Good at:  Visualization (able to think a project through, from the design phase to the final construction)
Likes:  Being able to create things with his hands
Dislikes:  Getting pushed around
Favorite Food:  Hot and Sour Soup
Favorite Type of Girl:  Loving and reliable, someone he can trust

        Stands at 6' 2" high, and a solid 210 lbs. (mostly muscle). He has a plain face with no blemishes. He has clear blue eyes that sparkle when he smiles. Has fairly short and straight blue hair that tends to play around his face when the wind blows. Wears a simple brown cloth work vest over a plain white work shirt. The sleeves are usually rolled up to make short sleeves. Wears black fingerless gloves with thick gray bands on the wrists. Wears a broad leather workbelt over his shirt and simple green trousers. Heavy travelling brown boots are worn on the feet.

        When he decides to carry his weapon, he generally dons a second leather belt from which his Hammer hangs off from. Otherwise his weapon belt is hanging from a hook on the wall in his house/workshop. His birthmark at the base of his spine normally cannot be seen unless he removes his shirt. The mark is a black alchemical symbol that reads "6-12".


Hometown:  Lacour (currently residing in Linga)

Immediate Objectives:  Run his shop and improve his smithing skills. While he's reluctant to admit it, the wanderlust is building inside him again.


Background:

        Many years ago, a tiny baby was abandoned in the Lasguss wastelands. Who left it there and why, no one knows. Perhaps the parents were killed by bandits, or by the harsh environment.

        Regardless, this child would have quickly perished were it not for a kindly exploring alchemist and his wife, who took pity on the child. The alchemist was named Lares Dunbar, who was currently working for the Kingdom of Lacour.

        The couple returned home to Lacour to their normal life. They named the child Vytor, and raised him as their own. The couple eventually had 2 more children, a son named Byros and a daughter named Tileia. They raised their children together in relative peace and security. Lares continued his work for the King of Lacour in Heraldric and Alchemical research. Karyna continued as homemaker and local midwife.

        Vytor's childhood was pretty ordinary, getting into trouble, fighting with his siblings, and generally driving his parents crazy. Vytor showed great talent for building things out of whatever he could find, and his parents encouraged this behavior. He was well liked by the local children, and had many childhood friends.

        When Karyna was away from the house, grandma Beille took care of the children, and quite well, although she tended to spoil them. But the day came when she finally passed away when Vytor was 6. The whole family grieved for the loss of such a wonderful old woman. She left a tidy sum of money to the family, and a sealed note for Vytor, which was marked for his eyes only. Inside, she told Vytor to ask his parents about Lasguss and 6-12. Puzzled, he asked his parents what his grandmother meant. It was then that they decided to tell him that he was adopted, and that he was found abandoned in the Lasguss wastes. It took Vytor a few years before he really understood, but by then he really didn't care anymore. Lares and Karyna had always been his mother and father, and nothing had changed in his eyes.

        More time would pass, and Lares began to take his children with him on his expeditions. He taught them how to survive in the wild, and to defend themselves if attacked. His children tried very hard to be helpful, but Vytor just wasn't cut out for scholarly work, and he had trouble keeping some Alchemical facts straight. He eventually decided to forgo the excursions altogether, preferring to make things with his hands. Karyna saw his budding talents, and arranged for Vytor to be apprenticed to one of the greatest blacksmiths, Gamgee.

        Gamgee immediately recognized Vytor's latent talent, and set about bringing it to the fore. He was a harsh taskmaster, but Vytor flourished under Gamgee's supervision. Vytor made friends with another of Gamgee's apprentices, an older fellow named Gort, as well as Suphia. Gort left Gamgee's tutelage before Vytor did, but the two stayed friends long after they parted ways, and wrote each other often.

        Vytor would study under Gamgee for three years, and Gamgee's persistence and intensity paid off. Vytor had become a skilled blacksmith, and Gamgee had hopes that Vytor might surpass his teacher someday. Vytor returned home with Gamgee's blessing.

        However, it was soon after this time that the Demon Army of the Sorcery Globe began to attack. The King ordered all able young men to be recruited for the war effort. Vytor was a little too young to be a soldier, but he was taken into the corps of engineers, and helped fortify what would become known as the Lacour front line. He preformed very well, and was promoted twice to the rank of Sergeant. He didn't see any actual combat, but he was given basic weapons training. When the war finally came to a close, he was sent home again.

        After a few years passed, Vytor decided to strike out on his own for a while, and see the kingdom in all its glory. He said good-bye to his family and promised to return in a year. He visited all the major cities and landmarks, and managed to survive quite well on his own. [The details of his journey will not be discussed here].

        But upon his promised return, he is horrified to learn that both his parents had died while he was away. Both died during an alchemical accident in the laboratory under the King's castle. They died less than a week before Vytor returned. The King of Lacour called the three surviving children before him, and offered them his most sincere sympathy and apology, as well as whatever they might need. The three children were beside themselves with shock, and only asked to go home. However, the King would not let them leave without taking at least a generous amount of Fol, wanting to ensure that the children did not fall upon hard times. Vytor numbly thanked the king for his generosity, and took his brother and sister home.

        Fortunately, the three had a lot of support from friends and relatives. They grieved for many days, but finally decided to move on with their lives. They sold the house, and made plans. Byros had decided to take up an offer to study at the new Guild of Heraldry, while Tileia had been accepted to the new Herlie College (since it was cheaper), and intended to major in Pharmacy and Medicine. Vytor decided to take his part of the money and open up his own blacksmith shop in Linga, since there was a growing demand there for custom-built mechanical parts. Vytor went with Byros and Tileia to Hilton to see them off, and said his good-byes, promising to write often. Vytor then made his way to Linga. Vytor then bought up a decent-sized two-level building, that would serve both as a shop (on the bottom floor), and a home (on the top floor).

        Another four years would pass, and Vytor would become a moderately successful blacksmith. Not rich by any means, but well off enough to keep both him and his shop going. Strangely enough, a good amount of his work came by the way of one particular individual, Precis Neuman, who lived not too far from where Vytor set up shop. She was always asking for the oddest things, but Vytor knew better than to ask (since it wasn't any of his business).

        And so it has gone. Vytor runs his blacksmith shop (which he has named 'The Ringing Bell') to the best of his ability, and has even picked up two apprentices. A remarkable feat for someone so young. He writes his far-off friend often, and visits his sister and brother whenever he can. He is content with his life, for now.