Thaddeus VerWinkle

Thaddeus VerWinkle is a wizard of small renown from Fyr.

Family History
The House of VerWinkle is a long-standing, although minor, house of wizards in Fyr. In generations past, VerWinkles have been pressured into finding spouses within the arcane community in order to keep the bloodline "pure." In Fyr, the VerWinkles have been a quiet family, mostly maintaining a small influence in Fyr throughout the generations by contributions to the studies of the Arcane. Thaddeus is the son of Jorin and Cora VerWinkle. He follows in the footsteps of his father and other VerWinkles before him by continuing studies in magic as a wizard.

First Footsteps into the Arcane
From an early age, Thaddeus was a bright boy. With an affinity for the arcane, a bright young mind, and guidance from his parents, Thaddeus excelled in Fyr's Wizarding Academy from the first day. He quickly realized his talent as an evoker and quickly picked up many spells that impressed his mentors. Being so adept at his studies, he was often favored by the instructing wizards. Due to the jealousy that this favoritism inspired among his peers, as well as his own quirky nature, Thaddeus was left friendless during his first year as an apprentice. In his second year, he met Pol Krokin, who would later become his best friend. With relative ease, Thaddeus finished his apprenticeship at the Academy and became a full-fledged wizard. After finishing his time at the Academy, Thaddeus continued his arcane studies in the VerWinkle Manor, only occasionally lecturing at the Academy when called upon by his friend Pol, who had become one of the instructors there.

The VerWinkle Tragedy
Thaddeus's personal work after finishing his apprenticeship revolved around complex arcane theories. Eight years after beginning his own work and three months prior to the VerWinkle Tragedy, Thaddeus came to a breakthrough in his studies. He became consumed by his work, which many close to him found odd. One night, a huge blast was heard from the VerWinkle Manor. Fyrian authorities arrived on the scene to find all in the household, including Jorin and Cora VerWinkle, dead, except for Thaddeus who was left physically unscathed. In the following interrogation, the authorities discovered that Thaddeus not only had no recollection of the event, but had lost all his memories of the preceding six months. His work was also never found, but was assumed to be lost in the explosion. Thaddeus later learned through letters that he had written to Pol that his studies during that time were related to the Proto's Weave Theory, but the specific nature of the breakthrough was never mentioned.

Many in Fyr, as well as Thaddeus himself, believed that the deaths were caused by some botched magical experiment, but without any definitive evidence, Thaddeus was let free from custody. Consumed by guilt and anger at the inability to remember, Thaddeus fell into a hopeless bout of depression for two years. Later, Thaddeus would dub them his "Lost Years." It was only through the help of his dear friend Pol that he was able to pull himself out of depression.

Traveling
After the Lost Years, Thaddeus took Pol's advice and left the floating city to travel Arf. He seeks peace of mind, but also continues his studies, although they are often not about the arcane. He enjoys his traveling lifestyle. During his travels, Thaddeus writes regularly to Pol.