Petrarch Vitroni
Archmage Petrarch Ithiquent Vitroni
Petrarch Ithiquent Vitroni was a powerful Tor wizard responsible for the Sundering of Divostra.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Petrarch was born in the floating city of Arathoxia on the tenth day of Autnocturn to Miz'rael and Al'shafa Vitroni, two high ranking magi within the ruling council of the Tor. The young Vitroni showed an immense aptitude for the arcane from an early age, learning simple illusory cantrips before he could read or write. In his sixth year, Petrarch's parents brought their son before Master Oeboth Kanska, high archmage of the Tor, and implored him to take on the adolescent on as his apprentice. Though Oeboth was concerned about the boy's age, Miz'rael and Al'shafa's position within the ruling council swayed his decision to allow Petrarch a week to prove himself. The elderly Si'draken spent the time interrogating the young child and testing his arcane prowess. Amazed at the level of skill displayed by a neophyte, Oeboth agreed to mentor Petrarch, who became the youngest officially apprenticed wizard in Arathoxia's history.
Petrarch spent much of his tutelage with Master Oeboth reading various texts concerning magic, history, and religion. As he poured over books of ancient knowledge as well as modern treatises built upon their predecessors, he became obsessed with the nature of the gods of Divostra. In addition to his studies, he began frequenting the various temples and shrines throughout Arathoxia, listening to sermons and discussing theogeny with the city's religious leaders.
By his twentieth year, Petrarch displayed magical talent that rivalled that of the city's ruling mages, while garnering a reputation as a blunt, curious individual. His associates would joke that the wizard only communicated in the form of questions. His focus on his studies and the fact that he was pushed into them at a young age had thrust him into adulthood before he was fully developed; as such, Petrarch was never able to hone his social skills through interaction with his peers. What had come off as precocious in his younger years began to bristle against those who regularly interacted with him. This shortcoming would start to impede his ability to pursue research within the mageocracy of Arathoxia, as Petrarch lacked the charisma to persuade others to bend the rules for him.
Frustrated at these roadblocks, Petrarch began using his parents' considerable wealth and influence to employ adventurers from outside of Arathoxia to accompany him on months-long expeditions uncovering old ruins and discovering arcane tomes and artifacts buried for centuries, some intentionally so. The ever-curious wizard visited cities on several continents, interacting with foreign civilizations to learn of their esoteric magical and religious practices and expanding his understanding with different cultures' views of the arcane and the divine. He returned from these expeditions with valuable artifacts and rare arcane tomes, gifting them to Arathoxia's libraries or to influential members of the mageocracy to make them more pliable to his requests.
At the same time, Petrarch began adding rare millennia-old texts to his own collection. While many of these books were harmless academic works whose rarity was a consequence of their age rather than active censorship, Vitroni had collected several tomes written by ancient necromancers, cult leaders, and demonologists. Applying their theories to his own understanding of the arcane, Petrarch uncovered the truth of the world that had been largely forgotten in the two millennia since the War of Endless Midnight: the gods of Divostra had not created the mortal races, but were in fact creations of the Thaumic Weave. Following this truth to its logical conclusion, Petrarch theorized that since the gods' creation was bound by the same laws of the universe as mortals, then a mortal who knew how to tap into the Thaumic Weave could ascend to godhood.
Petrarch brought his theory to Master Oeboth, hoping to find formal support from the high council of the Tor for his research. Petrarch handed over his notes and cited texts at his master's request, trusting that Oeboth, who was well-respected among the other members of the mageocracy, was better able persuade the rest of the council to support his apprentice's research. However, Oeboth was incensed at his apprentice for continuing to delve into knowledge explicitly forbidden by the mageocracy, even after the Si'draken had given Vitroni a formal reprimand on the matter. When Petrarch arrived at the high council's chambers the following evening, he found his books and research notes burning in a pyre. The assembled members of the council, his parents among them, formally branded the young wizard heretic and ordered for his immediate imprisonment.
To the shock of all present, when the guards attempted to grab Petrarch, his body liquified and collapsed into a pile of clay on the ground. Petrarch had already fled Arathoxia the previous night, with all of his research, texts, and personal belongings, shortly after handing over copies of his research notes and books to Master Oeboth. The wizard's isolation from his peers had the knock-on effect of making him incredibly paranoid and untrusting of others, even those to whom he was close. He had caught something in his master's expression that warned him of the impending betrayal. Under cover of night, Petrarch boarded an airship, crewed by members of an adventuring party he'd employed years earlier, and made his way north across the Urkesh Highlands and far from his home city.
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Species
Age
63
Date of Birth
10th of Autnocturn, 62 PS
Date of Death
1st of Berastyme, 1 ME
Life
62 PS
1 ME
63 years old
Circumstances of Death
Disintegrated in a magical explosion
Birthplace
Place of Death
Children
Aligned Organization
Comments