The World of Halla
In this google drive I have all of the world building information about Halla for DMs and other enthusiasts.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YQV7Zncx7BVt4r3LdkjqObYueyKaGmYZvUUpViTsg_E/edit?usp=sharing
And here is a version for people who might be interested in playing in the campaign(without all of the information that should be privy only to the DM) :
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HjXYSA6lmdWGnCO_F9o7uKxJlzttrOQALfOWnfsUn50/edit?usp=sharing
And here is a version for people who might be interested in playing in the campaign(without all of the information that should be privy only to the DM) :
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HjXYSA6lmdWGnCO_F9o7uKxJlzttrOQALfOWnfsUn50/edit?usp=sharing
Here is an image of a map I designed for my campaign through DungeonFog(without the enemies for now as to not spoil it for my players).
Backstories
Over the last year or so I have found it very interesting to make fantasy character stories and I have even created a mini-game for myself. If I get given three words I have to create a 500+ word backstory about a character within 10 minutes and I've had a lot of fun making them. Here are some examples of these backstories.
Gildor Dwin'anea
The Dwin’anea are an ancient elven family that have for many moons produced some of the best sword fighters in elven history. For them swordplay is a form of art. They spend many years training in secrecy within their forest-mountainous retreat, traditionally under the moonlight. They say if one could expertly wield a blade in the dark one could wield a blade in any situation. Another one of their beliefs includes the fact that the moonlight blesses their family. When a Dwin’anean elf reaches adulthood they go through a special moonlight ceremony of maturity and get sent away to hone their skills across the world, make a name for themselves and bring back knowledge to the family. Gildor was never one for tradition and always felt bored during his grandfather’s lectures. On the other hand he really enjoyed his sword lessons and cherished every minute of them. His swordplay exceeded many of his siblings but his reputation as a rebel and a trickster dissuaded the elders from seeing much promise in him. He loved to take things from others but for him it wasn’t for the gain but rather the challenge. The harder it was to steal something, the more it excited Gildor. When his Moonrite came you could say he was ‘over the moon’. He left the settlement with a set of clothes, a small pouch on his side, two swords by his side and a wide world ahead of him to explore. He travelled a lot all across the kingdom of Melios, The Hinterlands, Shin’Hasa but his favourite places were along the Rhiallo Coast. The chaos and freedom that they offered was exhilarating for him and he spent many years travelling from town to town and finding new challenges to steal. For a couple of years he even tried on a pirate ship as the idea of taking things and testing his blade on an everyday basis was everything he could dream of. One day his ship was nearing the coast when another appeared on the horizon. When the scout saw the colours he screamed. It was the Bloody Mary- The Scourge of the Sea’s Ship. Gildor had heard stories about him but had never seen him in action. He was said to be the finest swordsman across the Via Sea and the most fearsome pirate in the world. They tried to run but the Bloody Mary quickly caught up and the hooks were quickly attached. Gildor slashed his way through a dozen pirates before coming face to face with this handsome swordsman, long sleek black hair, dark blue eyes, tanned skin and nice linen clothes. Their duel was intense. An hour went by, most of the fighting along the ship had ceased but their duel went on. Siero stopped and spoke:
- I am impressed you have kept up this long elf, I guess the legends about your kind do apply to some of you. It isn’t often nowadays that I break a sweat during a fight. What is your name so I can remember it?
- Gildor Dwin’anea! And you sound quite smug for someone who is about to be cut down.
- I like your gusto, Longears. But I am afraid all of your friends are defeated. And my men are getting impatient so it’s time I took this seriously.
In the next few minutes Sierro seemed to have switched into a different gear. All of a sudden Gildor could barely keep up with him. It quickly became clear to him that Sierro had been playing with him and he was outmatched. He quickly ran out of breath and was cornered on the stern of the ship.
- I tell you this Gildor. As you have amused me immensely today I shall make you an offer. I could use men such as yourself in my crew. There is no need to waste away on this boat. Your skills can be put to good use.
- That seems like an enticing offer. I might be interested as you seem like someone who can help me hone my skills even further under. And thus Gildor joined Sierro’s crew and spent many a day clashing blades with Sierro. He spent many days as Sierro’s right hand man and went on errands for him on land while Sierro was at sea. He managed to establish some good connections across the network of Sierro’s allies. One day he was looking for Sierro in his office and found it empty. His inquisitive nature got the best of him and he looked around. He found a map in one of the drawers that lead to something labelled Sierro’s secret. Alongside it there were three magic stones. He memorised the details and deftly made sure he left everything as he found it, keeping one of the magic stones while quickly forging a replica. Later during downtime between tasks, he headed out, rented a small boat to take him to a small island, a couple of miles off the coast near Tortega. When he reached it he followed the instructions until he reached a cave behind a waterfall where he found insurmountable treasure. He looked around and found an array of traps setup catch unexpected visitors. He deftly avoided all of them until he reached the heart of the treasure hoard. There he found many items he could take but he was here for the thrill not gain, and he knew he couldn’t carry much on the boat. So he looked around until he found three chambers. Two of them seemed to contain a single item. A sheathed sword lay on a cushion in the centre of each room. The third seemed to have someone locked inside. Immediately Gildor was enchanted. Inside lay a female elf of breath-taking beauty. Long golden hair spread over her shoulders to cover silky smooth skin, enchanting blue eyes and soft red lips. Gildor tried his luck on the door quietly but in doing so woke up the elf. She looked at him as if his presence was a mystery, something that is unlikely, unheard of yet new.
- Who are you? Is Sierro playing another one of his games? - the woman spoke inquisitively.
- I am Gildor Dwin’anea of little importance m’lady. I seemed to have forgotten why I came here the moment I lay eyes upon you! - answered Gildor, surprised to find himself out of breath and even more surprised to have answered so truthfully. He was usually much better at weaving his words. The elf chuckled and continued.
- You poor soul you must leave before he finds out that you are here. Sierro keeps a better eye on this place than you imagine.
- Don’t worry about me m’lady. I can take care of myself. What is an elven goddess such as yourself doing in a place like this?
- You flatter me sir. Alas I have become one of Sierro’s spoils. Taken from my homeland as a trophy and locked away. I have certain abilities as you may have already noticed and this also makes me useful to that despicable human.
- I can break you free if you’d like that?- spoke Gildor in a way he didn’t expect. It seemed his mouth was speaking more clearly than his mind felt.
- I wish that were true but alas all three of these doors are locked by magical means. Sierro keeps them with him at all times to be sure.
- You mean a stone like this?- stated Gildor as he pulled the one he had kept out of his pocket.
- Yes each stone can be used on a lock once per ten days. I am impressed you managed to get your hands on one. - said the elf amazed.
Gildor stopped himself for a moment. That meant he would most likely be able to open only one of the doors. He had to choose. A sword or the girl. Usually this would be an easy answer for Gildor but he hesitated. Something about this elf made his knees buckle and his long ears ring. Ahhh, he could always find a cool sword, he might even have a chance to come back here one day. If Sierro doesn’t find out and kill him first of course. So Gildor made the decision and opened the door freeing the elf. He carried her across the traps and led her to the boat. As they approached the coast the elf spoke.
- No! You mustn’t! If you dock here Sierro will find out. Dock a couple of miles west and let’s head inland as far as possible. I have seen the outcome that awaits you if you go that way.
Gildor wasn’t sure why but he believed her. After telling as much of the truth as he did in that cave anything was possible. So they docked west of Tortega and headed off north eventually finding their way to Melios. Along the road the two started talking and quickly grew on each other. It was love at first sight sealed. He found out her name was Elenor and she had come from an elven settlement far south that was no more. He found the small town of Malrook a good place to hide. He spent a couple of months adventuring and ‘borrowing’ to collect money and got a small house on the outskirts where he could leave Elenor in hiding for a while. He told her his journey of the Moonrite was not yet complete so he had to travel more before he could return to his family but wanted to make sure she was safe before continuing. There was no doubt in both of their minds that Sierro would find out and hunt her down. When his journey was complete he would come back to her and take her to his home where she could once again enjoy elven company and they could be together forever. He would make sure Sierro would rue the day he had taken her home away from her. And thus Gildor found himself at Dunk’s tavern when a rowdy bunch started having an argument that peaked his curiosity.
- I am impressed you have kept up this long elf, I guess the legends about your kind do apply to some of you. It isn’t often nowadays that I break a sweat during a fight. What is your name so I can remember it?
- Gildor Dwin’anea! And you sound quite smug for someone who is about to be cut down.
- I like your gusto, Longears. But I am afraid all of your friends are defeated. And my men are getting impatient so it’s time I took this seriously.
In the next few minutes Sierro seemed to have switched into a different gear. All of a sudden Gildor could barely keep up with him. It quickly became clear to him that Sierro had been playing with him and he was outmatched. He quickly ran out of breath and was cornered on the stern of the ship.
- I tell you this Gildor. As you have amused me immensely today I shall make you an offer. I could use men such as yourself in my crew. There is no need to waste away on this boat. Your skills can be put to good use.
- That seems like an enticing offer. I might be interested as you seem like someone who can help me hone my skills even further under. And thus Gildor joined Sierro’s crew and spent many a day clashing blades with Sierro. He spent many days as Sierro’s right hand man and went on errands for him on land while Sierro was at sea. He managed to establish some good connections across the network of Sierro’s allies. One day he was looking for Sierro in his office and found it empty. His inquisitive nature got the best of him and he looked around. He found a map in one of the drawers that lead to something labelled Sierro’s secret. Alongside it there were three magic stones. He memorised the details and deftly made sure he left everything as he found it, keeping one of the magic stones while quickly forging a replica. Later during downtime between tasks, he headed out, rented a small boat to take him to a small island, a couple of miles off the coast near Tortega. When he reached it he followed the instructions until he reached a cave behind a waterfall where he found insurmountable treasure. He looked around and found an array of traps setup catch unexpected visitors. He deftly avoided all of them until he reached the heart of the treasure hoard. There he found many items he could take but he was here for the thrill not gain, and he knew he couldn’t carry much on the boat. So he looked around until he found three chambers. Two of them seemed to contain a single item. A sheathed sword lay on a cushion in the centre of each room. The third seemed to have someone locked inside. Immediately Gildor was enchanted. Inside lay a female elf of breath-taking beauty. Long golden hair spread over her shoulders to cover silky smooth skin, enchanting blue eyes and soft red lips. Gildor tried his luck on the door quietly but in doing so woke up the elf. She looked at him as if his presence was a mystery, something that is unlikely, unheard of yet new.
- Who are you? Is Sierro playing another one of his games? - the woman spoke inquisitively.
- I am Gildor Dwin’anea of little importance m’lady. I seemed to have forgotten why I came here the moment I lay eyes upon you! - answered Gildor, surprised to find himself out of breath and even more surprised to have answered so truthfully. He was usually much better at weaving his words. The elf chuckled and continued.
- You poor soul you must leave before he finds out that you are here. Sierro keeps a better eye on this place than you imagine.
- Don’t worry about me m’lady. I can take care of myself. What is an elven goddess such as yourself doing in a place like this?
- You flatter me sir. Alas I have become one of Sierro’s spoils. Taken from my homeland as a trophy and locked away. I have certain abilities as you may have already noticed and this also makes me useful to that despicable human.
- I can break you free if you’d like that?- spoke Gildor in a way he didn’t expect. It seemed his mouth was speaking more clearly than his mind felt.
- I wish that were true but alas all three of these doors are locked by magical means. Sierro keeps them with him at all times to be sure.
- You mean a stone like this?- stated Gildor as he pulled the one he had kept out of his pocket.
- Yes each stone can be used on a lock once per ten days. I am impressed you managed to get your hands on one. - said the elf amazed.
Gildor stopped himself for a moment. That meant he would most likely be able to open only one of the doors. He had to choose. A sword or the girl. Usually this would be an easy answer for Gildor but he hesitated. Something about this elf made his knees buckle and his long ears ring. Ahhh, he could always find a cool sword, he might even have a chance to come back here one day. If Sierro doesn’t find out and kill him first of course. So Gildor made the decision and opened the door freeing the elf. He carried her across the traps and led her to the boat. As they approached the coast the elf spoke.
- No! You mustn’t! If you dock here Sierro will find out. Dock a couple of miles west and let’s head inland as far as possible. I have seen the outcome that awaits you if you go that way.
Gildor wasn’t sure why but he believed her. After telling as much of the truth as he did in that cave anything was possible. So they docked west of Tortega and headed off north eventually finding their way to Melios. Along the road the two started talking and quickly grew on each other. It was love at first sight sealed. He found out her name was Elenor and she had come from an elven settlement far south that was no more. He found the small town of Malrook a good place to hide. He spent a couple of months adventuring and ‘borrowing’ to collect money and got a small house on the outskirts where he could leave Elenor in hiding for a while. He told her his journey of the Moonrite was not yet complete so he had to travel more before he could return to his family but wanted to make sure she was safe before continuing. There was no doubt in both of their minds that Sierro would find out and hunt her down. When his journey was complete he would come back to her and take her to his home where she could once again enjoy elven company and they could be together forever. He would make sure Sierro would rue the day he had taken her home away from her. And thus Gildor found himself at Dunk’s tavern when a rowdy bunch started having an argument that peaked his curiosity.
Kroq Kni'Sa
The Lizardmen Kingdom, hidden deep in the jungles of Tropalor is a secretive society that tends to avoid revealing itself. They live peacefully under the protection of Pelor, goddess of the Sun and agriculture and Sehanine the moon goddess. They tend to not be violent against other races but deal with invaders of their land swiftly and brutally. Sometimes they tend to send scouts and traders to learn of the outside world but they keep their own secrets well hidden. No one has ever gone into the Tropalor jungle and survived to live the tale. It is not surprising then, that they reacted in such a way to Harry's transgression. First of all Harry wasn't always known as Harry. His birth name was Kroq Kni'Sa of the royal line of Kni'Sa which ruled over the People of Pelopeya, the sacred city of Lazarus people. His Brother Garnok Kni'Sa is a born leader, benevolent, wise, courageous, kind and strong. Ever since he was a child all loved him and knew he would be a great ruler inheriting his father Balwakan. Kroq on the other hand has always been a bit different, while his brother was learning how to write and fight, Kroq was too busy exploring the jungles pulling pranks and handmaids and noblewomen, always sticking his head where it has no place in being. He was never looked upon like his brother for greatness so he kept feeling neglected and kept pulling larger and larger schemes. They were generally dealt with easily, while he was a kid but when he kept at his shenanigans at a later age people started being complacent. And then he crossed the line. One day he went away from the jungle and led a female from a nearby town back to his lair. He kept his intrigue with his lovely Leia a secret but one day he was awoken within his Cavern to loads of noises and found it surrounded by guards. A lizard man who didn't quite like Kroq spotted him sneaking her in and had reported it to the authorities and they had surrounded him in the morning. They took Leia, while with difficulty and having three guys now holding back a full grown lizard royal(which come from thicker and stronger blood from most) and later executed her infront of him publicly. His brother was forced to make a decision to either execute him as well or exile him through a blood rite ritual that will make him forget how to get home and keep him away from the jungle until he has proven himself worthy. His brother managed to pull him aside and add a clause that most of his memory returns as long as he stays away from the Jungle until he achieves much. He left him a specific whistle that when he feels he is ready to return or his brother has calmed the populace a bit they can communicate through a special reptilian bird that answers only to those two whistles so that Kroq can return to his side. His brother was very sad and sorry that it had to end this way but hoped with 1 last trick to keep his brother safe with a special edition in the pact that will help him along his journey as well as a stash of royal weapons that will keep him safe.
So when he was exiled he was renamed in his edited memory as Hairry as in their language it means idiot.
So when he was exiled he was renamed in his edited memory as Hairry as in their language it means idiot.
Kalador
When Kalador was a young boy things were much simpler. Life with his family was happy and peaceful. One day ,him being around eight years old at the time , he stumbled upon a disturbing sight, while heading home after errands for his father. A couple of boys had surrounded a little girl ,a bit younger than himself , and were picking on her. The one who seemed to be in charge had fancier clothing than the rest. It was the son of a local lord who was as much of a spoiled brat as one could get. Kalador felt furious and ran up to the boys and tackled the lordling, he tried to fight his way through them and out of nowhere another boy appeared and jumped into the fray. The scrap went on until they found themselves surrounded by the other boys. Kal felt anger seer through him and all of a sudden his palms felt heated. Slight bursts of flame came out of his hands and all the boys immediately got spooked and left the lordling by himself. The lordling stared him down for a second and ran off as well.
After the threat was gone he turned to the girl and the boy that had helped him. He found their names to be Melis and Dane. They quickly befriended each other afterwards and became best friends for the years to come. Upon retelling the story to his father, Kal was submitted to a wizarding academy as he seemed to have some talent for the arcane. He spent about four years in the academy, which were full of great stories, pranks, jokes, new friendships and a lot of great knowledge. After his 4th year he and a female friend ,by the name of Helen, were sent to the frontier as magical support to join up with one of the platoons in charge of guarding the realm from monstrosities and the like.
Low and behold he discovered that Melis and Dane had also been assigned to this unit as a swordsman and a cleric. He remembered that Dane’s father was a swordsman and that Melis had gone to a monastery but couldn’t believe his luck in finding them here of all places. They spent a few months working on small raids and border patrol. They shared tales of their last few years along the way and added a ranger by the name of Rast to their little social group. One day their platoon was assigned a big mission. To join up with Captain Reinar’s men and clear a particularly nasty forest of potential raiding beasts. When they were first assigned the mission the name sounded familiar to Kal but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
They headed into the forest with a total of 200 men(150 of which being Captain Reinar’s. Reinar blindly led them deeper and deeper not wasting time in scouting ahead. They would soon regret it as they got ambushed by a giant group of Effits, trolls orcs and goblins. Many men were slain on the initial charge and upon seeing the gruesome sight the Captain and his personal guard ran for his life like a bunch of headless chickens. Even though the fighting went on for only a couple of hours it felt like days to the ones left to fight for survival. Amidst the chaos our crew had managed to claw out a defensive position and slowly but surely managed to clear a path to get out.
By the end of the day Kal, Dane, Melis, Helen and Rast were standing together with a couple of survivors. Upon reaching their base they found the captain and his men lounging in their tent and lavishing on having survived telling great tales of how Reinar had cut his way through the hordes and led them back to safety. Upon hearing such blasphemy Kal couldn’t take it. He fired a mote of fire straight at Reinar’s face and called him a bleeding liar and a coward. The captain’s men instantly restrained him and within minutes he found himself in a cell. Weeks passed in there until he saw anyone but a pair of hands through the grate with a piece of bread and a water skin. After some time he saw the door open to reveal a highly decorated officer.
- Do you know who I am boy?- asked the man.
- No, sir.- answered Kal honestly.
- I am Colonel Lionel Levy.- stated the man.
- The Sir Lionel? Lionel the Brave? It is an honour sir, but what is a man such as yourself doing, visiting a poor soldier such as myself?
- I heard of your heroics at the skirmish that took place in the Northern forest. So I came to see the so-called Bloodfire wizard.
- Is that what they called me .Well I do not wish to disappoint but I was only doing my duty.
- Those men are grateful to you and your companions for saving their lives. So why are you rotting away in a cell like this?
- Well cuz I can’t hold my temper when I hear a snake’s cowardly hisses sir, excuse my rudeness.
- Ah yes, Reinar. You left quite the scar on him. But knowing his father I am not surprised. Here is why I have come here. I am in need of talented individuals such as yourself and the men, which survived that battle. I have already spoken to the others and they gave me one condition. They begged your release. Now I am not as powerful as Reinar senior is, but I have considered your abilities and have decided to give you a chance as a wizard in my new raiding unit. You 5 have already proven yourselves and I’ve got some missions that might fit your skills.
Kal didn’t know how to respond. He was extremely grateful to Lionel and agreed right away. The next few months they went on several missions and succeeded in earning glory and quite a reputation. During downtime Dane and Kal would learn from Lionel and hone their skills in combat and tactics. Little did Kal know that while all this was happening his old friend Ronald Reinar was furious with their success and was planning to get back at Kal for his now lovely scar. One day they were sent to investigate a mountainside report about organised orc activity near a village. As they were nearing the village along their planned route they were ambushed and overwhelmed by orcs. When Kal came to, he found himself and Dane were tied up in a cave and could see across the corridor another cavernous room where Helen was also tied up. He wondered where Rast and Melis were when he overheard the orcs speak in common:
- This was such an easy catch thanks to the instructions that human gave us.
- Yeah that Ronar what's-his-name was pretty generous as well. Give us gold to capture a couple of puny weaklings. Upon hearing that Kal’s face steamed with anger. They were setup. By that creep. The same creep that had assaulted Melis, the same guy who left them to die and had lied for his participation in the fight. The same captain that had sent him to jail. And then he heard a scream.
- Oh why does Morc get to have all the fun.- said one of the orcs.
- Don’t worry we’ll all get our turns. I personally want to play with this one Zuhn. - and he approached the opposite cave.
Zuhn blinked and found Morc’s head completely blackened and turned to hear the sound of chiming bells that burst his ears. Kal had burned off the ropes and had in two swift strikes taken them both down. Another 3 charged down the corridor, two of which soon found themselves with arrows in between their eyes. Dane charged to the body of Zuhn, took his huge sword and cut down the third orc. Rast had managed to evade capture and had come to their rescue as well. They quickly freed Helen and headed in the direction of the scream. It had to be Melis. When they entered the cavern they all gasped. There were five orcs centred around Melis doing despicable things to her. Kal shot a fireball and with his skill managed to burn all of them and avoid doing any damage to the girl. Dane ran to her and grasped her twitching body. Her eyes kept staring up and all of her body was covered in bruises and orc fluid. They all heard two words from her :
- Kill me! - whispered Melis through broken lips.
Dane picked her up and Helen summoned a familiar to carry her. Dane charged forth blinded by fury with Rast and Kal trying to chase him as he cut through every orc he could find. They fought hard but managed to reach the exit tunnel. As they were approaching the end Rast fired an explosive arrow at the supporting walls of the cave to weaken them but got mauled by a giant orc’s hammer. Dane stopped and started slashing through orc after orc. By this point Kal and Helen were out of magic and barely able to run. Dane picked up a hammer from an orc he had cut down and pushed Kal after Helen through the opening.
- Protect them Kalador. Save Melis and Helen and get back at that bastard. It was an honour knowing you.- and with a smile on his face for the first time all day Dane smacked the weakened supports and caved it in.
Kal clawed at the rocks, cried and raged for minutes until Helen was able to subdue him and get him to pull himself together. They travelled far until they reached Melis’s monastery where they hoped the clerics there would be able to help her but she was never the same. Kal asked Helen to stay with her as he has some unfinished business. She understood but made him promise whatever he does he has to return to her as she wouldn’t be able to bear the thought. So Kal decided to take a different approach to his original plan of going in there and razing Reinar’s tent to the ground.
He spent the next year following his movements. This guy turned out to be an even bigger piece of work than Kal imagined. He tortured men who he felt displeased with. Regularly had women to his chambers that ended up discarded the next day all bruised and bloodied. Certain of his men were spotted collecting beggars off the streets and bringing him to a wizard friend of his that Kal suspected was up to some forbidden magic. But alas he couldn’t find an easy way around dealing with Reinar and thus decided to seek aid with the adventurers to the south who seemed to him had the freedom to chase allegiances of their own, some of which could rise to great acclaim. And thus he would meet the rest of the crew along the way.
Cal
Cal was a small boy who was born in one of the most prominent tribes of the Wild lands. The Scotia tribe. They were a proud tribe with long-standing traditions of warfare, music and vibrant colours. They had the greenest lands in the otherwise skimpy Wildlands if north-eastern Hala. They tended to mind their own business and handle anyone who came at them with ease. Cal was the son of the tribal chief L'gan. He quickly grew in strength and from a very early age was taking on most of his father's warriors with ease. Cal was a bit thick headed but headstrong and found a solution to every problem with brute strength. His father tried to teach him there are other ways of hunting and that surprise can be your ally on many occasions but Cal preferred to rush in with his axe and take on anything. And thus Cal lived a happy life across the green fields of the High Wildlands.
Until the fateful day when the tribe of Untalok embraced a stranger as their leader. He had come from distant lands and had knowledge of tactics and ways that the others tribes did not and quickly started assimilating other tribes. Sooner rather than later came to Scotians' turn. L'gan assessing his impending peril and out of concern for his people proposed to Pono that he take him on in single combat and whoever is victorious would get to take on the other's tribe without spilling unnecessary blood. When Cal took wind of this he begged his father to let him fight instead but L'gan insisted that he wasn't ready and that if anything were to happen to him Cal would take on responsibility of the tribe and he would never sit idle while his son is in danger. As he was donning his hide armour and sharpening his axe Cal kept begging him. At one point he snapped took a club and knocked his father out. He quickly took his father's weapon and armour, put on his mask and went to face Pono pretending to be his dad.
Cal fought fiercely but it was as if Pono knew his every move and dodged with ease. Cal went into a frenzy of blows but none seemed to hit. Several minutes in he was exhausted while Pono had barely broken a sweat. With a couple of quick strikes he started his counter-attack and took Cal down. As he was getting ready to commit the final blow, L'gan ran across the battlefield and blocked the sword with a hand axe. He turned to Cal with a warm smile and said "Run, run far away from here! Return when you gain enough knowledge of the outside world and friends that you can one day come back and free Scotia so your children can roam the high hills free like you used to, and,,, I love you son!" and with those final words the great L'gan commenced a ferocious battle that would be his last. Beaten, confused and distraught Cal was pulled away and as he was being dragged by his uncle he saw his father turn and be pushed on his knees and with one final glance with a smile at him see his father's head roll on the ground. It took several hours for Cal to be contained and for him to calm down. Once he did he realised what he had done. In his rashness he had recklessly run into battle not only endangering himself, but his father, his father's honour and his entire tribe. Because of his recklessness his father was now dead and his tribe most likely enslaved. He then vowed to follow through with L'gan's final request to go and scour the world until he is ready to defeat Pono and free his people. He also vowed to think first before rashly rushing into battle. And this his journey began.
Until the fateful day when the tribe of Untalok embraced a stranger as their leader. He had come from distant lands and had knowledge of tactics and ways that the others tribes did not and quickly started assimilating other tribes. Sooner rather than later came to Scotians' turn. L'gan assessing his impending peril and out of concern for his people proposed to Pono that he take him on in single combat and whoever is victorious would get to take on the other's tribe without spilling unnecessary blood. When Cal took wind of this he begged his father to let him fight instead but L'gan insisted that he wasn't ready and that if anything were to happen to him Cal would take on responsibility of the tribe and he would never sit idle while his son is in danger. As he was donning his hide armour and sharpening his axe Cal kept begging him. At one point he snapped took a club and knocked his father out. He quickly took his father's weapon and armour, put on his mask and went to face Pono pretending to be his dad.
Cal fought fiercely but it was as if Pono knew his every move and dodged with ease. Cal went into a frenzy of blows but none seemed to hit. Several minutes in he was exhausted while Pono had barely broken a sweat. With a couple of quick strikes he started his counter-attack and took Cal down. As he was getting ready to commit the final blow, L'gan ran across the battlefield and blocked the sword with a hand axe. He turned to Cal with a warm smile and said "Run, run far away from here! Return when you gain enough knowledge of the outside world and friends that you can one day come back and free Scotia so your children can roam the high hills free like you used to, and,,, I love you son!" and with those final words the great L'gan commenced a ferocious battle that would be his last. Beaten, confused and distraught Cal was pulled away and as he was being dragged by his uncle he saw his father turn and be pushed on his knees and with one final glance with a smile at him see his father's head roll on the ground. It took several hours for Cal to be contained and for him to calm down. Once he did he realised what he had done. In his rashness he had recklessly run into battle not only endangering himself, but his father, his father's honour and his entire tribe. Because of his recklessness his father was now dead and his tribe most likely enslaved. He then vowed to follow through with L'gan's final request to go and scour the world until he is ready to defeat Pono and free his people. He also vowed to think first before rashly rushing into battle. And this his journey began.
Zaphira
Zaphira was raised in the outskirts in the beautiful river metropolis Camelios, a rather tranquil and peaceful city mainly populated by elves, dryads, gnomes and some human druids here and there. It mainly sticks to natural construction within a great forest sloping and transforming into an outstanding river valley riddled with marble and bejewelled structures. Both of these areas are overseen by gnomish buildings and factories sticking out of the Calei mountain and even some floating contraptions. In the middle of this marvelous city, in a small hut within the forest part, Petyr and Moora lived a simple life devoted to nature and the wonder that mixing the right herbs can perform. Close followers of Melora they help out here and there and took it as a sign from the gods when one day a little elven girl turned up at their doorstep in a cradle with a note " I am Zaphira and Melora sends me" . The child had a small beaded bracelet with runes on the beads which no one could recognise so they took it on as a blessing.
They brought up Zaphira into their beliefs, and taught her how to meddle in druidic arts and herbs and medicine. With everyday that passed Zaphira seemed to act more and more like her parents to the point where they were determined it was because she was sent by the goddess to them as an answer to their prayers. She kept to herself mostly, a very shy girl but in moments when she played with other children she seemed to blossom and exude happiness and yet when it came time to lessons she would be patient and listened intently.
One day she was playing with some dolls in her room and acted out the voices of different dolls and getting into it and all of a sudden something felt different. Her mother Moora walked into the room and saw her and panicked " What happened to my Zaphira? Who are you?" to which Zaphira responded confused: It is me mother don't you recognise me? " and her shape shifted back into her normal elven self. After which her parents were afraid and told her to try and avoid using this ability. Afterwards they slowly started distancing themselves from her.
Slowly she felt looked weirdly at, by all. One day she accidentally changed when hanging with friends and everyone reacted in disgust and fear. Months on end she was shunned fiercely as an outcast and a freak without being able to leave her house peacefully .With a heavy heart she decided to leave a note to her parents and sneak out and leave the city.
For many days Zaphira kept crying while walking the woods until she finally reached the capital city of Meldana or at least the outskirts of this industrial and splendid megapolis which even surpassed the size of Camelios four times. Extremely hungry she walked up to the first food stand she saw and picked up an apple and ate it. As soon as she did the vendor started yelling at her and chased her across the streets. She turned the corner into an alley and instinctively turned into one of her childhood friends and managed to get away.
For the next few years she learned to master her shifting and utilise it to make a living, steal and hide, deceive and rob people to stay alive. She became Jin the Queen of the streets. It had been years since she had been Zaphira when one day she saw an adventuring board on one of the streets. She saw some good prices to deal with problems and started travelling. Several months in she started making a bit of a better living and was now better equipped. She learned from other druid adventurers more combat magic and adopted a whip to her arsenal. One day while perusing the board she heard a male voice in her head say take the malrook bandit job, you won't regret it. And thus her journey began.
They brought up Zaphira into their beliefs, and taught her how to meddle in druidic arts and herbs and medicine. With everyday that passed Zaphira seemed to act more and more like her parents to the point where they were determined it was because she was sent by the goddess to them as an answer to their prayers. She kept to herself mostly, a very shy girl but in moments when she played with other children she seemed to blossom and exude happiness and yet when it came time to lessons she would be patient and listened intently.
One day she was playing with some dolls in her room and acted out the voices of different dolls and getting into it and all of a sudden something felt different. Her mother Moora walked into the room and saw her and panicked " What happened to my Zaphira? Who are you?" to which Zaphira responded confused: It is me mother don't you recognise me? " and her shape shifted back into her normal elven self. After which her parents were afraid and told her to try and avoid using this ability. Afterwards they slowly started distancing themselves from her.
Slowly she felt looked weirdly at, by all. One day she accidentally changed when hanging with friends and everyone reacted in disgust and fear. Months on end she was shunned fiercely as an outcast and a freak without being able to leave her house peacefully .With a heavy heart she decided to leave a note to her parents and sneak out and leave the city.
For many days Zaphira kept crying while walking the woods until she finally reached the capital city of Meldana or at least the outskirts of this industrial and splendid megapolis which even surpassed the size of Camelios four times. Extremely hungry she walked up to the first food stand she saw and picked up an apple and ate it. As soon as she did the vendor started yelling at her and chased her across the streets. She turned the corner into an alley and instinctively turned into one of her childhood friends and managed to get away.
For the next few years she learned to master her shifting and utilise it to make a living, steal and hide, deceive and rob people to stay alive. She became Jin the Queen of the streets. It had been years since she had been Zaphira when one day she saw an adventuring board on one of the streets. She saw some good prices to deal with problems and started travelling. Several months in she started making a bit of a better living and was now better equipped. She learned from other druid adventurers more combat magic and adopted a whip to her arsenal. One day while perusing the board she heard a male voice in her head say take the malrook bandit job, you won't regret it. And thus her journey began.
Agis Omatumal
Agis grew up in a nomadic family. Ever since she can remember, her family has been travelling from town to town, from country to country. She never really had a home other than the people she travelled with. There weren't many other kids in the nomadic group so she kept to herself and her parents. And of course, her little friend that she spoke to from time to time. Many of the others wouldn't believe Agis when she said she spoke to him but she knew they were all jealous.
He first introduced himself as a stranger who came to keep her company but she already knew the stories that the changeling descendants that she was travelling with, were passing on. She knew it was the Traveller, he was impressed with her and after several meetings he approached her. "Do you trust me little Agis?" "Yes of course Traveller, I love and trust you completely!" "Then I would like to give you a gift. Here come, give me your hand little one, this might sting a bit but I assure you it is worth it!" the little girl approached him eagerly and as he took her arm the image of a cloaked figure seared into her forearm. She screamed for a second and the Traveller disappeared as her parents ran in the tent, with one final whisper in her mind" We will meet again so I can teach you about my gift " and she could feel the grin that he gave her even if she couldn't see him.
Following that encounter she would meet with him often to learn about the arcane abilities he bestowed her with admiration and devotion that bordered, and was quite obvious love, towards him even though she knew his nature would never allow it. It came a time in which she decided to continue on her way separately from the rest of the group and going down to the coastal provinces, with the help of the traveller she built a different persona for each city she travelled through.
One particular one she used most of all ,that she developed in the city of Belladonna under the tutelage of Tetis ,one of the best poison makers in the world, was Fei. When she becomes Fei she turns into a silver tongued drow beauty with crimson hair, deep blue eyes and silky skin, a master of the art of poison, deception and sneaking a stiletto in a gown that barely covers anything. One morning she awoke from a sudden message from you-know-who" You must go to Malrook, I think you will find a lot of fun if you do. Maybe even a lost soul that you can help guide back to me. " She felt like protesting, like saying he didn't need anyone else but her but before she could he spoke again." I know your devotion to me is great, child, but if you want me to succeed I need more followers, and I think you will like this one.
He first introduced himself as a stranger who came to keep her company but she already knew the stories that the changeling descendants that she was travelling with, were passing on. She knew it was the Traveller, he was impressed with her and after several meetings he approached her. "Do you trust me little Agis?" "Yes of course Traveller, I love and trust you completely!" "Then I would like to give you a gift. Here come, give me your hand little one, this might sting a bit but I assure you it is worth it!" the little girl approached him eagerly and as he took her arm the image of a cloaked figure seared into her forearm. She screamed for a second and the Traveller disappeared as her parents ran in the tent, with one final whisper in her mind" We will meet again so I can teach you about my gift " and she could feel the grin that he gave her even if she couldn't see him.
Following that encounter she would meet with him often to learn about the arcane abilities he bestowed her with admiration and devotion that bordered, and was quite obvious love, towards him even though she knew his nature would never allow it. It came a time in which she decided to continue on her way separately from the rest of the group and going down to the coastal provinces, with the help of the traveller she built a different persona for each city she travelled through.
One particular one she used most of all ,that she developed in the city of Belladonna under the tutelage of Tetis ,one of the best poison makers in the world, was Fei. When she becomes Fei she turns into a silver tongued drow beauty with crimson hair, deep blue eyes and silky skin, a master of the art of poison, deception and sneaking a stiletto in a gown that barely covers anything. One morning she awoke from a sudden message from you-know-who" You must go to Malrook, I think you will find a lot of fun if you do. Maybe even a lost soul that you can help guide back to me. " She felt like protesting, like saying he didn't need anyone else but her but before she could he spoke again." I know your devotion to me is great, child, but if you want me to succeed I need more followers, and I think you will like this one.
Asha'Bellanar
Asha was left at a monk temple as a newborn by her unknown parents. As she grew up, the monks would teach her about their way of life and what they follow. “The Way of the Azure Dragon” was their way of life and she was taught the basics throughout her upbringing. However, she was never taught as an equal to the other students and always felt she was a step behind the others. After years of seeing the students learn how to fight using different fighting techniques, she decided to try and teach herself during any down time. Eventually, one of the masters decided to teach Asha, as an equal, Master Shi Tai. With his teachings, she caught up to the other students and eventually surpassed most of them, if not all of them. After many years of serving the temple, she was finally allowed to leave with their trading caravan to the nearby villages and towns. During their visit to Ji'Lian, she discovered that some of the villages were being harassed by a group of mercenaries. Asha made a detour to Pao Village, and went looking to see if she could help with the mercenary problem, to which she did as she intervened during an attack on some of the villagers. She fought the mercenaries back and helped the villagers as best she could before returning to the caravan. It wouldn't be until a few weeks later that another caravan would leave and only half of the monks with the caravan would return. They reported that a mercenary group was attacked by a female monk and as punishment for attacking them, they captured and killed half of the caravan. Asha was punished for the intervention and was forbidden to use her combat training for years to come. One month after the punishment, Asha realised that she could help others using what she had been taught over the many she was a part of the Azure Dragon Temple and she fled the temple, only with the robes, of which she earned during her many years of training.
Asha, having been saved herself at a young age, does whatever she can to help others in need whether it be to talk a group out of a situation or to fight to protect those who cant protect themselves. She is very friendly and due to her past, she has created enemies, which she knows very little about.
Asha is 6”0' in height, 105 lbs in weight and has pale, white skin, long, red hair tied back with a pair of thin braids and has blue eyes with little specks of gold. She wears the robes given to her by the monks of the Azure Dragon Temple, which include brown cloth knee high shoes, azure blue trousers, patterned with water waves(lighter/darker shades of blue), a white and gold sash, azure blue undershirt, patterned with water waves(lighter/darker shades of blue), brown cloth elbow length fingerless gloves and an azure blue, light robe. She currently wields a spear which she obtained a short while after leaving the temple and trained herself to be proficient with Thieves tools, mostly for the use of disarming traps, which could potentially hurt innocent people.
Asha'Bellanar is elvish for “Woman of many years”, a name given to her by the monks who raised her and quite literally describes the fact that she is an elf.
Asha, having been saved herself at a young age, does whatever she can to help others in need whether it be to talk a group out of a situation or to fight to protect those who cant protect themselves. She is very friendly and due to her past, she has created enemies, which she knows very little about.
Asha is 6”0' in height, 105 lbs in weight and has pale, white skin, long, red hair tied back with a pair of thin braids and has blue eyes with little specks of gold. She wears the robes given to her by the monks of the Azure Dragon Temple, which include brown cloth knee high shoes, azure blue trousers, patterned with water waves(lighter/darker shades of blue), a white and gold sash, azure blue undershirt, patterned with water waves(lighter/darker shades of blue), brown cloth elbow length fingerless gloves and an azure blue, light robe. She currently wields a spear which she obtained a short while after leaving the temple and trained herself to be proficient with Thieves tools, mostly for the use of disarming traps, which could potentially hurt innocent people.
Asha'Bellanar is elvish for “Woman of many years”, a name given to her by the monks who raised her and quite literally describes the fact that she is an elf.