Character 101 - Amere Inistar

I had a rough go with this week’s random rolls. It was tough trying to stick with the lore of the world and two aspects of the rolls that didn’t mesh well. Our Dhampir this week had some kind of academy training but didn’t really have the intelligence to be an arcane caster or any type of learned person. She was almost assuredly going to be a martial of some type with the strength of sixteen but finding the names of actual martial academies in Andoran proved difficult. Although I never found the school of combat I was looking for I did find other inspiration.

Along with class, one note on mechanics I will make is that I dislike that Dhampir start out at such an old age. I know they are longer-lived than humans but it makes having living parents and siblings tough. Paizo made adjustments to the Aasimar and Tiefling, reflecting that because they are raised by humans they generally reach the age of maturity when a human would. So although they’ll live longer eventually they have a starting age for play now more in line with humans. To that end even though I rolled 130 years old for this Dhampir I am disregarding that and making her in her early twenties.

As for class I decided on cavalier. I knew I needed a martial and the cavalier fit into the background I had been generating. Although, in this case, she could have just as easily been a fighter as, unlike many of the other characters I have come up with, the class wasn’t central to the character.

Amere Inistar

When you’re born in Claes everyone is always talking about history. For such a small fishing town the people there tend to act much like big city folk; not that a certain amount of pride is unwarranted. One of their own is the commander of the Eagle Knights. But as a child, the legend of General Reginald Cormoth is not easy to live up to.

Being held to the standard of the General was nothing compared to what Amere would later learn was common treatment for those of her kind. Born after an attack by vampires on the village, the eldest Inistar daughter retained some of the taint after her mother was bitten. Most Dhampirs cause the death of their mother during birth and are often ostracized by family and their community. But Amere was loved by birth her parents and, for the most part, accepted by the community at large.

Life is not without its conflicts, and although the Dhampir lived a life that would be considered idyllic by the standards of most of her race, she did butt heads often with her younger sister. Kalistree despised the fact that her sister had an otherworldly beauty about her as well as the fact that she was stronger than even most of the boys in their village. The younger Inistar girl was constantly playing pranks and trying to ruin her sister’s reputation.

In the battle with her sister, Amere would not always stay on the right side of the law. Although she never got caught, she would occasionally break or mar things her sister loved, even if they didn’t technically belong to the younger Inistar girl. The war of the sisters would never be won but Amere never felt too bad about what she did.

Being a Dhampir in a small town felt confining to Amere as she grew up. She longed to see the world around her. She would pray to Desna for the chance to travel the world and meet new people. Her parents knew they couldn’t keep her there forever so they reached out to a friend in Almas. Keiron was a man who came from Claes but unlike the General, he wasn’t world famous. What he was, though, was a man who knew everybody.

Amere left home to see Andoran with Keiron, sent on her way with a hand knit hat from her mother. He traveled from Almas to Augustana to Carpenden; he did business everywhere. And anywhere they went, there were the Eagle Knights. What had been her childhood obsession of pushing away the trial of living up to General Cormoth’s legacy became a young adulthood of trying to embrace it. And with her mentor’s help, she was enrolled in one of the military academies in Augustana.

Although she graduated for the academy with high commendations in the Andoran Defense sword style, a life in the military was not for her. Amere knew that the Eagle Knights recruitment methods were often non-traditional so she decided that she would make a name for herself on the road. With her trusty steed, the girlfriend she met at school, and her dedication to the order of the shield and the protection of her people, AmereInistad headed out into the wider world looking for adventure.

Amere is the direction I went but who was your Dhampir? Which class did your character become? Who was the well-connect friend? What academy did she go to? How why did she commit minor crimes either for or against a family member? If you haven’t written your background yet you still have a chance.

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but helps you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to create, please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me, right? – by pledging as little as $1 on my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Character 93 - Danior Herne

I found this week’s character rather interesting and I had an idea for him the instant he was rolled up. I’ve done one other character from Lastwall and I really like the history the region has with the whispering tyrant. Seeing as the land is a constant battlefield, both to protect the land from outside incursion by the orcs of the Hold of Belzken and to guard what is believed to be the tyrant’s final resting place, the idea of knights went through my head. Although the charisma for the character was high enough to be a paladin we got neutral good and not lawful neutral as an alignment, so I went cavalier instead.

Danior Herne

Danior’s family came to Lastwall a few generations ago. His great grandfather built a business on importing the weapons and armor that the crusaders needed to defend the line from the orcish invaders. His grandfather and father would continue the tradition. It was assumed that Danior would as well, but his father passed on before he had grown into a man.

The business passed on to his father’s partners, which was all well and good because Danior didn’t have a head for it. Pricing and inventory was not the boy’s strong suit. Anything with numbers was beyond him, as the younger Herne turned out to be more than a little slow. Being a trader was never something the boy wanted anyway. He dreamed of being one of the knights he saw daily heading to the front, or to guard some other location important to the region’s defense.

It wasn’t just the knights. One of the things that Danior’s father left him before he died was a small shield that had been enchanted. The boy would use it to play knight every chance he got. Even though his mother told him that his father wasn’t one of the crusaders, Danior always imagined his father as a knight in a full suit of resplendent armor.

Not all the warriors on the front were knights. Some of them were mercenaries, hired to fill gaps in the defenses. One of them took a liking to the boy and started training him at an early age. He taught Danior how to swing a sword and carry a shield. The sword-for-hire also taught him how to make a deal for his services, to always be fair, and to always uphold your end of the bargain.

Things changed for Danior around his thirteenth birthday. Some tieflings are born with the outward traits that expose them as such. In Danior’s case he lived a normal childhood, but when he hit puberty his body changed. Whether it was from his mother’s side or his father’s, the blood of some abyssal creature flowed through his veins, deforming him.

At first Danior covered his body. He thought that if he could conceal himself in a suit of armor like the knights he could just pretend this wasn’t happening to him; that he was as perfect as they were. That never really worked, so eventually he ran off. He was turned away from the knighthood so he joined up with one of the mercenary bands.

Danior was only a decent fighter but he had a certain presence about him which helped to motivate others. And his visage could be quite intimidating, which he used to his advantage when he wasn’t trying to hide it from the world. But he was young and impressionable as well, and not every group of sellswords was like the man who showed him how to use a weapon back when he was a kid.

The mercenaries were nominally working for the government of Lastwall, usually doing missions that the knights saw as beneath them. The group had been tracking down an item that was deemed too dangerous to be left about, and it was in the hands of a young and reckless sorcerer. Danior was tasked with stealing it from the man, which he did, but no matter how he played it out after it always felt wrong.

Eventually, though, Danior’s talent and dedication to his homeland got noticed. A group of crusaders not officially tasked by the government approached him. Their order has been working to keep the creeping evil of the whispering tyrant locked away and thwart those who would try to unleash his power or follow in his footsteps.

Danior joined with the order and swore to defend Lastwall and the world from the insidious evil. But even with their acceptance, he is never sure he really belongs or even deserves that honor. He works hard to make them proud, but in every step he has his own doubts.

What became of your tiefling? What class do you think his life and stats led him down the road to? How did his father die? Why did he steal an object from a spellcaster? Who was his mercenary mentor?

The CRB not only brings you the creative content you desire but helps you look inside for your own creativity. If you feel both inspired and pushed to create, please consider supporting your favorite content provider – that’s me, right? – by pledging as little as $1 on  my Patreon or making a direct donation to my Paypal.

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Character 70 - Harwith

This week’s random rolls saw our paragon of a catfolk. His high charisma and high dexterity showcased the race’s inherent strengths. Choosing a class was difficult; average at best intelligence and wisdom meant that most casting classes were out. Being a follower of a god of athletics, I wanted to go with some kind of martial class that used charisma. With that in mind, his drawback of seeking fame or reputation I immediately thought of cavalier or swashbuckler. And then I said to myself why make it “or” when there is a cavalier archetype that gives some swashbuckler abilities?  So I’d like you to meet Harwith, the daring champion cavalier of the Order of the Cockatrice.

Harwith

Although catfolk are most common north eastern part of Garund, the feline folk can be encountered most places on Golarion. Along with other animalistic races like ratfolk, tengu, kitsune and nagaji, the continent of Tian has some number of catfolk. They can also be found in lands of with wide open spaces for catfolk tribes to roam. Numeria is one such place, and Harwith was born to parents of a somewhat more settled catfolk tribe.

Even settled, the tribe retained many of its wandering ways. Next to the chief the warriors took their place on the social ladder. The shaman and god-talkers had their spot after that. Craftsmen of all stripes were just below the medicine men. And finally the servants and the farmers took the lowest rank in the tribe. Harwith’s parents were farmers and as such he grew up poor and looked down upon by most.

Catfolk have always prized athletic ability and catfolk children would constantly challenge each other to tests of skill or sport. Harwith was an excellent athlete; he could use both his natural strength and agility to gain advantage over many of his peers. Sadly this put him at odds with many of the children whose parents held higher rank than his. The son of one of the shaman was a particular thorn in Harwith’s side as he was being groomed to become a great warrior.

Never really feeling at home with his peers, Harwith found solace outside of the tribe’s settlement, living on the outskirts was another one of his tribe, or formerly so. He was a black cat whose bad luck had rubbed off on the tribe. He was also the current chief’s brother, so although he was cast out and stripped of his name and rank, he still lived alongside the tribe.

Before being outcast the black cat was a god-talker. He would help guide important members of the tribe to their personal god. Having befriended Harwith, the black cat did what normally wasn’t done, he helped the young catfolk find his personal god. The outcast reached out into the great beyond and touched the mind of the divine, and with him he brought back a name; Marishi.

Having his own personal god gave Harwith hope. The fact he had the Empyreal Lord of athletics and sports as his chose deity proved to him that he would go somewhere.  However, he could never tell anyone because such lower ranked members of the tribe didn’t get their own personal gods.

Although he never spoke a word of his newfound attachment his older sister found out. She was one of the most beautiful women of the tribe and was being courted by the aspiring warrior, and son of a shaman, who had become Harwith’s rival. To further her own ends she went to the shaman and spoke of her brother’s transgression. The holy men of the tribe were incensed that someone would go against tribal law and they cast out young Hartwith.

Harwith was enraged; they could not take from him what was his. He would prove that he was better than all of them. His anger got the better of him and he stormed the shaman’s hut and tore it apart. His final act before leaving the tribe was destruction, but he didn’t care because he knew that he was better than they were.

Harwith’s drive to prove he was better pushed him. He would compete everywhere he went. He would compete in races, tests of skill, and even combat. His desire to make a name for himself got him noticed by a group called the Order of the Cocktrice. He talked a big game and could even back it up for the most part, and the Order saw potential.

Now he continues to roam Numeria under the banner of the Cocktrice. He hopes to someday return home and show his people what they tossed to the side. And maybe once again beat his old riva, at everything.

And from the tidbits of information our catfolk has take form. But mine is not the only interpretation out there. What class did your catfolk choose? How did he come to worship Marishi? Who Betrayed Him?

Bringing these characters to life is a second full-time job. Contributions to my Patreon or Paypal help me invest more of that time into creation instead of worrying about keeping the lights on. If you’d like to support your favorite content provider – come on, that’s me, admit it – please consider contributing.

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Character Exploration 58 - Malbranchalianna

As we continue our week of exploring Snowcaster Elves we come to the background for our 58^th Random Rolls and first of 2017. Our snow elf comes from a dishonored family, is fascinated with magical items, was mentored by an undead, has a true love, and seeks justice. Linking all that together with her stat array which includes no stats under ten but a midrange dexterity, intelligence, and charisma left me with some tough choices.

Firstly I narrowed down my class choices by eliminating divine classes. I did this both because of the average wisdom score and an idea that instantly popped into my head when I saw the background rolls. Although she liked magic items I found her conflict subject being a spellcaster as a reason to rule out an arcane caster as well, even with the decent intelligence. Eventually I narrowed my choices down to investigator or cavalier and I went with Cavalier. I specifically choose the Order of the Seal, although that too took a lot of back and forth with the Orders of the Land and Penitent being in the running as well.

Now without further ado I present this week’s character.

Malbranchalianna - She of the Blinding Snow

Among the Snowcasters, both family and honor are among the utmost importance. Although with tribes of the artic elves being small, dishonored family members aren’t outcast, they are just stricken from the families records. Children of the dishonored bear no ill from their parents misdeeds, but they may never pass their parents name down through the ages to their own children. This is the family that Malbranchalianna was born into.

The young Snowcasters great grandfather was an architect considered a chosen of Findeladlara. He built some of the very few grand structures to honor the goddess. Her grandfather was a cleric and a high priest of Findeladlara. He was one of the council members of the tribe before he let the position fall to a younger elf so he could live out his twilight years. Her father was on track to become the honored staff, the highest rank of warriors tasked with defending the holy places of FIndeladlara. He was however disgraced.

Although her grandfather still has a place of honor among the tribe, Her father has been excommunicated by the church. Still in possession of his granted abilities from their patron, he was given the position of twilight speaker. The position is a dubious honor that sets the speaker apart from the tribe by making them the face of the Snowcasters to the outside world.

Malbranchalianna grew up hating the church and not understanding why her father still put faith in a goddess who would allow his chosen to fall in such a way. How could the elders not see that if Findeladlara didn't stripped him of his power then his crime obviously couldn't have been so bad. For his part her father never spoke of his wrong doing and like most Snowcasters faced his fate with icy determination.

Much of her father’s work was trading with the Ulfen tribes to the west. The family ranged between the mountains of the Crown of the World to the wind blasted plains of the Land of the Linnorm Kings. She grew up in the saddle of one of the great reindeer that many of her people used as mounts and beasts of burden. Being on the back of one of the creatures was as natural to her as walking.

Because the dishonor of a family member only effects that person – there are few offense extreme enough to outcast an entire family – Malbranchalianna was afforded every right of a member of the tribe. As she grew older she would spend a season here and there not travelling with her family. Many thought she would take up the mantle of her father or grandfather and become a member of the priests of Findeladlara, but she turned down every opportunity offered to her.

The daughter of the dishonored found much of her solace in solitude. She would take her mount out into the tundra and ride for hours on end. It was during these excursions that she found her mentor. In one of the lesser used mountain passes she came upon a man – a human man – who seemed lost and confused. She stopped to help the seemingly freezing man, but it turned out he was beyond help.

The human was dead but his soul was still tied to this world because he had died before completing his mission. He was a member of an order tasked with protecting a place called the Temple of the Frozen Heart. Followers of the Empyreal Lords (link tag) Tolc (link god article) and Pulura (link god article), as well as some Snowcaster followers of Findeladlara believed the temple housed a ice like crystal thought to be a piece of the heart of the Demon Lord (link tag) Kostchtchie (link god article). Not trusting Baba Yaga, long ago some of the Demon Lords essence from the Torc of Kostchtchie was syphoned off into the crystal to be hidden away.

The man’s task was to return another sacred object a stone that granted its possessor the ability to protect one from any physical harm for short periods of time. He could sense the stone nearby but his body was lost to the ice and snow. His spirit being attached to his body coupled with the fact that in the centuries since his passing the terrain had changed and he didn’t know if the temple still stood meant his mission would forever be a failure.

Malbranchalianna's sense of justice – not law which failed her father but true justice – could not let this pass. She swore to help him complete his mission. She would return to him often and allow him to ride her body in search of this Temple of the Frozen Heart. In this time he trained her in the ways of his order and the use of the protective stone. She became a fierce warrior and her childhood on the back of the tribes reindeer served her well.

Her time was not always spent with her mentor; she would also use her growing abilities to aid her tribe. Her strength of arms got her noticed by many but there was only one whose sense of right and wrong matched her own. She knew she was in love with him very soon after hearing him speak the first time. But her mission came first, she could not fail the man in the ravine.

Despite this her mission couldn’t stop her from seeing justice done among her people. When her young love was brought before the tribe for the crime of theft that she knew he couldn’t have committed, she had to stand up for him. Her undeterred pursuit of the truth discovered that another young elf had framed him because he too was in love with Malbranchalianna. The snowshaper – one of the iceblooded sorcerers the tribe would spawn from time to time – used his magic to make her love appear guilty. With no recourse she pretended to fall for the caster and tricked him into admitting his wrong doing. She used his admission of guilt to save her love, in the process destroying the casters reputation.

Even though she proved her love she could not yet take him fully into her heart. It would be a decade more before Malbranchalianna found the Temple of the Frozen Heart. And to its protectors she would return the stone even though it had shown itself to be useful. Although she could not return her mentor’s body she could feel his spirit fade from her body on completion of his mission. She was offered a place among the order which she gladly accepted.

Now that she is prepared for her own mission in life, she has embraced her feelings for her true love. She will defend the temple, her love, and her tribe with all her heart. The only thing she yearns for is the return of her father’s honor. But now she may have the means to do that, if she can figure out what his crime truly was.

First character of the New Year and she came out quite well. Although I’ve given my reasoning I’m sure there were hundreds of directions this could have taken. What class would you have chosen? Who would her undead mentor have been? Why was her family dishonored in your mind? So many possibilities what were your choices?

Like building a character, creating content takes a lot of time and effort. Your support allows me to do things like pay my phone bill so I can spend more time creating and less time worrying. If you’d like to support your favorite content provider – come on that’s me admit it – please consider contributing to my Patreon. If you’re enjoying the blog why not join the rest of the fans of the CRB on our social media hang outs. Facebook, Google+, Tumblr and Twitter all have a CRB presence, and my inbox is open on all forums for question content and discussion.

The character illustration was created by Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart.

Character 56 - Janzin Uth Pentracest

The results of this week’s random rolls: A charismatic, wise, and durable fetchling from the land of Nidal. He is the youngest son of noble-born knights who now live in the frontier of their shadowy land. Working through the stats and random bits of information as well as the harrow reading, we piece together the life of our new character. What class shall he be? How did he become who he is? Today we answer those questions.

Harrow Interpretation

Signifier Card: The Marriage, which represents the character himself, shows the progeny of the salamander and the water weird. It can represent a new power brought by both parties or it can show ruin. In this case I see it representing both. On the one hand the characters parents brought him into the world, but on the other his birth is what caused them to be banished to the frontier.

Card One: The Rabbit Prince often represents younger members of royalty or other powerful households. It can also show how combat isn’t always pretty. Since this represents where the character comes from both meanings are true. He is both the youngest son of noble knights and his parents probably trained him in the art of combat. This most likely means he would become some kind of combat class, although possibly underhanded combat.

Card Two: For the card that represents an event that affects the character, we have The Eclipse. It represents both self-doubt and a possible loss of faith. Although this character has a patron deity, I can see it as a loss of faith in the state religion. This also adds to his attempts to blackmail the clergy. He lost his way but has since found it in his new patron. This also goes into his influential associate, a pariah. I see this as someone from outside the church, a heretic perhaps.

Card Three: The character’s power or talent is shown to us by The Foreign Trader. This card represents a spy or peddler, people who can trade in information and make bargains, to which he usually ends up on the better end of.  Both a combatant and a deal maker, I think this helps guide what kind of class the character might take.

Card Four: The Peacock shows astonishing beauty frozen like a cockatrice’s statue, but instead of beauty I see this as representing this character’s drawback, a desire for reputation of fame. He wishes to be immortalized by his own reputation. And the cockatrice itself I take more literally and it cements the idea of a combat class from card one by being a cavalier of the order of the cockatrice.  In this case continuing with the idea different or underhanded combat I’m going to go with both the luring cavalier and the musketeer archetypes.

Janzin Uth Pentracest

Janzin’s family has always served the Umbral Court as caretakers of the lands to the south of the Usk Wood. His father is himself the youngest son one of the current Shade Barons of the region. With his older brother set to become next Shade Baron, Janzin’s father became a warrior of the court, a shadow knight.

Before Janzin was conceived his family lived well. His father married a daughter to another minor fetchling noble. The family was also blessed with two children, a son and a daughter, before the birth of Janzin. But Janzin’s conception was seen as a bad omen, for what reason he’s never learned. Regardless he was born and in allowing this his parents were banished to the realm of the horse farmers.

In Atteran Ranches, Janzin and his family lived on a small estate mostly keeping to themselves. The farmers had for generations been allowed to police themselves. His although his older brother would follow in their father’s footsteps and become a shadow knight, Janzin too was trained in the art of combat. Unlike the honorable knights of other realms, the Nidalese warriors were taught to win by any means necessary.  He was trained not only with sword and lance, but also to slide a dagger into an opponent’s back.

Life in Atteran Ranches changed over time. Rumors of a cult of Desna worshipers spread and once more the knights of house Uth Pentracrest were called to service. The farmers still looked to face this threat on their own, not wanting the Umbral Court’s overseers involved. But when Janzin was stolen away in the Desnan’s failed attempt to ‘free’ him from the wicked life of his Zon-Kuthon worshiping parents, there was nothing to stop his family from getting involved.

Although his rescue came swiftly, a posse of farmers actually returning him to his parent’s home, Janzin himself began to have doubts. A life of worship of Zon-Kuthon seemed dreary and dour, and the young fetchling wished for something more. Being the youngest son of a youngest son he feared his life would end in obscurity and Janzin hoped to be something bigger.

One of the things that led to Janzin’s crisis of faith was that he felt it was the state—and thus the church’s—fault that his parents had to live out in the boondocks. However there was never much he could do about his feelings until he on a trip home with his parents and he found evidence of his grandfather embezzling money from the church of Zon-Kuthon. The Kuthonites don’t take kindly to these sort of things and his grandfather had no choice but to deal.

If nothing else Janzin excelled at bartering and for his silence his grandfather would let his family return home. The deal, however, said that Janzin could not return with them. The patriarch of the family thought he had won a victory here, but in truth the young fetchling had no wish to return to the fold of the Kuthonites in his home city.

Janzin did feel oddly about having to deal with his family so harshly, another reason he knew the faith of the Midnight Lord was not for him. As an act of contrition he told his father what he had done and admitted his acts against the family. The elder fetchling just smiled. The edicts of Zon Kuthon might not have been solace for his son but now the father had the ammunition he needed against his own progenitor.

Alone in the world with no family, no faith, and not yet any fame Janzin struck out across Nidal toward the lands of their ally Cheliax. Along the way he found a man travelling the roads alone too. The man claimed to be an outcast knight seeking fame and fortune. Janzin, seeking the same, attached himself to the warrior. From him he was inducted into the order of the Cockatrice, a group of warriors who seek to leave their mark on the world.

The ways of the order were not the only lessons Janzin learned from this masterless knight. Worship of the archdevil Zaebos proved something the fetchling also took a liking to. Although he steered away from the truly evil, Janzin’s own noble birth and growing ego meant many of the structures of his hellish patron rung true in his heart.

Janzin eventually left his mentor’s side. He now roams the lands of Cheliax, Nidal, and Varisia in an effort to increase his notoriety; leaving in his wake battles won and women bedded.  Maybe one day he will return home, but that day is not today.

From jumbled bits of background I have lured forth the tale of Janzin Uth Pentracest. But mine is not the only story that could be molded here. What class would you have chosen for this character? Why does this does this fetchling choose to worship Zaebos? How did you interpret the harrow reading?

As Janzin comes from the shadows and tries to bring his name to light, so too does the CRB illuminate the world of gaming. If these characters shed some light on the dark recesses of your imagination, please consider donating to my Patreon. Looking for more from the CRB? Come find me on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open for questions and comments on all platforms.

Character Exploration 36 - Krunder Hound-Speaker

A half-elf whose defining ability is his insane toughness was a tough call. Not strong enough to be a great melee fighter, not dexterous enough to excel as an archer, lacking the wisdom or intelligence to be a great caster. Just incredibly hard to keep down and a force of personality to back it up. The rest of the background information, seen here, left little clue to his possible life path. His choice of worship, the inscrutable fey lord, Count Ranalc of the Eldest, spoke of betrayal—possibly exile.

I did finally pick a class after much deliberation and finishing a good deal of the background of his early years. I went with cavalier. Specifically the huntmaster archetype and the Order of the Green. In an attempt to codify why his life would lead him here, I rolled on the cavalier background table and the result helped clear things up.

Tragedy and Loss: In your formative years, you experienced a significant tragedy that forged you into the person you've become. You gain access to the Grief-Filled social trait.

Krunder Hound-Speaker

In the time before Starfall the elves inhabited many of the great forests across the face of Golarion. When the elves fled not all left with them. Some fled into the darklands and became the drow, others moved into the lands of humans and became the forlorn, but other still stood their ground to protect their forest homes. In the Fangwood forest that spans between what is now Nirmathas and Lastwall one such elven enclave exists.

Feeling betrayed by their people, forgotten and living in near exile from their kin in Kyonin, these elves have taken up what they consider their fey roots. Many revere the Eldest called Count Ranalc, seeing his dominion over those who have been betrayed and cast aside as their only means of survival. They seek to protect their primeval home allying with the fey of the wood. Over the course of centuries, however, Northern Fangwood has been the roosting ground of a great green dragon and much later tribes of orcs who worship him. More recently Southern Fangwood has seen a rot with the corruption of a dryad and her tree bringing a great blight.

All in all the elves of Northern Fangwood tend to be less whimsical than the other elves of Golarion, and for this reason it comes as no surprise when the odd child tries to make an escape into the humans lands. Usually the runaway elf is captured before he or she can even make the edge of the forest, but Allissitiare was the daughter of the enclave’s best tracker and she had been keeping ahead of the other hunters since she was only fifty. Once past the border of the forest, she made it to Vellumis and then a boat to the lands of Razmiran.

Allissitiare’s intent was to make for the River Kingdoms, where everyone was hiding from something, but as is often the case love got in the way. A whirlwind romance with a kellid trader found the young elf maiden in the unlikeliest of places, Numeria. Kord lived apart from his tribe but traded their goods on trips to Ustalav, Razmiran, and the River Kingdoms. His return with an elven lover set him even further afield, even after she proved she was just as good a hunter as any of them. Even with his people’s disfavor they eventually bore a child and then another.

Krunder was the eldest and he showed the blood of both his parents with slightly pointed ears and his mother’s purple eyes, as well as his father’s thick build and ruddy skin tone. Haram was the younger brother by two years and took only after his father, his mother’s elven blood did not pass on, leaving him wholly human. Regardless of their appearance they were a family and loved each other as such.

The lands of Numeria are known for their many dangers, and sadly while traveling back to Razmiran to trade Kord was felled by an irradiated ankheg. With his tribe never really caring for her, Allissitiare left the barrens of Numeria and headed home with her sons, now ten and eight. Although she feared going back to the Fangwood, Lastwall was home and she crossed Lake Encarthan once more and settled into the lakeside town she passed through once before, Vellumis.

The thing about elves is they have a long memory, and the elves of the Fangwood keep constant vigil for those who might spread tales of their existence. When Allissitiare made her return to the shores of Lastwall it was not very long before she was met by representatives of her former home. Cornered and threatened the elves of Fangwood wrested Krunder from his mother’s grasp. They informed her of their intention to keep her eldest child. If she never came for him and kept the secret of the elves of Fangwood then she and both of her sons could live.

In the shadow painted depths of Northern Fangwood Krunder was brought before his grandfather, still head of the Fangwood enclave’s defenders. The young half-elf was placed with his cousin and her husband, who had no children of their own.  Both were soldiers as were most of the elves of Fangwood and Krunder learned to live a very strict and regimented life.

When he was of age he was enrolled in the academy where all youngsters were trained in the fighting arts. Krunder was tough and could take a beating better than any of the other students, but he had no aptitude for the blade and was little better with the bow. He also lacked any talent with magic, natural or otherwise. What the half-elf did have was an affinity for animals, specifically canines. Krunder was apprenticed with the master of the kennel who in his day was a great huntsman and a member of the Order of the Green.

After graduating the academy Krunder was given the name Hound-Speaker. The elders also tried to give him a more elven name but he refused to be called anything but that which his father named him. For decades Krunder served as one of the enclave’s troops. Hunting orcs with his faithful hound Feruss but this life, this strict order, this exile from his true family ate at his heart. Eventually, like his mother, he ran, and like his mother he left behind the darkness and despair of his people as he tore through the border of Northern Fangwood.

The first place he made for was Vellumis to find his mother, but neither she nor his brother could be found there. Very few remembered the elf woman with the human son, and even those who did couldn’t say when she left or where she’d gone. Although free of the Fangwood he was still an exile from his loved ones. The one thing that stuck with him was the worship of Count Ranalc as the voice of the exile and those who have been betrayed. And now Krunder searches for his family with no hint of where to start.

The shadows of Fangwood (and the random rolls) have birthed Krunder Hound-Speaker, but this may not be the character you envisioned. What character did the disparate pieces of information call on you to make? Why would he follow Count Ranalc? From where did his parents come from? Who is the man he would become?

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