James
Description
Second son of a Scottish Noble, James was fostered by his mother's brother in Sussex where his Gift was noticed by his Gentle Gifted Paren. James also had the Gentle Gift but the act of opening him to the Arts caused him to lose it, shaming his Paren. (This happens occasionally and is called the 'great disappointment' within House Jerbiton.) For this reason James never grew close to his Pater who did his yearly duty but left James mostly unsupervised while he taught his mundane students at Oxford.
James is part of the reason students have a bad reputation within Oxford. His attempts to fit in with his Paren's chosen circles resulted in open conflict with townfolk and a few fights with his fellow students. In one heated argument, a boy drew a knife on him and he responded by conjuring a longsword. After that incident his Pater banned him from Oxford.
Luckily for James, the Covenant's manor house outside Oxford had a library and laboratories. There James resigned himself from academic pursuits and focused on mastering the magical art of summoning and crafting, with the goal of being able to summon a horse to serve as his steed.
Occationally, James found pleasure in fighting in tournaments in the guise of the mysterious black knight. He'd never take armor or mounts, and those that he surrendered always disappeared at dawn. James managed to keep his identity secret and avoid the reputation associated with his knightly persona, but he did manage to annoy many a Norman knight who to this day hold a grudge.
James surprised his Pater by passing his Gauntlet on his first try by crafting a beautiful and detailed model of his Pater's Covenant from a block of ebony, after which he summoned a large black steed and rode off never to return. (In fact he could never return because his Pater moved to Paris after the Covenant dissolved in 1209 with the University's closing.) James was given the Hermetic name Caballus.
Magic
The negative affects from his Gift manifests in such a way that despite his actions he always seems to be the villain. He is a blood decendent of the mythic Black Knight. This has the unfortunate effect that many a righteous prudhomme challenge and interfere with him. The mythic connection has one benefit, he has a knack for enchanting horses.
James Pater attempted to suppress his Gift, so that he remained Gentle, which may have resulted in his difficulty with magic that he can not touch. James compensate with by having flawless control over his spells. His Pater gave James great latitude in his study and he found the below spells within in the Covenant library:
- The Wizards Mount
- Doublet of Impenetrable Silk
- Saddle from the Sturdy Surcoat
- Canter at the Kelpie Crossing
- Bolt from the Hidden Arbalest
- Dance of the Staves
- Blade of the Virulent Flame
- Sword from the Unseen Scabbard
His Spell Sigil turns its target black, usually their clothes but metal would have a black patina, etc. Needless to say all his clothes are now permanently stained black.
Key Abilities
- Finesse
- Ride
- Single and Great Weapon
Personality
James comes from a Proud Noble family and his confidence was unshakeable. His experiences as an Apprentice and the effect of his Gift humbled him signficantly but as his power grew so did his confidence and pride.
- Brave +2
- Proud +2
- Confident +2
Character Sheet
Players in the Saga of Stranggore should probably not look at Caballus' character sheet to avoid spoilers.