In Depth Character Backstories

**Character Name**: Garber White **Role**: Villain **Setting**: Dark, dystopian urban fantasy world where magic and technology coexist uneasily **World-Building Context**: A fractured society, divided between powerful magical Houses and tech-driven city-states, where corruption and power struggles permeate every level of life. --- ### **Background and Origins** Garber White was born to a low-ranking family within the House of Balassar, a once-powerful magical family now reduced to near obscurity. Balassar, once revered for its mastery of shadow manipulation and illusion, lost its influence after a catastrophic event known as *The Collapse*, where its most powerful practitioners mysteriously disappeared, taking their secrets with them. Garber’s family was left scrambling, humiliated, and struggling to survive in a world that saw them as relics. Despite the bleak environment, Garber was a brilliant and curious child. He had a natural aptitude for shadow magic, but his family lacked the resources to provide him with a proper education. He felt an intense shame and resentment toward the higher Houses, who looked down on his family while hoarding resources and knowledge. His bitterness only deepened as he watched his parents scrape together whatever work they could, enduring the scorn of their so-called peers. Garber learned early that power wasn’t just about skill but about access—and he had none. ### **Defining Moments** #### *Discovery of The Tome of Obscura* One day, while scavenging through the ruins of Balassar's old family estate, Garber stumbled upon a hidden chamber where he found *The Tome of Obscura*, an ancient text containing lost knowledge of shadow magic. This tome was a revelation. It whispered secrets to him—techniques darker and more powerful than anything he’d seen before. Here, Garber tasted true power, but the tome also took its toll, eroding pieces of his morality with each spell he mastered. #### *The Rivalry with House Auris* The high-ranking House Auris, known for its light magic and influence over the city-state council, was the antithesis of everything Garber’s family had lost. House Auris saw Garber's experiments as reckless and a threat to the delicate balance of power. When they discovered his possession of forbidden magic, they issued a public decree, condemning his actions and threatening exile. The betrayal of one of his few confidants within House Auris, Alia—the daughter of the House Head who once pretended friendship but ultimately served her family's interests—was a turning point. Garber’s bitterness festered into hatred. ### **Personal Motivations** Garber’s motivations are complex, shaped by bitterness but not devoid of vision. He seeks not only revenge against the Houses that shamed his family but also desires to see a world where power and knowledge aren’t hoarded by the elite. In his twisted view, he sees himself as a liberator, someone who will tear down the old structures to make way for a society built on equality—though his methods are brutal and absolute. However, Garber’s thirst for revenge clouds his sense of justice, turning his initial ideals into a power-hungry obsession. The Tome of Obscura has corrupted him, blurring the lines between righteous rebellion and outright cruelty. The deeper he delves, the more Garber begins to lose sight of his original mission, consumed instead by the thrill of the power he gains and the fear he inspires. ### **Challenges and Inner Conflict** While Garber is determined and powerful, his journey is rife with internal and external challenges. The shadow magic he wields exacts a toll, slowly consuming his physical and mental well-being. The more he uses it, the more he finds himself plagued by whispers and visions, blurring the line between reality and hallucination. There’s also a part of him that remembers who he was before—who he was meant to be. This fragmented part of him, faint but persistent, reminds him of his family’s honor and the dreams he once had that didn’t involve bloodshed. Externally, Garber faces constant resistance from the Houses, especially House Auris. They have their own agendas, viewing him as both a threat and a pawn, depending on their immediate needs. The common people, whom he seeks to "liberate," fear him as much as they despise the Houses, leaving him isolated. His only true allies are his shadows, twisted creatures he conjures as companions and soldiers, yet they, too, whisper doubts, amplifying his loneliness and paranoia. ### **World-Building Elements** The world Garber inhabits is governed by a fragile treaty between the Houses and city-states. Magic users and technocrats view each other with suspicion, as technology weakens magic's hold over society, while magical Houses fear their ancient arts being diluted or exposed. His journey threatens this balance, as Garber’s powerful shadow magic taps into forbidden realms and unstable energies, creating anomalies that disrupt the city-states' infrastructure and threaten the House’s secrecy. Additionally, there exists a mysterious faction known as *The Scribes*, tasked with recording and regulating magical practices. They view Garber’s experiments as a dangerous aberration. They work in secrecy, often manipulating events from the shadows to protect their knowledge. The Scribes see Garber as both an opportunity and a risk—a rogue element who could either help them unlock forbidden arts or become an uncontainable force of chaos. ### **Legacy and Endgame** Garber’s ultimate goal is not just to destroy the Houses but to reshape society entirely, dismantling the barriers that restrict power to the elite. However, his vision has been tainted by years of isolation and resentment. He dreams of a society where knowledge flows freely, but his methods are draconian. He doesn’t realize—or perhaps refuses to admit—that he has become a reflection of the very Houses he despises, ruling through fear, hoarding knowledge, and enforcing submission. In the end, Garber's fate hinges on a choice: to embrace his humanity and work toward a more balanced world or to let the shadows consume him completely, driven by his all-consuming hunger for vengeance and power. His journey is a tragic reminder of the cost of unchecked ambition, blurring the lines between heroism and villainy in a world desperate for change but terrified of the forces it would unleash.