Here's a proposed character background. Let me know what you think and feel free to offer any suggestions or comments that occur to you.[sblock]Born at the end of the small street known as Bookend in the gnome quarter of the bustling city of Cauldron, Ambrogino was only one of many children of the extended Prospero family. He grew up in the same rooms above his family's bookbinding workshop in which his grandfather had taken his first steps. Ambrogino was indoctrinated at an early age into the business which had brought prestige upon his family name for generations. Their fine leather bindings were considered amongst the best in the region, at least by those who took an interest in such things. The book making business was in fact the livelihood for all the residents of Bookend; everyone in the neighbourhood was somehow involved in the business: papermakers, rag-men, bleachers, calenderers, stationers, leather workers, gilders, limner or scribes. Scholars, priests, wizards and nobles traveled to Bookend even from distant cities to purchase the community's wares.
Although it was to Garl Glittergold that most of those in Bookend prayed to for prosperity and protection, it was perhaps Boccob that marked Ambrogino as destined for something greater than the simple life of a bookbinder. Ambrogino's curiosity and precociousness were evident to his family and their neighbours even as early as his first year when he learned to walk and talk surprisingly quickly. As he grew, few in the community could deny his gift for the sciences; mathematics, astrology, theology, literature, alchemy, magic... there were few of the books that were bound by his family which he failed to read before they were sent to their new owners. As the years passed, he quickly grew into the neighbourhood sage of sorts, respected and well liked. When he reached his teens, it became clear that it would be a sin if his great intellect were allowed to be wasted, but proper education and wizardly apprenticeship was exhorbitantly expensive. The community of Bookend came together and held several local charitable events to help the Prospero family to cover the costs of Ambrogino's education. And so it was that Ambrogino studied long and hard, surviving the many jibes from the sons and daughters of the bourgeoisie and noble families who were his peers, to graduate as a journeyman wizard of Cauldron.
Now he seeks to make his family and friends in Bookend proud; to repay them for their faith in him and his abilities; to somehow make their world and their lot in life better. Above all, Ambrogino has a great love for books and the written word. He believes that Boccob offers guidance by hiding revelatory words and passages scattered through the collected writings of mortals. He seeks the hidden wisdom and knowledge within books, all books.
I would see Ambrogino choosing to focus on divination and utility spells and preferring to focus on force related magics for both offense and defense rather than energy based magics which he would consider more crude and pointlessly destructive.
If the Complete Arcane were allowed, I could foresee Ambrogino seeking to take some levels in Geometer or perhaps Mage of the Arcane Order if the order existed, perhaps progressing towards Argent Savant depending how the campaign progresses. Otherwise, he might have an interest in pursuing the path of the Loremaster or Archmage. His feats would focus on improving or augmenting his spell casting abilities (perhaps via meta-magic); again the exact selection would depend on whether Complete Arcane would be allowed or not.[/sblock]
