Considering that he is one of he most powerful sorcerers in the world, the man known as Avalon du Lac is of extremely modest beginnings. He was born Michael David Surbrook in the year 1967, and led a relatively normal life, until one spring day in early 1985.... It was on this day Michael Surbrook was involuntarily brought to the extra-dimensional world of Limbo. He’d been summoned by a sorcerer named Owen the Gray, who was desperate to find allies in an upcoming battle with the evil wizard Dark Majister. Owen hadn’t been looking for Michael specifically, but realized he’d have to make do. Thus, Owen made Michael a proposal; if Michael would work with Owen and help him to understand Majister’s technology, Owen would take Michael as an apprentice and train him in the magical arts. Unable to come up with a better plan, Michael agreed. The Magewar with Dark Majister was a long and brutal affair, but eventually Owen the Gray and his allies were able to achieve victory. After the conflict was over, Michael -- who desired to continue his training, elected to stay in Limbo, where he remained for a full seven years. During this time Michael completed his schooling in the magical arts and was recognized as a fully-skilled magician in his own right. This event was marked by Michael being given the name of Avalon. In addition, it was around this point that Michael (now Avalon) fell in love with the weatherwitch Loriden. But Avalon’s newfound peace was not to last, and eventually he found himself being returned to Earth, to deal with new and unknown threats. Upon returning to Earth, Avalon was amazed to find that only a mere two months had passed, and his disappearance was still fresh in many people’s minds. He also found the world in the midst of a great change, as more and more people with strange magical and paranormal powers were appearing almost daily. Joining forces with a group of like-minded individuals, Avalon became a founding member of the group Nightforce, which consisted of himself, Darkwave, Mastodon, and Taliesian. However, Nightforce existed for only a short time, with Darkwave and Mastodon quickly going their separate ways. Undaunted, Avalon and Taliesian renamed themselves “Nightwatch” and shortly thereafter, a man by the name of Jeddidiah Rikane offered to become Nightwatch’s financial backer, supplying the group with transportation and housing. The years following Rikane’s initial sponsorship of Nightwatch were turbulent ones for Avalon. He experienced many adventures, both on this world and others, while Nightwatch itself underwent many incarnations, with its membership changing numerous times. Eventually, Nightwatch broke up and Avalon secluded himself in his home in rural Maryland, to deal with and counter various threats of a magical nature -- threats Avalon felt only he was capable of dealing with. As time passed, Avalon realized he needed to start anew. He started by taking an apprentice, one Maya Connery, and eventually married her,taking the first step to founding his own clan of magicians. He also met his perviously unknown daughter, Ashley le Fay-du Lac, and learned the truth of her parentage. And finally, he became a father for a second time, and with the birth of his daughter Midori, settled down to raise a family. Due to his experiences fighting in the Magewar in Limbo, as well as his stint as leader of Nightwatch, Avalon has come to realize that the Earth needs more than just a typical group of costumed “superheroes” to defend it. The Earth also requires someone who can recognize and counter strange and unusual threats -- specifically threats of a magical nature. Avalon has appointed himself to be that someone, and is dedicated to acting as the Earth’s first line of defense against a wide assortment of mystical threats. Avalon’s self-imposed responsibility has made him almost self-sacrificing. He is willing to oppose any threat, even if doing so will mean his death, simply because he believes someone must do so. In addition, he often refuses to back down or run away from a threatening situation, feeling that someone must stay and offer some form of defense. He is not stupid however, and will cut and run, if the situation is beyond his current means to control. Regardless of these lofty ideas and goals, many people find Avalon to be arrogant and egotistical, with a thinly disguised air of superiority. This is, to an extent, true. Avalon feels his experiences are beyond the ken of most people (which is true, to an extent), and that he doesn’t have to explain himself to those who don’t (or can’t) understand what it is he faces on a regular basis. In keeping with his almost aristocratic mentality, Avalon is very vain, and is highly concerned with his visual image and how he is perceived by others. He has an appreciation for fine things and physical luxuries, and before his marriage had a highly exploitable weakness for beautiful women. "I am Avalon, a sorcerer, and this is my world. I will defend it, unto the death if need be." Avalon is one of (if not the) most powerful sorcerers of his age. His knowledge concerning the various workings of magic is phenomenal, as are his spell-casting abilities. Avalon has at his command a vast array of spells and enchantments, dealing mainly with various mental disciplines. Typically he utilizes spells involving illusions, mental attacks, mental control, telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, levitation, and dimensional travel. In addition he is an expert on occult matters, and is an excellent source of information on such subjects as magical and mythical beings, creatures, places, and objects. Along with his impressive array of spells, Avalon possesses a pair of enchanted artifacts. The first of these is his “wizard’s staff.” Some five feet in length, with a metal cap on either end, this staff has a large white crystal mounted at the top, and is capable of projecting bolts of pure mystic energy. The second is a large pendant (a gift from Loriden) that Avalon can be used to create a defense field around his person. Although he may go without his wizard’s staff, Avalon never parts with his pendant. Avalon du Lac stands 5’10”, and weighs a lean 170 pounds. His white hair is worn long, and falls to the middle of his back, while his gray eyes reside behind a pair of bifocal glasses (Avalon has exceedingly poor eyesight). Avalon’s exact age is a subject of some confusion. He was born in 1967, and should be in his mid-thirties. However, his time spent in other dimensions means he is closer to fifty years of age. Physically, he looks to be in his mid-twenties. Apparently, Avalon ages at a slower rate than most people and can expect to live another 200 years or so. Avalon’s normal mode of dress is an archaic costume consisting of a lace shirt, long coat, trousers, boots and a long cloak. The coat, cloak, and trousers are blue, with silver trim and lining. The lace shirt can be of any color (white is common), while the boots are of brown leather. When at home, Avalon tends to dress in a more casual manner, although he does take pains to present an appearance befitting his station at all times (his wife, Maya, is a great help in this regard).