Avitus and Bernie

In an unassuming two-story home in St. Benton, there exists a curious pair: Avitus and his pup Bernie.

Most people, upon meeting Avitus for the first time, are very taken aback by the apparent depth of wisdom in this small child's eyes. What he explains, to those he feels will actually believe him, is that he is in fact a very old elven wizard with the body of a small boy. He does not generally disclose his actual age, only mentioning that he was around when Harithma was still a collection of power-hungry city-states. He is, however, open with the cause of his condition. Before the accident, Avitus was a renowned but reclusive researcher, constantly testing the boundaries of his power with new, exotic spells. It was during the research of one particularly valuable spell, a spell of immortality, that something had gone wrong. He has never disclosed the full details of the incident, only that it had gone very wrong and that he and his dog were caught up in the ensuing magical explosion. The spell had worked, sort of, as he was now truly ageless, but he had also regressed to the physical development of a child.

His faithful dog, Bernie, did not receive these same effects. Bernie was made ageless as well, but he did not regress physically. His brain was changed for the better, making him more intelligent than most humans while still limited by his canine body. Physically, he appears as any other full grown dog. However, if he likes you, you will notice some very different behavior, as he is able to understand and comprehend speech and will react accordingly. If he does not like or does not know you, he will behave as though he is what you assume: a drooling, barking imbecile.