Marcos the Mage

Marcos the Mage was an inexperienced mage. He fell in with a bad crowd, a pair of Evil halflings and a Bully with a big sword, on a quest for an heirloom or - bequest, he fought Barracuda, Bears, beholder-kin, Boars, and Bugbears. He must have been near-sighted for whenever he would target an area with magic, some of his companions were invariably caught in the wrong place. He apologized each time with such sincerity that his companions blamed ignorance rather than malice. At one point the halflings had both been trapped in his web, one whispered to the other. "If he ever learns fireball, I will kill him."

After that quest the mage was not much in evidence. He was missed as he was carrying an item of great importance to the others, part of a set of rings. The ring had no active powers, but a mighty potential. Several weeks later the Marcos turned up one last time.

"Hey guys, I learned Fireball!"