The Story of the Doll Mage, #1

Even on his home planet, Artheus's form of magic was rare. Tyranel was a dying world, with scant inhabitants struggling to survive throughout its surface. When Tyranel thrived, Artheus distinguished himself as a Doll Mage and as an adept magic wielder besides. After a tragic history, Tyranel was all but completely desolate, and it was only because of his powers that Artheus survived.

Artheus manipulated ley lines and ley energies, or the strings that connected all beings, to give life to his dolls, which were his children. Because he excelled at magecraft, he was able to survive the desolate world of Tyranel by collecting ley energies, which he consumed in place of food to keep he and his wife alive and youthful. They were left on subsistence living, and Artheus and his wife Tylia scried as best they could to find a suitable world to make their new home. 

However, such magic was costly, and they barely had enough ley energies to survive, let alone open a portal to another world. 

One day, however, their chance came: it was in the form of a distress signal in the metaverse itself. A single planet, Earth, was drawing all creation to itself as a battlefield. The fate of this world would determine who controlled the metaverse, and someone was asking the Doll Mage for help. In exchange for safe passage and other amenities, Artheus would be asked to lend his aid to whoever sent the distress signal. His vision was vague, but he had heard of the location: Havenforth University, the wondrous college that existed at the nexus point between all worlds. Anyone seeking knowledge and not death was welcome there. Indeed, the messenger seemed to be seeking Artheus's expertise as the only known Doll Mage in the metaverse.

Artheus and Tylia knew there might be no other chance, and so they accepted the offer and heeded the distress signal. Artheus had but few dolls that he could keep alive, and so would enter the metaverse with few allies. However, many in Tyranel's tragic history had underestimated the doll mage to their own misfortune. Surely anywhere would be preferable than the desolate Tyranel, where there was naught but ley energies to stay alive.

Upon making an Aethereal agreement to come to the aid of Earth, A magic portal was opened to give Artheus, his wife Tylia, and his dolls passage to Havenforth University, the greatest academy that existed or ever would exist. It was there that minds from countless worlds met to exchange ideas... and pleasantries to say the least.

Artheus was a half-starved genius who had survived the death of his planet, with over a century of experience. As long as he could collect ley energies, he could keep his youth, so long as no one killed him. And after all he had been through, he had no intention of dying, no matter what was at stake.