Ryland Holt

Magus Ryland Holt

Former noble and wizard

Physical Description

Body Features

Ryland is lean and aged, being eldest among the Primal Guardians the Magus has led a hard life but this has kept his body trim and nimble even at his advanced age.

Facial Features

Magus Holt has long white hair and a patchy white beard he has begun to grow out of lack of shaving rather than by intent.

Identifying Characteristics

In place of scars Ryland grows red scales, while they are not as tough as a dragons they are slightly stronger than his own flesh.

Special abilities

Ryland is a sorcerer of some power, his arcane might developing along side his advanced age. Due to his arcane ancestry Ryland does have some red scales across his back and in place of some scars he has gained over the years.

Specialized Equipment

Ryland is a master at the art of evocation and has perfected his craft over the years. While not the most powerful wizard in the world he one of the most dangerous when it comes to wielding fire.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Within the country of Verge much of the land had been tainted by corruption from nobles who saw commoners as less than human and non-humans as less than beasts. The only noble who believed otherwise was Ryland Holt, who supported his lands but somehow drew more taxes than the others who casually slew their peasantry. Ryland had learned as a young child a happy servant worked well while those who were beaten and worse often did not do the best work. While his thinking had only come about improving his house when he took the Holt lands as heir Ryland soon learned compassion for his fellow man. As Ryland worked with the people under his care he reinvested much of his wealth back into his lands to better the roads and improve the textiles his people grew. Soon the small Holt lands were growing as rich as his much larger neighbors.
But those neighboring nobles grew jealous of Ryland's territory used their combined power to harm the Holt families trade to and from their lands. Rather than improve their own lands the corrupt nobility used their wealth to purchase food and resources from other lands and forbid his people to sell or buy from the Holt tradesmen. They forced Ryland's land into a famine using alchemy to despoil the crops and without anyone buying their good the Holt merchants starved while their food rotted from an unnatural plague. Ryland knew his neighbors hated him but he could not force them to sell their food or buy his goods. Instead Ryland resolved to find someone who would even if it meant travelling long distances.
Ryland took what gold he had along with what he could gather from his people and left searching for a merchant greedy enough to take the noble's gold in return for food to give to his people. Ryland has been gone for weeks but when he finally returned he had found the corrupt nobility had sowed lies among the peasants. Many of the poor folk believed Ryland had left with their gold and abandoned his lands while the rest of his people died, angered the peasants had burned Ryland's house not knowing his wife was still inside. Grief stricken Ryland made it just in time to see the smoking ruins of his home and the charred remains of his wife. Something inside the noble broke and Ryland killed as many of the mob as he could but even with his natural sorcerous talent Ryland was one against many and he was beaten down. The mob took the broken man to the nearest tree to be hanged but before he could a giant beast appeared from the nearby forest and drove off the angry mob. The beast took the form of a man and called himself Avron Blackwood, the man told Ryland of what lies he had heard from the neighboring town, he raced to stop the mob but he had only just got here. Ryland guessed it was his neighbors and swore to see them all burn but it was Avron who held him back, not out of concern but to show the the former lord Holt that there was more to be done. Avron told Ryland of the corruption across the entire nation, that not only his life but most were made to suffer at the hands of arictocrats and the only way to change it would be to destroy this kingdom and rebuild it. Ryland readily agreed if only to see the nation burn, he did not care if it got rebuilt but he would see the fires burn Verge.

Education

Ryland was taught by tutors from his childhood all the necessary skills to manage the Holt lands. When it was revealed the young Holt was a sorcerer he was apprenticed to a travelling sorcerer for a few years.

Employment

Ryland Holt used to be a noble within the Verge Kingdom before he revolted. After becoming one of the first Primal Guardians he rose to second in command and right hand of the World Warden. Now as he has grown too old he has retired to teach the next generation while his ancestral homelands and those around his were abandoned. Ryland is now head mage among the arcane academy of Neo Verge, while small it well funded thanks to generous donations from the head mage himself.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Ryland Holt helped form the Primal Guardians and overthrew the Verge monarchy. Holt created the Arcane Academy of Neo Verge

Failures & Embarrassments

The loss of his lands and the death of his wife by the hands of his own people.

Mental Trauma

After seeing the corpse of his wife Ryland became obsessed with the death of those who caused her death either directly or indirectly. To that end he burned the village the mob had come from and destroyed all the neighboring lands. To this day little has grown among the ashes of the lands and is now known as the Burnt Offering.

Intellectual Characteristics

Ryland Holt is known for his vindictiveness as well as being aggressive, loyal, reflective, scholarly, and shortsighted.

Morality & Philosophy

Ryland Holt used to want to see the world burn but now he believes like Avron that the world is a cruel and uncaring place. Instead the Magus Holt teaches others the harsh reality of life while preparing them for the adversity they will face.

Taboos

Holt has sworn off love after the loss of his wife.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Ryland Holt no long wants to burn the world to ashes but now he just wants to see other prepared to face how harsh the world can be. To that end he has been working on his Arcane Academy where is attempting to teach those interested in arcane magic.

Likes & Dislikes

Ryland like fire, revenge, Neo Verge, and well crafted fabrics. He hates rumors, fire, government functions, and traveling.

Hygiene

Ryland has come to forget or ignore his hygiene as of late and has left both his body and his workspace a mess. Having stopped shaving and cleaning his office the Magus Holt has become more the image of an addled wizard even though he is a sorcerer.

Social

Family Ties

The Holt family have all died off or had been killed for allying with the Kingdom of Verge. His wife's family were spared death but were exiled with very little of their wealth.

Wealth & Financial state

Ryland Holt has spent most of his wealth on his Arcane Academy just outside of Greenheart. While he does accept payment from his students he mostly does this out of the thought that eventually his wealth will run out and he will have nothing to pay the other teacher as well as the service staff among his school. Ryland has kept his arcane artifacts from when he fought though mostly out of habit as he is not expected to defend his nation at his advanced age.

Alignment

Chaotic Neutral

Current Location

Greenheart

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Head Mage, Magus, Lord, and Inner Circle

Birthplace

Verge

Current Residence

The Arcane Academy of Neo Verge

Gender

Male

Eyes

Blue

Hair

White

Height

6'2"

Weight

121 lbs

Aligned Organization

Primal Guardians