, Urza's appearance returned to normal, with the exception of his dark mark.

### **Inventory**

* Amulet of Proof Against Detection and Location - Attuned
* Ring of Spell Amplification - Attuned
* Potion of Healing (given by Cassava)
* Barrier Tattoo (Medium) *[not attuned]*
* Crystal Ball of True Seeing *[not attuned]*
* Candle of Invocation *[not attuned]*

Former Items* ~~Various spell scrolls~~
* ~~Various magical books to expand his arcane powers~~
* ~~Wand of Elements (traded to Tornal)~~
* ~~Luck Blade (given to Cassava)~~
* ~~The Book of Vile Darkness (destroyed by Sylvanus)~~
* Components for spells
* Spellbook
* Items from various places and people for teleporting and scrying.

### **Abilities**

**Custom Lineage Abilities**

* Variable Trait - Darkvision
* Feat - Fey Touched

**Feats**

* Fey Touched - Misty Step and Gift of Alacrity, racial feat
* War Caster - taken at level 4
* Oracle - Portent from Divination Wizard, taken at level 8

**Wizard Abilities**

* Arcane Recovery
* Cantrip Formulas
* School of Abjuration
	+ Chronal Shift - 30ft. forced reroll on any creature that makes an attack, save, or check, twice daily.
	+ Temporal Awareness - Add Int modifier (6) to initiative.
	+ Momentary Stasis - Incapacitate a Large or smaller creature for a round, up to 5 times per day.

* Ritual Casting
* Spellcasting (Intelligence-based ability)
* Copying Spells

**Other Abilities**

* Adjusted Ability Scores (Book of Vile Darkness) - Int +2, cap set to 24; Str -2
* Mark of Darkness (Book of Vile Darkness) - Advantage on Persuasion with evil creatures and Intimidation with non-evil creatures.

### **Wizard Spells**

As an 9th-level Wizard, Urza knows four cantrips and has learned 22 spells through leveling. Due to the Cantrip Formulas feature, he can swap one wizard cantrip with another on a long rest. He has also copied spells from scrolls, expanding this list. He has learned two spells through a feat, can cast each one them once a day innately, and can use spell slots to cast them as normal. On top of this, he has gained bonus spell slots as well as extra prepared spells from various boons while adventuring. Due to obtaining the Grimoire Infinitus, Urza has spells in his spellbook for levels which he can't cast.

1st-level* *Gift of Alacrity (Fey Touched)*
* Absorb Elements
* Alarm
* Charm Person
* Comprehend Languages
* Detect Magic
* Disguise Self
* False Life
* Feather Fall
* Find Familiar
* Identify
* Mage Armor
* Magnify Gravity
* Protection from Evil and Good
* Shield
* Silent Image
* Temporal Heal
* Thunderwave
* Unseen Servant
* Urza's Bottled Time
* Urza's Caustic Brew
* Urza's Floating Disk
* Urza's Hideous Laughter

2nd-level* *Misty Step (Fey Touched)*
* Detect Thoughts
* Enhance Ability
* Enlarge/Reduce
* Fortune's Favor
* Knock
* Invisibility
* Locate Object
* Phantasmal Force
* Ray of Enfeeblement
* See Invisibility
* Shatter
* Silence
* Skywrite
* Slow Metabolism
* Suggestion
* Urza's Magic Aura
* Urza's Mind Whip
* Web
* Dispel Magic
* Gaseous Form
* Glyph of Warding
* Hypnotic Pattern
* Fear
* Fly
* Major Image
* Minor Paradox
* Nondetection
* Phantom Steed
* Pulse Wave
* Remove Curse
* Sending
* Slow
* Speak with Dead
* Urza's Arcane Denial (Counterspell)
* Urza's Tiny Hut

4th-level* Banishment
* Blight
* Confusion
* Death Ward
* Divination
* Dimension Door
* Fabricate
* Gravity Sinkhole
* Greater Invisibility
* Hallucinatory Terrain
* Polymorph
* Phantasmal Killer
* Storm Sphere
* Summon Construct
* Urza's Faithful Hound
* Urza's Private Sanctum
* Urza's Resilient Sphere
* Urza's Secret Chest

5th-level* *Teleportation Circle (Innate)*
* Chronarch Urza's Mitt (Bigby's Hand)
* Dream
* Legend Lore
* Mislead
* Scrying
* Telekinesis
* Wall of Force
* Mass Suggestion

7th-level* *Urza's Magnificent Mansion (Innate)*
* Prismatic Spray
* Resurrection
* Teleport

8th-level* Antimagic Field
* Control Weather

9th-level* Foresight

## Quotations

* "Come into my hole." -- said upon casting Magnificent Mansion the first time.
* "Unripened!!!" -- after believing to have solved a riddle on a door and running from combat.

## **Trivia**

* Urza is the only member of The Five Titans with a natural +6 in any stat
* Urza is the only member of The Five Titans with a natural -1 in any stat.
* Urza's name is based off two characters from Magic: the Gathering.