Born to a poor Erpheronian family in 1520 a.S., Raeis Boldsnout would come to be infamously known as a renegade mage. At an early age, he would be recruited by the esteemed school Ximax after the discovery of his rare magical talent. There, after slowly ascending through the ranks, the unlikely candidate would be assigned with two other wind magi to research the ancient artifact known as the "Tome of Time".

Picture description. The renegade mage Raeis Boldsnout, discoverer and thief of the Tome of Time, a powerful magical artifact. Picture drawn by Drucilla Sablewolffe.

Slowly corrupted by the book’s secrets, Raeis Boldsnout would spend a year plotting against Ximax before eventually fleeing the magical city with his compatriots and followers upon the discovery of the Triad, a underground group of students. Using the ancient knowledge taken from the book, the rogue mage set up the Children of the Mind with the assistance of his allies Phillip the Cruel and Melone of Ciosa where he served the majority of his life. Now High Inquisitor, as he has dubbed himself, he donned the titles Apex of the Triad, Master of the Gift, Keeper of the Tome, Lord of the Children and Archmagus of Magic; using this self-appointed power to increase the numbers and influence of his new order, setting the school on the path to success.

After fifty years of service, the withered man resigned, leaving the safety of the Children, never to be seen by a reliable source again. It is believed that the magus still lives, due to his intimate relationship with the powerful artifact and its magic, and is still actively searched for by his order.

Appearance. There exist a few rare paintings known to the public, which draw a clear picture of Raies Boldsnout's apparition:

Frozen in time, the ancient relic of a man appears to be a stereotypical middle aged Erpheronian. Fiery red hair, cropped short for convenience is his most shocking feature, blatantly opposing his pale complexion. A wide, bold forehead, set with many premature wrinkles, extends below jagged side-swept bangs at the end of the fiery mane. Bushy rustic red eyebrows gently arch onto the forehead, contrasting both the vibrant hair and pale skin. Beneath the graceful arcs of his eyebrows is a pair of green eyes, radiating with the determination that has allowed Raeis to accomplish so much. High cheek bones catch the edges of the eyelids and are framed by a rugged beard of red adding to his already hard features. A bold nose erupts from the surface of his face, extending much further than that of a regular Erpheronian though this unattractive feature does emphasize the clearly defined square shape of his entire face.

While a slender figure is coveted among his tribe, Raeis’ bony body seems to be excessive, even to his Erpheronian peers. A long, thin neck branches from the base of the mage’s concrete chin, spreading abruptly into too skinny shoulders that extend into long arms. At the wrist, the man’s arm is so tiny that even a Brownie would easily be able to encompass it. Attached to the wrists are two soft hands. Callouses formed from writing and study scatter themselves across the palms and the fingers, making them appear old and knobby, coupled with their slender form. A disturbingly thin abdomen, completely devoid of even the slightest traces of muscle or fat, joins the upper and lower halves, creating a skeletal appearance. Like his torso, Boldsnout’s thighs and calves are practically nonexistent, though they miraculously manage to support Raeis. Beneath the legs, however, is the man’s only large feature; gargantuan feet that seem to be magically enhanced in comparison to the rest of his form, explode from his ankles, easily exceeding the length of his head and maybe even his forearm.

Unable to devote the time to strengthening his figure, the pictures we know of show Raeis to attempt to hide his weak form through the use of clothing. Loose clothes, primarily those made of less expensive materials, such as wool or linen make up the bulk of his wardrobe. These garments are worn in the traditional Erpheronian style of drooping shirts and baggy pants. The mage wears primarily cooler colours, emphasizing and enabling the shock of colour upon his cranium to draw attention away from his other features. Outside of this traditional attire, Boldsnout solely owns his black robes showing his position among the Children of the Mind. The robes, which are obsidian in colour, spill over the shoulders with many excessive folds and frivolous decorations and layers before cascading onto the floor in a waterfall of the finest silk.

Despite his obvious attempts to advert stares from his odd body, his figure, coupled with his large nose, enormous feet and mismatched facial features, is often called grotesque and hideous by those who behold the powerful mage's true form. Disgusted by these blatant flaws, Raeis has curtailed to the use of the skill known as glamouring, or the ability to change one’s appearance through the use of magic, which he has mastered, surpassed only by the Melone of Ciosa. As a result, Boldsnout dons a multitude of aliases.

Personality. Cold and calculating, Raeis Boldsnout was said to be a formidable opponent. Rarely ever depicted as being jovial, the renegade seemed to have inherited ambition from his ancestors. Extremely high intelligence and the ability to spontaneously draw valid conclusions as well as a silver tongue had allowed Raeis to remain alive, and these traits were implemental in the success of his establishment of the Children. Boldsnout is described to have been able to easily see almost all consequences of any action, allowing him to successfully choose the right course in any situation. His skill with diplomacy is described as legendary, he seemed always to win despite the odds and he was able to settle most conflicts without the use of force. This however, is believed to have given the mage the false conviction of superiority over all, a hindrance in most diplomatic debates.

While generally thought to be calm and considerate, slowly weighing the advantages and disadvantages of every statement made while maintaining the greatest formality, the Erpheronian’s temper is said to be memorable. It is noted that, once infuriated the man was nearly impossible to calm, raging at any who might have interfered. Even the man’s renowned intelligence and articulacy are said to have deserted him in these times, leaving him to stumble through half-formed sentences or use his supple magic to enforce his points, though these instances - coupled with his stubbornness - often cause him to sulk for days afterwards, especially when he knew he was in the wrong.

Order and structure is said to have dictated the successful life of the magus, inspiring him to apply them to his own school. It is obviously his personal conviction that everyone must know their status in a society and loyally obey the laws and customs that affect that class. As seen in the Children of the Mind, a rigid structure clearly classifies each member, outlining their duties and obligations. Infractions of this “moral” code are serious offenses in the mind of Raeis Boldsnout, and receive the greatest punishments next to betrayal as well as bringing great shame to the individual. Outside of the Children, his love of order radiated through his everyday life. The man’s personal study is described to be excessively neat by the few permitted the knowledge of its secret location.

Biography. Birth (1520). Raeis Boldsnout was conceived and born in the large Epheronian city of Astran to a poor, unsuccessful merchant by the name of Dagirn and his wife Aelra who would die soon after from blood loss while in labour. Saddened by the abrupt loss of his wife, Dagrin sold his house, moving to the outskirts of town where he proceeded to work as a farmer, promising that he would ensure the boy to become the successful man his mother had wished.

Early Schooling (1528). Scrounging together his remaining money, Dagirn enrolled his son at Astran’s local school. Bidding his father farewell, the young boy left the farm and moved to a dormitory in the city. This would be the last time the boy ever saw his father, for a year later the man died of a severe pang caused by the strangling disease. The young boy, excited by all the knowledge presented to him, eagerly soaked in the information. A dedicated and intelligent student, Raeis rapidly completed his primary schooling, excelling in nearly all of his academic subjects.

Enrollment in the Academy (1532). Using the little money willed to him upon his father’s death, the boy seeking to pursue the path of knowledge, enrolled in a university just outside the city limits where he was tutored along with four other students for the rest of his academic career. Here Raeis continued studying his wide range of interests, attending every lesson and enrolling in almost every subject. Despite his broad spectrum, the child miraculously managed to maintain quality in his work that exceeded the high expectations laid down by his tutor. This lust for knowledge however, would prevent the boy from ever developing social skills. While he practiced public speaking in one of his many courses, he had trouble interacting with people in an informal setting and would never make any friends during his education.

The Gift and Enrollment in Ximax (1536). Having completed the majority of his studies under his tutor, Raeis, like the other young men of his age was given permission to indulge in his own interests, receiving funding to pursue these lessons as long as they were considered to be reasonable. One of these, in the field of philosophy brought the young man into contact with a journeyman mage from the city of Ximax. Like his Erpheronian brethren, Boldsnout was known for his peace of mind and ability to remain calm, however something about this obnoxious mage infuriated the student. One day, the two got into a heated debate over a trivial matter. In anger, the Erpheronian lashed out at the hated magus, but instead of making contact with his fist, a barrage of stones, barrels and crates barreled through the air towards his opponent. The mage, as startled as Raeis himself, miraculously neutralized the volley before stalking off in the direction of the university. Days later, the scholar found himself being hastily removed from the school and sent to Ximax to pursue a magical career.

Upon entering the city, the young boy was hustled through the bustling streets before being shoved into a grand building where he was forcibly handed over to a guide by his hated escort. After a quick tour of the Tower of the Guard, the teenager was led to a magnificent tower rimmed in purple that he would later find out was called the Tower of the Sky. Here, the mage would spend the majority of the remainder of his time at Ximax studying in the tower.

Discovery of an Artifact (1572). Thirty six years later, having finally completed his sphere two training and achieving the status of a level six mage, Raeis left the tower, journeying on official mission from Ximax to the legendary keep Tak'dinal at the Peninsula of Kr'uul in Northern Sarvonia. There one of the twelve legendary Chosen was said to have once dwelt. While digging through the rubble, the man came across a book, bound in leather, resting on a shattered pedestal. Surprisingly, the tome seemed to be in good condition despite the muggy climate and its ancient origins. Gingerly removing the object from its shattered sanctuary, the young man slid his discovery into a leather satchel before proceeding out of the Tak'dinal.

Upon returning to the Towers of the Ximax, the ecstatic magus presented his findings to the Archmagus of the Yellow Tower, who after careful scrutiny, assigned Raeis along with two other rising wind magi to investigate its contents. Over the course of the year, Boldsnout and his two friends, Melone and Phillip, would unlock the secrets to the book’s powers of longevity and slowly be corrupted by its ancient knowledge. Deciding to keep their extensive knowledge within their group, the trio fed false information to the Sky Tower, using their true discoveries to strengthen their own power and convert followers under the alias of the Triad.

Flight from the Magical City and Establishment of a Resistance (1573). A year later, having converted a sizeable number of followers, all within the Sky Tower, rumours of the Triad reached the Archmagi of the Yellow who proceeded to ferret out the three traitors. The self-anointed Triad, fearing for their lives planned to flee the tower. Gathering their followers, the three powerful telekinetics stole the Tome of Time from its hidden vault using their new found magical discoveries to outsmart the guardians and fled from the peninsula, across the Steppes of Kruswik, finding shelter in the cradle between the Upper and Lower Fores. It was here, nestled between the two Fores, that the Triad shaped their rag-tag band of followers into a structured order, and disbanding them into small groups that would disperse across the continent.

Raeis, however, hunted actively by Ximax and renowned as a traitor went into hiding with his contemporaries where he continued to study from the book and increase his knowledge. Henceforth, he only emerged from for the semi-annual meetings of the Order, to raise recruits into the society or in diplomatic situations of the utmost importance.

Retirement (1602). At the age of eighty-two Raeis retired from his position as head of the Children of the Mind, which had thrived from an underground group of refugees into a resistance, appointing the first new member to the Triad to succeed him. Using magic and trickery, the hunted rebel assimilated into society and hid from the all-seeing eye of Ximax.
 
Importance. Raeis Boldsnout's influences are most prevalent in the magical world. Having spent the majority of his active life creating and supporting opposition to Ximax, the telekinetic successfully unified, solidified the power, and provided structure for the Children of the Mind by organizing the Order’s separation from Ximax, the theft of the Edict of the Ageless and creating the effective, elusive organization of his group. The Erpheronian also is credited with the discovery of the Tome of Time, a powerful magical artifact greatly coveted by most magi.

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Disclaimer. The above information has been provided by contemporaries and followers of Raeis Boldsnout and may be embellished or purposely demeaning based on the source's relationship with the celebrity.

10th Frozen Rivers 1666 a.S. Information provided by Drasil Razorfang