BACKGROUND
Originally from Camlorn in High Rock, Sebastian grew up in a relatively impoverished middle-class family. After completing his apprenticeship with a local wizard, it was expected that he would join the Mages Guild and continue his education in Daggerfall or Wayrest. However, he rejected the strictures of guild work, and instead turned to independent study. His desire for knowledge lead him to spend some time with the half-elvish Reachmen in the East of High Rock, learning about their magic - a wild form banned by the Mages Guild. He even sought into the blasted region of Phyrgias, looking for remnants of the witch covens, but found nothing but devastation.

He made his way to Cyrodiil drawn by stories of the ancient Ayleids, the mythical Heartland High Elves, and the ruins of their ancient cities scattered across the Cyrodiilic landscape. After several weeks making his way across the province, he arrived in the Imperial City. One evening crossing the Arboretum, he heard a guard passing by him mutter an insult about his appearance and the poor quality of his robes. Already hungry and in a bad temper, Seb swung around and shot off a fireball at the man's feet. He was surrounded and thrown into the Bastion for assaulting a guard.

STORY SO FAR
When he got out of prison, Sebastian quickly came to the conclusion that he was going to have to join the Mages Guild. The Guild's new Arch-Mage, Hannibal Traven, had instituted policies restricting the availability of spells, and access to the Arcane University library. He had also brought in a requirement for new mage Associates to get recommendations from all the Chapter heads. For Sebastian Bravil came first, last came Cheydinhal.

'I'm Falcar. I'm what a real wizard looks like.' Falcar was the head of the Cheydinhal Guild Chapter. Falcar was condescending and insulting. Sebastian hated him on sight. His task for a recommendation: to retrieve a Ring of Burden from the well into which Vidkun, another hopeful Associate mage, had 'probably tossed it, I can't think why'.

In the well he found the ring - and Vidkun. Falcar had sent the young Nord on the same errand, with no warning of the ring's great weight, and presumably in the successful hope of seeing him drowned. Dripping wet, naked and furious, Seb stormed back into the guildhall, but Falcar had already walked out - of the hall, and the Guild. Searching through the Altmer's room later, Sebastian found black Soul Gems, used by necromancers to capture people's souls.

Necromancy wasn't a branch of magic that Sebastian had shown much interest in previously. Playing with dead things had never appealed to him. Over the next few months it was going to figure largely in his life. Necromancers began openly attacking Guild mages - Sebastian was caught up in one attack at Wellspring Grove. Alone, he managed to kill all six necromancers and bring news of the attack back to Raminus Polus at the University.

After this he began to rise rapidly through the lower ranks of the Guild, and by the time he reached Conjurer he was working full time on the necromancer conflict. To his personal delight he also managed to end up as the Council's unofficial liaison to the vampire Count of Skingrad, Janus Hassildor. A couple of months previously he had been sent to meet with the reclusive nobleman, and had instead been ambushed by the Count's aide, an undercover associate of necromancers, and his corpse molesting friends. Charging into the fight on Sebastian's side, Hassildor helped him to defeat his attackers, and then spent five minutes upbraiding him for his carelessness. Seb just stood dazed and took it all, the victim of an instant crush that he would never dare to tell Hassildor about, although they later became good friends.

It was Janus who revealed to Sebastian the instigator of the necromancer attacks - Mannimarco. Sebastian was surprised. He had been eighteen when the 'Warp in the West' occurred, just starting out on his own after his apprenticeship, and he had heard rumours in several High Rock kingdoms about the fate of the King of Worms. It had been said that he had achieved an apotheosis, had become a God of Worms, but Hassildor spoke of him as if he were still a mortal. Seb returned to Arch-Mage Traven with the news.

A week after bringing Hassildor's information, Sebastian returned to the Arcane University to find the Council broken and the Guild in total disarray. A couple of Council members had remained firm; one, Master-Wizard Beorhtulf Fire-Hand vowing to stay and lend his mace arm to any defence of the University against the Worm-King. But the others had fled, some with powerful artifacts. Seb was sent to retrieve them.

Going in, Fort Ontus seemed to be full of mages. In the depths Sebastian killed the turncloak Caranya, and took back the artifact that she had stolen. Coming out, Fort Ontus was clearly full of necromancers. Invisible, Sebastian took down a number of them before they even knew he was there. He called this smart - the Night Mother called it murder. The Night Mother may have been right. If they hadn't seen him he had no direct reason to kill them, and many of them may have been guilty of nothing more than interest in a branch of magic that up until recently had been tolerated within the Guild. Resting in Chorral's Gray Mare inn that night, Sebastian was awakened by the hooded figure of Lucien Lachance.

'You sleep very soundly for a murderer.'

---

Sebastian arrived back at the University with the Necromancer's Amulet he had taken from Caranya, and the Bloodworm Helm, which he had retrieved from the body of the luckless Irlav Jarol in Fort Teleman. It appeared that Jarol had been killed by his own summoned Daedra, while trying to defend himself from intruding necromancers. Arch-Mage Traven took the artifacts back, and then gave Sebastian a very welcome instruction. Travel to Silorn, where Falcar had been found to be hiding, and take from him a large Black Soul Gem that the necromancer intended to deliver to Mannimarco. He must not be allowed to do so at any cost. Seb was to tell no-one about the object, but bring it straight back to the Arch-Mage when he had it.

Not so welcome was the news that he would be meeting with Fire-Hand and his Battlemages at the ruin. Sebastian disagreed with their inclusion, feeling that he was more than capable of tackling the mission on his own, but Traven insisted. When the target of the ambush fled back into the ruins, having spotted the gleam of steel plate, Seb felt irritated, but vindicated. He quickly followed inside.

In the deepest part of Silorn, Falcar paced nervously. In the last hour he had heard what seemed to him like dying screams, and heavy thuds echoing through the ancient halls and passageways of the ruined city. Now there was silence. He had tried a couple of shouts to his necromancer colleagues; no reply had come but the reflection of his own voice. For once, Falcar felt afraid, and so he paced.

Standing invisibly just inside the room, Sebastian watched him pace. For five minutes he just stood, gathering all his remembered rage and hatred for this Altmer wizard. Then he suddenly stepped forward and laid a hand on the tall mer's shoulder. This first blow was measured, deliberately insufficient to kill. He wanted Falcar to turn, and to know who killed him before he died. Falcar turned, his face showing pain, then surprised recognition. He reached out a hand and opened his mouth to form a retaliatory spell, and then he died. Sebastian moved in past his outstretched hand, and placed his own hand on Falcar's chest. This time the force blasted Falcar off his feet and half-way across the room. Sebastian took the Black Soul Gem, and Falcar's own ring, from his body, and made his way back to the surface.

There he was met by Fire-Hand, who attempted to stop him and ask what he was carrying, but Seb brushed him off and headed straight to Skingrad, a couple of hours sleep at the guildhall, and then the road back to the Imperial City. While in the city, he had attempted to visit Janus, but he found the Count asleep, and he did not wish to wake him, nor could he spare the time to wait.

'Devoted to the last!' Traven's words on receiving the Black Soul Gem could have stood for his own epitaph. Whatever mistakes or miscalculations he had made, no-one could doubt Hannibal Traven's devotion to the Mages Guild. Now he gave his life for his Guild, immolating and soul-trapping himself into the necromantic gem before Sebastian could move to stop him. By this device he thought to protect Sebastian from Mannimarco's greatest power - the power to enthrall his enemies and bring them entirely under his control. Traven intended for his own soul to absorb the likely attempt. A last desperate action to prevent the utter destruction of the Guild.

In his last words to Sebastian, Traven had named him his successor to the Arch-Mage's position. He gently removed the gem containing Hannibal's soul from his remains. He now knew where Mannimarco was hiding, and wasted no time in setting out for Echo Cave. Cursing the lack of Guild Guides in Cyrodiil, which would have made the trip to Chorrol instantaneous, he instead caught a ride on a merchants cart. He slept on the way.

In Sebastian's opinion, Echo Cave was a rather strange place to find a god. He supposed that the talk of Mannimarco's new immortality was just talk after all. It was a heartening thought that he may be facing a defeatable enemy - he'd travelled largely in the hope that a God of Worms wasn't awaiting him at the end. Feeling relieved and increasingly confident, he made his way down through the dank caverns, removing each of the necromancers he found in his path.

On reaching the Worm-King's lair, Sebastian cast his usual spell of invisibility, meaning to get the drop on the High-Elf he found there, but Mannimarco was aware of the trick, and fixed Seb with a powerful paralysis spell. Evidently believing in his own reputation, the Necromancer King passed up the opportunity to kill the new Arch-Mage on the spot, and instead delivered a speech that Sebastian only half listened to. After bragging about the worm-thrall he was to make of his opponent, Mannimarco unleashed his soul captivating charm at him. It had no effect.

Mannimarco seemed momentarily astonished, thrown by the failure of his great weapon. In his arrogance he had put most of his power into the paralysis charm, and now he found himself on the back foot. He was still able to throw some destruction spells and a skeleton or two into the fight, but Sebastian now had the better of him, and threw off a succession of fireballs and electric blasts that staggered the Altmer badly. One final fireball, and Mannimarco lay dead by the water, a victim mainly of his own hubris. Sebastian regained his breath, shaking slightly - well aware of just how vulnerable he'd been when he first entered the cave.

When he walked back through the gates of the University he was met by Raminus Polus, who took him by surprise by throwing his arms around him in a relieved embrace. Clasping his hand and shaking it, Raminus said that he had found a note from Traven explaining everything and confirmed Sebastian's status as the new Arch-Mage. Sebastian was thirty-four years old, and the youngest Arch-Mage for 200 years.

NOTES