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Mage Prelate Antonia Campbell
Ritualist Laureate of Albion, Acting Captain
Antonia Campbell is one of the younger daughters of a minor noble whose estates are situate in the north of Albion. Cambell is relatively well educated and when she began to display the tentative stirrings of an ability to manipulate corporeal magics a more specialised tutor was engaged to nurture this useful talent.
Campbell initially proved to be a capable student, however, having reached the level of being able to perform the lesser corporeal magics she seemed to become incapable of advancing further. As one of her reports states “ it is not for lack of trying or lack of intrinsic ability. It is as though there is a barrier which prevents the flow of any further power from this individual and I am unable to determine a way to breach this barrier in order to release the latent power which I strongly believe to reside here.”
Campbell’s parents were a little disappointed that their daughter had stumbled to a halt in what had seemed a promising career and which would have eventually led to her being able to fend for herself rather than proving an additional burden in an already numerous family. Campbell herself wasn’t too bothered and took to rambling around the locality in order to practice her lesser but nonetheless useful magic for the benefit of the locals. It was on one of these trips that Campbell found herself alone on the moors in weather that was threatening to become a violent storm. Not wishing to become a casualty of ill weather and being too far from home, she sought shelter amongst some standing stones which were reputed to be haunted.
Campbell was found in the centre of the stone circle the next morning and although her own memory of the events are somewhat fuzzy it transpired that others had been out searching for her and had been amazed and somewhat scared to see Campbell standing in the centre of the circle apparently communing with higher powers. Campbell did eventually recall having heard voices in her head upon entering the circle and furthermore that she could sense other, strange, magical currents between the stones.
Later reports stated that the storm had dissipated with remarkable speed and that strange lights and sounds had been heard in the vicinity of the circle. The local people have been afraid to approach the place ever since and no animals will enter – even birds have been noted to give the stones a wide berth.
Events such as these rarely remain under cover and word eventually reached the ears of the recruiting officers led by Gunn himself. Gunn is never one to pass up an opportunity to add to the ranks and his advisers informed him that a potential ritual power may be a useful recruit. Campell was happy to join the Academy and was sent there with the blessing of her parents and quite possibly a few sighs of relief from some of the more timid and easily scared of their neighbours. She undertook her training with a will and was handed the rank of Mage Prelate on her passing out.
While Campbell is not a physically imposing or aggressive person outside the Ritual Circle, within it she is in charge and is learning to summon and channel the purest and most powerful magicks known - and bend them to her will. This is a dangerous occupation at the best of times and Campell is watched closely to ensure that none of her intellect falls prey to the burning-out effect that has been reported to plague other ritualists in the past. Other Tempest personnel avoid mentioning “blast radius” or “strawberry jam” when she is attempting to practice a ritual. It is also hoped that the voices which Campbell still sometimes hears in her head do not begin to encourage her to kill people. Unless, of course, it is done in self-defence…
1107 – Additional information
Lady Campbell has been honoured with the title of Head Ritualist of Albion, together with a grant of land which is yet to be finalised by Lord Protector Martinique.
Lady Campell has also been forced to step into the position of Acting Captain following the demise of everyone else in her unit at Polgooth. She has charge of a bunch of cadets who are pretty wet behind the ears – and some of the offending moisture is definitely not soap-related… Unused to command, Campbell is managing in the best way she can, which is to say that she expects to be obeyed and her idea of discipline can run to the extremes of a spirit bolt to the face…
© 2006