Appearance:
Mikel is a young man appearing to be nearing the beginning of adulthood. He has brown hair that is typically cut short, but not to an extreme extent, and black eyes that are usually taking his surroundings. He stands at about 5'10 or so, about average height for a man of his age, and seems a tad skinny, but not to an unhealthy extent. He isn't one you'd see out there playing sports with the other guys, at any rate. His typical clothing is usually simple enough, consisting of a white short sleeved tunic made of cloth that goes down and past his waist, where it is held in place by a simple leather belt. His slacks become visible from there, coloured brown and made of cloth as well. The legs of the pants manage to only leave the toes of a pair of scuffed black boots visible. Over most of the shirt is a blue jacket with a high collar that is usually left open. He usually also has a pack hanging from his shoulder, in which he keeps supplies for the road. Also hanging from his belt are a few pouches, where various odds and ends are kept, along with his money.

Personality:
Mikel was brought up to be polite by his parents, and usually adheres to this in his dealings with various people. Of course, everyone has a breaking point, and while Mikel isn't that easy to anger, when his temper finally does come through, all sorts of words fly from his mouth. At times also magic, depending on the situation, but he usually tries not to hurt people unless they attack first. He'd like to avoid ending up the wrong side of the law, after all. Once people get to know him, however, he seems pretty easygoing and friendly, while to those he just meets he's usually polite and courteous to.

Motivation:
Mikel had originally entered the Academy as a student so he could learn all he could about his various magical abilities. As the years dragged on though, his focus shifted to trying to perfect and further his abilities than to get mixed up in the academics of it. This lead to his leaving the Academy and striking out on his own as abasically a traveling mage. He still continues to practice his magic, and has been known to stop in every now and then to see if any new discoveries as far as magic goes have been made. His primary goal while travelling though, more paramount than perfecting his magic, is being able to survive. He manages to put food on the table (or over the campfire when he's travelling) with money either earned from part time jobs he picks up when in town, and of course money his parents give him when things get just a bit tight. After all, what good is being the best mage out there if you end up dead because you ran out of supplies while travelling?

Background:

Mikel was born not long after the establishment of the Hylan Academy and the surrounding town. His parents helped in the establishing of the town itself, and also were not too shabby at magic themselves. They both took jobs at the Academy, and serve as instructors there. Needless to say, Mikel was raised with the idea that he would end up following his parents in their choice of profession. As to be expected, he showed an aptitude in magic, and entered the Academy at the age of twelve.

For the next five years he studied in the Academy, as his strengths and weaknesses began to show. The magics that he definitetly had an aptitude for were those relating to electrictiy and water, but other than that he was, well, mediocre at best. This lead to more than the occasional arguement with his parents, who were surprised at the fact their son was having so much trouble in any magic he attempted that wasn't related to either electricty or water. They were of the firm belief that he simply wasn't trying hard enough, which lead to strained relationships between them and their son. This didn't help matters at all in school, since due to the pressures at home he did even worse, even in the magics he had aptitude in. His parents quickly caught word of this, since they were still working in the Academy, and the predictable result of more pressure occured. After the five years he spent there, he finally gave up trying to continue in the Academy and learning all he could about magic. Instead, he decided to just focus at what he was good at and perfect it to a degree that even his parents would have to back off in response to his mastery.

So at the age of seventeen he departed from both the Academy and his home after explaning his goals to his parents. That lead to another heated arguement between the three, but they managed to accept their son's stance. They gave him some money to start him off, and then he left. When he began his travels, he managed to get lost more than a couple of times. Once he began getting the hang of it though, the first place he visited is New Meribia, and from there all of his other forays into the world have started from. He continually visited home, however, to keep in touch with his parents and see if anything new had come up that might be of interest of him. These meetings also consist of him showing his parents the latest tricks he's figured out in regard to magic, since he is quite determined to prove that you don't need the Academy to be able to be a damn good magician. These visits also at times consist of borrowing a bit more money when he hasn't been able to find part time employment in whichever town he is stopping in.

He has spent the last three years like that, travelling when his financial situation allows it and always practicing his magic in an attempt to perfect it. He has made progress along these lines, but there is still plenty of work to be done before he's finally made his point to his parents...