The building was among the cities oldest residential structures, and had a total of eight apartments. It wouldn’t be burned to the ground, since it was mostly masonry, but much of what lay inside its walls would be left in ruins. Eric Eulon was an opportunists, but also a good samaritan. He could hardly standby and let people come to harm if he could prevent it, with little or no risk to himself. So, Eric walked into the flaming building to search for anyone still caught inside. All the while keeping an eye out for valuable loot, of course. After all, it would all soon be lost in the blaze anyway. He had little to fear from the fire itself, he had long since learned a charm to protect anyone or anything he chose from being harmed by flames or heat of any kind. He was after all, a self proclaimed Magician.

Even from a young age, Eric could sense the presence of magic. He could almost smell it in the air. If a spell had been cast in a given area,  if an object had been enchanted, if someone was cursed or blessed, or a living thing had supernatural abilities, Eric could tell. He been fascinate with Magicians as well, and had even wanted to become one when he was younger. Of course, he’d known that most of them were frauds, but he admired their talents all the same. The skill and discipline it required, to pretend one commanded magical forces, was awe inspiring. So Eric learned the craft, but eventually found it unfulfilling. He could not be satisfied with mere tricks, not when he knew there was real magic to be discovered.  So he began his search, a quest to discover the secrets of the Magicians of old. He’d come into contact with magical objects before. Magicians seemed to collect such things, whether or not they could control them, or in fact had any real idea what they really were. He’d even known a few who had unwittingly taken possession of cursed objects. But his real interest lay in magical tomes, spell books. These too, were coveted by Magicians, and real ones could be difficult to obtain. Fortunately, Eric found it much easier to find magical objects than most, due to his ability to detect those that might go undetected by other. He could distinguish the true value of an object, and negotiate trades for authentic goods. Also, he wasn’t above trading a fake for the real deal.

Eric large collection of genuine magical objects, made it possible for him to acquire the spells and books he desired. They also made it possible for him to perform the more demanding ones. You see, it requires power to perform the kind of magic that Eric most wished to possess, and that power had to come from some where. It was possible to cast such spells using ones own life energy, but that was essentially a slow suicide. For this reason Eric used his collection of magical object like batteries. Like Eric, who had a small amount of innate Magical Resonance, each of the objects he possessed acted like a magnet for magical energy. This was ambient energy, which could be used to pay the cost of such spells. However, if he wasn’t careful, the spell could weaken or even destroy the objects he used, should they require more energy than he could otherwise provide. Fortunately, a few of the objects in his possession were capable of sustaining multiple fire charms indefinitely, since the energy they attracted was of a compatible nature to that required for the charms. Also, charms were simple magic, which he could perform even without such objects.

Eric charmed any loot he intended to come back for, as he moved through the building. He had to be mindful of the structural integrity of his surroundings, but this building would not go easily to the flames. As he found people, he shrouded them in blankets he’d found and charmed. Retrieving the blankets as he returned to continue his search. Eventually, once he had saved everyone he could, he began collecting his bounty. He used a spell which allowed him to vanish the object to an extra dimensional space, using a large curtain-like piece of fabric. This shroud was like a key, which could later be used to retrieve the objects, wherever he desired. You see, for a Magician, all points in space are connected… most people just don’t know how to access them. This shroud, which he wore as a cape, and a white featureless mask, were part of Eric’s Magician persona. He put them on whenever he wished to play hero, or Robin-hood. Of course, he wasn’t really stealing from anyone, it was more like salvage. Essentially, he was stealing from the past, or perhaps the future, depending on how you looked at it. Absolutely nothing he took could have been saved from the flames by any other means, and if not the flames then the water would surely have destroyed it. That’s why Eric never minded running into a burning building. That’s why he used his wards to warn him whenever there was a fire within range of his magic. It was a simple detection spell, that he had extended to serve his larger needs. One that automatically triggered his protective charms.

When Eric finally emerged from the building he took a bow, though no one could see him. He had made sure he was invisible to the human eye, as he always did. the people would speak of a mysterious man who saved them from the flames, but they would be unable to describe him. The mask he wore made it seem as if he had a kind and familiar face, only not one anyone would remember. In time they would forget all about the man, or how they managed to escape the flames, and Eric would simply disappear from the story.