Algus Vordhosbn's page

He read the tales and stories of anonymous journals, describing all kinds of exotic locations: the haunted, chilling lands of Ustalav; the untamed wilderness of the River Kingdoms; the mystical sands of Qadira....and the ancient ruins and valleys of Varisia. this last area was one that continously piqued the interest of the child, for as he grew, he began dabbling into what few tomes he could find about The Great Beyond. several tomes made constant references to Varisia and its ancient ruins, marking them as places where possible gateways to those wondrous worlds.

The other thing that he read the most about was Magic; specifically, the child was always interested in Alchemy. as his father was always in search of more books to bolster his collection, Algus followed him to the Foreign Quarter, always eager to see the grand mesh of cultures and traditions. he always drifted away in those trips, drawn to any brew-maker and alchemist he could find, always watching closely and trying to learn if even a bit of knowledge of the art.

Fairly content with seeing such inspiring things every now and then, the child continued his life, and grew into a rather quiet teenager. he started to work and gather funds to buy books of his own, as well as alchemical reagents, supplies and tools. however, the young boy wasn't very trusted in the Foreign Quarter. the various brew-makers tended to give him useless reagents, almost-broken or worn tools, and outdated or useless books. it was one of these "useless" books that introduced the young man to the true power of Alchemy.

this tome spoke of a whole new level of alchemy: capable of creating potions and items that were far beyond the level of a common brew-maker; explosive devices far more powerful than Alchemist's Fire; Poisons of varying degrees of difficulty; and the ability to alter and bolster one's own strengths using a so-called Mutagen. the book itself contained various recipes for such things, which were all fairly simple to make. the boy wondered just why would someone sell him such a valuable book at such a low price: perhaps it was just a misunderstanding, or perhaps the words of this book were false. however, the young folk was very intrigued, fascinated by the marvelous things he could do with these recipes and formulae.

it took him several years(and many explosions), but at the age of 20, he had mastered the use and creation of both Extracts and Bombs. he was still trying to learn and perfect the Mutagen recipe, however. reading about it, the Mutagen recipe was one that was easy to make, yet it held a very dangerous risk for both him and anyone around him: were his recipe to go wrong, his mutation would be devastating on both his body, his mind and the surrounding area. still, he began to strive for perfection as his goal to reach Varisia drew closer and closer. he knew that there'd be risks in the expedition, and wanted to be ready for anything he may face. so he brewed his first Mutagen....which would be the last one for a while.

The results were disastrous: his physical form was severely altered, as he gained increased strength and agility, but lost sense of self and memories. he quickly wrecked his home, rampaging throughout the Merchant's Quarter and harming many bystanders in the process. the mindless beast was driven away by the guardsmen, and was quickly forced out of the island of Absalom. Algus was forced to swim to Andoran, a feat that would be impossible were it not for the strength given by the Mutagen.

He awoke in the shores of Andoran, now in rags that used to be his clothes, and almost no belongings except that one tome of Alchemy. it would seem that his fleeting memories caused an instinct to preserve that piece of information. as he came into his senses, he began to walk to the nearest town, in order to try and find some sort of asylum or job. to him, his journey to Varisia had begun, even if in a rough start. he shortly reached Almas, the capital of Andoran.

There, he began to search for some sort of temporary home, as well as a job, in order to gather funds to restock with Alchemical Supplies and Tools. his tome had been tarnished, and had many of its pages ruined due to the rough swim he had to make, so he eventually discarded the book, and begin writing his own tome from the memories of what he read. finding a job was quick: his mastery of such advanced Alchemy such as Extracts and Bombs made the crafting of simple potions easy, mostly making healing potions and salves for traveling adventurers that stayed on the inn he frequented.

He also began testing out his Mutagen recipe, yet again: this time, however, he began to also train himself for the task. feeling that he needed his mind and body to be at their best, and in perfect harmony, he began to train himself and meditate. it was that desire and need of perfection that drew him to the deity Irori. while not a Monk, Algus had a strong desire to reach the peak of his abilities, to perfect his trade and his skills.

It took the man another 3 years. by the age of 25, Algus had developed his first stable Mutagen, thus completing all three branches of the true Alchemist. having gathered a fairly decent amount of money for his trip, he decided to set off on his lifetime dream: to find the Great Beyond and its wonders. he still wasn't satisfied with his abilities, however, so in the year-long travel to Varisia, he constantly experimented and theorized new applications of his skills, as well as training his marksmanship with a crossbow. a horrible incident with bandits that set off his volatile and explosive vials inspired such an action, as the event had left his body substantially injured. he thought it to be best to keep harm away from him, whenever possible.

After a year-long expedition, he finally arrived at Varisia. he was marveled at the sight of the valleys and the ancient ruins, yet he wanted to go straight for the source: he wanted to find the gateway to The Great Beyond. as he searched for information, the vast majority of people pointed towards Hollow Mountain, which was to the west of Varisia, near the sea.

Algus was told to visit Viznett if he wanted any information regarding Hollow Mountain and its surrounding area; being the historian of Sandpoint for quite some time, he is perhaps one of the few people that can lend some insight into the mysteries of the old ruins and the mountain. but for now, Viznett has not told much to Algus. he insists that the Alchemist takes a break from his blazing pursuit of the unknown, for Algus' body is but human, and the strain he places on himself when using a Mutagen is great, despite constant training and meditation.