Robert Hoberton III

Robert Hoberton III, a.k.a. Bob is a Hume Black Mage born in Blankonia. He is the son of Duke Roberto Hoberton II of Blankonia. He is magickally bound to the Esper Ifrit.

Background
Born in the city of Blankonia in the year XXXX, Roberto Hoberton III is the son of Duke Roberto Hoberton II of Blankonia. He was a small weak child, but possessed a cunning wit and indomitable spirit that more than compensated for this. Having discovered his magical talents, his father gave him a significant stipend to make his living until his coming of age, and cast him out of the family home. He was sent to the Blankonia Academy of Natural and Magical Sciences at the age of 8. His tuition, room, and board were fully paid by his father as his last act of familial duty.

At the academy Bob found a wonderland of academic and magical knowledge his for the taking. His natural affinity for magic and arcane knowledge, especially his natural talent with elemental and physical manipulation, made him the envy and scorn of his peers. Bob's peers felt that his success belittled their own achievements. They also found his voice irritating, and his small frame particularly suited for pushes, shoves, and assorted physical pranks. Given that he had reached near pariah status among his classmates, Bob chose to focus on his studies. His perseverance caught the attention of Mistress Bolgaraa, Emeritus Professor of Magical Arts and Arcane Secrets.

Bolgaraa grew to be fond of Bob. In fact, she became so fond of him because of his natural talent and discipline that she had to work hard at maintaining a professional distance from him. Try as she might, however, she grew protective of him, treating him almost like hume mothers treat their children. When Bob reached the age of 12 Bolgaraa found that there was something she could not protect him from: himself. Bob discovered women.

All of a sudden Bob found that women were beautiful, enticing, magnificent, fabulous, attractive, mysterious... Most of all, however, he found them unavailable. His lack of social skills had finally put him in a position where he could not achieve one of his primary goals. He wanted, above all else, to woo the girl named Sarah.

Sarah was beautiful, intelligent, popular, charming, playful, and secretly a bit cruel. Her straight reddish-brown hair, impeccably fair skin, and well proportioned body were nothing compared to her big beautiful emerald green eyes and perfectly proportioned facial structure. She was also very aware her assets and used them as best she could. She knew Bob was the smartest student in the academy, so she used him. He went as far as doing her work on several occasions in order to try to get into her good graces. She led him on, and he allowed himself to be led. But Sarah had a suitor; a suitor she had chosen for herself: Farkonis.

Farkonis was, as luck would have it, a mediocre student with charm, good looks, physical strength, social grace, and money. He was also... malleable. He was everything Bob was not.

On the last year of his formal training, after several years of dysfunctional social dynamics and academic supremacy, Bob scraped up the courage to do the inconceivable: he would ask Sarah to the Winter Festival's Formal Ball. Sarah was insulted! How dare that scrawny little book-worm think he can ask me to the Ball? She decided she would teach Bob a lesson he would never forget... She accepted Bob's invitation.

Bob was elated! His dreams were coming true! He consulted with Mistress Bolgaraa and she told him to reconsider, to think about Sarah's sudden change of heart. To analyse the situation rationally, accounting for all evidence. But he was blinded by his infatuation. He used up half of his savings to buy the best attire he could for the occasion, a proper pointy hat, blue robes, white pants, black pointy shoes. He practiced all the dances. On the night of the occasion, he picked fresh flowers from the garden, arranged them as best he could into a bouquet, and went to pick up his date.

Sarah looked stunning. She looked so beautiful in her formal dress his jaw remained open for what seemed like hours. He composed himself, presented the flowers, which Sarah accepted with courtly decorum. They reached the Ballroom and Sarah complained about Bob the entire evening. He was confused, but he was still convinced that this was the night of his dreams. After hours of making him miserable, Sarah apologized to Bob for being such bad company, and teasingly asked him to follow her so she could make it up to him.

She led him to a warehouse in the pitch black of night. She enticed him, caressed his face... "Take off those clothes, so I can properly make amends..." Bob hesitated finding this turn of events unexpected and overwhelming... But this was Sarah, the most perfect woman in the world. Nothing could go wrong. He slowly removed his attire, covering himself with his hands and arms.

He had never been so vulnerable in his entire life. Sarah smiled, a wicked smile that let Bob know something was wrong. "Do you think, even for a minute, that you deserve someone like me?  Let us show you what your place is..."

The warehouse was suddenly bright with light. He saw a large number of his classmates surrounding him. Sarah suddenly dashed away from Bob, as a storm of rotten fruit and vegetables began to assail him relentlessly. Fear, shame, pain, and sadness took over him. He was so overwhelmed he lost control of his bodily functions. After the assault was over, he could hear the uproarious laughter of his attackers. "Look!  He pissed himself!"

Bob felt humiliated. But then... then Bob felt angry. He felt the heat raging inside his mind, the fire that drowned all rational thought. And after that, Bob lost notion of what was going on. His instinct took over. His mouth incanted words in a language no one recognized. The laughter dimmed, then ceased. An aura of heat made the air around Bob distort and bend light. His skin darkened, until no light reflected off it. His eyes started glowing red, then orange, then yellow, and finally white. A bright white light that blinded all those who looked directly. His incantations turned into screaming, as an aura of fire circled his body while doing him absolutely no harm. The hunters became prey, scurrying frantically for the warehouse exits.

And then a loud booming sound was heard in all the vicinity of Blankonia Academy, as the students in the barn were blasted out the warehouse, and the warehouse itself exploded into a thousand pieces and each piece was singed into naught but ash...

In the morning, the infirmary at the at the academy housed more students than it could well fit, including Sarah, Farkonis, and Bob. Bob was unconscious, naked, and physically unharmed... but not unchanged. The pitch black skin remained. The eyes were now glowing a pale yellow, and not nearly as brightly. The change seemed permanent. The other students, fortunately, escaped serious injury... except for Sarah and Farkonis, the people closest to Bob during the explosion. Sarah's face was permanently scarred by the flames, and Farkonis went deaf, his eardrums shattered as a result of the explosive shock wave.

After Bob regained consciousness an inquiry was held into the incident at the warehouse. Magical spells were used to uncover evidence about the events that transpired. Bob's loss of control over his actions was discovered, and he was therefore cleared of any criminal or legal liability. However, he was deemed a dangerous element of the student body, and his expulsion from the academy was proposed for the safety of the student body. Mistress Bolgaraa advocated for Bob, proposing a different solution to the predicament. By her involvement, Bob was cleared for the title Magister of the Black Arts, pending his final examination. This examination was to take the form of a mission to be carried out in Alexandria.

To this day Bob claims to have no memory of the incident past the point of arriving to the warehouse. But at night, while others sleep, Bob screams in pain and agony as he dreams of anger... as he dreams of fire...