## Appearance Kariarth Moonbrook is a gaunt, towering figure, his silver-grey hair and long, braided beard streaked with the faintest hints of blue, as if touched by the magic he wields. His pale lavender eyes, though sharp with the focus of a scholar, are framed by a network of fine lines, each one a testament to the long years he has spent unraveling the secrets of the arcane. His skin, once smooth, now bears the faint tracery of alchemical symbols—some scars from experiments gone awry, others deliberate markings of his craft, all etched into flesh that has grown thin and parchment-like with age. His hands, gnarled and veined, grip a wooden staff carved from the heartwood of a petrified oak, topped with a shifting, semi-transparent crystal—sometimes clear as water, sometimes clouded like mist. The staff hums faintly when he channels magic, a sound only the most attentive can hear. He moves with a deliberate slowness, as if each step is measured not just in space, but in time. His robes, deep and earthy in tone, are embroidered with geometric patterns and alchemical sigils, the fabric stiff with age and the residue of countless transmutations, the edges frayed from centuries of wear. ## Backstory: The Shaper of Substance Kariarth was born in the final days of Myth Drannor, when the elven city was still a beacon of magic and learning. From an early age, he was fascinated not by the destructive potential of magic, but by its power to reshape, refine, and reveal. While his peers studied evocation or illusion, Kariarth immersed himself in the art of transmutation, seeking to understand the fundamental nature of matter and energy. **The Druidic Awakening** His path took an unexpected turn when he encountered a circle of druids attempting to purify a cursed spring. The water, once life-giving, had turned to acid, poisoning the land. The druids’ magic could not reverse the corruption, but Kariarth saw a solution: not through healing, but through transmutation. He spent months with the druids, learning their language and their ways, and together they devised a ritual to alter the water’s very nature, restoring its purity. The druids, in turn, taught him the sacred tongue of the wilds, and he left with a newfound respect for the balance of creation and decay. **The Pacifist’s Creed** Kariarth’s refusal to harm is not born of weakness, but of conviction. He believes that true mastery of magic lies in transformation, not destruction. He learned Disintegrate as a test of his skill, a spell so final and absolute that it serves as a constant reminder of the power he chooses not to wield. He has never cast it, and never will—his magic is for shaping stone, purifying metal, and revealing the hidden truths of the world, not for ending lives. **The Wandering Philosopher** Now, centuries later, Kariarth roams the world as a seeker of forgotten knowledge and a master of transmutation. He is drawn to places where magic and nature intersect: ancient forges, petrified forests, and ruins where the laws of reality seem to bend. He is a scholar first, a philosopher second, and a mage third—always questioning, always experimenting, always seeking to understand the underlying patterns of existence. ## Personality & Roleplaying Notes **Obsessive Scholar:** Kariarth is endlessly curious about the properties of matter, the secrets of alchemy, and the lost arts of transmutation. He will spend hours studying a single pebble if it holds a mystery. **Pacifist by Principle:** He will not attack, even in self-defense. His magic is for creation, alteration, and revelation—never destruction. **Druidic Respect:** He honors the natural world, not as a healer, but as a student of its transformations. He understands the cycles of growth and decay, and sees magic as a way to harmonize with them. **The Staff’s Secret:** His staff is not just a focus, but a repository of his experiments—a living record of his transmutations, each scar and symbol a lesson learned.