Leandro Apothecary, Half-Elf Gunmage (Sigil Sniper)
Leandro Apothecary was born in a small humble farming village to the west of Myserum. The boy was a half elf, and his parents had met in the war on opposite sides. His mother, an elf named Liliandra had worked as a mercenary wizard for the Orcish armies of Kalas, while his father a human named Morris had been a sniper in the allied armies of Acria. Liliandra could never return home after their whirlwind romance and marriage, but she would not have had it any other way. She greatly enjoyed her life in Acria, once they had settled down and had found human society to be much more flexible. Their choice of village had proved fruitful as though their son faced the occasional ignorance, outright prejudice wasn’t as frequent as in other places.
His parents both loved him equally, but their affection for eachother waned as Leandro’s father aged and his mother stayed youthful and vibrant. He lived with both of them until their divorce when he was eleven, living with his mother but visiting his father in the city on occasion. While their romance was strained, their friendship grew upon their separation. Liliandra never married again, but Morris in his old age found a husband in the city.
Leandro had dreamed of enlisting in the army, like his father, having fond memories of the man’s stories and their heroic window dressing. His mother never spoke of combat, but she was a mage, and Leandro knew from his father’s retelling that she wasn’t one to be trifled with. One of Leandro’s fondest memories was a journey he took with his father, where Morris had presented him with his rifle. The boy was 15 at the time, and held onto the weapon like it was an artifact even though it was an out of date model that was in need of maintenance. Leandro learned to hunt that day, and he still remembers his father’s voice giving him advice; “The secret is in controlling your mind, your heart and your breathing, and never forget, the mission comes first.”
As Leandro grew older a wanderlust took over him and he followed in his father’s footsteps. Though there were no wars to be fought, the nearby city of Polathium had the policy of keeping a standing army to defend the nation. He enlisted with them, bid farewell to his mother, and left on the train from Myserum at the age of 19.
Polathium was a wonderous place, filled with all sorts of people, their differences dizzying to Leandro who had only really known people from his village. Tall buildings of every make lined the wide streets of the city, and steam from the trains rolled in every morning. He found it beautiful, if busy.
While in training for the military he showed a great aptitude for the rifle as he already had a fair amount of practice. His elven heritage too was taken note of by his superiors, and, perhaps presuming that it had gifted him with magical prowess proposed that he enlist with a new, special division. The Sigil Snipers were an international division of warriors working for a special branch of the Mage’s Guild called Sigil. His records were destroyed, and he was made to pledge his secrecy. Their mission, ostensibly, was to find dangerous wizards who had gone into hiding, hunting them down through any means necessary to bring them to justice or put a stop to them.
After two years of training and service, Sigil trusted Leandro enough to allow him to set out on his own. He had been given a deck of cards, each with a hidden name and portrait by his superiors; wizards, sorcerers, bards and warlocks who had used their magic to skirt the law, or worse. His cover was to be a group of adventurers looking for ranged support in the nation of Kalas; he, of course, wished he could tell his mother and father where he was going. But the mission came first.