Character Name: Marsden Taboor
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Birthplace: Seanchan
Current Whereabouts: On the Road...
Position/Profession: High Priest of the Maeldin
Physical Description: Marsden is not very notable, he is rather plain and fades into his surroundings well. He stands 5’11” tall and weighs 207 lbs. He has gray hair that still shows some signs of its former blackness; he wears it in a small tail gathered by a leather string. He has pale blue eyes. His face is plain, somewhat wrinkled, and rather kindly. He wears flaxen robes with a deep cowl and colored beads sewn in patterns, which name his profession.
Personality: Marsden is devoted to the healing of the sick, he has traveled much of the Seanchan Empire treating every kind of illness known to mankind. He cares deeply for his fellow man, he often remembers how helpless he felt when his father died. He is considered crafty, respectable, and wise beyond his years.
Possessions: Flaxen robes of office, 3 daggers secreted about his person, a slightly curved Seanchan sword, leather belt, a dozen belt pouches containing various herbs, several acupuncture needles, a leather pack, a pestle and mixing bowl, 4 waterskins, & a little money.
Major Skill: Eastern Healing (acupuncture, power meridians, pressure points, herbs, nerves, & acupressure)
Minor Skill: Swordsmanship
Extra: Marsden was born in the city of Noren M’Shar, southernmost of the great cities of the Empire. His mother died shortly after his birth, leaving his father to raise the young boy. He was the son of a merchant; he learned his father’s trade and was prepared to take over the family business. However, when Marsden was 7 years old, his father was killed in a riot. The young boy wandered the streets of the city he had been born in, but had spent so little of his life.
As he forlornly wandered the streets of Noren M’Shar, a pair of Maeldin priests found him. Brother Kerloff and Brother Houck decided to take the boy into their order and teach him the ancient art of healing known only to the Maeldin. They took Marsden to their temple in the mountains and began his training as a Maeldin healer. Over the years, he grew into his new life and showed considerable talent. He had a strong wish to heal all the sickness, to make everyone well. He often remembered his father’s death and how useless he had felt; how powerless.
Brother Marsden traveled through most of the Seanchan Empire. During these travels, he treated nearly every disease known to man, from the common cold to the black plague. He traveled with the army to put down rebellions, treating those wounded in battle. He saw death and despair from one end of the Empire to the other. He brought children into the world, saw the joy on the faces of the parents as they looked upon their child. He learned important lessons on his journey; he learned that sometimes the greatest healing is to grant death. Sometimes, when a person has a deadly disease and is in pain every moment, the only mercy to be granted is a quick and painless death. A healer must know when this time has come, knows his duty to tell the family, and to end the pain. Marsden also learned of herbs, medicines, and the ancient forms of healing used by the Maeldin during his jouney through the Empire.
Marsden rose through the ranks of the Maeldin and eventually became their leader, the High Priest. He still went out to heal the sick, but spent most of his time seeing to the administration of the Maeldin. When the Corenne left for the lands of the High King’s Empire, Marsden chose to take a group of his priests to the new lands. He named a new High Priest for the Empire in his absence, opened four hundred slots for those who wished to follow him to establish new temple’s in the lands east of the Aryth Ocean.
Disaster struck as the journey progressed. Over a quarter of the priests were lost at sea when one of the ships sank, and most of the rest died while the Corenne tried to take back the High King’s lands. The Maeldin healed whenever they could, even to the extent of ignoring their own safety. Of the Maeldin who left the Empire with the Corenne, only Marsden remains. One hundred three Maeldin lost at sea, and two hundred ninety-seven dead at the hands of the inhabitants of the lands of the High King’s former Empire. His entire clergy outside the Empire, a great loss.
Marsden contiued in his duties as a Maeldin, but began to loose faith in the Ever-Victorious Army. He had seen it defeated once this side of the Aryth Ocean, and knew the Hailene had been defeated at Falme. That the Ever-Victorious Army had been defeated was unthinkable, that it had been defeated twice was disturbing. Marsden, having no orders holding him to the army, went out into the world to continue with his mission. He would do his best to establish an order of the Maeldin on this side of the Aryth Ocean, but he did not know how likely his chances of success would be. He worries that his talents will not be sufficent, or that he will fail in another way.
Marsden is currently on the road from Bandar Eban, Arad Domon to Maradon, Saldea.