Elton always loved visits by Uncle Laz. A tinker and traveler, months or years would pass between visits, but Uncle Laz always came back to visit his family in the city of Wati. He was something of a celebrity in the small community of halflings, and his visits would often lead to at least a day or two of feasting, drinking, and telling outrageous stories of noble deeds, gallant heroes, and finding massive hoards of lost treasure.
Because of their relationship with Uncle Laz, Elton’s family, his parents and four siblings, were always treated with great respect by the others in the community. Elton’s mother and father ran a small shop containing minor magical items, curios, trinkets, and even a few scrolls and potions. As the youngest, Elton often helped around the shop, dusting shelves, packing and unpacking crates, and generally whatever else his father wanted done.
In his eighteenth year, Elton dropped a small glass bird on the ground, shattering it into thousands of tiny glass shards. Frustrated, he screamed at the ceiling in a moment of utter disbelief and dismay. To his surprise, a magical discharge erupted from him and punched a hole in the ceiling. Stunned, he tried again, but he could not replicate the feat.
Over dinner that night, Elton confessed to his parents. They both looked at each other, then smiled at their son. In a moment of pure joy, they both jumped from their seats and came around to engulf the halfling in a massive hug. Stunned, Elton could not reply, he was sure they would think he was sick, or lying to them about what had happened. His mother then showed him a secret. With a wink and a whisper, tiny globes of light appeared around her head and begin to spin. For the next few moments, the globes bounced, shook, and flew around the room in a dazzling display. His mother made a small gesture with her hands and the globes disappeared.
She informed her grinning son that she was in face one of the rare people who could generate magic without study or memorization. A sorcerer, in common language. And with his recent “accident,” Elton had shown that he too had the “bluda arcana” or “blood of the arcanic” – he was a sorcerer too!
Elton paused to take it in for barely a moment before asking seven thousand questions in the span of a minute. Laughing, his father and mother spoke with him late into the night, answering as many questions as they could. As they were headed to bed, Elton’s mother hugged him one last time, but this time, she gave him a warning, “Sorcerer blood is a gift, no doubt. But learning to control the gift, that’s the hard part. Control it, and you will be fine. But you must never lose control of your self – power without restraint leads to ruin.
Almost as surprising of Elton’s discovery of being a sorcerer was the appearance of Uncle Laz the very next day! He took Elton aside and told him that his parents had shared his secret, and he wanted to spend some time with him too. As Elton soon learned, Uncle Laz was also familiar with magic, and though he studied books and memorized his spells, he was a brilliant and patient instructor. Over the next few days, the two halflings tested limits, learned new breathing and relaxation techniques, and generally had a great time together as they discovered all they could of Elton’s abilities.
All too soon, Uncle Laz announced it was time for him to move on. Elton felt sad to see him go, though he was thankful for all the help he had received. No longer nervous about his power, Elton could even conjure a few lights like his mother, and he knew with greater effort, he could manage to create even more powerful effects. Before leaving, Laz placed a small book in Elton’s hands. A spellbook – for as Uncle Laz explained, although Elton possessed innate magical ability, he also had a keen mind and could prove to be successful as a more traditional practitioner of the Arts. Ultimately, it was up to Elton to decide on how he wanted to face his destiny.
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OOC: Uncle Laz is actually intended to be Elton’s brass dragon ancestor. Though he is a dragon, he appears from time to time to watch over his mortal “kin.” Plus halflings know how to throw a party! My sense is that Laz tells the oldest family members (in this case, Elton’s parents) that he is a powerful wizard who owes the family and old debt, but he does not reveal his true heritage. The primal portion of Elton’s bloodline is intended to be a more wild or elemental aspect of his powers, and I expect him to struggle a bit with what he can and cannot do. As a result, depending on how the story progresses, he may end up taking some levels in wizard in an effort to “control” his sorcerer abilities/powers.
