Max Smithson is young mage who hails from a small fishing village on the west coast.  He is tall and skinny, and has long blonde hair. Growing up, it was discovered that Max had a innate talent for understanding magic, and he was therefore a considered a prodigy in his village. He was just a young boy when his father sent him away to study the arcane arts, apprenticing Max to a local hedge wizard. Max learned some of the deeper mysteries of the arcane under this wizard, as well as how to speak a number of different languages.  Max's sharp mind easily grasped the fundamentals of both magic and language. It seemed that he had a bright future ahead of him.  Max and his mentor traveled often, instilling in Max a love of being on the open road.

But it was on the road where his mentor was killed. They had been ambushed by bandits, and Max watched with horror as his mentor and friend was shot with arrows. Somehow, Max was able to escape being killed himself, and joined a group of the Baron's Irregulars as they took out the same bandits that had ambushed him.  He probably could have gone his own way afterward, but he didn't know where he'd go.  For now, he plans to stick with the group.