Not As He Seems
The Firemage As I Know Him
by Lady Iscikella Zinnonn

You say, "Thurfel, I am amazed, I must admit."
You say, "Though I find ye stranger and stranger every time we meet."
Thurfel says, "all is never as it seems…"

How do I begin to explain this halfling with the giant-sized id? How do I get across everything that is part of him? That massive ego, the intense hunger for power, the sheer cunning, the temper hot as firecoals, and yet the overwhelming desire to understand everything in the world, the engaging charm, the acerbic wit, the sheer delight in well-drawn debate -– all these things are Thurfel. Each one part and parcel of him. And not one of them alone more so than any other. The personality of the firemage does tend toward the dark, but that does not make him inherently a character "black as night", anymore than such makes any other of dark so. He is, like all beings, a personality encompassing many shades of grey.

My first personal encounter with this halfling wizard who was once a member of the Council of Ten (he says he is such no longer and, being as the remainder of the Council is very much at odds with him currently, I do believe this true) was at the tomb of Talbot Dabbings in Pioneer Cemetary just outside the town of Icemule Trace. He was working on the seals to release the Nine entombed (though maybe now it seems he wasn't, as to that I am yet unsure), and the most noticeable thing about him was his wry wit. He has a talent for making pointed and yet very amusing barbs, and many felt the lash of his tongue that day.

What was also apparent is his absolute control over the element of fire. We had some prior notion of this of course, from when he had burned many of the town shops a good many months previous, before he had gone back into hiding. But that night the true extent of his control over fire became plainly evident. His very touch can char stone if he wishes it so. He had then, and retains to this day, an affinity to snakes and serpents, and was to admit later to a "symbiosis" with Amasalen (though he said even back then that, while he has the favor of that bloody immortal, he has "not pledged" himself "unto Amasalen"). Yet I realize now we all knew so much less than we imagined we did of him. As he himself forwarded, "Ah, if you only knew the truth... but the truth is hard to see sometimes."

So what exactly is the truth about Thurfel? That is still so difficult to say with absolute certainty, but I must admit I was never treated by the firemage with anything less than the utmost respect. Though he found my belief in balance amusing, saying, "balance serves no purpose other than to applaud mediocrity," he was yet curious to hear of my philosophy. And that was my first exposure to the ever-inquiring mind of the firemage. There is indeed a driving desire in him to know all there is to know. I cannot put it other than that. This intense want is very much part of him, and the part of him that has always most intrigued me.

As life will so often prove out its own strangeness, Thurfel has become most fond of me, and I admit to enjoying his company myself. We came to talk of so many unexpected things –- from the founding of Icemule to what might lie beneath the sea (a subject with which he has much fascination), from his own views on magic to my views on his own race. He wanted to know of my own heritage, wanted to hear of sylvan culture, wanted to tell of his experiments with creatures (he has always firmly asserted he cannot create life in any way, only alter it) and hear my ideas on what he had achieved, speak of merchanting and examine the workmanship on everything, ponder ancient history and consider old lore, he loves to hear good stories and tell some himself... In short his mind was and is ever-seeking. And I was soon to discern in much he said, despite his often flip remarks, that he retains a love of Icemule he hasn't ever been able to shake, irregardless of his disappointment in how his race had let the town develop into "simply a backwater haven for a few taverns and a herd of giggling halflings."

As to religion, Thurfel is not himself devout in any way. Those who wish to persist that he has some deep faith in Amasalen or Luukos are very much mistaken. His ties to Amasalen seem born of... expediency... politics, and those to Luukos but distantly through his dealings with Amasalen. "Wars of philosophy" have never held his interest, and indeed he mentioned long ago that he was hardly ever privy to the rest of the Council's machinations in this regard. Where his loyalty does seem to lie is to his own vision of things, which isn't a bright white vision to be sure. He believes most sincerely in the importance of magic, and in wizardry as the truest representation of magic itself. And his fondness for learning of all types is unquestionable. He has stacks of tomes, all of which he told me he had already read cover-to-cover, and it seems his mind retains full grasp of whatever he reads.

He also has developed an aversion to many things considered typically halfling. For instance, he says that in his youth he did quite like tarts, but now he absolutely abhors them. He despises the fact that most of his race "are content to sled all day." He insists their good-heartedness could be better channeled by industry. And, in spite of all his genius, Thurfel does walk a fine line edging perilously close to madness at times. His nature is to be haphazard about what he considers less than truly of consequence. Thus such contradictions abound as the banners in his keep being always freshly pressed and particularly dust-free, yet he can't be bothered with putting in proper ladders for climbing between the ground and upper levels because... well, broken-legged desks and wooden planks and stacks of read books do the trick just fine.

Thurfel definitely has a fireflare of a temper, and you truthfully do not want to be around him when it ignites. He admitted he set the shops in town ablaze -- that first time he made his presence known to the citizenry of Icemule after his release from the tomb -- in a fit of uncontrolled rage. He has, however, come to recognize that shortness of temper as one of his greatest weaknesses. He told me a good while back he had "changed and grown", and recognition that giving full reign to his explosive angry passions is less than desirable was apparently part of that growing process. Indeed, there have been times when I have myself whispered to him not to give full vent to violence for some perceived slight, and he has done as I have asked, modifying his "gut reaction" with reason.

For some time now it has become obvious that Thurfel does long in many ways for a more "normal" life. He was released from his own "living entombment" in the crypt of Talbot by the power of all ten of the Council mages being used to release but one of them, and he was the one chosen as he is the strongest. Indeed, the essence of the Nine, which occupied my body after the breaking of the sphere, forwarded that it would take all the remaining nine magically mighty wizards of the Council to even challenge the ability of Thurfel. So pure raw power is something Thurfel definitely already has; a certain position and status in the world to associate with that power is more likely what he yet seeks. He has spoken most recently of becoming a "businessman", of wishing "to run the wizard's guild and control the traffic of magic in town", of wanting "nothing more than any man... a comfortable life... and a woman by my side." But hunger in Thurfel that these things be exactly as he wants them is the area where the grey darkens. I somehow doubt the firemage would ever settle for second-best in anything.

As the saying goes, "No man is an island", but some it seems can own them. And the island that is Thurfel's own he most definitely treats as a sort of "royal domain". This domain is peopled by his... well, what does one call them? They are servants, but not servants. Followers, but not followers. They are all intensely dependent on him and that is unvarnished truth. In a way, they are his family, and he can be indulgent as he often is with Witlass and his candy penchant, sending his Castellan Rills off to garner sweets for this mere giant "halfling" soldier. Yet does the firemage expect in return loyalty and obedience without question. His reaction toward what he perceived as Halfberry's rebellion is surely evidence of this. The harshness of the punishment exacted –- permanent death –- is at the very core of the being of Thurfel. He will not brook defiance in any form from amongst his retainers. He will bear with foolishness, he will levy a price for mistakes but the one making the mistake is afterwards given no lower place or less responsibility, he will allow a certain amount of forgetfulness, but he absolutely will not be openly defied.

I will say that Thurfel has never outright lied to me. Has he told me the whole truth? No, and it is unlikely he ever will. There is in him a self-imposed need for secretiveness, not unusual in those who seek to wield great power. Yet did I find him willing to not betray my trust when I choose to give it. It is certain he never does anything for purely altruistic reasons. Yet at the same time that his reasons are in the main self-centered has not made the resultant actions on his part any less worthy of gratitude. He walked away from his keep when I begged him to stop the bloodshed and later agreed to a truce with the Northern Fury Guard. He worried over me concerning the divining sphere, told me what he believed it to contain, and yet never forced me to hand that object over to him, as he knew in good conscience I could not since I feared him gaining any further power from the sphere. He did not attack against me when the essence in me raised my hand to cast him into the mist. And, most importantly, he freed Icemule from the clawings of Yfa, resealed the Nine within the tomb thus buying time for the town to prepare, and has promised to himself fight on the frontlines to vanquish the Nine if the townsfolk will do their part to keep the hordes of "friends" of the Council from him as he makes this attempt to destroy the vengeance-bent entombed mages.

Some say it is foolish to put trust in such a being. But in life we must realize there is no such thing as perfect right or perfect wrong. To be certain, Thurfel is not a knight riding in on a white charger to save the day. He has his own agenda. Yet sometimes such agendas are turned more by circumstance of fate than by any more aggressive method.

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