Character 87 - Mahita

This week’s random rolls left a lot of room to work with. There is so little written on the Impossible Kingdoms of Vudra, and I even got to invent a war. But looking at our character it was almost obvious that I was going to have to go with a wisdom-based caster, but I had to find something that would make use of her high strength and constitution. My initial thought was ranger, but in the long run I decided the intrinsic connection to the Matra river was important and made her a river druid. So I introduce you to our Vundrani halfling and steward of the river.

Mahita

Halflings were never native to Vudra, but as the people of Avistan began to build trade routes through the Impossible Kingdoms many of the sailors who plied those routes were halflings. Some of those little folk set up homes in Vudra, although their numbers are still few and far between. Like many other halflings who latch on to the human cultures in which they live, these Vudrani halflings would adopt some of the native culture’s traditions.

One of these groups of halflings went back to their forebearer’s itinerant ways and they became nomads of the great Matra River. They lived off of barges and brought trade goods up and down its banks. As the story goes: Early on in their time in Vudra the leader of the group, a charismatic hafling named Urly, saved a Vudran princess from drowning. The Rajah wished to give him a reward -- lands and a title -- but the halfling wanted to continue to ply the river. So the Vudrani ruler made him the prince of the section of the Matra River that ran through his kingdom.

Generations later the river dwelling halflings still claim that section of the River as their own. They are the only halflings with hereditary titles in all of Vudra. The current Prince of the River is a man named Nadish, having adopted Vudrani names over the generations. Nadish has five children including a daughter named Mahita.

Mahita took after her father in that she loved the river. Everything from the water to the banks held her interest. She wanted nothing more than to see her family and her river prosper. Like most of the halflings in her group she paid homage to the goddess of the river, Matravash, but unlike many others The Wide Water also spoke to her. Over time this connection would grow and she would become a druid of the river, but her first contact with the spirit of the river was to warn her of the coming war.

The Matra had been essential to trade in Vudra. Each Rajah controls the part of the river that traverses his domain. However, everyone wanted to claim the river trade for themselves. Backed by the Rajahs of their domains individual trading companies began sabotaging each other. Fighting would break out in tiny skirmishes until those who used the river for illicit trade got involved. Full on war between trading companies (that could be disavowed by the Rajahs) broke out.

The Prince of the River did his best to keep his own people together and protect his portion of the river. Unlike many of the other river traders he was a noble and this was his domain. Although his Rajah could not intervene, the prince knew it was his duty to keep his land – or water in this case – safe. Mahita would join in her father’s plans, along with her then lover Nikattah.

During the fighting of what would become known as the Undeclared War, the Prince of the River’s forces would most often clash with the river smugglers who sought to take advantage. Mahita and her partner hated these men for the dishonor they brought to the river. In a ruse to root out information about the smuggler leader’s plans the two girls would try and tempt the River Rats into divulging these secrets. Mahita, never the best people person, failed but had no qualms about trying. Nikattah was better at it, but not good enough to go undetected and sadly the River Rats killed her, leaving Mahita to mourn her lover’s loss.

The Undeclared War would end in less than a year. There were many casualties and bad blood left between those who had to continue to trade with each other. The River Rats suffered a terrible blow from the fury of Mahita and the forces of her father, the River Prince. The smugglers are now all but known in the prince’s territory for fear of deadly reprisal.

Even the great goddess Matravash saw the valor in her halflings and especially Mahita who had heeded her warning well. The Wide Water gifted Mahita with magics and a deeper connection to the waters her family had plied for generations. Even one of the creatures of the Matra, a river otter, presented itself to her as a companion. She named it Nik after her lost love.

With three older siblings, Mahita realizes that as much as she loves the river and her people, she will not be the next Prince of the River. So for now she has decided to take to traveling, to get to know the entire length of the waters of which Matravash has made her a steward. With Nik at her side and the knife given to her by her companion’s namesake, she heads off into the wider world.

How did you flesh out your halfling? What class did the she choose? How did your halflings get to Vudra? When did her family become nobles? What war did she witness?

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