Noble Court Wizard - Chandler Marks

[Medium Sized Model - 25mm Base]

Recently inducted into the Marshal Court of Kurt Williams, Chandler Marks finds himself at a precipice in the current volatile state of his city. With Draksborne on their doorstep and his incumbent employer’s mind falling to madness and rash decisions, Chandler has abandoned his post in lieu of his own survival. Now he finds himself alone in the blockaded city, whilst the Inquisition still continues their orders of rounding up and executing any magic users they can find.

The Court Mage of Grimhelm is often a short lived position: it takes little to scorn Field Marshal Williams. With an ever-looming threat of execution dangling in the event of insubordination: offenders labelled as dark mages or conspirators against the crown. Inquisitors detain them soon after, and a firing squad is assembled following that. After the assassination attempt on Kurt Williams a few weeks prior, the prior Court Mage was disposed of, accused of being an accessory to the attempted crime, having failed to detect the assassin or protect his liege. When news of the opening was announced, young Chandler was quick to seize this glittering opportunity. Yet quickly he discovered it was not the golden path of prestige he had hoped.

Years he had spent as a licensed practitioner of Minera’s Breath, bound to mundane and simple tasks, despite his training in evocation and war magic in Draksborne. Little chance was ever afforded for him to use it, and it was his hope that being the right hand of the Field Marshal might see that dream come to fruition, yet it seemed his new position gave him even less leeway and freedom than ever, the eyes of Inquisitors ever burning into him; his employer and liege constantly testing him for signs of disloyalty or betrayal. When the Inquisitors started kicking down doors and dragging people from their homes and into prison cells and pyres, Chandler was tasked with verifying the magical nature of high-profile captive targets, usually merchants and nobles opposed to magic’s oppression in Baldur. When asked if the captives were magically inclined, he learned any answer other than “yes” was incorrect, and his presence was merely theatrics: justification for the Field Marshal and King to burn rival houses at the stake, all in the name of protecting the realm.

Only a few weeks of the job had passed before the soul of the young, optimistic man was forever tarnished. The deaths of the innocent weighed heavy on him. In the mind of his employer, Chandler could see the Field Marshal plotting to have him executed not long after the rebellion was quelled, or perhaps even expedite his plan if he saw Chandler as disloyal, for any arbitrary reason. When the ships of Draksborne arrived off the coast of Grimhelm and lay siege to the city, Chandler saw his chance to slip free from his master’s service. He knew that his own tuition in Draksborne would quickly have Williams cast suspicion over him, fleeing before he could be accused of treason or any other crime. Now he finds himself alone on the battered streets of Grimhelm, darting through alleys and shadows in a desperate hunt for refuge. Yet it seems before long, his hand will be forced when Draksborne assaults the city, and his powers will be used for survival, or to change the tide of battle.