Arlen Voss, Wizard of the Ivory Tower
Arlen Voss is the current master of the Ivory Tower, the pale stone spire that has stood beyond Grayhaven since long before the town itself was founded. He is an elderly human wizard with long silver-white hair, a carefully kept beard, and an unmistakably commanding presence. Voss is rarely seen in Grayhaven, but he is well known by reputation. Older townsfolk claim they remember seeing him when they were children and swear that he looked nearly the same then as he does today. Just how old the wizard actually is remains one of Grayhaven's favorite unanswered questions.
Despite his mysterious reputation, Voss has never been regarded as an enemy of Grayhaven. On his occasional visits to town, he behaves more like an eccentric scholar than a legendary archmage. He purchases parchment, candles, lamp oil, medicinal herbs, flour, wine, and particularly large quantities of tea. He speaks politely when addressed but rarely volunteers conversation, and those who attempt to question him about his work usually receive answers that are technically courteous while explaining absolutely nothing. Local merchants know him as a reliable customer who frequently pays with old silver coins bearing the likenesses of kings most people recognize only from history books.
The relationship between Voss and Grayhaven's rulers is equally peculiar. He acknowledges the authority of Baron Cedric Valmont III and has occasionally received messengers from the Baron, but the Ivory Tower is generally left to its own affairs. There is an old understanding in town that Grayhaven does not interfere with the wizard, and the wizard will come to Grayhaven's aid should the settlement ever face a truly catastrophic threat. Stories surrounding the old Orc Wars are often cited as proof: strange blue-white lights were reportedly seen blazing from the tower before an advancing orc warband mysteriously scattered in the surrounding wilderness.
The strangest stories concern a period roughly ninety years ago when every light in the Ivory Tower went dark and remained so for seven years. No visitor could gain entrance, and no one was seen coming or going. Then, during a violent spring storm, the tower suddenly illuminated again. Three days later, Arlen Voss calmly appeared in Grayhaven's market to purchase bread. According to a story preserved by several old families, the baker finally gathered enough courage to ask where the wizard had been for seven years. Voss supposedly gave him a single-word answer: “Here.”
Consequently, Grayhaven's people regard Arlen Voss with a peculiar mixture of respect, gratitude, curiosity, and healthy caution. Children tell stories about his tower, hunters avoid disturbing the strange white ravens sometimes seen near it, and tavern patrons have invented countless explanations for what the wizard actually does behind its pale walls. Some believe he studies the stars, others claim he guards something dangerous beneath the tower, and still others insist he simply wants to be left alone with his books. Whatever the truth, most Grayhaven residents agree on one piece of practical wisdom: if Arlen Voss ever comes into town looking genuinely worried, it is probably time for everyone else to start worrying too.
