Sol and Rom formed a bond, and Sol discovered a talent in magic. It was soon decided between the brothers that Sol would learn the ways of arcane magic, and support his brother on the battlefield (much like how Palin traveled with his brothers).
Rom was scheduled to take the Knight's Trials around the same time that Sol was scheduled to take the Test of High Sorcery. It was decided that Sol would take the Test first, as the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth was closer.
Sol felt that the Test was merely a formality, and that he would be supporting his brother in short order.
While the Test of High Sorcery may be fatal to the wizard who takes it, it also has the potential to be fatal to those who are allowed to travel with the wizard.
The end result was that Rom uth Mithas, Squire of Crown, would die defending his brother against a Thorn Knight who had interrupted the Test.
The life of Sol uth Mithas was forever changed. He had lost his brother, who meant the world to him. He had lost his goals, hopes, and dreams.
Sol, ridden with guilt, felt that there was only one way to fill the gap left by the death of his brother. He traveled to meet with the Knights of Solamnia, and to join the new auxiliary that was forming to support them.
Mages who join the Solamnic Auxiliary are required to go through the Knight's Trials, same as a prospective Knight of the Crown. And so it was that Sol uth Mithas, rather than Rom uth Mithas, took the Knight's Trials, and in his trials, he faced against the very Thorn Knight who had killed his brother. The fight would end in the Thorn Knight's destruction.
During Sol's Test, he gained a powerful staff with a blue crystal - one which he does not understand yet. He has also summoned a familiar after his Knight's Trial - a kingfisher who overlooked the destruction of the Thorn Knights. Kingfishers are one of the symbols of the knighthood, representing Habakkuk, the Fisher King.
Now, Sol uth Mithas travels alone, wearing the insignia of the Knights of Solamnia on his white robes.
I've always had a little interest in the Solamnic Auxiliary Mages. It's cool to see them in action (sorta).Either way, that is cool little intro for a character, definitely makes me view the Auxiliary mages differently.
It's good to see the synopsis finally written out. Are you going to write a short story for dl.com about Sol, or what are your plans?
To answer a few questions...
Is this an actual character that is being played or is it just a little story you wrote up?
There's a little diceless game going on at the Roaring Studios boards that I'm playing him in. I've had the basic idea down, but just fleshed it out last night.
I wish I could play him in a D&D game, though.
Are you going to write a short story for dl.com about Sol, or what are your plans?
I'm not quite sure at this point. I'd like to see this in print, but if that doesn't work out, I'll try to write it up for DL.com.
I can't wait to see what happens when this character's two main influences are at a bit of a cross purpose.....wonder what he'd do.
That's the other main part of his story, which I haven't written down yet. In my mind, a female sorcerer comes to the KoS seeking asylum. They vow to protect the sorcerer and Sol is bound by that vow to protect her as well. Meanwhile, the WoHS remind Sol that he has a duty to bring in all renegades, and they've asked him to capture the girl (who doesn't want to become a wizard). Maybe add in a bit of a love interest there (not sure on that).
From there, Sol has to figure out which is his greatest obligation, and which oath to break. He can become a renegade, or betray the memory of his brother.
One possible ending to this is that matters are settled, but Sol dies in the end, and you never know what his choice will be. Not the friendliest ending for readers, but a good story-telling element.
My only gripe is that you didn't name the character Blinken uth Blinken.....
Lol!
Yeah, when I first saw the art of the SAM in Age of Mortals, I sorta nicknamed him Blinken uth Nod. The pic has some cool concepts, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. The pic of the Solamnic Auxiliary Sorcerer in Heroes of Sorcery had a beard, but I rather liked how he had the Solamnic crest on his robes.
Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Needless to say, I wish I had a DL game to play this character in!
Originally posted by Brimstone
This brings up an interesting question. Since the Auxiliary do have to pass the Knight's Trials...do they receive the title "Sir" or "Lady" after passing like the Knights do?
SAMs are considered to be the equivalent of Squires of Crown, so I would say no. I could see one becoming an honorary Crown Knight, and being called "Sir Mage".
Remember, this is an auxiliary position, and not part of the actual knighthood.
Originally posted by Dragonhelm
SAMs are considered to be the equivalent of Squires of Crown, so I would say no. I could see one becoming an honorary Crown Knight, and being called "Sir Mage".
Remember, this is an auxiliary position, and not part of the actual knighthood.
I coulda sworn I had seen Sir Mage in one of the books. I don't remember which one though. I'm probably hallucinating again. I need to take my medicine...;)
Originally posted by Daedavias
I coulda sworn I had seen Sir Mage in one of the books. I don't remember which one though. I'm probably hallucinating again. I need to take my medicine...;)
Well, it's possible that when they said "Sir Mage" it wasn't an actual title...just an honorific.
Kinda like Sio Bibble calling Anaking Skywalker "Master Jedi" even though he isn't a Jedi Knight yet. (or Chancelor Palpatine calling Obi-Wan "Master Kenobi" although he has not acheived the rank of "Jedi Master.")
(I know...I'm such a nerd)Originally posted by Brimstone
This brings up an interesting question. Since the Auxiliary do have to pass the Knight's Trials...
Note that it's not Trials plural, it's Trial singular. The DLCS doesn't actually specify what this is, nor does it single it out as anything. A squire of the Crown merely has to meet the requirements of a Crown Knight to become one. Becoming a squire is decided upon by the Knight's Council, who confer the status of squire upon applicants, but no trial is mentioned for the promotion to Crown Knight.
Sword and Rose Knights must perform acts of knightly virtue, deeds which are enumerated in the DLCS and include various quests, missions and deeds. At the end of those acts the knight attends a trial of valor before his superiors on the Council, but this wouldn't be what the Solamnic auxiliary would be made to do.
As far as I can determine, a Solamnic auxiliary mage is accorded all the rights and ranking privileges of a squire of the Crown, so it's possible they only have to be accepted by the Council. If that's the case, the Solamnic auxiliary mage would have to have a Solamnic sponsor, be presented to a Knight's Council, pledge to uphold the honor and virtue of the Knighthood, swear to the Oath and the Measure, and hope that the Council accepts him.
Anybody have any more information than this?
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Daedavias
I coulda sworn I had seen Sir Mage in one of the books. I don't remember which one though. I'm probably hallucinating again. I need to take my medicine...;)
You're probably thinking of that article by Janet Pack on WotC's site recently, which was riddled with errors. For example, it mentions that Tanin and Sturm Majere were Ulin's brothers (or some such).
The article does mention the Solamnic Auxiliary, although the timetable of it's creation was off, and it mentioned that Palin Majere was a member (which he wasn't, since it wasn't created until after the Chaos War).
In that article, it mentions that a SAM may take the Knight's Trial and become an honorary Crown Knight (ergo the title of "sir"). This contradicts Heroes of Sorcery and Age of Mortals, both of which state that SAMs are the equivalent of Squires of Crown.
You'll have to pardon my bias on that article.
My advice is to follow what Age of Mortals has to say on the issue, which is that SAMs are the equivalent of Squires of Crown.
If you did want to give them a title of "sir", then I would recommend that honorary knighthood (Crown, of course) be awarded on the completion of an extremely important mission for the knighthood.