Sorcerer’s apprentice. Alchemist. Scientist. Explorer. Adventurer.
Aaron Shepherd is all of these and more. Born to modest parents in the small, remote fishing village of Taloo in the fiefdom of Seacea, Aaron’s mother and father knew he was something special early on when he began solving complex mathematical and engineering problems soon after he learned to read.
Growing up the son of the village tinkerer afforded Aaron many opportunities to practice and enhance his mechanical and technological skills, but when the opportunity arose for him to apprentice under the great sorcerer Master Elsanar in Norwynne Keep, Aaron’s parents needed little convincing. They knew his potential far exceeded any challenge he might face in Taloo and that the world needed his insight and skills. Aaron was eleven years old at this time. When the day arrived for him to leave Taloo, Aaron’s father imparted to his son words of wisdom that Aaron has adhered to since. “Make your mark,” his father had said. “Do something good.”
And so, over the next four years, Aaron immersed himself in every lesson and experiment Master Elsanar involved him in, single-handedly advancing his master’s work in energy convergence, transmogrification, and other areas by leaps and bounds.
Aaron slid down the ladder, sailing past the control deck to the collection platform. He didn’t glance up, though he suspected Ingrid followed. From one of his pockets, Aaron withdrew the Inferno, which he’d retrieved on his way from the ballroom. He dropped to his knees before one of the access panels. Though raw elemental energy pulsed through it, he tore at one of the tubules, pulling it loose. Energy spat and crackled. As soon as Aaron heard Ingrid drop down behind him, he spun around and directed the loose end of the tubule at her. A stream of energy arced out, connecting directly with her projectile weapon. She cried out even as its magazine of spherical projectiles exploded into a blossoming black cloud that swallowed her whole.
- THE NULLIFICATION ENGINE
Aaron’s status as a sorcerer’s apprentice has not been without its challenges from a social perspective. Norwynne Keep is home to a small coterie of master wizards, many with apprentices of their own. These apprentices, who are budding practitioners of the craft, do not always look kindly on Aaron, who is gifted intellectually but not magically in any way. Also, those who do not have the privilege of living within the lord of the keep’s inner walls, let alone Elliingrel, the keep’s tower of sorcery, look even less kindly on Aaron, whom they view as a privileged foreigner despite Aaron’s modest upbringing and the fact that they all hail from the same fiefdom.
Before Elsanar selected Aaron as his apprentice, he wrote a paper titled The Principles of Alchemical Energy Transfer, which became the deciding factor for Elsanar when he began seeking an apprentice to assist with his work. The paper also attracted the attention of certain other parties who used it for nefarious purposes, but Aaron does not become aware of this until many years later.
ABILITIES
Aaron possesses intellectual talents beyond the norm, able to solve almost any problem, whether scientific, alchemical, or even magical in nature. He remembers everything in detail, primarily due to his photographic memory but also because of his keen sense of awareness and methodical approach to learning. His scientific knowledge encompasses the subjects of mechanics, alchemistry, physics, energy transference, and more.
Aaron’s greatest gift is his ability to empathize with others. Despite his intellectual prowess, he remains modest and is always willing to extend a helping hand to others regardless of the task.
SCIENTIFIC PARAPHERNALIA
Aaron’s most trusted measuring device is his encorder, a common handheld instrument that measures and detects energy and all its characteristics. He rarely doesn’t have one at his belt in its holster, ready to measure a person’s inherent energy level or help diagnose a faulty relay or generator. Encorders are powered by small alchemical batteries.
SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY
While Aaron may apprentice under the renowned wizard Elsanar, his primary responsibilities are not to assist his master with the mystical but with the scientific. As such, Aaron has full access to Elsanar’s scientific laboratory, where Elsanar and Aaron often delve deep into Elsanar’s primary area of study: energy transference and convergence. The basis for this study often lies in alchemical or physical experimentation, with beakers, vials, retorts, and alembics aplenty. Elsanar’s laboratory is located inside Ellingrel, Norwynne’s Tower of Sorcery, just off Elsanar’s private study and personal chamber.
FIRST APPEARANCE
Aaron first appears in The Hall of Riddles (An Alchemancer Prequel) and then in Engines of Alchemancy (The Alchemancer Book One).
