Philip Barringer
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Earth-2 (DOB: 17 June 1951), Philip Barringer is a lifelong geography and history buff (as well as an avid surfer) who has taught the subjects for nearly twenty years before arriving in Diskordia. He acquired a baccalaureate degree from Reed College in 1972 and a graduate degree from St John’s University in 1975. He taught at various colleges for the next ten years as he traveled the world, visiting various surfing hotspots. Philip decided to return to academia in 1982 and began doctoral studies at Stanford University.
While surfing during summer break in June 1984, Phil and his friends saw the entire sky, “lit up like an Aurora.” They all lost control of their surfboards and fell into the waves. Phil awoke in the sand under a starry sky, coughing up water. He sat up to find himself not on a beach but in the middle of a barren field. He walked a short distance before deciding to wait until sunrise and get his bearings. When morning came, Phil began walking and soon found a farmhouse. He recognized enough French in the farmer’s words that Phil was able to communicate in rudimentary terms. He worked for a few days with the farmer, who then gave him enough food to walk to the nearest village. At the village, Phil was able to find more work and survive before traveling further.
In this manner, Phil traveled from village to village through the geographic region of West Avondale. It was there in the year 2980 that he found the campus of the White Brotherhood, where he sought to study and understand the history of this new world. Two years later he was hired by Baron Tybalt of Clemens to tutor the baron’s seven children. Phil served the baron for nearly ten years until the White Brotherhood asked his assistance with a large number of “drop-ins” who had arrived that year in the city. He remained with the Brotherhood thereafter, his official duty to organize and compile an accurate history of the Avondale region.