Aodhan

Name
Aodhan Burnell

Physical Traits
Slightly shorter than average and in middle-age - appearing perhaps forty-five or so- with dark brown hair streaked with grey, scraped back into a rough ponytail at the nape of his neck. Rather thin with unusually pale, cold skin, giving him an unhealthy appearance, offset by his confident, friendly manner. He grins a lot, the smile extending to his large green eyes as though he is genuinely amused by something. He has a lean, bony face, almost gaunt with slightly sunken eyes: overall, not especially attractive by human (or anyone else's) standards.

His clothing is well-made, if worn and scruffy; Aodhan often wears a shirt or tunic rather than a mage's robes. He smells slightly of blasting powder as a result of his work on explosives.

The sword that hangs at his right hip, suggesting he is left-handed, appears to be a fairly new weapon of good quality and human manufacture. If removed from its ornate dark leather scabbard it shows itself to be an ordinary, but sharp, blade.

Race and Class
Human Necromancer.

Occupation
"Researcher", engineer and secret Cult of the Damned agent. Claims to be just a mage. Master of The Arcane Order.

Family
Mother: Lyssa Burnell (deceased)

Father: Matthew Burnell (deceased)

Younger brother: Nathan Burnell. Alive; working at Dalaran helping the mages rebuild. He is currently unaware of Aodhan's fate, but that is likely to change in the near future, since the necromancer recently discovered Nathan and his family might have escaped the fall of Dalaran.

Niece: Vyviene Burnell. Alive. Lives with her parents for the time being, but has become dedicated to her faith in the Light, which borders on fanaticism. May enter the priesthood soon, having recently reached an appropriate age.

Aodhan's remaining relatives are unaware that he practices necromancy and serves the Scourge - he remains on good terms with them, though of course, he has changed much since leaving Dalaran. He would do well to be wary of Vyviene, who is rather suspicious of him and perhaps suspects more than he would like.

Criminal Record
None so far.

Personal Notes
Aodhan goes to some lengths to hide his affiliation with the Scourge. Although struggling to hide the signs of arcane corruption, which has developed due to his practice of necromancy, he manages to appear amiable when necessary. A confident, focused man dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and power. His work for the Scourge, living in Stormwind, has made him slightly paranoid and anxious to avoid drawing too much attention.

Ultimately, he has become sadistic, something he prefers to hide even from his associates in the Cult and is reluctant to admit to himself, this being an aspect of him that only developed in recent years. He is acutely aware that manipulating the power of death is corrupting him and is desperate to conceal the physical and psychological effects. Every time he calls upon such dark powers he takes one step closer to succumbing utterly. It is worth noting that, despite this, he can be genuinely pleasant to be around and currently attempts to repress his sadistic tendencies. He does not consider himself "evil" and holds the rather odd belief that undeath "can't be that bad". He may be in for a nasty surprise, or he may be clinging to the hope that his own fate will be bearable.

Using spells to drain vitality from living creatures appears to counteract this to a degree (or so he has come to believe), being an act Aodhan performs with increasing frequency in an attempt to stave off the final transition into undeath. Whether it it actually working is debatable; perhaps his use of shadow magic to this end is in fact contributing to his corruption. Perhaps he is merely taking on undead traits, rather than turning into the undead, but he seems to think otherwise. Another fear of his is that the Holy Light will come to harm him, which he would have a hard time explaining. Another manifestation of his growing paranoia.

Spells and Abilities
((Abilities Aodhan possesses IC, some of which are similar or identical to in-game skills.))

Mage spells
- Arcane Blast: Blasts the target with arcane energy.

- Arcane Explosion: Affects up to five targets within ten metres, dealing a moderate amount of damage.

- Frostbolt: A bolt of frost that deals damage and reduces the target's movement and attack speed by 40% for five seconds.

As a former mage specialising in studying the arcane in its purest forms, Aodhan retains knowledge of some of the spells he used before learning the ways of the necromancer. He is also able to cast a weak frostbolt.

Necromancer spells
- Drain Life: A channelled spell that transfers vitality from the victim to the caster.

- Siphon Life: Similar to Drain Life, but functions as a (dispellable) damage over time effect; instant-cast.

- Animate Dead: ''Raises a corpse as an undead creature under the caster’s control. Requires a reasonably intact corpse.''

- Control Undead: ''Allows the caster to command undead creatures. Aodhan can control no more than five undead at a time.''

- Shadowbolt

- Drain Soul: ''Draws the soul from a humanoid target if the victim dies while afflicted by the spell, trapping the spirit in a shard. Deals a moderate amount of shadow damage over time. (Channelled)''

- Curse of Agony

- Unstable Affliction: ''Slowly consumes the target with dark energy, causing a large amount of shadow damage to the victim if dispelled and silencing casters. (DoT)''

- Corruption

- Cripple: Reduces the target’s movement and attack speed by 30%.

- Fear: Fills the target’s mind with horrifying thoughts and images, causing them to flee in terror while the effect lasts, approximately fifteen seconds.

Engineering skills
Proficient in the manufacture and use of grenades and bombs. He may augment such devices with magical effects, such as Arcane Explosion or Frost Nova, but frequently uses them merely for their conventional effects.

Behaviour in combat
Aodhan is reluctant to use his necromantic spells under some circumstances, which can be a hindrance. If confronted in a place where he cannot afford to reveal his true nature, he will defend himself with his sword, the remaining mage spells he knows and any explosive devices he has to hand, if necessary. He wields the blade competently, for a spellcaster, but is not a skilled swordsman, relying on his magical abilities in a fight.

If he thinks he can get away with it, Aodhan will use darker magics in battle. He knows many potent curses, afflictions and other shadowy spells. As a last resort, he will raise available humanoid corpses to defend himself. Where possible, Aodhan will attempt to drain a dying opponent’s soul, for use in future experiments.

His physical fitness is a potential problem: a stronger, fitter opponent would tire less easily and perform better in a fight. Aodhan will not hesitate to flee if he believes he is outmatched. He will attempt to avoid combat against an opponent he could not defeat with relative ease.

Current Status
Running his own organisation dedicated to researching arcane magic, actually a front for a group spying on the Alliance and recruiting for the Cult of the Damned.