Master Wizard LaFoy
Master Wizard Gurglefoy Hementekh Clan (a.k.a. LaFoy)
Master Wizard LaFoy is one of the leading members of the Wizards' Imperial College Council, with a specialty in Abjuration magic. He is a gangly and fragile old Gnoll of 50-something years old, about twice the normal lifespan of a Gnoll under normal conditions. Having overcome great prejudices in his earlier years of study, his mastery of the magical arts and his commitment to the development and success of the school has earned him universal respect, even among the more fractious members of the Council.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The Gnolls of the Tiwwari Plains are generally a violent and brutal lot, and the Hementekh Clan is no exception. Mating and birthing on the move is a highly regulated activity within the warbands, limited to only one time per year, mating in the cold embrace of Ycebiel's month (December) with births of a litter of 4 to 6 pups occuring to the pregnant females in the midpoint of Bretranel's month (April) through the beginning of Mdnothiel's Month (May) - coincidentally 'Mother's Month' though the Gnolls certainly are no Celestial-worshippers.
LaFoy's mother, unfortunately, committed the crime of a second litter; while in more uncivilized times she would have been put to death for it as soon as the crime was committed, she was demoted from her place in the tribal heirarchy, giving birth in Typhoneth's Month (November). But the clan's reasoning was not merely an arbitrary whim - practically speaking, it was much harder for the pups to survive the entire winter immediately after birth, as these are lean times on the prairie and in the worse cases, off-seasonal pups could find themselves part of the last-ditch food supply. In the case of LaFoy and his 3 siblings, however, it was simple winter fevers that decimated his family group in the year immediately after his birth. His other littermates died, as did 4 of his siblings from earlier litters.
The stigma of his birth and the death of his other littermates marked him as a bad omen from the time before his earliest memory. And though he had survived the winter fevers, and would survive more of them in years to come, it left him weaker than the savage athletic ideal of the Gnoll pack, and the pack only thrives when its weakest members are driven off. So when he was the equivalent of a human 17 year old, at around 4 years of age, he was eventually cut off from the food supply and driven off by his own kind in a winter of scarcity not much different than the one he had been born to.
His survival came from the use of his wits more than his brute strength, and he managed to befriend a clan of Tiwwari Plainsmen who would normally simply kill Gnolls as a significant threat rather than take them in - but because he came alone, in shabby grassweave armor, with only a stone sling and pointed staff, they realized he could be a valuable asset to help translate Gnoll language and divulge the secrets of where their summer and winter camps were located. In time, he was adopted into the Tiwwari tribal group as he had fallen in with the Shaman and showed a natural aptitude for the arcane arts that the Shaman's own family and people did not have.
The tribes often came over the border to trade in the farm holdings of western Khazig, and from his at first awkward but eventually warm interactions with these farmers, he learned of the entirely unknown-to-him ways of settled civilization, of domesticated animals and farms, and tales of a mighty city far to the east that all the farmers spoke of with enormous pride, the jewel of the world jutting into the great Triad Sea: Khazigur. Several of the farmers had even been there before, to the spring and harvest festivals on the Magna Viridi, the Great Green festival grounds. This revelation was immediately irresistable; he had no idea what an empire was, exactly, but he knew that in his Gnollic folklore there were tales of a time when all the clans were ruled by one great ruler, Yeenoghu, and thought that perhaps those stories had come true in this place.
It took little time for the Tiwwari to see that their adopted triebsman was ready to move on to civilization, so they reluctantly let their Gnoll friend move into one of the western farm towns, a little place in the Ketibah western outlands called Babinjall. After another year or two there where he became fluent in the Common tongue and the Khazigiri dialect, a series of crop failures sent him further west, to the highly productive Tzena Copper mines; the actual mining didn't agree with him at all but luckily what they really needed were ore drivers who could send their products safely to the Duchal city of Ketibah. From there, he went to Batona Trai, and from there, one fine spring day in his 11th year, he finally passed through the western gates and into the winding streets of Khazigur.
With only a few exceptions, LaFoy has never left since.
LaFoy's mother, unfortunately, committed the crime of a second litter; while in more uncivilized times she would have been put to death for it as soon as the crime was committed, she was demoted from her place in the tribal heirarchy, giving birth in Typhoneth's Month (November). But the clan's reasoning was not merely an arbitrary whim - practically speaking, it was much harder for the pups to survive the entire winter immediately after birth, as these are lean times on the prairie and in the worse cases, off-seasonal pups could find themselves part of the last-ditch food supply. In the case of LaFoy and his 3 siblings, however, it was simple winter fevers that decimated his family group in the year immediately after his birth. His other littermates died, as did 4 of his siblings from earlier litters.
The stigma of his birth and the death of his other littermates marked him as a bad omen from the time before his earliest memory. And though he had survived the winter fevers, and would survive more of them in years to come, it left him weaker than the savage athletic ideal of the Gnoll pack, and the pack only thrives when its weakest members are driven off. So when he was the equivalent of a human 17 year old, at around 4 years of age, he was eventually cut off from the food supply and driven off by his own kind in a winter of scarcity not much different than the one he had been born to.
His survival came from the use of his wits more than his brute strength, and he managed to befriend a clan of Tiwwari Plainsmen who would normally simply kill Gnolls as a significant threat rather than take them in - but because he came alone, in shabby grassweave armor, with only a stone sling and pointed staff, they realized he could be a valuable asset to help translate Gnoll language and divulge the secrets of where their summer and winter camps were located. In time, he was adopted into the Tiwwari tribal group as he had fallen in with the Shaman and showed a natural aptitude for the arcane arts that the Shaman's own family and people did not have.
The tribes often came over the border to trade in the farm holdings of western Khazig, and from his at first awkward but eventually warm interactions with these farmers, he learned of the entirely unknown-to-him ways of settled civilization, of domesticated animals and farms, and tales of a mighty city far to the east that all the farmers spoke of with enormous pride, the jewel of the world jutting into the great Triad Sea: Khazigur. Several of the farmers had even been there before, to the spring and harvest festivals on the Magna Viridi, the Great Green festival grounds. This revelation was immediately irresistable; he had no idea what an empire was, exactly, but he knew that in his Gnollic folklore there were tales of a time when all the clans were ruled by one great ruler, Yeenoghu, and thought that perhaps those stories had come true in this place.
It took little time for the Tiwwari to see that their adopted triebsman was ready to move on to civilization, so they reluctantly let their Gnoll friend move into one of the western farm towns, a little place in the Ketibah western outlands called Babinjall. After another year or two there where he became fluent in the Common tongue and the Khazigiri dialect, a series of crop failures sent him further west, to the highly productive Tzena Copper mines; the actual mining didn't agree with him at all but luckily what they really needed were ore drivers who could send their products safely to the Duchal city of Ketibah. From there, he went to Batona Trai, and from there, one fine spring day in his 11th year, he finally passed through the western gates and into the winding streets of Khazigur.
With only a few exceptions, LaFoy has never left since.
Sexuality
Isolation from others of his species has left LaFoy to wrestle more with his sexuality and attractions than he would ever let on to anyone around him. The only female Gnoll he ever met turned out to be an Ophitic spy seeking stronger magic for their debased rituals, and for a time he was sorely tempted to dabble in their heretical beliefs if only to feel the caress of another of his kind; but his discipline steered him away from her, and averted the greater humiliation this would have brought. But he still thinks of her rather more fondly, he knows, then he ought to. In his way, though a wizard immersed in the arcane, he has lived the ascetic life of a divine spellcaster.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Achieved the rank of Master in the Wizards' College, 12078
Mental Trauma
Once he made it into the City he encountered a series of bad situations before finding his way to the Wizard College, where the Archmaster Wizard Dimasco took him in - but not as a student initially as much as a pet, LaFoy found, to his great shame and embarrassment. His willingness to stay on and continue to learn and support the college, and to preserve the popular legacy of Dimasco, was fundamental in his rapid advancement after Dimasco's death; in truth, he had had the skills needed for years, and even now is likely the match or even the better Wizard compared to most on the Wizards' council.
Intellectual Characteristics
LaFoy is a great puzzler and asker of questions, fond of asking more rather than giving answers. His mind is brilliant and flexible, and he has written several books on diverse subjects of interest including poisonous plants and the nature of snow.
Morality & Philosophy
LaFoy conforms to a Neutral Good outlook.
Alignment
Neutral Good
Current Status
Leader on the Wizard's Imperial College Council
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Year of Birth
12034 ADE
52 Years old
Circumstances of Birth
Sole survivor of second litter (Bad Omen)
Birthplace
Hementakh War Camp, Tiwwari Plains
Children
Current Residence
Coriander Hall
Sex
Male
Hair
short and somewhat patchy these days; is mostly covered by his oversized turban.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Brownish coat gone white at the muzzle, chest, back and the backs of the hands.
Height
6'11"
Weight
210lb
Belief/Deity
Celestii Magni
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Comments