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| − | ===The Caravan=== | + | ===[[Ree NPCs|Ree]]=== |
| − | * '''Escher of Riverspear''', the leader of the annual caravan that visits each of the nations in Ilren and even an outpost in Kuth and the town of Ree. It remains a mystery as to how they manage to pass through Nir every year without incident. Escher possess some martial skills and carries a pair of daggers with him. He is also always accompanied by his bodyguard Franks, a behemoth of a man who had once been a gladiator in Gir.
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| − | * '''Jena the Dancer''', Escher's younger sister is a well renown entertainer, most known for her dancing and haunting melodies that she can draw out of her flute. When she is not performing, Jena is very shy and rarely speaks with strangers. Her brother is extremely protective of her & usually has her escorted by one of the caravan guards at all times. Jena had been kidnapped by the Daughter's Right Hand, who sought the secret of the caravan's safe passage through Nir. The Ree companions rescued her and slew the Right Hand. They discovered also that Jena bore the markings of the Primordial Hunger all over her body. She begged that they speak of this to no one.
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| − | * '''Taproot''', one of the lizardfolk from the swamps of Kuth. Taproot acts as a guide for the caravan through Kuth, as well as an emissary between them and the hags, providing safe passage to a trading outpost located off the Andir Road. Taproot is also well known as a very reliable courier. Taproot is also famed as a peddler of sugar thistle candies that his wife & daughters in Kuth make for him to sell during his travels.
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| − | ===Ree=== | + | ===[[Nir NPCs|Nir]]=== |
| − | * '''Acting Mayor Lila''', she was the "First Clerk", the Mayor's assistant who tended to nearly everything in his place other than giving public speeches & presenting recognition awards. She is short & thin as a willow branch with straw colored hair that tumbles down her back to her knees. She constantly wields a clipboard and carries a satchel of various documents and forms. She wears a bulky pair of reading spectacles that was a gift to her from her late brother who had been a respected Nir scholar. It is rather apparent that Lila has a crush on Aidan.<br>Since the Mayor had been murdered Lila has been in charge as the "Acting Mayor". Whether or not this will become her new permanent job is unknown, things have been to busy and crazy to tend to that at this time.
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| − | * '''Sidney, Captain of the Guards''', born from witch parents, Sidney is bright, excitable and dramatic. She was an ideal guardswoman and now is an ideal captain. Her polished armor and fine tailored clothing is always perfectly in order as is her long flowing honey blond hair. She carries a tall spear with the Ree banner upon it that seems to always be rippling dramatically in the wind (even when there is no wind....or indoors with no open windows). The Mayor hates her. Or did until he was murdered. Acting Mayor Lila has always liked her for her overflowing confidence and ability to inspire cooperation in those she leads...and her really, really pretty hair.
| + | ===[[The Caravan]]=== |
| − | * '''The Mayor's Daughter''', her identity is a secret. The original "Mayor's Daughter" was the daughter of the mayor from three generations ago & the founder of the thieves guild of Ree. The title had stuck and been a constant source of annoyance to every Mayor since and amusement amongst the guild, though there are some who whisper that the Mayor's Daughter is in fact the originator & that she is undead or a sorceress who extends her life or that she steals & inhabits new bodies every so many years. If there is any truth in the tales, it remains unproven one way or another. Little is known of the current Mayor's Daughter. Those who have seen her each describe her differently, but all say that she has long curly locks of raven hair and a presence much larger than her actual height. She is always accompanied by her two chief officers, called the "Right Hand" and the "Left Hand". Marak knows the true identity of the Daughter, having delivered her as a babe & known the girl her whole life. He is one of the few people she will meet with in person, usually in her bakery - often requesting his presence by having her eyes and ears plant grocery lists for specific breads in his pockets.
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| − | * '''Wizard Thane''', representative from the Atheneum sent to meet with the Mayor regarding a problem affecting the town. Thane is egotistical and believes that anything he says should be deferred to as the greatest of wisdom. While Thane is indeed a brilliant individual, he is unpleasant & most people avoid him when possible. As one of the few survivors of the black elves attack on the Atheneum, Thane was raised to the position of Wizard.
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| − | * '''Engineer Lias''', a short thin old man who's body mass seems to be primarily comprised of ears, neck & hair that always seems to have just survived some sort of electrical shock atop his head. There is no creature in Ree that is more experienced in attempting to repair & disassembling Nir technology and artifacts than Lias. He is deaf in one ear & has a nasty limp resulting from a fight with a kobold raider when he was young. His methods tend to be a bit irrational to most observers as he kicks or bangs on things with tools more often than actually using the tool as was intended, but it cannot be denied that he has more success than others.
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| − | * '''Frederik''', an orphan whose parents had died during a hex-wolf attack. Frederik's home was claimed by the Mayor & sold to become the new town brothel. Frederik was cast to the streets, where Aidan found him. Taking pity on the orphaned boy, Aidan took him in as his assistant at the forge. The boy lives in a small apartment in the attic above the shop. Or did until the elven poison knights burned the shop to its foundation. Homeless again.
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| − | * '''Shaza Orey of Tissa''', a dark skinned woman who wears a red coat & matching long brimmed hat. She always carries an old, but expensively made leather book embossed with a "TS" on the cover. She is from the far away land of Tissa, on the eastern shore, north of the Olora Mountains. She is a bounty hunter who has come to Ree to identify and locate a man from Hana.
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| − | * '''Adonio the Excellent''', a Hana man newly arrived in Ree. He claims to be a famed explorer who has wandered all of the lands of Ilren and the North. He has come to Ree in order to travel and tame the savage South.
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| − | * '''Matilde and Saul of the House of Ravens''', Gir mercenaries newly arrived in Ree. Malda of Arik has burn scars on her face & Skull of the Point appears to have some trace of recent orc ancestry. The two are generally obnoxious and usually drunk. After proving to be terrible guests of the caravan, they have been banned passage with them in the future, making Ree their new home for now.<br>The two have now discarded their guises and revealed their true identities as members of the House of Ravens of Gir and have sworn their swords and lives to protecting Aidan.
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| − | * '''Dunkirk, Minstrel of the World''', the man who discovered the massacre at the Stormcrow farm eleven years ago and saved Aidan Stormcrow's life. Dunkirk is a semi-regular with Escher's caravan, attending the Winter Festival in Ree every other year or so. Aidan has mixed feelings about the man. He's grateful for his life, of course, but he also knows that Dunkirk is the reason everyone in Ree is so well versed in his life's tragedy. Dunkirk drops in on Aidan every time he visits Ree, treating Aidan like a favorite nephew while Aidan sees him as a reminder of things best left forgotten.
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| − | * '''Ungi''', a skilled bowyer and fletcher who supplies the Guard. While his primary business is in crossbows for the town, his true passion is for making longbows. He has two apprentices, his daughter Una (who is a very talented markswoman as well) and Talbert. He lost his two sons to hex wolves some years back. Ungi believes in the tales that tie hex wolves to the witches and thus dislikes them, blaming them for the deaths of his sons. Ungi is a godsman.
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| − | * '''Anders''', a retired blacksmith who specialized in crafting weapons. He has a wife named Penny, one god-son, six children and four grandchildren. A skilled swordsman who had left Ree when he was young to explore and have adventures. He returned half a decade later with a ruby where one of his eyes had been, a wagon of treasure, a baby named Seileben (aka Ben, who later became the now late Wizard) and two unusual companions, a centaur bear totem druid named Enkul, a sprite fire sorceress called Ember and his now-wife Penny, a sylph swordmaiden from the southeast coast. Save for Penny, his companions left Ree not long after to continue their journey. "Ruby Eye Anders" was Aidan's mentor.
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| − | * '''Zazaz''', the last of the waterworks Maintainers - a genetically engineered sub-race of the kobolds that had lived in the depths below Nir. Zazaz's "soul-task" is the take care of and operate the waterworks gate and corresponding controls. He is the last of his tribe, the others having died from age or killed and eaten by their cannibalistic cousins. Zazaz has taken to hiding in an old genetics lab with Kruun the Old, a rat that had been crossed with a blue dragon in hopes of creating living batteries for machinery. The Maintainers must attend to their soul-tasks, regardless of the danger it puts them in, the need and emotional reward received from attending to their task was programmed into their dna by the Nir. If they do not fulfill their purpose, then they are overcome by depression, loss of appetite and will eventually die. It's why the Maintainers and others of their kind were so easily wiped out by their savage cousins, their tasks forced them out of hiding and into public places where they were found and killed. Zazaz has been clever and very lucky thus far, though he had finally been caught, having established a relationship with Clan Strong - he would inform them of the kobolds patrol routes & tactics and they would pay him with beer and bread. He was captured by one of the Hunger priests and his gang and was being interrogated when the Ree companions came to his "rescue".
| + | ===[[Crew of the Lorian]]=== |
| − | * '''Ashtir Dumaa''', a vain and pompous half-janni bard who was once a guardian of Al-Lorin (janni & human-genie halfbreeds enslaved by magical collars to genie masters). When the city fell, the collars were temporarily deactivated and he fled north beyond the mountains. He lived a rather wretched live, making a meager living as a vagabond, adventurer & entertainer. He eventually met a goblin-snake mercenary priest of Shall, named Krinnis and found that they worked very well together, eventually becoming friends. They established themselves as a successful bounty hunter duo. Ashtir and Krinnis were recently hired by the terrifying Andaro Halfwraith of Sedas to track down an escaped kaishan slave and retrieve some important schematics she had stolen. An elven knight, Danilis, who was apparently responsible for the slave's theft & escape, was sent with them. Due to a terrible misunderstanding while in Nir, Krinnis was slain and both Ashtir and Danilis were captured by the Ree companions.<br>Ashtir has been accompanying and assisting the party.
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| − | * '''Skitik''', one of the Nirish kobold Stewards, Stitik tends to the High Hall of Toba Starskipper. Years ago she managed to seal off the entrances into her hall by causing a cave in at the main entrance, burying the outer door. There are two small entrances, not well known, and too small for the Drudge and the smaller kobolds are terrified of the Stewards' powers, so they do not dare enter her domain. The entrance to the great library of Nir is located down a corridor from the High Hall, but is guarded by a daemon that had been set there by one of the Drudge Sorcerers. Stitik possesses the power to commune with the Alfred crystal archives as well as the shadow of Toba echoing throughout the crystals of Nir and his companions she had guarded until those worthy to claim them appeared.
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| − | * '''Eina''', a small kaishan child that had been enslaved by Sedas after they had massacred all the adults of her race. She had been presented as a slave to Danilis, a gift from Prince Cir. The girl was mistreated and tortured, but conspired with two older kaishan children. The mean Prince and the half monster elf he consorted with had big plans, terribly pans, that involved a machine. It was very important to them. So the children schemed and stole the plans for this awful machine. During their escape, one of the other children was captured and the other killed. Eina grabbed the plans from him and fled. She eventually found her way into the swamps of Kuth where she was found by a tribe of lizardfolk. They brought her before their reigning hag, a towering creature with black hair and long iron teeth and nails, surrounded by a pack of large wolves. The hag ponderously gave the child a parfait and marked her brow granting her safe passage in Kuth. The strange primordial born creature bid her to hurry to the gates of Nir, that she would find allies within. A massive and terrifying troll gathered her up in it's arms and carried her all the way to the gates. The troll put her down, and curiously regarded her for a short time as she finished up her third parfait, then it vanished back into the swamp. Eina, a terrified but brave little girl, entered Nir.
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| − | * '''Toba''', not as dead as believed. He had left a shadow of his mind within the crystal archives and through his powerful mental abilities and knowledge of the psionic crystal network he was able to safeguard his mind long after his death, and the dark fate of his people. Toba had taken an interest in his descendant Barron and his companions and had hijacked the transportation AI Alfred 21 hologram, claiming to be an "unshackled ai" so that he could directly interact with the Ree adventurers. Toba's story varies depending on which tapestry, mural or storybook one reads in Nir. His "ghost" isn't entirely clear on the true story himself, as he only possesses a fraction of Toba's memories. The truth of the tale was lost when Toba was cast into the Primordial Hunger. Unless perhaps his daughter, who had been exiled to a place called Sanctuary with other Nir who disagreed with how the Nir were treating other races as slaves documented their story.
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| − | * '''Blazing Righteousness''', a rather boisterous, demeaning and sarcastic sentient axe that had belonged to Toba long ago. The axe is now wielded by "a humble musclebound blacksmith of near-moderate intelligence that he has hopes to forge into a true hero with a lot of work". Since discovering that Aidan is no mere blacksmith, but an Emperor (!!!), Blaze (as Toba called him) the weapon seems to have somehow managed to look smug. How an axe looks smug is unknown, but...it does.
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| − | * '''Renne''', the consciousness of a slothful apprentice that had trapped her mind within a crystal ball. She had been a wizard apprentice in some sort of college of magic called the Talhurst Academy of Arcane, Psionic and Culinary Sciences. She admits that she had little interest in her studies, preferring sleep instead (an elf sleeping??), but her parents were pressuring her into schooling and paying her tuition. She didn't really pay close attention to her lessons from Professor Toba, which resulted in her accidentally transferring her actual mind into a magical item rather than just making a copy. The process had been...expertly done and was thus irreversible. Her parents claimed her mindless body after the terrible tragedy. Toba kept the crystal ball she had transferred her mind into. He felt it would ultimately be no kindness to give it to her parents and that they would be better off moving on with their lives than hanging onto an intangible shard of their little girl. Then the War came.
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| − | * '''Fade''', a Factotum kobold with the soul-tasked as a kitchen sculler. Of the four Factotum that the Ree adventurers had...captured? Rescued? He seems the only one who has not had his individuality and personality crushed by the long servitude to the Drudge, Jeffrey. Fade and Zazaz have started to develop a friendship.
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| − | * '''Danu Nolan''', a clerk who works in the Mayor's office. Danu had been found in the river about a year ago with no memory of his prior life. He chose the name Guyus and began a new life. Sorlandira and Shaza suspect that he is their target. They have also determined that the Black Sun, probably hired by someone in the Gir government, is out to kill him. Guyus & Shaza both recently vanished without a trace.<br>They reappeared, having been taking refuge with the Strong Clan. The Witch Naru had been able to restore Danu's memories and that he was a Hana noble of the Nolan family and heir to inherit a second noble family, the Etris (who had hired Shaza). Each house wants him for different reasons, Nolan to restore him to power and inherit the Etris family, while Etris seeks to try and execute him for treason, thus keeping their household separate from Nolan as a result.
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| − | ** ''Due to a series of uniquely timed deaths in two noble families in Hana, Danu is the rightful heir of of his childhood House Nolan (those who hired Sorlandira) as well as House Etris (those who hired Shaza, also notorious for duplicitous double crossings and rumored to have ties to the Gir High Commander, which they deny). <br> It's well known in Hana that House Etris would much prefer to see that Danu perish, so that the current family in control can remain so, while House Nolan wants him alive because as he is the rightful heir AND so that they can claim dominion over House Etris, given that it’s rightfully his as well. <br> Danu had been away in Gir as a spy and has been accused by House Etris of actually being a traitor - they seek to trial and bring him to justice (execution; thus securing the claim of their current lord), while House Nolan seeks to rescue him so he can claim his rightful place at the head of BOTH households. He left his post in Gir to return home to House Nolan upon learning of the death of his parents, but Gir High Command somehow gained intel as to his true identity (Nolan insists that Etris was the leak). Gir tried to have him killed, but he fled south. Gir caught up to him, and there was a fight on the riverside. <br> Then suddenly the river bucked and roared into a frenzy as if alive. The river flowed over its banks and swept Guyus and the men of Gir away downstream. They were swallowed by the lake and pulled down into the depths to be spit out into the the waterworks of Nir. His Gir pursuers perished, but Guyus survived. <br> As he passed through the underground river he remembered seeing several strange kobold-like creatures and what appeared to be a blue winged rodent. The strange creatures scurried about the waterworks, shutting off enigmatic machines, allowing him to safely pass through large circular pools filled with blades that would have diced him into small pieces if they had still been moving. Just as he had completed his river borne tour of the waterworks, one of the kobolds pushed him with a pole into a part of the river that fed a black pit. Then they all waved...merrily. <br> The winged rat flew over to him and latched onto him as he plummeted into the dark pit, he could feel its claws and teeth biting into him, but it slowed his descent into the darkness. Then suddenly it let go and he struck the icy water again and was pulled down beneath the black water. <br> He awoke on the riverbank with strangers surrounding him. And he could not remember who he was anymore. Not until the Witch Naru’s horrible potion nearly killed him. <br> If he were to be killed and his body found, House Nolan would surely blame House Etris and attack them. Due to this inevitability, both houses want him back alive as to avoid war with one another and to pursue their desires with him properly and under their laws. This explains why each of them hired a bounty hunter to track and retrieve him. Gir wants him dead because he has military secrets from his tour as a spy amongst them. The Black Sun has long been on their payroll as they’re one of the few assassin operations that do not answer to the Foundation, which High Command does not trust. High Command doesn't trust anyone that is non-human. <br> Danu happily shares whatever Gir intelligence he had obtained that the party may wish to know about; such as military strengths, the state of the noble and guild houses in Gir, the secret location of their military airship yard and the truth about the Olman dwarves; the plague was engineered by High Command & spread amongst the dwarves. They have been working to engineer a strain to target trolls, orcs & gnolls next. The High Commanders racial intolerance is well known, and the plague his solution to eventually creating his ideal human world. <br> Given the location of Houses Nolan and Etris, it’s very likely to have been one of the ley line focus points Andaro and the Prince were seeking to incite violence upon to feed their nefarious machine. <br> Danu now wishes to return to his home and unite the Nolan and Etris families. He will then ally his houses with the Princess and her rebels. While grateful for what she has done so far in protecting him from the Black Sun and recruiting the Witch Naru to restore his memories, it is clear that Danu does not trust Shaza due to her affiliation with House Etris. He is currently contemplating speaking with the Strong Clan, hoping to purchase their services in taking him to Hana in exchange for gold and a loan of skilled craftsmen to teach their people. And of course a reward for the party and the bounty paid to both Shaza and Sorlandira.''
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| | + | ===The Ravens=== |
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| − | ===[[Crew of the Lorian]]===
| + | * '''Matilde and Saul of the House of Ravens''', Gir mercenaries newly arrived in Ree. Malda of Arik has burn scars on her face & Skull of the Point appears to have some trace of recent orc ancestry. The two are generally obnoxious and usually drunk. After proving to be terrible guests of the caravan, they have been banned passage with them in the future, making Ree their new home for now.<br>The two have now discarded their guises and revealed their true identities as members of the House of Ravens of Gir and have sworn their swords and lives to protecting Aidan. |
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| | ===Khagra Representatives=== | | ===Khagra Representatives=== |
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| − | **'''Lieutenant Colonel Grumbarsh''', seventh son of the his first father, Urzoth, the Tsar of the great orc nation of Khagra, first son of his second father, Chief Shaman Rugdush of the Rekaku Tribe of the Sphinx and ninth son of his mother, the esteemed Major General Mazoga of the Equilibrium.
| + | *'''Lieutenant Colonel Grumbarsh''', seventh son of the his first father, Urzoth, the Tsar of the great orc nation of Khagra, first son of his second father, Chief Shaman Rugdush of the Rekaku Tribe of the Sphinx and ninth son of his mother, the esteemed Major General Mazoga of the Equilibrium. |
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| − | **'''Hippogriff Shaman Shakara''' of the (REAL) Kreenosh Tribe. Grumbarsh's wife.
| + | *'''Hippogriff Shaman Shakara''' of the (REAL) Kreenosh Tribe. Grumbarsh's wife. |
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| − | **'''Melgrath Halftroll''', ranger of the southern forest and swamps of Kuth. Grumbarsh's husband.
| + | *'''Melgrath Halftroll''', ranger of the southern forest and swamps of Kuth. Grumbarsh's husband. |
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| − | **'''Roo Halfhuman''', Grumbarsh's assistant.
| + | *'''Roo Halfhuman''', Grumbarsh's assistant. |
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| | ===Hana Representatives=== | | ===Hana Representatives=== |
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| | *'''Gregoff of House Nolan''', Scholar of Ilren history and master of pigeons. | | *'''Gregoff of House Nolan''', Scholar of Ilren history and master of pigeons. |
| | + | * '''[[Danu Nolan]]''' |
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| | + | ===Sentient Magical Items=== |
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| | + | * '''Blazing Righteousness''', a rather boisterous, demeaning and sarcastic sentient axe that had belonged to Toba long ago. The axe is now wielded by "a humble musclebound blacksmith of near-moderate intelligence that he has hopes to forge into a true hero with a lot of work". Since discovering that Aidan is no mere blacksmith, but an Emperor (!!!), Blaze (as Toba called him) the weapon seems to have somehow managed to look smug. How an axe looks smug is unknown, but...it does. |
| | + | * '''Renne''', the consciousness of a slothful apprentice that had trapped her mind within a crystal ball. She had been a wizard apprentice in some sort of college of magic called the Talhurst Academy of Arcane, Psionic and Culinary Sciences. She admits that she had little interest in her studies, preferring sleep instead (an elf sleeping??), but her parents were pressuring her into schooling and paying her tuition. She didn't really pay close attention to her lessons from Professor Toba, which resulted in her accidentally transferring her actual mind into a magical item rather than just making a copy. The process had been...expertly done and was thus irreversible. Her parents claimed her mindless body after the terrible tragedy. Toba kept the crystal ball she had transferred her mind into. He felt it would ultimately be no kindness to give it to her parents and that they would be better off moving on with their lives than hanging onto an intangible shard of their little girl. Then the War came. |
| | + | * '''Whirlwind''', an untrustworthy, smartass magical staff that came out of the chaos gate beneath Nir |
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| | + | ===Magical Crafters=== |
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| | + | * '''Wizard Thane''', (wondrous items, potions, scrolls) |
| | + | * '''Adviser Elek of the Strong Clan''', (arms & armor, potions, scrolls) |
| | + | * '''Zoal''', a lizard druid that tends a grove in the swamp just beyond the Wardstones in Atola (potions, wondrous items, rings) |
| | + | * '''Bryn''', the cauldron-born "girl" in Atola(potions) |
| | + | * '''Zazaz''', (scrolls, potions, wondrous items, wands) - he's also an arcane caster and has more crafting skills than the god of crafting |
| | + | * '''Skitik''', (psionic stuff) |
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| | ===Other=== | | ===Other=== |
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| − | *'''Pete Johnson''', a man who works in a diner in another world called Chicago. He and Barron share a growing bond across the planes that links their minds together. | + | *'''[[Pete Johnson]]''', a man who works in a diner in another world called Chicago. He and Barron share a growing bond across the planes that links their minds together. |
| | + | * '''[[Innes of House Rook]]''', Clerk of the High Commander of Gir. Innes incited the coup against the House of Crows. He is deeply bitter because he believes that he should have been made emperor, but the throne always goes to a Crow. |
| | + | * '''Shaza Orey of Tissa''', a dark skinned woman who wears a red coat & matching long brimmed hat. She always carries an old, but expensively made leather book embossed with a "TS" on the cover. She is from the far away land of Tissa, on the eastern shore, north of the Olora Mountains. She is a bounty hunter who has come to Ree to identify and locate a man from Hana. |
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| − | ===RIP=== | + | ===[[RIP]]=== |
| − | * '''The Mayor''', he was once Koril the Baker, but it is a Ree tradition that he simple be called "The Mayor" once voted into the position for the remainder of his days. The Mayor is a large man, full of smiles & enthusiastic speeches. His love for food & fine luxuries is well known. The Mayor's power struggle with his direct adversary, The Mayor's Daughter (no relation) and her thieves guild is an often highlighted activity in the community. The Mayor controls the town's watch and guardians. The Mayor rarely descends from his mansion, preferring to stay far away from commoners - the closest he ever gets being from his balcony over the Plaza where he gives speeches. He is always announced by a young page boy with a bell, of which he employs half a dozen, that also tend to all his other needs (exactly what needs is often speculated by town gossips).
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| − | * '''The Wizard''', the current Wizard of Ree has only held his position for a year now. His predecessor had only been in office for two years before he fell prey to one of his demonic conjurations, which had dragged him screaming into a portal before it had closed. The Wizard before him had held the position for nearly a century before his body and magic could simply no longer sustain him and he died. The current Wizard was known as Ben before assuming his new title. He had been an Apprentice since he was only seven years old (he is now 52). He was known to be brilliant & dedicated to the study of magic, but not very kind & never sought out human contact unless it was in pursuit of the study of magic.<br>Raised by his godparents, Anders and Penny, Ben (who's given name was Seileben) was brought to Ree when Anders and his wife had retired from their adventuring career. As he grew older it was apparent that he was neither of their child, and rumors made their rounds regarding his elf-like features. Ben left Ree and traveled for some years. When he returned he became a recluse. Once he was accepted as an Apprentice of the Wizard, he pretty much vanished from public view entirely. His godparents have always refused to discuss the tale of his origin, always stating simply, "He was a blessing from the gods, old and new." <br>Beneath the Wizard are the Apprentices, a number of wizards who study & reside in Ree. Beneath them are the Hopefuls who have come to study in the tower. Those worthy are raised to Apprentice and begin learning magic, others may become recognized by the Wizard as sages or scholars.
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| − | * '''Apprentice Marilyn''', representative from the Atheneum sent to meet with the Mayor regarding a problem affecting the town. Marilyn is a pleasant & plump woman who's age is indeterminable. She is one to quietly listen to everything, observe her surroundings & then appraise the situation in a soft voice. She is very fond of children & always carries sweets to give to them.
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| − | * '''Apprentice Thessa''', the first and only dwarf to have been fully raised to Apprentice in the past century (most dwarves never rise above Hopeful, though many receive education to become recognized by the Wizard as Sages or Scholars). Thessa specializes in genealogy & Ree history as well as conjuration with an emphasis on elementals. Thessa is far more friendly and outgoing than most Apprentices and can be frequently found at a dwarven tavern called the Iron Clad Dandy in the District.
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| − | * '''Andaro Halfwraith of House of Amneshai''', Sorlandira's brother, a famous and highly esteemed knight of the Order of the Nine Stars and in recent years, a close personal friend of Cir, the Prince of Sedas. Andaro has become instrumental in routing out the elven rebels that follow the fallen Princess Yaris in hopes of reuniting Sedas and the Order once again under the rightful rule of Prince Cir until his beloved father, the Cleric King Unsur of Sedas returns to health. He is often away from Sedas on both official and unofficial missions, both of a personal nature and on behalf of his Prince. He claims that everything he does is for the love he bears for his sister and his Prince. Andaro had passed through Ree some time ago. He spent some time with the Wizard and Apprentice Thessa researching at the Atheneum, and then hired several locals to attend him on a voyage south to Al-Lorin. He returned with only two other survivors and quickly left with the caravan that was visiting. Upon his return to Sedas Andaro was recognized as a hero of Sedas and raised up and given command of the knights. He was also given the title "Halfwraith" as a portion of his body had been infected by a necrotic rotting that resulted in his right arm, torso and face as animated skeletal remains animated and surrounded by writhing negative energy. This was what his trip to Al-Lorin and the capture and transport of one of the Black Anchors had cost him. It was observed by his peers that Andaro had become cold and determined after the trip south. He no longer smiled, no longer seemed to find any joy in the world. Even the Prince seemed wary around his old friend and adviser. Eventually the wraith aspect became dominant and Andaro sought to inflict this state upon the world. He continued forth with the plan for the Nefarious Device, lying about it's true purpose to infect the Lance and thus transform all of creation into a world of undead that would be beholden to him. He saw it as visionary; no more suffering, no more want, greed, no more vice. The companions of Ree infiltrated Gir where the device had been set up and confronted Andaro. He and Sorlandira both perished, but were reincarnated by the Primordial Night as two newborn babes, which the companions swept away back to Ree.
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| − | * '''The Witch Naru''', representative from the Witches sent to meet with the Mayor regarding a problem affecting the town. Naru is a young witch, her parents are the local cobblers in Ree. She is delighted with the wild & does not care to spend time in the town. Her impatient & impetuous nature had angered her superiors who had decided the best punishment would be to assign her to help and advise the Mayor with the town's problems for a time. While she would rather neglect this duty, she knows that the only way she'll ever escape it is to do her best - still she always seems to be bored with whatever mundane town issue that arises. Unlike most of the witches who openly display their dislike or disapproval of Barron's presence in Ree, Naru has always watched him closely when present and treated him with a strange courtesy. Naru had sacrificed her life in getting the Black Anchor away from Ree and back to Al-Lorin, but unfortunately found herself trapped within the barrier created by the Black Anchors having succumbed too much to the necrotic warping effect of the Anchor. Before she lost herself to the wraith she wandered the city and found the location of the infamous artifact that was the source of the destruction of Al-Lorin. Before her death she managed to issue forth a dreaming to find Barron and inform him of what she had discovered.
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