Selhial Arringstad

Selhial Arringstad is a phrinu dark mage from Halsha and a member of Dominic's Retinue.

Backstory
He was born to a Themboldisian merchant and the daughter of a Gryonian forest village matriarch who met by chance when the merchant got lost on the border between their countries. Selhial is their only child. He was ostracized by his village due to his lorshal status and lack of talent at ritual magic. At 15, he left home after meeting a dark mage, feeling a kinship with the dark side of magic and wanting to immerse himself in it.

He traveled to Halsha and wound up in the large central city of Erith, where he almost died of exposure before the corrupt ruling lord, Raiston, found and nursed him back to health. Raiston saw his potential with magic, as well as a chance to mold a perfectly loyal mage, and gave him a choice - Either strike out on his own again without support, or become an apprentice to Raiston’s old court mage who was near death and wanted a student, and work for Raiston to repay him.

Selhial agreed to the latter and ended up becoming his court mage at the age of 19. This involved assisting his lord's plotting against rivals and enemies, maintaining wards and glamours to protect the family from malicious magic, and acting as a bodyguard and tutor to the Raiston family, among other duties. Initially, he wanted nothing more than to go home, but over time he lost interest in returning.

Recently, he was separated from his employer during a skirmish in southern Halsha, and was kidnapped by pirates who took him to Aerestra. He escaped with the help of Dominic, Wyrah, and Ragnalla, a spectropath, mage, and rogue respectively, who discovered him while raiding the pirate ship. Upon learning of his captors' involvement with the trio's enemies, he helped to defeat them. He proceeded to join the three permanently as an equal partner in their newly-created mercenary company, who he has worked for ever since.

Personality
He is shy, antisocial, and sullen, and abhors unnecessary stress or pain. Above all, however, Selhial is intensely curious about the magical world, and favors any circumstances that provide learning opportunities. He is an academic at heart and most at home in such a setting. Despite his grumpiness, he can be a decent teacher due to his passion and desire to direct young mages down a better path than that which he followed.

His sense of justice and decency is greatly dulled from spending so much time in aristocratic circles, so he keeps to himself and doesn’t often intervene in interpersonal conflicts.

Skills/Abilities
Selhial is an expert in effigy magic, a rare type of dark spirit magic reviled and misunderstood in Halsha and nearby nations. He uses puppets and sometimes other vectors to enact spells on others, usually of a seriously detrimental nature. Additionally, he is skilled in hexery, illusions, and other such more well-known varieties.

Unusually among phrinu, he can read and write the Fae script and understands some of the ancient draconic tongue.

Relationships
He is estranged from his birth family and is contemptuous of the Raistons. He does have several friendly contacts in academia, but these are more formal and distant relationships than true friends.

Stats
Experience = 2

Wisdom = 18