Born in the outer districts of the Cinderhold Empire, Marcus Drake was the son of two perfectly respectable, utterly ordinary merchants who sold perfectly respectable, utterly ordinary fire-proof clothing. They had expected a perfectly respectable, utterly ordinary son. What they got instead was a boy who managed to set their entire inventory on fire while still in the cradle.
“He’s just excited,” his mother would say, while putting out the third spontaneous fire of the day. “He’ll grow into his magic.”
He did not, in fact, grow into his magic. His magic grew into whatever it felt like being that day.
Early Years: Signs and Portents (Mostly of Disaster)
Marcus’s birthmark appeared when he was three days old, which was normal. The fact that it looked like a confused squirrel doing interpretive dance was, according to every expert consulted, decidedly not normal. Most fire mages got flames, or perhaps abstract swirls suggesting flames. Marcus got what appeared to be small woodland creature with rhythm.
His early childhood was marked by several notable incidents:
- Age 4: Successfully convinced all the cooking fires in his street to turn purple because “orange is boring”
- Age 6: Accidentally taught a campfire to sing (it had a surprisingly good baritone)
- Age 8: Made friends with a small flame that refused to go out and followed him to school like a pet
- Age 10: Discovered that fire really enjoys dancing, especially to upbeat tavern songs
Education: A Study in Chaos
The Cinderhold Academy of Militant Fire Arts accepted Marcus at age 12, mostly because his application form spontaneously combusted in such an interesting way that they felt they had to investigate. His academic record reads like a series of increasingly desperate notes from his instructors:
“Student shows remarkable ability to make fire do things it absolutely should not do.” – Basic Fire Control
“Please stop encouraging the training flames to form comedy troupes.” – Advanced Combat Magic
“WHY IS EVERYTHING SIDEWAYS?” – Final Year Assessment
Despite (or perhaps because of) his unique approach to fire magic, Marcus did manage to graduate. The Academy changed several of its fundamental rules afterward, most notably adding “Fire should not be taught to tell jokes” to the official curriculum guidelines.
Family History & Magical Lineage
The Drake family has no notable fire mages in its history, which makes Marcus’s peculiar talents even more baffling. His parents are minimal magic users at best, specializing in small practical flames for their clothing business. Family legend does mention a great-great-aunt who once had a lengthy conversation with a particularly philosophical torch, but most assume this was due to too much fermented fire-fruit wine.
The Squirrel Theory
Several magical theorists have attempted to explain Marcus’s unusual birthmark and its connection to his unique abilities. The leading theory, proposed by Master Artificer Kira of Maralyd (in between fits of laughter), suggests that his mark’s squirrel-like appearance might actually be an ancient pattern representing chaos and transformation in elemental magic.
A competing theory, proposed by a slightly singed Academy instructor, is that the universe simply has an odd sense of humor.
Notable Achievements (?)
- First person to successfully convince fire to flow sideways
- Accidental discoverer of fire’s ability to appreciate music
- Creator of the “Dancing Flame Festival” (unauthorized, but extremely popular)
- Only known fire mage to receive a formal complaint from fire itself (regarding his attempt to teach it juggling)
- Holder of the record for “Most Creative Destruction of Training Equipment” at the Academy
- Unofficial therapist to confused elemental manifestations
Current Status
Now serving as Cinderhold’s “Royal Fire Whisperer,” Marcus continues to push the boundaries of what fire magic can do, mostly by accident. His recent discovery that elements might have personalities has drawn attention from various quarters, though most officials prefer to pretend they haven’t noticed.
The fire-drake incident has led to increased interest in his abilities, particularly from those studying the recent changes in elemental magic across Tempesta. Several scholars have attempted to interview him about his methods, but most interviews end with something unexpectedly catching fire or deciding to start a performance art piece.
Personal Notes
Marcus maintains a journal of his discoveries about fire’s true nature, though most entries read like conversation transcripts with very enthusiastic flames. Sample entry:
“Dear Journal, Today I learned that fire really enjoys poetry. Unfortunately, it only seems to know limericks, and most of them are terrible. Must remember to teach it proper verse forms before the next Academy inspection.”
[Note: This document is magically protected against spontaneous combustion, which was necessary after the first three drafts mysteriously caught fire and began performing an interpretive dance about their own destruction.]