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| [[Category:Character_Profiles]]
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| {{CharacterBox
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| | name = Alec
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| | gender = Male
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| | race = Human - Prime Material
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| | player = Smart Alec
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| | image = Alecpic.jpg
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| | fullname = unknown
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| | nicknames = The Bleak Pilgrim, The Man with the Hat
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| | age = estimated late 40s
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| | deity = unknown
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| | alignment = True Neutral
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| | occupation = unknown
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| | faction = The Bleak Cabal
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| | birthplace = unknown
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| | height = 6' 3"
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| | weight = 152 lbs
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| | eyes = Pale Green
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| | hair = Dark Brown, Lank
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| | complexion = Pale
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| | build = Thin, Spare
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| | features = Large nose; scar across right eye and cheek
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| | skills = Arcanery, Research, Planar Politics, Amateur Detective Work, Stage Magic
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| | gear = A wooden staff, a satchel, a thin sword, a Hat
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| |}}''If nothing you do matters, the only thing that matters is what you do.''
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| Few remember when this spellslinger first found his way onto the Planes, and it's a sure bet he didn't make too much of an impression then. Now, though? The Bleak Pilgrim is almost an urban legend, an erratic presence following his own path across the Planes without rhyme or reason, as likely to buy a meal for a starving berk as he is to face down a dragon to save a thief. An accomplished mage, it's said - he may not look like much, but few'd be prepared to cross him just to find out how powerful he might be. To have walked the Planes and lived to tell the tale, a blood's got to have something to his name.
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| ==That Which Is Seen==
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| ''I'm crying on the inside. Saves water.''
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| A tall man with a long, sharp face, seemingly permanently unshaven and dominated by an impressive nose and alert green eyes. It's a face more suited to frowns and scowls than smiles, and comes complete with a large brow, slightly irregular cheekbones and a pale scar crossing the right cheek. This is all crowned with a mop of lank dark hair, hovering somewhere close to brown in colour. He bows his head as he walks, and his shoulders seem to slump almost habitually.
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| Clothes-wise, the man favours a simple jacket and a patched green cloak for travelling and moving around town. Both have seen a fair amount of damage, and just as many repairs, but Alec seems to persevere with making both articles last as long as possible, rather than look for new clothes. A leather satchel, a series of belts and pouches and a pair of thick walking-boots complete the ensemble. More formal occasions see a white shirt and black waistcoat, but that cloak seems a constant. His only concession to the need for armour in battle is a pair of bracers, strapped on whenever trouble beckons. Upon his head, there's almost always a Hat.
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| Unusually for most spellslingers, Alec wears and uses a sword, and is prepared to wield it in combat if needs be. His expertise with it is debatable. He's also been known to hold a black umbrella when travelling through the Planes - even in such harsh places as Limbo, or the Plane of Fire. When asked why, he often simply replies, 'in case it rains'.
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| ==That Which Is Heard==
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| ''I've earned favours from many, and escaped the wrath of worse. Most treat me accordingly.''
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| [[File:Alec_badge.jpg|left|]]Some things are known for sure. Alec wears the badge of the [[Bleak Cabal]], and he's known around their stronghold, the Gatehouse. He's travelled in the company of some notable Planeswalkers, and had his name attached to some strange stories. But from there, the rumours get addled. From outwitting ancient immortals to fighting in the Blood War, from battling with the spawn of Powers, to somehow winning a Cage-wide beauty contest - and from defeating Hive gang-lords and their thug armies, to duelling illithid spelljammers in the Outlands sky. To hear some tell it, Alec even fought the King of the Nine Hells himself to decide the fate of a world. All screed, but there's no denying this mage has just made as many powerful enemies as he has friends.
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| Alec seems, in many ways, to be the quintessential Bleaker - willing to endure the madness of the cosmos as it comes, rather than make his lot any easier. He'll often speak about his Faction's philosophy, debating those who look for meaning or purpose outside their own minds and hearts. And in keeping with Bleaker tradition, he only ever goes by a single, four-letter name, with the rest forgotten as irrelevant and pointless. He has nothing but disdain for the violent, the ill-mannered and the self-important, perhaps hypocritically, and expresses a cold fury towards those that show cruelty towards their fellow sentient creatures.
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| That said, he usually seems fairly pleasant to talk to, barring the occasional sarcasm, dark witticism or gloomy mood. At times, he seems almost cheerful, for a Bleaker. He's known for making an effort to get to know his fellow planeswalkers, especially other wizards - and he always seems ready to help with almost anything that anyone puts in front of him, be it translating a page of some old book, educating someone on planar know-how or marching across the Outlands. Could be he's just an upbeat type - or putting a brave face on things.
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| ==That Which Is Known==
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| ''I've never been insane, except for when my heart was touched.''
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| Alec's been around a lot, and made a few friends. He treats other veteran planeswalker survivors of the [[Ironridge]] disaster well, having had many dealings with the psionicist [[Aria]], the gypsy [[Aerenxa]], the paladin [[Alinda Lasaedra Veles|Alinda]], the elfling [[Sarah Elaine Leallow|Sarah]], the halfling warrior [[Alexandr Krupkin|Alex]], the fluttering fey [[Nairna Yousei|Nairna]] and, weirdly, the tiefling Rager, [[Mack Bloodeye|Mack]]. He's let out space in the [[Sensate Archives|Archives]] for the performer [[Sah'el]] to write and dance.
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| But in Sigil, he's made other friends. An associate of the dead pirate lord [[Lord Regand Azureus|Regand the Blue]], he was suspected in aiding the pirate in stealing his spelljammer, the Freedom's Keel - and introducing him to his wife, [[Ysabell Tastes-the-Planes|Ysabell]]. He's often worked with other members of Regand's crew, including [[Azazail Gutter|Gutter]], the wizard-engineer [[Balthazar de'Medici|Balthazar]], the gatecrasher [[Aerin Grey|Aerin]] and her partner [[Vincent Vale|Vincent]], the adventurer-sailor Treylile aka [[Hugh Huxley|Hugh]], and the mysterious genie, [[Hafsa Sarah Shadiya Tabassum Alfarsi|Hafsa]].
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| On top of that, he's willing to make friends with many who cross his path, and there are signs of prior understandings between Alec and the freed Inevitable [[Naberius]], the professional Madam [[Naaziira Karcxi|Naaziira]], and the sinister demon, [[Gelal'nagirutenlil|Ashtaroth]]. Most bizarrely, he was recently the subject of a romantic novel penned by aspiring author [[Keira Cooper|Keira]].
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| But those whom he has the most time for, however, seem to be other wizards and arcanists. As the caretaker of the privately-owned [[Sensate Archives|Archives]], he's often one that many go to for use of laboratory space or other resources. It's a duty he shares with the resident experimenter [[Niki Abraxas|Niki]], despite not seeing eye to eye with her hulking boyfriend, [[Mean Joe|Joe]]. The famed necromancer [[Elianes]] and the eccentric transmuter [[Yante Marinsbane|Yante]] he treats as peers. Students like [[Miranda Rose|Andy]] he'll aid without question. And fellow spellcasters and researchers like the driven mechanist [[Silmia Alenlu|Silmia]], the aged [[Craugh]], the one-armed [[Noquel Levesque|Noquel]] and the shadowy [[Eidothea]] he'll often seek out, seeming to enjoy the company of other spellslingers.
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| ==That Which Is Worn==
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| [[File:Alec_hat.jpg|right|]]''The Hat says hello. I suppose I ought to do the same.''
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| Alec's Hat has been attached to his head for as long as anyone can remember... which is another way of saying that before he found the Hat, no-one could remember much about him. And when not wearing it, Alec seems somehow diminished. Though none know for sure, the stories of how Alec came by such a notable piece of headwear are numerous - a gift by some forgotten Power of Magic, a magical focus crafted from the remains of a broken demi-plane, a sentient piece of headgear containing the souls of a dozen arch-mages, a relic of an ancient civilisation given new, strange form...
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| Regardless, the wizard is always protective of the Hat, unwilling to let it be worn or even left in the hands of others, especially other arcanists. It certainly seems content to stay there, remaining on the man's head despite wind, rain or worse. If anyone knows what powers it contains, then they aren't talking - but given its continued survival despite being on the head of a man in such a risky and explosive vocation, there must be something to it, mustn't there?
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| ==That Which Is Spoken==
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| ''You're not going to believe everything you hear, are you?''
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| * Alec's known for preaching a philosophy of calm moderation when it comes to arcane magic, impressing upon other wizards that non-violence, clever use of utility spells and restraint when it comes to magic in general are the better paths. He's more than willing to aid the studies and pad the spellbooks of those that seem willing to do the same. But it's hard not to miss the fascination he has with new magic and unusual power, a fascination that borders on greed. Others worry about the idea of a Madman wizard with that much power - waiting for the day when he finally snaps.
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| * The Mage's Collective was his idea - a gathering of planeswalker spellcasters willing to co-operate in industrial and domestic magic projects, to earn their way into being members of Sigil's prestigious wizard's guild, the Society of the Lumeniferous Aether. Though the idea seemed to stall when he disappeared from the Cage for several months, the word on the street is that he's looking to try again.
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| * Most recently, some sort of terrible secret or curse has hounded him. Stories tell of a disastrous voyage that saw the pirate lord Regand dead, and those who travelled with him struck by some mysterious malady. Whatever it is, the wizard's become harsher, sharper and nastier, less willing to tolerate fools or hold back from using his powers. But on other occasions, he's been seen in distress or pain... muttering something about an infernal clockwork.
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| * Though there are many who'll testify to his willingness to work for charity and give freely of himself, especially given his time working among the Bleakers, others suggest that something's changed. Alec seems more willing to hang around other planeswalkers than amongst other Bleakers in the Hive these days, and there are more than a few rumours that Alec's hired mercenaries in the past to take care of some shady Lower Planar jobs, the kind of jobs that some have even refused to take part in.
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| * It is known that this one tried to make a living as a freelance information-gatherer and detective, and some can speak of two, possibly three serial murder sprees that were brought to an end due, or at least partly due, to his work. But these stories come with a darker side - that of a man willing to sell information and secrets to the highest bidder, or of working for various planar governments as a spy, or of being willing to use what he knows to blackmail others into furthering his work.
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| [[File:Alec_tattoo.jpg|right|]]
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| * He's not known for walking around unclothed, but of those who've seen him without his usual attire, they'll tell of a body dotted with old wounds, rough scars, faded burns and other marks of hostile sorcery and violence all over, too many to come from any single battle. His only other distinguishing feature is that of a tattoo on the bicep of his left arm, a simple numeral made in dark ink: XXVI.
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| * This one's well-known for his asexuality, seemingly disdaining the intimate company of men or women in favour of other pursuits - a trait mentioned oft enough to be remembered. His awkward, lecturing demeanour and gawky looks certainly fit the picture. And yet, tales from Alec's early time on the Planes are confused on the issue, speaking of women seduced, brief dalliances and hearts broken, and even an affair with the partner of a fellow Bleaker.
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| * Other disturbing rumours from his former planar activities include making deals with Neogi slavers, working as an enforcer for Hive crime-lords, pledging his soul to a spiteful Power of Chaos in return for her favour, and even being a member of the forbidden sect, the Incantifiers. More recent stories tell of a ''three million'' jink bounty put on his head by someone in Sigil's underworld, and of his body being delivered by the Gatehouse in order to claim it. But if he's dead, then who is that walking around? No-one knows, but the bounty certainly isn't open any more.
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| * Before he came to the Planes a handful of years ago, his previous identity is a void. The man gives away only sparse detail, and even powerful divinations struggle to learn anything about him. He's known to return to the Prime Material from time to time, but as to what he's doing there, it's anyone's guess - he's always careful to obscure his travels with magics and misdirection. And with only a common two-syllable name to work from, most don't have much to go on...
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| * Alec is the wandering avatar of Odin.
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