Harold 'The Forgotten'
Ex-Mage Harold Reed? (a.k.a. The Forgotten)
How does someone find themselves so far from home, lost in an abyss of madness. A shine of promise turned away. From one island to another, dark to light. Magic strong but insanity full. The forgotten child of a distant relative. Noble, no royal... But none to agree. The name of Harold, the child who was cast aside to the wind.
Found along the banks of Steed, all who knew him claimed him Reed.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
While his birth is unknown and his legacy is questioned. His true-life story began at the age of 8. He was found sitting alone on the banks of Steed. He had no family or friends near him, all alone by himself. A young couple found him. But Harold had no real social skills... I mean he didn't know how to speak. Which is a problem when people start talking to you. He was adopted by the couple, raised by them, and was sent to the less noble school of the Steed School for the Idiots and Lessers. However, something was different about young Harold. He was unique, in all sense of the word. He was clearly magically inclined and bordering the line of insanity. His adopted family had also noticed that he shared a strong likeness with the old Emperor Tivius Reed of The Reed Empire. This led to many people believing he could be related to House Reed.
During his term at the Steed School for Idiots and Lessers, he excelled at his studies. The smartest student there (although that doesn't mean much) but he didn't talk to anyone but his teachers. He had no social life and it showed in his personality. He was erratic, changing emotion every minute, his teachers realized that he probably has a connection with magic and started to teach him about it. He started to develop actual abilities. His first spell was the ability to cook anything to perfection, a spell that made him the pride of the Steed Cooking Society of Socialists. He was bullied at school for being so weird and separated from the other students, but he always had a comeback. Let's just say there was an outbreak of Geese in Steed.
Over time he started to become too powerful with magic for the teachers, when he turned 12, they were left with only one alternative. They asked his family to go to Gazza's Homestead and ask for Gazza's assistance. But his family had a different plan. They weren't that keen on Harold as they had their own child now and just found him a pest. He was abandoned multiple times during his childhood, he always returned. So, his horrible parents shipped him off to The Mages of Aglonby. They didn't want the pressure of having him so nearby, so they would be inclined to visit him also Gazza would be too kind to the child.
He was put on a fishing vessel that was on a 10 month trip around the coast of Pentos to the The Island of Aglonby. This boat was constantly reeking of fish, this leads to Harold losing his sense of smell. In one benefit, he did learn to fish. He also learned how to play card games like Go Fish and Gwent. The vessel was captained by the lesser-known former pirate Gerald 'Poopdeck' Fredo. Gerald was a mean man, someone who would cut you down just for speaking when not asked. But, he had a soft spot for Harold, he reminded him of his younger self. Gerald also came from a disrespectful household and took off as soon as he could. Made his way to The Pirate school to learn the Piracy trade. It didn't work out for him, but he was sure Harold was going to go places. Harold did tell a foreboding story about Gerald's future.
"Someday, after this journey we share, you will stumble on an ancient map of a long lost pirate. You will pass it down to your future child... But then be brutally murdered by a competitor."
Gerald decided not to think about the prophecy but did start to rethink his life choices.
The ten months were long and slow for young Harold, time became an irrelative concept to him. But then, finally, the ship pulled into the small port at The Island of Aglonby. A wondrous cathedral stood atop it, the home of magic and technological developments. The birthplace of Innovations. The humongous doors stood before him, making him cower in fear at their impressive might. With a swift and decisive movement, they swung open. A hooded man hovered before him, quite literally hovering in some sort of T-Pose. He was a grizzled old man wearing a grey robe, he didn't seem to notice young Harold's presence immediately. But, he looked down upon this child who reeks of anchovies and a small smile appeared across his face. His name was Grand Mage Arlo Magucnal and he was a well-respected mage at the citadel. Harold was given a tour of the magical citadel that he had previously only heard from rumor and legend, and it was more grandiose than he ever imagined. Every wall had another door to a room full of weird scientific or magical instruments, clearly, this is where Pentos learned everything it knows today.
However, before Harold knew it the tour had finished. It was almost as if the Mages didn't want visitors or new members at that time. But, the facts couldn't escape them. Harold had a strong magical ability that needed to be tested. He was brought before a council of Mages to be tested. It was brutal and rigorous. But eventually, they conceded that he was truly able to be a Mage of Aglonby. Harold was given a choice of a scientific field to research, this was not what he expected, he thought there would be more magic involved in a group called The Mages of Aglonby. He was caught off-guard by the question and in a blind panic chose the field of Geology, the study of... Rocks!
So off he went, to study that wondrous world. The mythical adventures he would have. Helping lay the foundations of a brave new world. And he would achieve all this by studying the day-to-day rocks of Pentos. This was a genius plan that Harold really didn't plan for but has now fallen into and it would be really awkward to ask for a change of field so he is just going to go with it. Yay!
Deep in his mind, something started to feel wrong. There was an ominous presence around him. Something... Evil. He studied and worked for the Mages of Aglonby for years. He became a well-respected member. But, all that time he started to feel more and more uneasy about his colleagues. He sensed a dark secret held within the Citadel, waiting to be unleashed across Pentos. He began having a recurring dream.
It was a dark and stormy night, the moon shone brightly in the sky. Suddenly, a roar pierces through the skies. A flying beast's shadow glides across a glowing city. An Orb of bright purple takes the place of the moon, it shatters, and out fell figures crashing down to the lands below. Pale beings, with fangs rivaling a wolf. These horrible creatures scour the peaceful land below, all the while a man of darkness orders their march. Then the sun rises and they begin to burn.
Harold was constantly haunted by that same dream every night.
It started to torment his mind. Day by day his sanity slipped. He started asking questions, too many questions. He became isolated, none of the mages dare speak to him. He started to reveal future prophecies whenever he met someone, nothing new but it became more and more common. He started to return to his roots of silence and discovering his magical abilities further. He excelled at it. But, he was limited by the Citadel. The fears in his mind left him weaker. He worked to counteract the effects of the Nightmare but it always came back.
He knew that it had to do with something in the Citadel or somewhere on the island but he didn't know where. Everything was the same as it had always been and nothing really screamed evil. And then it hit him. He was in his usual room to contemplate, peering outside the slit-windows. He looked up and hanging from the ceiling was something he never paid much attention to. A bright purple orb. He stared at it, it felt like it was staring back. A quiet voice entered his head, it wanted him to free it. Free the magic inside. He resisted the foul temptation but wasn't going to leave the Orb be.
He started to test his hypothesis that the Orb was causing the problems. It had been 6 years since he joined the Mages, and finally, he was close to finding out what this ominous presence was. He gazed into the Orb, trying to decipher what it contained. He could only see something gooey in its core. He started to see if he could recreate something similar. His clues - Purple and Gooey - Good start. He spent months upon months dissecting the information, linking it to other magical properties and artifacts. However, the Mages grew suspicious of Harold very quickly and decided he wasn't good for them anymore.
He was cast out of the Order, citing Suspicion of Treason and tampering with ancient artifacts. His crimes had only one punishment, death. Harold was to be cast off the roof of the Citadel, onto the solid ground below. The Mages gathered round him on the high up tower, speaking a solemn chant. The Leader of the Mages spoke. "Harold, you have committed treason against the Mages of Aglonby, we have seen your guilty thoughts and decided to remove you from our order. In the ancient ways of our founders, you shall be removed, cast off the highest point in the West. Your legacy shall be removed, your studies shall be destroyed and your name shall be FORGOTTEN!"
Harold was levitated off the roof, and let go, flying to the ground below.
Now, this next part is of high conjecture between historians (Only a few weird Historians, who else would care about Harold) as the way Harold survived this long fall. Some say it was a miracle or magic, but the most commonly told is the most ridiculous. He did a triple backflip, flipped off the entire order of mages, read through the book 'Best Way to Survive a Fall', cast a few spells, turned a random guy into a goose, talked to a passing fish, realized the Purple Orb was probably something very, very evil and did a swan dive into the ocean which originally was a mile away. Again, ridiculous.
The fall, as you might expect, severely affected Harold's sanity. Worse than it was previously.
Education
Some amount of education at the Steed School for Idiots and Lessers. Ex-Mage of Aglonby.
Mental Trauma
He may not even be a Reed, but when he speaks he tends to see. A future uncertain, a past unknown. The Sun cursing foes that bring the future woes.
Personality Characteristics
Hygiene
Probably not
Social
Family Ties
Possibly related to House Reed
Religious Views
Unknown
Wealth & Financial state
N/A
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Current Location
Species
Conditions
Ethnicity
Age
N/A
Date of Birth
Unknown
Circumstances of Birth
Unknown
Circumstances of Death
Unknown
Birthplace
Unknown
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
White
Hair
Scruffy Long Grayish-Brown Hair
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale White
Height
5'9
Quotes & Catchphrases
"They're coming, the Dark Lord and his sunburnt allies!"
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Comments