**An aged man begins to call to the passers by and seems to have grabbed your attention**

"Gather around, children to elders, for I have a tale to be told. If you like stories of dragons and knights, ones where the lands are made with magic and where darkness lurks, then you are sure to enjoy what I have to say." "Now then, settle down, for this will take a while." **The man cracks open a large, leather-bound tome. He leafs through the pages until he reaches about mid-point of the book**

"I will begin the journey in Stonegate, a city I hope you are all familiar with." **He nods to himself twice** "In one of the many residence, this one happening to be by the Darkwell Alley, a woman became a mother. She had hid her pregnancy, for she knew her husband was sterile. Unfortunately, that night was a festival, celebrating the gifts of the Ancients, and the husband realized his wife was absent. He paid one of the many town magi to scry her to find out what she was doing. The magus explained to the man that he saw a woman cradling a newborn in her arms. The husband became enraged at this message and called for the town guards. The man claimed his wife was an adulterous fiend and was owed her due. Four enforcers were sent to the residence and seized the woman, leaving the child behind. The Stonegate court intended on interrogating the woman the next morning to discover the husband's identity. Misfortune struck again though, this time for the child, for the mother swallowed the coals used to heat her room, to evade her public hanging. With the mother dead and no local man taking claim of the child, he was left in the hands of the government. The husband of the mother normally would have been charged with the responsibility, but the man threatened to slaughter the child if he had to raise the boy. The only solution the town elders could come up with is to have a lottery and whoever won would be the new caretaker. Many villagers were sickened by the idea, but others were interested, in hopes of raising a helper for their own craft. Every family name was carved onto a stone and placed into the fountain at the center of Stonegate. A blind man was then asked to rummage through the stones and pick one of his pleasing. After a moment of sifting through the rocks, the man grabbed a chunk of granite from the water, which read, 'Phaygen.' Phaygen was the name of a family that had one living member, an elf named Zerlyn.

Zerlyn ran a small shop in Stonegate, which she expected to close in a few years, but was now given an incentive to keep it open. She gladly took the boy in and was happy to raise him."

**The man coughs and repositions his legs before resuming**

"Now, this woman wasn't always just a shopkeeper. She had used the business, which her ancestors had started, as a front for selling stolen goods. She was a mage by trade, never an exceptionally powerful one though, but intelligent and very deceptive in her experience. Her illegal business did not hold up for long, as it was eventually exposed and she was fined for most of what she ever profited. Some say the woman plotted on using the boy to get her money back from the city, others believe she just wanted to continue the family line, either way it didn't work out in her favor. At the gathering in Stonegate, when she was claimed the new guardian of the boy, her first response was the boy's name. She shouted loud and clear, 'Asideor,' paused a few moments, then stated, 'My new son, his name shall be Asideor.' Some townsfolk muttered and snickered about the name, but her ears were deaf to their chuckles. Rather she grasped the child and before the people could react, gated back to her store. The business, which I seemed to have never mentioned, was an alchemist shop. She sold vials, elixirs, potions, golem ointments, and anything an alchemist could ever possibly need. Oddly enough, the woman was not an alchemist herself, although her mother, father, and almost every ancestor before that were all alchemists. She enjoyed being a mage, and was set on having her new son become a mage too. Unfortunately, this task was very difficult, for Asideor spent his childhood in the Alchemist Shop. He enjoyed playing with the trinkets and placing items into the transmuting chambers. The lessons he received in magic from Zerlyn seemed very lacking, as she never truly mastered her skills herself. Time passed until the boy was about ten, he was familiar with the rarity and use of every alchemist item and garment. His mage skills though were limited to minor spells, which withered as he pursued his love for alchemy. Zerlyn refused to raise an alchemist and wanted to start a new era for her family, but realized it was impossible to do with the shop open.

During one especially dark night, Zerlyn set a nexus to Riverdale, where she had purchased a residence and set explosive elixirs to go off once the portal closes. The next morning, the Stonegate guards found the shop burnt to ashes and declared both the child and foster mother dead, despite the proof of corpses. In Riverdale, Zerlyn believed she could have the chance to teach her son to become a powerful mage. She had him enrolled in an elven school, but Asideor was ostracized for being a human. Zerlyn refused to believe that the other boys at school would chastise him for his race. After months of schooling, she eventually realized the wicked actions of the elvish children, especially one day when Asideor came home with his face mangled by a magic missile. The eyelashes on his right eye never came back after that incident. Zerlyn was tempted to withdraw her son from the school, but yearned for him to become a mage too much. She forced him to continue going, until Asideor decided himself to stop going. Asideor started cutting classes and went out in search of his true passion during the school days, alchemy. In time, Asideor learned to know most of the alchemists in Riverdale, but could not relate with many of them because they were elves. There was one man... or woman, it was never recorded which, but his or her name was Yulb. Yulb traveled between Riverdale and Stonegate often, mainly to pick up supplies for its training. Asideor befriended Yulb and visited it whenever possible. On occasion Asideor would pour out his grievances and begin sobbing, begging for Yulb to take him away. Yulb knew it couldn't raise a child, but it did have a friend in Stonegate that was looking for an apprentice. Tarlanor, a fellow alchemist, was in need of someone experience in alchemy. Asideor was not very proficient in the class, but rather familiar with everything associated with it.

Fortunately, this was good enough for Tarlanor, and he offered a job to Asideor. Now, the boy was only twelve at this point, and still bound to his mother. The boy was determined though, enough to leave his Zerlyn and the wicked school of the magic."

**The man grasps a wooden cup and takes a sip.**

"Now, Asideor couldn't make it out of the city looking the way he did. The guards would have recognized the boy as he tried to leave, so he had Yulb change his appearance. With some minor tweaking, Yulb shortened Asideor stature, aged his face, and thinned hair. Rather than being a spirited young boy, Asideor now appeared to be a decrepit old man. The passage was simple and the trek back just as easy. Once in Stonegate, Tarlanor provided Asideor with a place to live and food to eat. He lived in Stonegate for five days before Zerlyn came searching for her son. Darkness swept the Alchemist store as she approached. The door flew open, with the hinges cracking and wind knocking vials off the table. Asideor was assembling new transmuting chambers when he caught sight of his mother's rage. She levitated her son over to where she was standing and hissed, 'Where have you been boy? You had best have a good excuse for-.' Her line was cut short by the sound of a concussion orb that Tarlanor hurled into the room. Zerlyn evade the blast and began firing magic missiles and fireballs about the room, causing elixir to explode and acids to cover the walls. Tarlanor took cover behind a table and grabbed a few transmuting chamber. While attempting to summon a golem to aid against the intruder, Zerlyn caught sight of his casting and created a vapor cloud about the table. Tarlanor was able to fix a vapor cloth around his face, but lost his concentration on his summoning spells. With low mana and poor vision from the poisonous cloud, Tarlanor took his chances of creating iron filing from the transmuting chamber. He fired the shards at Zerlyn with enough strength to cripple the woman. After equipping Asideor with a vapor cloth, he went over to Zerlyn and asked if Asideor knew who she was. After responded the woman was his mother, Tarlanor realized the tragedy he had created.

Zerlyn was going to die though, one of the filing had clipped her neck, causes blood to seep upon the ground. Tarlanor explained the situation to Asideor and stated that no cleric could heal her, but she was going to die a very long and painful death. Zerlyn, still conscious, tried to protest, but only spit blood from her mouth. Asideor was saddened, but understood it would be best to put his mother out of her misery. After telling Tarlanor his decision, Tarlanor deepened the neck wound with a dagger, causes the death to come much more quickly and less painfully. To avoid trouble with the Stonegate guards, Tarlanor cast a manifestation spell on Zerlyn before she died, making her look like an ogre. He placed her on a cart and wheeled her corpse down to a pyre. When the captain of the guard caught sight of the corpse being pushed my Tarlanor, he inquired about the situation. Tarlanor lied, stating that an ogre and broke into his shop, crazed and sick, so he slaughtered it. The captain bought the fib and aided in the cremation. Asideor aged to about twenty under the assistance of Tarlanor, but he dropped the name Phaygen on the night of his mother's death. He was haunted by the event, but found his new life to better than his previous. Both Tarlanor and Yulb, who showed him all the tricks and methods of alchemy, schooled him. He quickly learned how to transform object, people, and areas. Asideor's knowledge of the tools involved greatly aided his progress. Now that he had reached adulthood though, Asideor decided to go out by himself and mold a future for himself. Asideor traveled across many lands and traversed many seas; he explored the cities of the worlds and met the people that lived in them. At the end of his journey, his returned no more intelligent or experienced as before.

Asideor realized that everything he ever needed was in Stonegate, so he vowed to remain in his hometown. While exploring, Asideor sustained himself with odd jobs, but now he wanted to settle down and build a fair amount of wealth. His age was not recorded at this time, but it was heard that he was about thirty some. Unfortunately, it seemed that few people in the Stonegate needed the assistance of an alchemist. He needed a new trade, one that applied to people. Now, dedication was something that Asideor always kept key to his heart, which, aided by patience, paved Asideor's career in philosophy. It was an interest in understanding and doubt that first made philosophy a possible vocation choice. The problem was though, the money involved in the art. Most learned men use philosophy as a hobby, not a career. Asideor, however, was determined to become famous for his thinking. Seven years passed by, with not even an essay, let alone a book written. While studying at his house, which he could barely afford to keep, Tarlanor stopped by and inquired about his progress as a philosopher. Asideor muttered and grumbled about constant failures and problems. Tarlanor was saddened by his friend’s misfortunes, but could give little help, aside from a bit of advice. He suggested trying and applying his alchemist skills to philosophy, because Asideor's passions were driven by alchemy. Asideor considered this, but was too upset to completely comprehend it at the moment. He dismissed Tarlanor and continued to sulk. A few weeks later, Asideor began to do extensive researches in alchemy. He read books that came from the days of the Ancients, when alchemy was first discovered. He came across stories of early alchemists tricking people by pretending to turn any type of metal into gold. In reality, they would only coat the object in gold and run off with the money. The roots of the Alchemist intrigued Asideor and it led him to what he believed to be his claim to fame. If an alchemist could completely contort the experience of a man or create magical armor from nothing, he was positive it was possible to turn any metal ore into gold. First, he needed lots of money, enough to study and work with gold and rare metals. He attempted the act of his ancestors, by tricking people out of their money. He knew he would discredit his future discovery if he crafted fake gold and sold it. Instead, he made cases full of elixirs and traveled to the many towns he visited. He promised the people in Kisah that the elixirs gave extended life. He found many buyers who actually purchased flavored river water. In Quessa, he was selling 'beauty potions', while the people Wirennon thought they were buying vaccines for the plague. Finally, in Brulan, Asideor was exposed for selling false elixirs, which he guaranteed would give instant strength. He was imprisoned and kept in a cell for two years. Around the age of forty-eight, Asideor was brought to a high court, for fraud in at least four cities. He was sentenced to be executed, but it was not destined to happen. Tarlanor heard of his friend’s misfortunes and traveled to Brulan. He told the guards he was Asideor's father and wanted to give his son a last drink of Alchemist's brew before he was killed. Instead of handing Asideor a cup of brandy though, he slid him one elixir, wrapped in a vapor cloth. On the day of the execution, Asideor slid the vapor cloth below his hood that he was forced to wear. Right when the crowd watching his death bent over to see the blood splatter from the executioners axe, Asideor silently incanted a spell upon the elixir and formed a vapor cloud. The fumes knocked out everyone, with the exception of Asideor and a hooded figure in the crowd. The man pulled back his hood to reveal that it was a Stonegate Magus, hired by Tarlanor to portal Asideor back home. Before leaving, Asideor snuck into the cache of confiscated goods and retrieved his gold, along with a shimmering golden staff. Once back in Stonegate, Asideor visited Tarlanor and thanked him for the assistance. Asideor decided he would have to lie low though, and stay in Stonegate. He had a great abundance of wealth and a dedication to changing iron and steel into gold. Asideor hides now, somewhere in Stonegate, unable to be identified except by his golden staff and disfigured right eye. Some commoners, however, claim to have heard a dark chortle followed by an explosion come from the second level of a building."

**The man began to cough violently, causing blood to splatter his lower lip**

"Well, that’s the tale of the legendary fraud, the thief, the man who seeks his claim to fame. Some day, we'll probably see him, with a triumphant return, carrying a king's ransom in gold, but until that day..."

**After pulling a rag from his pocket, the man wipes the blood from his lips, then covers his face. He precedes to stand while cackling and drops an elixir that explodes in a violent gas. You cover your mouth with your sleeve, as you watch everyone fall over unconscious. You try to raise a hand against the old man, but he quickly draws a golden staff from his robe and thwacks you upon the head. The hit paralyzes you, making you only able to watch as the man peels fake lashes from his right eye and laugh as he walks down a shadowed alley.**