Tellah

To protect himself and his allies, Tellah has learned how to cast spells that involve basic elements. He can cast spells of fire, lightning, and ice against his enemies.

Tellah knows that sometimes less is more, and some spells can act as deterrents against those that would do him harm. That is why he knows magic that can temporarily poison someone, make them fall unconscious for a short period of time, or render them unable to speak aloud.

Tellah knows that pain and suffering are common threads in dangerous work, and has studied the magic to minimize them. That is why he has a spell to heal wounds sustained in battle. He also has magic that can remove poison or other illnesses. In grave circumstances, he knows the magic to restore someone from an unconscious, near-death state.

Tellah knows how to defend himself with rods and staves. They are the weapons he has the most familiarity with, and will not hesitate to use them to his full advantage. Tellah can also instruct others on how to use rods and staves.

When there is trouble, Tellah has magic that is less about harming the enemy and more about helping him and his allies. He can cast magic that blurs the appearance of his allies, making them more difficult to attack physically. He can also cast a spell of confusion that increases an enemy's level of distraction, often causing them to attack their own allies instead of Tellah's.

When reaching within the depths of his knowledge as a Sage, Tellah can occasionally retrieve an advanced spell from his repertoire. This one in particular transforms most living things into ordinary toads. If they are spellcasters and know the spell, they can use the same spell to transform back into their original form.

When reaching within the depths of his knowledge as a Sage, Tellah can occasionally retrieve an advanced spell from his repertoire. This one in particular creates a short-lived tornado that is under his control.

When reaching within the depths of his knowledge as a Sage, Tellah can occasionally retrieve an advanced spell from his repertoire. This one in particular turns a group of people into stone, starting from the feet and working its way to their heads.

When reaching within the depths of his knowledge as a Sage, Tellah can occasionally retrieve an advanced spell from his repertoire. This one in particular will temporarily afflict adversaries with a sickness that wracks the body with pain.

Tellah isn't getting any younger, that much is obvious. It is the single defining everyday characteristic that people will use to judge him. He'll most likely be dismissed 'too old and feeble' for any number of necessary tasks. People will not trust his memory, and may be unwilling to disclose facts of import with him. Those who do not recognize him as a Sage might assume he can't comprehend a great number of things. Those who do recognize him as a Sage might assume that he's lost his edge, so to speak, and cannot compete with those decades younger than him.

Tellah has a problem. A generation and a half of studying magic has given him a preoccupation with it. It is possible that his tenuous grasp of spells stems from his constant poring over spellbooks, parchments, and lore all related to the metaphysical. If he comes across some new variety of magic, he'll be bothered until it is given a name and some explanation as to how it works. New technology? That's magic, too, and depending on how deep the explanation he may bother someone for hours trying to take in every detail. This can be tiresome for people just meeting him, and if he so much as forgets some detail (as he is prone to forget), then he'll go back to work rebuilding his knowledge base. It's any wonder he gets any sleep when bothered by such peculiarities.

Tellah has been around spellcasters, wizards, and mages for the better part of his long life. He has developed something of an insulation with them, and tends to prefer their company over others. He has an easier time communicating with those who study and cast magic compared to those of other skills and abilities. He'll try his best to be courteous with knights and knaves, but unless they can offer him something they probably won't have much to do with him in the long run. And for those that choose to be ignorant about magic, he'll be rather clipped with them altogether. Don't even mention bards. Not even once.

Ordinarily, one becomes risk averse as they get older. Tellah throws caution to the wind no matter which way it's blowing. He'll travel the world by himself, exploring underground caverns and facing any dangers head-on. This comes from an insecurity that he cannot shake. He's getting along in years, and there is always the constant need to prove himself to those around him. Otherwise, he's just another old-timer "who has lost it." Well, over his dead body!

Years of learning (and forgetting) magic has given Tellah something of a conflicting grasp on his long-term memory. This does not mean that he forgets how to cast a spell. Rather, it causes him to remember the verbal and somatic components of a different spell than what he intended.