Description
A very short man stands here, not much taller than an average human's
waist. His brown hair is matted and full of brambles and detritus. He
smells a bit rank, and you might gather that he hasn't bathed in a very
long time. His neck has a strange laceration, as if some heavy metal had
worn upon his skin for a very long time. He is not lithe, but looks
strong and robust. His eyes twinkle like emeralds, even if there is a
dullness to them. He is clad in earthy brown robes that bear the stains
of mud, and blood and long days travelling. His forearms have a girth
typical of his underdark dwelling kin, but are covered in strange
lacerations. Despite his odor, and appearance he seems indifferent to
the world around him - as if he is just seeing it all for the first time.
Upon closer inspection you can see that..
Role
Role Outline:
Added Mon Aug 10 21:44:49 2020 at level 10:
* A former sentry in Lower Cragstone - bored on duty, wandered too far
into the underdark and knocked out mysteriously.
* Awoke in chains with a slave collar in Aran'Gird.
* Forced into the deepest depths of the underdark to mine Adamantite for
the Duergar
* Discovers that Adamantite is the protective lair of the earth between
the Abyss and the Underdark by mining too deep - this layer keeps Demons
from reaching the surface of Thera.
* Petrified and turned to stone by Demon's in the Abyss while mining said
adamantite layer.
* Eventually found by other slaves while mining, and carted back to
Aran'Gird as a stone statue oddity.
* Sold to a powerful dark-elf mage near the surface when his collector
grew tired of him.
* The dark-elf studied the statue and performed a variety of experiments
upon it before the magic of petrification eventually wore off.
* Managed to escape his captor/collector when the magic wore off,
discovering he had newfound magical talents.
* Demon's influence still lingers and he has visions of the Abyss when he
dreams.
* Seeking Rahsael to try and understand what happened to him, and what
his visions mean in relation to Time/Fate.
* Seeking the Sentinels of the Refuge as he absolutely detests slavery
and currency as a result of being a slave, and made to feel as if he
could be exchanged like coins. Wants to become self-reliant and usuallly
avoids the cities entirely.
* Rather simple with his communication skills, as his servitude prevented
him from most forms of higher learning. With his magical talents,
shapeshifting seemed the easiest to master all things considered.
The Horrible Tunnels of the Underdark
Added Fri Aug 14 00:02:54 2020 at level 27:
Edelrock was a young svirfneblin of Cragstone proper, serving out his
young adult life as a guard near the entrance of Lower Cragstone. He
enjoyed his days at the gates, keeping intruders and the occasional
wandering rothe at bay. His job gave him a sense of purpose, and
connection with the community he lived in. That all changed, as fate
would dictate. One night, in the ever sunless hours of the evening in
the Underdark - while taking a drink from his rothe-hide waterskin, he
was hit in the head with something very hard.
The lights of the phosphorescent fungus swirled in his vision until all
was black. He awoke later, in a new place that smelled of ale, and
unbathed bodies. Something heavy hung around his neck, and he reached to
discover manacles around his hands, and a metal collar upon his neck. A
gruff voice barked at him "Wake up ye stupid git, time fer werk!". A
sense of dread washed over Edelrock as he realized he had been captured.
A dingy looking fellow with a greasy black beard hovered over him, whip
in hand. "If'n ye don't werk, ye ain't eat. There be worse fates than
starvin' stonekin!". He hobbled to his feet. The manacles and chains
attached made it difficult to move freely, and his head was still
throbbing. How could this have happened, he wondered. "Where am I?" he
asked. "Ye be in tha great city o' Aran'Gird shite fer brains, and yer
be our prisoner." said the Duergar.
Edelrock's life changed that day. He had lost the one thing he held
dear, yet most people never realize they have until it is gone. His
Freedom. Year's dragged on and Edelrock toiled the mines with the other
slaves, when he spoke out of turn - he was lashed. When he was too tired
to work - he was lashed. Sometimes he was lashed for no other reason
than the amusement of his captors. The beatings, lashings, and poor
company took their toll on Edelrock. He was frailer than he had ever
been, and took to complete silence more often than not. His moderately
educated, former self became lost in a shell of trauma and grief for the
loss he had endured.
And yet he toiled, for the foul dirt-dwarves. Mining their precious
adamantite - deep within the bowels of the underdark. Deeper than the
surface diggers ever dared to break ground. They had mined so deep, for
the precious metal the duergar craved, strange sounds were heard for a
while echoing down the tunnels. Every so often, a slave or two would go
missing - lost to the darkness of that deep place. There was a palpable
fear in the musty air in those mineshafts. Many a slave began to lose
their sanity as they tried to fight back the fear those tunnels instilled
in them. And yet those who remained, were made to continue. To continue
digging for their captors, was to survive.
A glimpse of Death, a glimpse of Freedom
Added Fri Aug 14 00:37:35 2020 at level 27:
Edelrock heaved his pickaxe into the side of the tunnel, a strange
metallic glint seen by his keen eyes in the near non-existant light at
those depths. Even the glowing fungus, frequent in other parts of the
underdark would not live at these depths. He had hit a seam of the prize
his captors sought. He worked furiously, motivated by a desire to be
loved, to be praised by the ones who had tormented him for years into his
mature age. As he was filling his first cart, he struck another blow
into the seam and his pickaxe met a void. As it pierced the seem and
into the void behind a terriying scream and the sound of rushing air
blasted through the mineshaft, knocking him off his feet and deafening
him.
The wall he had been working began to crumble before him, and terrible
shapes peered at him with eyes that burned with hatred and despair. They
eschewed forth from the crack in the mineshaft wall, terrible demonic
creatures piling into the mineshaft around him. He trembled there as
they seemed to regard him with both animosity and curiosity. A gaseous
plume expelled from one of their mouths and settled over him, and his
body became rigid. Within moments he was completely petrified, unable to
move or speak but completely in possession of his mental faculties. He
wanted to scream, but no sound came forth except for within his own mind.
No longer a threat, the demonic creatures skittered down the shaft in
each direction, and Edelrock could hear the screams of the other workers
further down the mineshaft.
Eventually there were no more screams, just complete and utter silence
and darkness. He was no longer just a slave, but a prisoner within his
own body solid and immovable as the stone itself. After what seemed like
weeks, time began to have little meaning to the svirfneblin. He had lost
track of that within days of lying motionless on the mineshaft floor.
His mind was his only companion, and he started to feel as if all hope
had been lost. What had he unearthed so far in the depths of the
underdark, what barrier had been broken to release such foul creatures.
For weeks he peered into the crack of the wall, the abyss he had
surmised. Somehow, the adamantite they were mining acted as a barrier
between the realm of the abyss and the realm of Thera proper.
Footsteps echoed down the mineshaft. He could hear the grunts, and
gutteral voices of his captors. Soon a contingent of Duergar warriors
came into view. At first, they paid no attention to him - he probably
was easily mistaken for stone mining slag lying as he were there. A
torch passed over him, and one of the men shouted "Oi, fellers, lookie
here. Got damned stonekin made o' stone!'. "Hell whattya make o' this?
Who been carvin' statues down 'ere in the depths." "Lotta dead folks we
seen comin' down this far, an them creatures sure done raised hell all
over tha underdark.".
Continued pt.2
A glimpse of Death, a glimpse of Freedom pt 2
Added Fri Aug 14 00:56:20 2020 at level 27:
"Let's tie ah rope round it, an drag it back up ter Aran'Gird. Some
fella gonna want this statue in his collection." And so they hauled the
svirfneblin back to Aran'Gird. They paid little attention to the hole in
the mineshaft that had created all the commotion. Eventually, Edelrock
ended up in a dark-elf magi's possession. He saw the statue as a curious
work of art at first, and displayed it on a marble pedestal in his
laboratory. Edelrock witnessed all manner of magical experiments being
done in this lab. In his mind, he had no chance of escape and his
penance in life was to have forever lost his freedom. Several more years
passed and Edelrock was quite certain he was literally insane - nothing
but his thoughts to keep him company, and his observations of the drow in
his lab.
One day, the drow had a visitor, a magi from the surface had come to
study some experiment he was working on. The visitor regarded Edelrock
curiously, touching his hand to the stone and murmuring about how
detailed, and lifelike the statue was. The drow and his visitor
disappeared into another part of the abode to discuss business. When the
drow returned the next day, he had a newfound curiosity for Edelrock.
Perhaps he was right, maybe this IS more than a statue.
The next few weeks a number of experiments and magical incantations were
performed on Edelrock - but the drow had failed at every attempt to free
the Svirfnebli from his hard-rock prison. Eventually, the drow left for
the surface on a business trip to acquire reagents for some new pursuit
of study. Curiously, it was during this time Edelrock began to have
sensations in his extremities. First his fingers and toes, and
eventually his arms and legs. The more Edelrock thought of the movement
of his limbs, the more his limbs began to move - the stone that had kept
him in bondage breaking and crumbling around him. After an hour or two,
he found himself free of his stone prison and quickly managed to find
some tools around the laboratory to remove his manacles, and collar.
Once free, he bolted - stone chips laying all about the base of the
pedestal he was put on. It was a terrible journey to the surface, all
manner of nasty creatures impeded his path. Cavefishers, driders - and
even a patrol of dark-elves blocked his passage. But he persevered and
eventually emerged from the depths of a cave to see the sun shining on
Thera yet. It had been many years since his initial captivity began, so
many that Edelrock in fact had no idea exactly how much time had passed.
By some miracle, Edelrock had been given a new chance at life, he had
somehow reclaimed his freedom. Though fate had been cruel, and left his
mind twisted. He had a chance to start over even in his middle age. And
he would do just that.
Progress
Added Mon Aug 24 18:50:25 2020 at level 51:
Noteworthy happenings:
*Has learned much about the cycle through careful observation of the
wind, mountains, rivers and begins to teach others what he knows.
*Seeks to spend as much time as the proverbial rabbit, as the proverbial
wolf knowing they are connected, and in an effort to maintain balance in
Thar-Eris, and himself.
*Has met a doll, who seems to be an Emissary of Rahsael, and discussed
his own Loss. Instructed to find a friend, and an enemy and learn their
stories by listening. To find the loss in their tales.
*Speaks to Golarial, the Lord of Dread of the Empire. Attempts to
understand why he chooses his path, and his place in the Empire.
Discovers he had a pet cat, who died. A necromancer brought his pet back
to life, and this set him out upon learning the Necromancers guild.
Suspects that he also may be attempting to reconcile his loss.
*Speaks to the Harbinger Alendross. With the same line of questioning,
discovers Alendross' life was changed by a great storm set upon his
family by the Haruspex Ergush, as they were fleeing through the desert of
Araile. His parents were swept away by the raging waters, and possibly
killed. He doesn't know why, but instead of falling into anger over the
tragic events, and directing it at the Haruspex, he seeks to learn the
teachings of the feline one. This set him about on his path with the
rangers guild, as a beadouin. When asked how his life might have been
different if it weren't for the great storm, he said he may have stayed
in the Jade Elf village, and become a shaman.
*Speaks with Michall, of the Spire - a sworn enemy and after several
great battles fought. Finds out Michall has tinnitis, and is losing his
sight. He relies on his companion owl to see. Edelrock is curious about
the owl, and whether or not it is one of Her creatures, and why it
chooses to bond itself with the spireling. He attempts to teach Michall
about the cycle, and wonders if he might even give up the binding of
extraplanar beings some day. Michall vows to research the origins of
conjuration, and Edelrock hopes that in doing so - he will understand his
servitors are bound against their will, and are every bit as much slaves
as he was captive in Aran'gird. Michall was driven to the spire to seek
strength against the Reavers who were constantly assaulting him.
Edelrock suspects his loyalty is not to the silly tribunal law, but too
seek reprieve and power to fight his foes. Perhaps he can be saved yet.
*Edelrock began his journey of Loss as angry and bitter towards Rahsael,
and the Duergar who enslaved him. But after speaking with many people,
he has discovered that perhaps the doll was correct in saying that his
Loss was in fact a blessing. Everyone he spoke too had lost something,
and that loss catalysed them on a path of change and growth.
Nightmare's and Reflection's
Added Mon Aug 24 19:21:05 2020 at level 51:
Edelrock sat in quiet contemplation beneath the great cypress tree, in
the abandoned siege camp swamps. Mosquitoes, and gnats buzzed
incesently, but he payed them no mind - only acknowledging their
presence. His thoughts were heavy, as his listened silently to the wind
whiping about the boughs of the great tree. He had spent so many years
in captivity, his freedom was a dreamlike bliss. Yet his captivity had
borne scars, both physical and mental. He had such anger buried inside
him, and harbored towards his captors and the creatures he had unleashed
in the depths of those foul mines. Stillness of thought was hard to come
by for Edelrock.
Yet he persisted, and on the wind carried whispers - simple truths
Edelrock could not ignore. Even the mosquitoes and gnats buzzing about,
seemed to echo the message of interdependence, and connectedness of all
of Her creation. It brought joy to Edelrock's heart and gratitude for
his lot in life, however late it came. His eye's grew heavy in his
contemplations, and soon he drifted off to sleep.
Darkness, utter darkness - broken only by the fiery orbs peering back at
him - inspecting him, seemingly measuring his worth. Terrifying,
maddening - he could never escape their piercing gaze. He knew those
eyes, all too well. They had haunted his dream state ever since his
incident in the mines of Aran'gird. What was it they sought? Why would
they ceaselessly stir in his dream state. Like hungry beasts, they left
him feeling like a rabbit always nimbly avoiding the clutches of a great
wolf. He did not understand, and wished to wake from the terrifying
creatures torment. But morning never came soon enough, and so he spent
his nights terrified, and seeking some shelter from the scrutinizing
creatures.
Edelrock woke from his restless slumber, covered in cold sweat beneath
the Cypress tree. He breathed a sigh of relief, as he opened his eyes to
a crisp morning sunrise. The sky filled with pinks, yellows and purples
melded in a way only the most skilled painter could replicate. Her
beauty was astounding, and it gave Edelrock some solace from the nights
terrifying embrace.
A path to walk, a choice to make
Added Wed Sep 9 17:37:04 2020 at level 51:
Edelrock felt a strange presence in the Tree of Ages. It left him
feeling uneasy, and with a heart full of sorrow. Lin-Ha's face turned
pale as Edelrock sat in contemplation beneath the branches. As if
something terrible had managed to pass the Huntress' watchful gaze.
Edelrock spun around, to gaze upon a monstrocity, made up of broken
treasures, lost toys, and things Edelrock couldn't begin to describe. It
was terrible to behold, and a great sense of sadness and grief seemed to
emanate from it. As soon as it was witnessed, it spilled back into the
earth, pulling all the broken treasures down with it.
Edelrock was left with a feeling of sorrow for his earlier years, the
freedom that was taken from him, his life as a slave and the recurring
nightmares he still faced and fought against. He knew that the monster
was an aspect of Rahsael, but he had not imagined what it actually was or
represented. Perhaps it was an amalgamate of all the broken dreams,
promises and things that people had cast to represent their personal
losses? Edelrock had no real way to know, but intuition told him this
may be the case.
A few weeks passed, and he was approached by the Sunwarden. Herself a
Priestess of Loss, she offered to guide Edelrock on the path he had
chosen to walk. They spoke for a time, amongst the branches of the Tree,
and Edelrock explained why he had decided to keep walking the path he had
started. It was because he needed to know why. He needed to know why
the demon's he unwittingly released from the Abyss of the Underdark had
spared him by turning him to stone, but killed so many others. He needed
to understand why those creatures appeared in his Nightmares, keen to
watch and observe him in his sleep, perhaps to torment him, or perhaps
some more sinister purpose.
She agreed to guide him, and requested that he collect three things to
represent his Loss, Rebirth, and Suffering. She also indicated that one
of these things must be a weapon. This made Edelrock uneasy to say the
least. What sort of cult was he involved with, what is the purpose of
the weapon? Was he to be a sacrifice in some strange ritual? He did not
know. But he began to suspect that the Sunwarden may be much less
'sunny' than anyone realized.
PK Wins
Aug 17, 2020|Lv 46|Ruins of Maethien|Hararhar vs 1: [46] Edelrock (100%, chop)
Aug 17, 2020|Lv 51|The Imperial Palace|Yickle vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, claw)
Aug 18, 2020|Lv 51|The Outlander Refuge|Galvinar vs 4: [51] Quanhest (22%), [51] Maere (67%, claw), [51] Edelrock (9%), [51] Arthyrr (0%)
Aug 18, 2020|Lv 51|The Skies above Thera|Exine vs 2: [51] Quanhest (38%, bite), [51] Edelrock (61%)
Aug 18, 2020|Lv 51|The Skies above Thera|Amentat vs 3: [51] Quanhest (3%, KB), [51] Edelrock (67%), [51] Ydane (28%)
Aug 23, 2020|Lv 51|Voralian City|Vaeri vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, claw)
Aug 23, 2020|Lv 51|Hamsah Mu'tazz|Wanahton vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, claw)
Aug 29, 2020|Lv 51|Bramblefield Road|Saffaeh vs 2: [51] Edelrock (73%, KB), [51] Kayloren (26%)
Aug 30, 2020|Lv 51|The Wastes of Nonviel|Golarial vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, hit)
Aug 31, 2020|Lv 51|The Eastern Road|Garful vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, KB)
Aug 31, 2020|Lv 51|Ayr'Trinil, the Arial City|Vodette vs 3: [51] Ormleru (19%), [51] Quanhest (9%, bite), [51] Edelrock (70%)
Sep 8, 2020 |Lv 51|The Coastal Plains|Sebenso vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, claw)
Sep 8, 2020 |Lv 51|The Frozen Gorge|Zraldar vs 2: [51] Quanhest (5%), [51] Edelrock (94%, KB)
Sep 10, 2020|Lv 51|The Spire of the Blood Tribunal|Gnimos vs 2: [51] Edelrock (55%, bleeding), [51] Alendross (44%)
Sep 11, 2020|Lv 51|The Eastern Road|Olethros vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, KB)
Sep 11, 2020|Lv 51|The Eastern Road|Kolk vs 2: [51] Quanhest (31%, KB), [51] Edelrock (68%)
Sep 11, 2020|Lv 51|The Eastern Road|Zraldar vs 2: [51] Quanhest (23%), [51] Edelrock (76%, KB)
Sep 11, 2020|Lv 51|Ayr'Trinil, the Arial City|Olethros vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, KB)
Sep 12, 2020|Lv 51|Valley of Veran|Sebenso vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, claw)
Sep 12, 2020|Lv 51|Valley of Veran|Zraldar vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, KB)
Sep 14, 2020|Lv 51|Voralian City|Zraldar vs 4: [51] Kayloren (2%), [51] Iliomyndil (2%), [51] Quanhest (22%), [51] Edelrock (72%, claw)
Sep 14, 2020|Lv 51|Voralian City|Iliomyndil vs 3: [51] Quanhest (18%), [51] Edelrock (62%, claw), [51] Gohrruk (19%)
Sep 14, 2020|Lv 51|The Skies above Thera|Vodette vs 2: [51] Edelrock (75%, claw), [51] Quanhest (24%)
Sep 15, 2020|Lv 51|The Northern Mountains|Lyx vs 2: [51] Sebenso (100%, chop), [51] Edelrock (0%)
Sep 16, 2020|Lv 51|Outskirts of Galadon|Olethros vs 2: [51] Edelrock (95%, bleeding), [51] Vondersita (4%)
Sep 16, 2020|Lv 51|The Eastern Road|Vondersita vs 2: [51] Edelrock (55%), [48] Druunar (44%, pierce)
Sep 16, 2020|Lv 51|Voralian City|Ariendil vs 1: [51] Edelrock (100%, claw)