Oran-Ur

[Homo Sacer]

Name: Oran-Ur (properly pronounced oh-ron oor, and with a small, small pause between Oran and Ur, as if you were saying two words, rather than one name, hence the hyphen; improperly-but-more-often pronouned "oreigner", i.e. like "foreigner" without the "f")
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Title: Formerly addressed as "Headmaster" prior to his removal.
Age: 137
Hair Style/color: A fine mop—a light grey, close to white, and finely textured.
Eye color: A faded brown with very little color or energy.
Height: 5’11
Weight: 120
Voice: Raspy, as befits his age and condition, but still very slow, deep, and deliberate.
Skin Tone: Pale, sickly—appears a bit jaundiced. Additionally, his age and sickliness have caused his skin to wither and wrinkle significantly, above and apart from his age. Compared to his days in power, he is hardly recognizable.
Race: Human
Class: Wizard/Sorcerer
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Clothing: Lightly-colored bindings blemished by a number of stains, some of which appear to be blood, others of which don't appear to be recognizable substances. To the ordinary eye, the bindings simply look like wide, thick, stained bandages wrapped around the torso, arms, and legs.
Possessions & Weapons: Only a ring on his right ring-finger, and a magical tome hidden away in his cloak. The ring, in particular, is used to drain energy to sustain the enchantments which keep him alive, and is the object he intends to use, ultimately, as his phylactery.

Abilities: Primarily adept at powerful offensive magic, including traditional elemental magic, curses, incapacitation/disabling spells and black/"demonic" magic. Additionally, he is also adept at ritual magics, including conjuration, and necromancy; however, he is weaker with respect to defensive magics and protective enchantments. That is to say, he's "good", but not nearly to the extent to which he excels at more aggressive schools of magic. Because of these defensive weaknesses--specifically, his inability to independently maintain the bindings' enchantments (which keep him alive) force him to occasionally siphon the energy of other magic-wielders. However, the mere fact that he has to rely on these bindings indicates another weakness: physical frailty. He is an inept melee fighter, and is in poor physical condition. Though this is a large part of his motivation to seek lichdom, it is also an incredible disadvantage, as he cannot last long in close-quarters encounters. And, naturally, he's very academically intelligent, as is to be expected from years of applied study and research; however, particularly as a result of his isolation and negative experiences during the closing years of his career, the price of academic success is a severe impatience with/contempt for others and a low social intelligence, both of which result in significant communicative barriers between he and the majority of his peers.

History/Personality: This part is a little long, so I'm going to condense it a bit with smaller font. Reading this is optional (more optional than reading his profile sheet, anyway).

In the beginning, Oran-Ur was a respected and influential member of the magical community. Running his own academy, students and faculty alike competed fiercely for the honor of working alongside him on some project or bit of research, hoping not only to please him, but also, perhaps, to learn a few of his powerful secrets. Naturally, only a small few were able to gain access to some of these secrets, usually going on to become remarkable figures themselves. Even to those not graced with such knowledge, however, Oran-Ur was kind, helpful, and patient. The sight of a student learning something new, no matter how small, was enough to make his eyes light up.

With little but his passion for knowledge driving him, Oran-Ur researched and documented a number of different fields, some of which, like necromancy and its relations, were considered taboo by the mainstream community; however, he always rebuked such criticisms by reminding his detractors that individuals only fear that which they fail to understand, and that, accordingly, the human quest for comprehension should never place such taboos. Due to the respect and power he commanded, few could afford to continue their disagreements openly.

Unfortunately, the decline of Oran-Ur’s health also marked the decline of his status. The school’s finest magi slowly took over many of the administrative duties, and the more practical casters prepared ways of boosting their headmaster’s longevity. They kept his heart beating, his blood pumping, and they assisted him in staving off those diseases which were seeking to expedite his passing. Though he seemed to function normally, his age, coupled with obvious signs of physical pain, led many of his detractors to make still bolder claims that he should be removed from his position and let die to free up the talents of the panel of magic-users maintaining him.

Frustrated by critics, his health and age, his dependency on colleagues, and the coming end to the pursuit of knowledge which had beckoned him endlessly his entire life, he doubled the time spent in his study and pored more thoroughly than ever over any tome he thought might assist him in extending his life. Dedicating nearly every waking moment to a solution, Oran-Ur became increasingly reclusive, taking himself almost entirely out of a public eye which, only a few years prior, had regarded him as a heroic figure. Sealed off from a progressively hostile world with nothing but books and dwindling time, the bright-eyed passion with which he had for so long pursued enlightenment turned into a growing alarm over precious time ticking away. In turn, this fueled paranoia, resentment, and a desperation which would accept any solution to a seemingly hopeless problem.

With some hesitation, Oran-Ur turned back to books on the darker magics. Already a powerful wizard, he was confident that he could control these forces, and that any means of extending his life would be worth it. He could study and research indefinitely, and the benefits to the public would propel him back into their good graces. For these ends, any personal sacrifice would be a small price.

Based on his research, he put together a spell he thought might buy him enough time to come up with a more permanent solution. Sending for specially-tailored cloth, he ordered that a set of bindings be made which could then be enchanted to sustain him. The magi who had been keeping him alive for some time were perhaps too relieved that they would soon be able to redirect their efforts toward other pursuits, as they failed to investigate the full nature of the spell prepared. So did Oran-Ur.

As his study buzzed with the sound of mystical chanting, one of the magi watching over the ceremony, an expert on demonic lore, began to recognize the type of ritual that was being performed. Unfortunately, the procedure’s completion coincided with the full realization of what was occurring. Before the mage could take a step to end the rite, the energies of each caster taking part in the ritual, including their life forces, left them, becoming trapped in the bindings now maintaining Oran-Ur’s life and coursing their way through his body. Himself horrified at what had just transpired, Oran-Ur quickly arose and attempted to explain himself to the remaining magi, who had not participated; however, they refused to listen, accusing him of consorting with demons.

Growing more irate with their unceasing hail of accusations, he thought it best to incapacitate them so that he might have time to think quietly about his next course of action. Unexpectedly, the magic prolonging his life also seemed to return to him—and perhaps increase—the full range and force of his abilities. As a result, the lightning he released from his fingertips was more than sufficient to end their lives. Realizing that he had unintentionally murdered multiple friends and close colleagues—twice, no less— that the glorious and benevolent return he had planned was now no more than a naive dream, and that the demonic magics he had invoked in his time of need were beginning to mold him--to age him, to sink and darken his eyes--paranoia began to take over. He suspected heavily that he had likely been set up in some way, given that many factions from the outside were already after him. Making him appear to be a demonic, murderous, senile old has-been would be the perfect means to erode whatever public favor he might still have had. He would almost certainly be shamed and executed. The solution was simple: overcome with grief, anger, guilt, and fear, Oran-Ur took the book he had used to put together the ritual, and quickly armed a protective spell which would set off a large fire in his library should anyone try to enter. The best way of saving that knowledge from the greedy and sinful hands of his detractors, he thought, was to simply destroy it.

Tired of politics and hostile toward those he feared would end him, he promised himself that he would outlive both the conflict and its participants the only way he had found: undeath. Certainly, the enchantments would last a while, but the continual breaking-down of his body meant that more energy would be required each time to replenish the enchantments sustaining him, until, eventually, he would either run out of energy sources or find himself unable to gather up the vast amounts of energy he would need to consume. At the same time, to avoid the typical mindlessness of undeath, he would have to commit himself to a peculiar path not normally reserved for individuals of his temperament: lichdom. It was a path offering untold knowledge, unrivaled power, and complete immortality--a freedom from all mortal needs, really. Perhaps, he thought, it could even provide a chance at redemption some time in the future. Though there were risks, he had to try.

Unfortunately, the deeper Oran-Ur got into these forbidden magics, the madder it drove him. His kind, wise eyes were replaced with a near-constant glare displaying bitterness and obsession. Fear, hatred, and a newfound disregard for life and its values became his defining characteristics as he traveled from town to town, library to library, searching for answers. As someone who inadvertently trashed his reputation, killed or alienated those close to him, and twisted his love of knowledge into a perverse caricature, it is sad, though perhaps not unsurprising, that the once-great sorcerer fell so far. Now, as he travels from town to town, he seeks only to fulfill his quest for immortality, instrumentalizing and discarding anyone he deems useful along the way. Though some admire his single-minded pursuit, others have learned that his commitment has cost him his sense of mercy, compassion, and justice. Still, many believe that no man, including Oran-Ur, is truly beyond redemption. Whether there is still a shred of hope--or whether he has already passed the event horizon--remains to be seen.