Scienter Stafford's page

Gender: Male, Height 6’0”, Weight 140 lbs, Straight Black Hair, Blue-Green Eyes, Fair Skin, Age 120

Scienter comes from the Barrowood but after years of wandering Cheliax, now lives modestly in Westcrown. Scienter learned Sylvan growing up in Barrowood, an unremarkable choice, and at first had goals typical of the very young, which is to say no goals. But eventually Scienter grew dissatisfied with life in Barrowood and left to see what fortune would bring into his field of view. That turned out to be humans, in large numbers, hardly surprising given the demographics of the lands surrounding Barrowood. But what Scienter saw did not leave him with a favorable impression. Scienter’s years of wandering Cheliax coincided with the chaos that preceded the House of Thrune’s ascent to power in AR 4640. The chaos and violence of those years left Scienter to think that humans were a lost cause, irredeemably savage, treacherous and violent. His opinion of humans improved somewhat with the relative stability that ensued following the rise of the House of Thrune in 4640. Scienter did not look favorably on the harshness of the new regime, but speculated, rather philosophically, that perhaps humans could act in a civilized manner only under such a framework of rigid coercion. After settling in Westcrown, Scienter came to know several humans as neighbors and acquaintances and began to realize that perhaps not all humans equally savage, treacherous or violent. As a result, Scienter has no particular objection to associating with humans (or even Tieflings) and has abandoned the insularity common among Elves in this region. It was the humans of his neighborhood in Westcrown who gave him his Common surname of “Stafford.” It seemed to them amusing to refer to a wizard with no staff as “Staffer,” which in time led people to think his surname was actually Stafford, and the name stuck.

Scienter has not abandoned his skepticism about the motives of others, humans in particular. He has had many encounters on the streets of Westcrown to remind him that many humans are ideal exemplars of his initial impressions of the race. In 4701, a group of humans belonging to a criminal organization called the Westcrown Jewel decided they could become wealthy by harvesting a large quantity of Shade Maple to sell in Westcrown. Shade Maple is prized by wizards and a large quantity of it would indeed command a considerable sum in gold. The Westcrown Jewel did not know the location of any Shade Maple trees in Barrowood, had no member familiar with Barrowood and no particular expertise with forestry of any kind. But one of their members knew that Scienter lived in Westcrown, was an Elf, and came originally from Barrowood. Thus, they reasoned, in the manner common to minor criminals, surely Scienter would be able to lead them to a least a few of Barrowood’s famed Shade Maple trees. Four members of the Westcrown Jewel paid a visit to Scienter’s apartment one winter evening while Scienter was enjoying dinner in front of his fireplace. Scienter asked them the purpose of their visit. They requested that he lead them to Shade Maple trees in Barrowood in return for a share of the proceeds. Scienter declined. The four men proceeded to their fall back plan, shoved Scienter aside, entered his apartment, drew weapons (2 daggers, a blackjack and a garrote) and offered an alternative deal – that Scienter lead them to Shade Maple trees in Barrowood in return for sparing his life. Scienter replied “I must admit this new offer is considerably more compelling than your original offer, but I must still decline. And if there is to be any life sparing over the next several minutes, you had best leave lest you be the ones asking for it, rather than offering it.” The men advanced on Scienter, only to be astonished when he appeared to vanish before their eyes. After looking about in confusion for the better part of a minute, the four men decided to leave, only to find themselves unable to open the door of Scienter’s apartment. They were in the midst of attempting to force the door when one of them shouted in alarm upon noticing thick clouds of smoke billowing from the fireplace and filling the room. Coughing, choking and gasping for breath, the men continued desperately pounding on the door, hoping to force it open. One of them screamed upon feeling a stabbing pain in his left leg, but was unable to see the source of his pain through the thick smoke. He collapsed shortly thereafter, as a feeling of weakness spread up from his leg throughout his body. The man could feel many small legs on his body as he lost consciousness. The three remaining men finally managed to force the door and fled into the night, leaving their colleague to his fate. Scienter watched them flee from a vantage point on the second floor of his apartment, and decided it was not worth the effort to pursue them. After all, he reasoned, someone had to deliver the message to the Westcrown Jewel that he was not to be trifled with, so why not these three? Once the smoke cleared, Scienter went downstairs to examine the dead body on the floor, the victim of a poisoned spider bite. Finding nothing of note on the body, Scienter disposed of the body, washed his hands, and returned to his dinner. He considered the death regrettable, but necessary. Scienter reasoned that freedom necessarily means different people will make different choices, and some will make the worst possible choices, leading to the worst possible outcomes. If the death was regrettable, at least the man could say, in whatever afterlife awaited him, that he chose every step leading up to it of his own free will. In letting the other three escape, Scienter accurately took the measure of the Westcrown Jewel. They never troubled him further. Scienter considered reporting them to the authorities, but ultimately decided that saying nothing was the better option. Reporting them would be likely to back them into a corner, make them desperate, and perhaps force them to try to assassinate Scienter.

Scienter’s encounter with the Westcrown Jewel was just one of many encounters he has had with treacherous people, in dangerous circumstances, and so he has learned to be on his guard and to exercise judgment in extreme circumstances. Not every situation calls for a flat-out offensive approach. Much more recently, Scienter found himself on the docks one evening looking into the disappearance of a cargo shipment. Two local cutthroats noticed Scienter’s curiosity and decided he needed to be “educated” about the importance of minding his own business. Rather than gamble on being able to cast spells while being stabbed, Scienter shifted out of their field of vision and, taking advantage of his superior Elven eyesight, slipped away in the darkness.

Scienter is not lacking in self-awareness. He realizes that he is not only mortal, but also fragile. He is well aware that all his arcane spells, Elven senses and Elven dexterity could be for naught against a couple of thugs wielding nothing more than daggers and the element of surprise and that in his encounters to date, luck has played a greater role that it would be comfortable to admit. As a result, Scienter has reconsidered his fondness for solo ventures and decided he would really prefer the company of others, preferably others who are strong in areas where he is weak.

Scienter is concerned with mortality. The relatively long life span of Elves seems but small consolation to him. Even while still young by Elven standards, he has seen human acquaintances age and die and it reminds him of what the future holds for all mortals. His interest in arcane magic is driven in large part by his desire to solve the problem of his mortality. Scienter came to Westcrown originally to consult with gnomish wizards, and even learned their language, but they have not given him the knowledge he seeks.

Scienter has come to believe that the key to the knowledge he seeks lies with beings from other planes, many of whom do not age as the mortal races of the Material Plane do, or at all. In furtherance of that belief, Scienter has focused his considerable talent for arcane magic on summoning spells. Scienter has learned Draconic and Celestial in conjunction with his summoning abilities in the hope of meeting and communicating with beings who can give him the knowledge he seeks.

Scienter prefers to avoid Necromancy spells because he considers them a dead end in terms of his ultimate goal and, frankly, distasteful. He similarly prefers to avoid Enchantment spells, though for a different reason. Scienter prizes intellect. His philosophy is that anyone weak-minded enough to fall for an enchantment is not worth the time and effort to cast it in the first place.

Although his encounters with Westcrown’s criminal element have at times been unnerving, they have not deterred him from looking into what appears to be a surge in crime in Westcrown. Although the city’s leaders pride themselves on their “law and order” approach to governing, both property crimes and crimes against people seem on the rise recently. The evidence is anecdotal, as no statistics are published, but Scienter has lived among the humans of Westcrown long enough to sense that something is different. He wonders what is behind this change and would to find out. Although not directly connected to his ultimate goal, finding out what is behind Westcrown’s crime wave seems to Scienter be an opportunity. By doing so, Scienter reasons that he can either gain the favor of the city’s nobility or, if not that, to learn what the nobles themselves fear. Either way seems to Scienter to promise access to their wealth and knowledge, bringing him a step closer to what he seeks. Although Scienter distrusts the city’s nobility, he has some knowledge of them and, on several occasions in the past, has not been averse to performing the occasional spell for them for the right price. He has noticed that summoning spells are especially in demand, especially spells that summon creatures of an infernal nature. Although interested in summoning in general, Scienter has avoided infernal summons, despite the potentially lucrative financial rewards, in part out of concern that his own abilities are not up to the task, and in part about a general aversion to such creatures. Although the former consideration may change with time, Scienter does not expect the latter to change, soon or ever.

Scienter is reasonably affable, if somewhat guarded, at least by the standards of humans. He displays a dry, understated wit and enjoys conversation, though he does not like crowds. Although he has a long-term goal that he knows is at least several decades away, he sees no reason why the journey towards that goal should not be as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. He tends to be suspicious of others, absent some demonstrated reason why they can be trusted.