Description
Before you is a male svirfnebli. Standing at just
a modest three feet in height this creature's
build is delicate and graceful. His pale skin
is smooth and unblemished with the exception
of a dark runic tattoo on his forehead covering
most of his the left side of his face. The
rest of this deep gnome is fairly typical. His
head is round, with prominent cheek and jaw bones
and his white beard hangs loosely at his chest.
His hair is as white as his beard and compliments
his blue eyes well. He is clad in simple robes
which are tied around his waist by a rope.
Role
The House of Tepineas.
Added Mon Apr 23 00:32:57 2012 at level 1:
Our tale begins as a story of deceit and enlightenment. Of
the shackles of excess and the liberation of objectivism.
And, perhaps most importantly, of the struggles inbetween.
This tale centers around a clan of Svirfnebli deep beneath
the surfaces of Thera. They are known as the House of Tepineas.
A name that is well known amongst most "Undersiders" their
legacy is one carved from gold and silver. For as long as
records show the Tepineas family have been successful merchants
and traders. Their success, from generation to generation, has
been sustained by a zealous passion for profit and by extension
power. A wiseman in Cragstone once joked: "A Tepineas has never
found a 'deal' they wouldn't make, or steal. Their greed shines
brightly enough to illuminate the caverns as some sort of Under-
side sun."
This depiction of the family was amusingly accurate. At least
until the birth of Trinlen Tepineas, eldest son of Mhorias the
current head of the fabled House. As Trinlin grew he was to
to be groomed as his father's successor, however the stars would
dictate something radically different.
A Student of Balance.
Added Mon Apr 23 00:33:43 2012 at level 1:
Trinlen never took to his father's direction. He found no deep-rooted
desire to hoard shiny rocks anymore than he did to hoard dull rocks.
He saw no need to travel to dangerous depths of the earth to fight with
other Undersiders over other "precious" minerals. This defiant stance
did little to deter his father and Trinlen was sent to learn the ways
of the Stoneborn warrior in order to help defend the Tepineas supply
lines.
Unlike most things that Mhorias forced Trinlen to do he actually found
enjoyment out of his training. The Svirfnebli guildmaster who taught
Trinlen basic swordplay also supplied him with many books on the arts
of war and a history of Theran warfare. The latter fascinated Trinlen
the most as he took note of how society swayed back and forth as one
excess dominated the other. Light over dark, chaos over order and vice
versa.
During future outings (guarding more of his father's wagons) Trinlen
bartered with various merchants for more books. He was obsessed with
the idea of balance and took great solace in the fact that he was not
"insane." His whole life he had felt out of place, and now he understood
why: He was normal, and everyone else was a slave to vices that ranged
from flesh to gold.
He often pondered running away. To wait until the caravan reached the
surface and then to just slip into the tree line and find a new life
for himself. However, despite everything, Trinlen felt an obligation to
his House. And so for many more years he educated himself as he moved
freight from one end of Thera back to the Underside and out again.
This cycle became extremely tiresome to Trinlen with no end in sight
until one day when his father approached him about picking up a new kind
of cargo.
Fools Gold.
Added Mon Apr 23 00:34:26 2012 at level 1:
Trinlen's shock was profound and sincere when Mhorias told him to take
the wagons and pick up some slaves he'd purchased from a band of human
barbarians near the Icy Wastes. Trinlen was to take them from the humans
and bring them to an isolated tower of mages known only as the Conclave.
"The profit," his father said, "is staggering. And the best part is...
no mining!"
Trinlen's urge to flee was greater than ever. The long walk down the
eastern road seemed to last only moments as he fought with his options.
As he turned south into the Dwarven Forest he made up his mind: he would
turn these men free upon reaching Galadon and tell his father that he was
done with the "family business." Gold was of no use to anyone but fools.
He would make his own way.
This resolve gave him strength of spirit and calmed his mind. However this
new found clarity was brief for as he approached the meeting point he saw
gruesome scene that included several behead barbarians and empty cages that
once housed his "cargo." He turned to run and found himself ambushed by a
fiercly quick wood-elf. As he staggered back and fell on his back he scrambled
for his sword which was disarmed in the ambush. He never reached it, he never
heard, nor saw the swing that came next. His world simply went black.
The First Step.
Added Mon Apr 23 00:35:06 2012 at level 1:
When Trinlen regained consciousness he thought perhaps it had all been a dream.
The bloody wound on the back of his head and the leather bindings on his limbs
told a more realistic tale. He took in his surroundings and noted that he was
in a cave, though near the entrance as he could see a small stream and trees
quite clearly. "Where am I?" he said outloud, the answer came quite loudly from
the opposite corner of the cave: "You are in the wilds now, slavemaster. And
believe me when I say you are alive only to satisfy my curiosity of your trade."
Stepping from the shadows was a staggeringly beautiful wood-elf. She was clothed
in all cloth "armor" and her face was painted with colourful and vivid warpaint.
Clutched in her right hand was the wooden club which had caused Trinlen his
present headache and tied to her back was an ornate axe.
The next several hours were a blur for Trinlen. He resigned himself to death but
he wanted this woman (who's name, he learned, as Aalarin) to know he was no
monster. He told her about his House, his plans to free the slaves and his
distrust with the system which supported Thera. She believed him, much to his
own surprise, and offered to free him as long as he swore to her that he would
leave his father's "business" and release to her the location where the slaves
were to be delivered. He agreed, and she untied him and even returned his sword.
As she turned to break camp and leave Trinlen stopped her and asked if he could
accompany her for the time. Afterall, he had no where else to be. She nodded
silently and then said "Keep up. I move fast."
Education Through Observation.
Added Mon Apr 23 00:36:11 2012 at level 1:
Trinlen accompanied Aalarin to the tower near Hillcrest. He even helped her in
slaying the surprised mages inside. After the battle they made camp a few miles
downstream from the tower. Here is the first time that Trinlen heard of the
notable Theran cabals. Aalarin was a savage explorer who had seen most every
end of Thera, but in the end found she preferred the forest. She told him about
how the Empire will press and the Outlanders will shove back. Then the Fortress
will arrive strike at them both. Then as the Fortress limps home to the mountains
they will attacked by a band of Orcs and a lone Scion of Eternal Night.
None of this was overly new to Trinlen. He had studied all of it himself through
the books he'd acquired. What was new to him was religion. The closest thing he
knew of the Gods was the constant Underside praise of the Stone so when he came
to find his companion conducting a seasonal ceremony in the name of Amaranthe
he was captivated. He spent the next many nights questioning her of the Coven's
faith and he took great solace in the concept of the seasons and the balance that
came from it. After many more moons of contemplating he took part in her next
ceremony of praise and in doing so dedicated himself to her holy worship. This
moment was forever enshrined by Aalarin as she tattooed a large harvest rune
on the side of Trinlen's face.
Over the next weeks he helped her free more slaves and learned as much as he could
about the world, not by books, nor by mouth but rather by observation. He made
note that Thera was much like his House in the sense that no one knew the true
harm they were causing in his lust for more, and more, and more.
Aalarin smiled at him as he contemplated this. She knew he'd come a long ways, and
that he would probably go much further. As he fell asleep by the fire she quietly
grabbed her things and slipped into the treeline. Much like the mother leaving her
grown offspring to walk the realm, Trinlen was now on his own.
The Blade of Balance.
Added Mon Apr 23 00:37:01 2012 at level 1:
Trinlen was saddened to find himself alone when he awoke, but not surprised. Aalarin
was a terrific companion and teacher but ultimately she was of the wilds, and he
was far too slow to be of any real use to her. He immediately returned to Cragstone
in order to fulfill the last part of his promise: to walk away from the Tepineas
trade. It has been two seasons since he'd left and he imagined his father would be
quite surprised to see him. instead, what he found, was their storefront replaced
by a blacksmith.
Trinlen asked the storekeep where his father was, and heard a rather blunt tale
about how his father had attempted to escort a caravan himself a few weeks after
Trinlen did not return. This caravan was ambushed and his father was killed by
Duergar raiders. "He had no business going down there, lad." the Blacksmith said,
"I have no idea what he was thinking...." Trinlen just nodded silently for he knew
exactly what his father was thinking, he was thinking about profit.
Trinlen settled down in Cragstone. While he'd enjoyed the wilds he was by no means
a ranger, nor an outlander. He enjoyed a warm bed far more than a cold ground.
He returned to the warriors guild and continued his studies, however now free from
the binds of the family business he had to decide what he'd do with himself. His
goals were simple, yet cohesive:
1) He would join the Nexus, the keepers of Balance. His observations had led him
to believe that Thera was in a constant state of change, much like the seasons,
and the only way to insure a future was to keep Thera from destroying itself.
2) He would seek out the Coven of the Harvest Moon and the ancient wisdom of the
Goddess Mother herself to better serve Thera, and the balance that governs it.
3) He will research magic and it's uses through the Isle to better understand how
it affects Thera, and how it can be used to aid Therans in their transcendance of
vice.
4) He will forge a new legacy for his family. From this day on the Tepineas line
will not be known as the House of Greed, but rather a House of enlightenment and
evolution.
Notes on speech, beliefs and behaviours.
Added Mon Apr 23 00:49:24 2012 at level 1:
Trinlen's speech could be described as eloquent. He is very well educated thanks
in large part due to the teachers his father could afford. He rarely speaks out
of anger and always views each situation objectively. While this makes him a
great warrior and diplomat it makes it difficult for him to interact with other
more common Therans.
Trinlen values balance above all things and he believes that the balance is best
represented in the cycle of the seasons. For the warmth of the spring means little
without the depths of the winter. And for the harvest is fruitless without the
rains of the summer. He believes the governing cycle extends to Thera as a whole
and seeks to cultivate a spiritual harvest to help defend Thera against it's
most diabolical of enemies: Therans.
The above belief is what drives his worship of the Mother Goddess. While he is
admittedly ignorant to much of the Coven (as his only true introduction came from
the wood-elf he spent two seasons with) he is adamant in his desire to serve the
Mother and the cycle.
He desires to join the Nexus to further the enforcement of the above, but also to
expand his knowledge of magic as he believes it may be a means for Therans to
transcend their own slavery to vice and virtue.
He has little use for the Theran cabals. He considers them all a piece of the
destructive puzzle that currently describes Thera. He views them as equally
dangerous and believes that they all need to be controlled for the good of the
World. With that being said he is courteous to all he meets, even if such is
on the field of battle. Furthermore he particularily enjoys conversation with
the Outlanders as they provide him a unique insight into the seasons.
All further updates will chronicle important days/events in Trinlen's life. Any
entry marked notes (like this one) will provide a wider view of Trinlen's
subsconcious.
PK Wins
May 12, 2012|Lv 30|Galadon|Afi vs 1: Trinlen (100%, acidic bite)
May 16, 2012|Lv 31|The Eastern Road|Vrenash vs 3: Krantmagna (25%, fire seed), Trinlen (59%), Maye (14%)
May 16, 2012|Lv 32|The Nexus Island|Kelarin vs 1: Trinlen (100%, poisonous bite)
May 16, 2012|Lv 32|The Dwarf Forest|Kelarin vs 1: Trinlen (100%, poisonous bite)
May 16, 2012|Lv 32|The Eastern Road|Kelarin vs 2: Ianindaiyr (56%, bite), Trinlen (43%)
May 16, 2012|Lv 32|The Eastern Road|Kelarin vs 3: Ianindaiyr (19%), Krantmagna (0%), Trinlen (80%, flurry)
May 19, 2012|Lv 41|BattleRager Village|Rathmuk vs 2: Makiki (44%), Trinlen (55%, flurry)
PK Deaths
May 19, 2012|Lv 40|The Goblin Village|vs 1: Derjelef (100%, thrust)
May 20, 2012|Lv 48|Mount Calandaryl|vs 2: Cabakso (83%, iceball), Otuerghad (16%)