Description
Before you stands a diminutive elfin creature who seems carved from
alabaster. He stands no more than 13 and a half hands tall and looks to weigh
no more than 4 stone. His pate is as smooth as glass allowing for a proud
display of his high swept and pointed ears. His gaze is startling, looking
like large almond-shaped pools of quicksilver under a snowy-white arched
brow. His face is fine boned with every angel well chiseled. Broad shoulders
lead into strong arms which in turn lead to smooth, strong hands. His torso
is tapered and his lower body fit. So lithe and fluid are his movements that
he looks like he could dodge the wind. Indeed, he disturbs nothing with his
passing, be it a fallen leaf or a candles flame.
Role
Little Big Man Syndrome.
Added Tue May 1 15:23:40 2007 at level 3:
Vallas is something of a Halfling when it comes to Elven-kind His size is
remarkable in its absence. He stands only thirteen and a half hands high
and weighs in at no more than 50 lbs. As a result of his diminutive stature
he has rarely been given his due in among the Elven people. They would often
treat him like a child or offer to help him in things he was capable of doing
on his own. What most failed to see was that Vallas was possessed of immense
physical strength and speed for his size and an fiercely independent spirit
that balked at their condescension and intervention. As such he has developed
an unconscious Little Big man syndrome and has set out on his own in a
subconscious attempt to prove his own self worth.
He is not in denial of his sizeand the weaknesses of his bloodline, and as
such is working his way down the path of the warrior through the schools of
evasion and counter-attack. He has as his lifes ambition to become known as
the greatest swordsman to ever live. Ever. He will be on the look out for
anyone or anything that can point him toward achieving that goal, through
word or deed.
He is loosely entertaining the notion of joining either the Fortress of Light
or the Blood Tribunal but it is too early in his life to say if either will
become a calling. As it is, he may run afoul of their ideologies, in that he
is a solitary soul and given to walking alone and free of derision and
condescension.
As a consequence of his size, he was exposed to parental control and adult
direction for an extended time and has ingrained in him an appreciation for
proper behavior. As such it is worth noting that he is a man of law and
order and loath to break rules oaths and codes.
A bit of the Past and a bit of the Present.
Added Thu May 17 14:05:06 2007 at level 23:
Having spent some time away from adventuring once he completed his academy
studies and was given the go ahead by the Guildmasters to engage other
guilds. Vallas instead took a different path. He wandered to the Shire of the
Halflings which was not far from his home on the South western reaches of the
Vale of Arendyl. His family had long associated with them, as much due to
proximity as to an appreciation for the peaceful life the Halflings led.
It was rumored that his family carried in its blood some Halfling blood
due to the tendency for its members to display decidedly un-elfin
features. Pot bellies, Less than pointed ears, courser, curlier hair and a
few inches off the top with height. (Except for one distant cousin who family
lore held was nearly seven feet tall. Though there was doubt as to the
fidelity of his creation.) None of these differences ever manifested
themselves to a degree that one would That fellow has the blood of the
Small Folk in him but when taken as a whole with the family, it became a
subject of discussion.
The odd thing with Vallas was that he got all of his characteristics in
spades. His height as well as his elfin features. To his chagrin, he got a
head of curly, snow-white hair too and over time a number of derogatory
nicknames among the elves. As soon as he was of the age of majority, he
shaved his pate completely clean and has kept it ever since.
Now, free of the familial obligations of his home and out on his own, he has
found himself drawn to the shire where other than an appreciative remark or
two for his size, he is not the target of unwanted comments. Furthermore he
has benefited from the teachings of the diminutive peoples warriors and
guards, adopting their evasive measures and accepting a healthy respect for
the sheer size and strength of nearly every opponent he will face.
The Family Tree.
Added Thu May 17 18:14:14 2007 at level 24:
It is worth noting that his family name Featherfoot, was shared by a number
of Halflings within the shire. A startling revelation and a topic of great
interest to those small folk with a penchant for genealogy. It was also a
startling revelation to Vallas.
Among elves it is centuries old and commonly assumed to have come from a
Wood-Elven or more rural High-Elven lineage, a throw back to their distant
ancestry. Now given the tendency for odd traits among his people, Vallas
suspects that his blood-line is not wholly Elven.
First assignment
Added Fri May 18 12:44:39 2007 at level 26:
Having visited the opulent Mansion of Daevryn, Vallas came to a clear
conclusion that he had no desire to live in the cold granite walls of the
Fortress. He found that somewhere within him was a desire for the trappings
of civilized life. Inspired, he immediately hired a messenger to deliver his
application to the Blood Tribunal.
It was not long afterward, that a Provincial Magistrate recognized him and
began a discussion with him and another applicant. After a few hours Lucury
decided that Vallas would be assigned to Hamsah MuTazz.
This was fortuitous because Vallas had become interested in the similarities
in fighting styles between the Bedouin and his own people. So now he spends
his time while on duty watching the Guildmaster train his students and he
seeks to gleen what he can from it. He had hired an instructor who had come
highly recommended but this nearly ended in disaster. The man had mistaken
Vallass size for a lack of ability, and on his first day Vallas was
embarrassed to find himself in a class of human children none older than 10
summers. Insults were cast in both directions and Vallas stormed out, his
ears burning.
This incident just further inflamed his desire to overcome hisshort
comings.
Aziheed Aziheed Swordmaster of the Aziheed tribe in Hamsah Mu'Tazz.
Added Tue May 22 15:35:00 2007 at level 34:
Aziheed took the diminutive elfs hands in his own. And turned them this way
and that.
Your streength ees incredible meester Feetherfoot. I knoo that I keen not
beet you in a a game called mercy. Yees!
They both laughed.
Steel, it ees not your greatest streength, it ees your weekness. You are
shoort meester Feetherfoot, we moost be honest, very shoort. Thees too is a
weekness
Here the sword master holds up a hand to forstall the prideful outburst he
has come to expect.
Eet ees also a streength, a greet streength!
I see you have coom far weeth the reeposte, moor theen most would and I see
you have your oon tweest to it.Thees is good, veeeery good. Boot theer ees
moor.
Teel mee again, eend shoo me in thee sand how you fought thee orc and hees
bandeets.
Soon Vallas and the Swordmaster were engaged in ernest talk over the methods
he employed that carried him through the streets of Hamsah MuTazz in a
pitched battle with Ghurgat.
Yees! Yees! Exclaimed Aziheed, yoo fight like the four winds. How eever,
there are really eeght, and yoo must fight like seeven oov them eef yoo woont
to survive sooch battles against sooch beasts and theer hordes.
Wee have our leeson!
And with that Aziheed Aziheed began putting Vallas through his paces.
Pride goeth before a fall.
Added Thu May 24 11:06:22 2007 at level 36:
Vallas took it to heart when he was called a liar by Witrumton in front of
Iukulli and Maethron, and Iukulli, knowing that it was in fact Witrumton
lying, didnt back up Vallas. This injured Vallas greatly because he had
thought Iukulli his friend.
A short time latter Maethron embarrassed Vallas publicly over the Cabal
channel when Vallas asked aboutthe affiliation of an Imperial Bard. Having
missed the obvious Imperial badge affixed to the fellows name on the guild
roster, Maethron (Being Maethron) snootily pointed out the obvious.
This burned in Vallas and he eventually let Pride get the better of him and
Stormed back to the Spire, gave them a piece of his mind and turned in his
resignation along with an oath to -Show them all!-
Tomfil Bramblebur, resident retired Halfling adventerur, fair prices, you bring lunch.
Added Thu May 24 11:11:24 2007 at level 36:
Tomfil Bramblebur watched as Vallas Sparred with Davy, Tomfils oldest son.
Davy, while a centry younger than Vallas, was hale and fit for a Halfling and
adept at swashbuckling.
Swashbuckling is the martial art where in a light blade, or Swash, is coupled
with a small shield, commonly referred to as a buckler. Rarely used as a
dedicated fighting style, Davy was a remarkable exception, and it showed as
he put the not quite as nimble Vallas through his paces.
Tomfil watch as Vallas, grunted and strained as he burst into a wild flurry
of sweeps with his wooden swords all but one blocked or deflected. Time and
again Vallas exerted himself against the fourfoot tall Halfling in a futile
attempt to score some hits. Before long Vallas was exhausted and Davy all but
crawled over him on his way to victory.
Tom approached the two clapping at their performance.
Boys that was great! He exclaimed as he and Davy helped Vallas up on his
feet.
You each got your licks in and I honestly think Vallas could be the better of
the two of you.
Now wait a minute Paw! I whooped him and I whooped him good! Protested Davy.
That you did, son, that you did, And I said COULD be, he isnt right now.
Vallas was fighting two people there, and you were only fighting one.
Chuckled Tomfil.
Vallas raised an arching eyebrow as he wiped the sweat of his head with a
terry towel.
Huh? Was all Davy said.
Vallas, Tomfil said turning to the tiny elf, You arent a giant son.
Youre Barely big enough to be an elf and not to far off from one of us!
You need to keep your muscles strong sure, but use them for control, think
light, think like your name! Youre a Featherfoot! Keep light on your feet
and use your motions to score your hits. Momentum is fine and dandy son, but
you need precision. Let the bigger folk crumble armor and shield, we need to
get around it!
Now, then Tomfil, let me limber these old bones up a bit and Ill show you
what I mean.
A short time latter the lessons began again under the Maple trees with Tomfil
showing Vallas how to recover more quickly from strikes and a technique of
striking rapidly with swords that was different from what Aziheed had shown
him.