Wiki Category: Human Characters - Active

Played by: Haley Hartwell
Name: Rose
Gender: Female.
Age: 16
Race: Human
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Occupation: Adventurer
Known Skills: Archer
Birthplace: Unknown
Appearance: Longish brown curly hair, “5’4, glasses
Notable Traits: glasses

I grew up in a small, modest cottage with my mother, father, younger sister, and big brother, who I idolized. At a young age I decided I wanted to become a cleric so I could help heal the wounded. One day when I was out healing a bird’s wing I stumbled upon a man with a wounded leg. His face was caked with grime, but he seemed friendly enough, so I helped heal him and in return, he gave me a bow.
When he first tried to hand it to me I just looked at it stupidly. I was extremely confused; I had no idea how to use a bow, so why would he want to give me one? I had no use for it. He finally handed it to me and began to explain the basics. When he noticed me still staring at it with confusion, he sighed and mumbled something that sounded like “ignorant child” under his breath. He took it from me, obviously trying to be patient, and showed me how I should hold it before handing it back to me. This time I held the bow correctly but when I tried to shoot an arrow it nearly hit the man. He dropped to the ground as the arrow flew over his head, then stood again and dusted himself off. I could tell his patience was wearing thin. I was ready to give him the bow back but then he started setting up makeshift targets for me to shoot at. I felt guilty because a couple of the targets were apples he took out of his mostly empty nap sack. He may go to sleep hungry one night because of those missing apples, and it would be my fault. I started to voice my objections, but he just waved them away and continued his work. Once he was finished with setting up the targets he stood beside me helping me aim. With his help I was able to hit a target. Even though my success was mostly due to his help, I was still excited when the arrow hit. He retrieved the arrow, handed it to me, and told me it was time to shoot by myself. Thankfully, he took some measures to protect himself and stood behind me this time, safely out of my way. I nocked the arrow, drew back, and let it fly. But … my eyes were closed, so I didn’t even know I hit the target until I heard him clapping and laughing.
“What a lucky shot, and even with your eyes closed at that!” I peeked one eye open and saw that what he said was true. “Next time, little one, keep both eyes open” With that he patted me on the head and left. Every day after that I would go to the same spot, set up my targets and practice shooting my bow. Secretly I wondered if he would ever return. A part of me hoped he would so I could show him how much better I was now. I could hit an apple half the time, and my speed was improving too.
When I wasn’t shooting my bow or healing injured animals I would spend my days playing with my sister or following my big brother around. My family was extremely close, and even our extended family lived only minutes away, so when my brother, Puckerman, left one day, I was surprised and upset. It didn’t help that I was angry at him when he left.
“Brother, I want to come with you!”
Puckerman shook his head, “You can’t come with; you’re too young.”
“No I’m not! I can handle myself! I’ve been practicing my bow, I’m not useless.” Hurt colored my voice as I tried to make him see.
“I won’t be responsible for you if something were to happen. It’s not safe where I’m going.”
“But who will look out for you?” I asked, beginning to feel desperate. I had to make him see that he should take me with. I had to.
“There are others that I will be traveling with. They can look out for me just as well as you can.”
“Then why can’t I come with? They can keep me safe as well.”
“Damn it Rose, you’re just not good enough!” He finally yelled, exasperated.
With tears threatening to spill out of my eyes I ran away, not wanting him to see them, the signs of my weakness. Every day for the next year, I practiced my skills, trying to get better and better; training so that one day I may follow my brother, find him, and finally prove to him that I was good enough. Finally, on my 16th birthday, I left home determined to find him.

Relationships: An older brother, Puckerman
Rumors: She seems a little too attached to her brother.

Played by:Jacob Bollig
Name: Puckermen
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Race: human
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Occupation: Rangers Lieutenant,Cleric
Known Skills: divine magic, good leader, stealthy
Birthplace:
Appearance: green hood of the Rangers
Notable Traits: Very watchful of his surroundings, protective of his men

Bio: My childhood was not that important so let’s just start with when I was 14. Living in newhope, I had two sisters, Elizabeth and Rose. We lived in a small house near the market with our parents. My two sisters wanted to become healers and help out brave solders of Newhope. Being the older brother, I helped them study the art of healing, I would take them to their teacher three times a week. Since I was already there with them, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to learn too, in case they needed help with it at home. I didn’t choose healing over fighting. I still had a dream of exploring the world and seeing new things. One had to be able to defend themself in the outside world.
When I reached manhood at the age of 16 I set out, saying good bye to my family. The first place I wanted to see was the vast blue oceans that my grandparents came on from the old land. It didn’t live up to the stories I had heard about it: it was just a big salty lake. The vast country side was beautiful but with it came its troubles. I had always thought when I faced my first enemy I would rise up and defeat it, earning a tale to tell to all that would listen. Instead I ended up running away from the three bandits that crossed my path.
The second time I would face real danger would be a year later; it would also be where I met my leader. I had just arrived at a small village and was looking for an inn that would take me in. The trouble was I only had silver for a room or for food. My belly won and I got food and set out down the road again. I was camping alone in the hills at night by a cliff’s edge with a fire as my only company; little did I know it would betray me. Three mordok had me before I knew what was happening. One came in to kill me alone, wanting the kill all to himself. The other two seemed happy to oblige, standing next to the cliff. I didn’t see what was going on around me just the enemy trying to kill me with his bare hands. I noticed a green blur dart from the woods towards the two onlooking Mordok. It collided with one, sending it careening over the cliff’s edge, quickly turning to draw it’s swords, squaring off against the remaining foe.
I struggled as long as I could, all the while sounds of steel and wood colliding told me the blur was still fighting. My strength began to wane, and the mordok pressed the advantage. Just when it seamed he had me, his attention was drawn away: The blur, who I could now see was a man in a green hood, had just dispatched his foe, wiping the dark blood from his blade. The mordok got up and ran at the man, intent on throwing him over the ledge. They struggled until they both fell over the cliff, but when I got to the edge the man was barely hanging on to a root jutting from the cliff face. After I helped him up he wasted no time in siting down in front of the fire looking at me, and with a big hearty grin asked, “So whats for supper?” We hit it off rather well: he told me of the group he was making and how he needed strong men to help in the fight. At the time he had no members and was beginning to lose faith he would ever have the brave men he needed.
He asked me to join him in looking for brave men. “Maybe we can even turn you into one”. So I went with him and we found others to join up and serve under the green hood of the Rangers. I was given the position of Second in Command: though I did not want the responsibilities I thought would come with the job, it turned out fairly well. Currently I was in charge of the men while the Captain campaigned for more recruits. A few more Rangers came, filtering in over time. The leader of the Rangers was out gathering them up and sending them my way. Before long, we almost started to resemble a fighting force to be proud of.

Its strange how lighting a fire on a cold night can change your life so much.

Played By: Dante Hardy
Name: Dimitri Fallen-Cry
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Age: 37

Dimitri Fallen-Cry is the second oldest of the Fallen-Cry brothers. Unlike his brothers he goes to great lengths to refine his magical abilities. He and his brothers Artorias trained in the May’Kar for a few years before the Undead and Penitent seized control of the city. Dimitri and his brothers were able to flee just in time and decided to return home.

After being displaced for over a year, Dimitri returned to his families home to meet up with the rest of his family. They were able to return to normal life for over five years before the war began to reach their territory. They were forced out by the undead and penitent forces surging from the newly conquered cities and villages. The penitent drove the Fallen-Cry further into the Kingdom of Vandregon where they spent the next nine years moving and relocating in the Kingdom of Vandregon. Rumors reached Dimitri and Artorias of a new continent free of the undead and that a colonization effort was under way. Dimitri and Artorias decided to take the family and move them to this new continent. Although the journey was long and difficult Dimitri and his brothers were able to get to the shores and chartered a boat to leave for Mardrun. However, this move to the shores cost the lives of most of the Fallen-Cry family who were either killed or captured and this left the brothers and some relatives to carry on the family name.

Dimitri prefers not to use violence, but he is still trained with a blade for an amateur. He takes great pride in his magical skills, however family means more to Dimitri, in his mind family would come first then his magic skills. He takes any offense to his brothers as a offense and an attack on him as well, and will defend them to the end.

Character: Trevor LaFont
Player: Andrew Berner
Class: Mage

Trevor LaFont’s family were some of the first humans to see Mardrun. When the nation of Aldoria began sending colonists to the new continent, the LaFont family went in search for a new life, away from the undead plague. Word of the new continent had reached them and the promise of escaping the coming darkness was all they needed. So, years before the mass exodus from Faedrun, the LaFonts braved the ocean to land on Mardrun.

Beekeeping and mead-brewing were the endeavors that had won his family its wealth, as well as more than a few academics and they had never had a taste for conflict. The family packed up what they could of the apiaries and gathered any willing household members and retainers. The journey was mercifully smooth, but when they landed they were met by bestial warriors, who called themselves Ulven. When Lord LaFont made his intentions of settlement clear, he was struck dead on the spot. Fortunately, the LaFont family had always had a matriarchal structure anyway. Lady Lafont then boldly stepped forward and offered a gift of mead to the Ulven who took it and departed, without further bloodshed. The LaFonts took this as a sign that they had befriended the Ulven (though in reality, this was not the case), and proceeded to build their new home. The Ulven returned a few weeks later, but chose to leave the family at peace due to the martial force that had arrived from Faedrun.With the help of the Aldorian soldiers and a few of the neighboring families, the LaFonts were able to erect a small fortified estate over the years, where their bee pastures could produce honey for the various wonderful products that were enjoyed so much.

Though they had taken a risk, abandoned their nobility, and left so much behind, the LaFont’s had survived and created a peaceful, if harder life for themselves. Time passed, the Estate thrived, and trade with the Ulven became common after the peace treaty was signed. Trevor grew up slightly sheltered from the harshness of the new world, due to relatively comfortable life on the estate. The chores were hard, but there was always food and the Ulven along with the few LaFont guard kept most of the dangers away. He excelled in many academic pursuits, enjoying the library that had so carefully been transported from Faedrun. True to his LaFont blood, he showed an aptitude for magic and medicine, as well as a touch of madness. Unlike a typical LaFont, Trevor did not shy from combat. As a boy he spent much time training with his half brother Heinrich.

At the age of 12, Trevor fell into a deep coma when he was kicked in the head by a cow that he was trying to milk. His mother and sister cared for him during this time, but it was all they could do to keep him alive. He experienced several, vivid fever dreams in that time, fantastic adventures against monsters and to places he had only ever read about, if not made up entirely. After nearly two full weeks, he awoke, and has since recovered, if not fully.

After that, time passed, Trevor grew up. The exodus from Faedrun happened, and many of the things young Trevor read about became real. His half brother, the person he was closest with, left to become a mercenary. Conflict broke out. The Mordok had been the only real threat, but now thing had become more complicated. The feuds and politics of the Faedrun spilled into the New Continent. Everything was changing, but maybe it wasn’t all bad. He decided to join the larger world. He knew his younger sister and mother could run the estate fine without him. There were people to meet, places to explore and mysteries to solve. He would be there when they honey caravans were running and the mead needed bottling, but for now there were too many other things to do. It was time to leave the safety of his family’s estate. It was time for his real adventure to begin.

LaFont colors: black, teal and purple
Heraldry: A gold trimed purple and teal bee on a black field

Played by:Emily Vakos (ervakos@gmail.com)

Name: Ryla Larksfield (formerly Blackthorne)

Gender: Female

Age: Late Twenties

Race: Human

Hair: Dark Brown

Eyes: Brown

Occupation: Mercenary and adventurer

Known Skills: Not bad with a sword and shield (not especially good, but not bad), quick with a joke and a drink (when applicable), keeps an ear to the ground

Birthplace: Dellastern, Aldoria (presumably)

Appearance:

Notable Traits: Pretty average. . .maybe her penchant for sarcasm.

Bio:
Ryla, like many of the children who grow up on the streets of Dellastern, never knew her parents. She was abandoned to and raised by one of the local temples. Though her time there left her with a favorable view of religion and the religiously devout she has since found other deities that better fit her lifestyle. Though they’re intentions were noble, there is only so much a few priestesses can do with a temple full of gaping mouths. At age 9, Ryla left the temple to make her own way on the streets.

While it wasn’t all wine and roses, naturally, Ryla found the streets more than adequately comfortable. She learned quickly and well how valuable friends were and made them every chance she got. When she needed protection, she befriended those slightly older and stronger than herself. When she needed food, she befriended a fish monger. It cost her dearly. The last coin in her purse was almost always spent buying some new “friend” a drink, but she never starved or froze. While her peers learned the fine arts of cut-pursing and begging, Ryla learned to trade in favors and information. By the age of 19 she was well established as a capable and reliable fixer. With a few more years in the city’s underworld she would have been well off indeed. But it was not to be.

Eight years ago the nation of Aldoria fell and Ryla was forced to leave her beloved city for the unconquered wilds of Mardrun. In the months leading to the evacuation she spent every asset available to her buying a new life on Mardrun for those who had no means of escape on their own. If asked about it, she’ll simply give you a bitten smirk and remind you that the flood of dead from Aldoria was still enough to push the living off of Faedrun forever.

She arrived on the new continent penniless and nearly friendless and certainly would have been easy prey for the tamest of Mordock had it not been for a mercenary named Duncan Larksfield. The two met at a tavern Ryla frequented called the Winter Apple. While the rest of his men cavorted, he sat in the back playing quiet games of chess. Eventually Ryla wore him down with beer and persistence and he agreed to play a game against her. They became friends quickly, meeting at the Winter Apple whenever Duncan’s business brought him to the port.

When the undead pushed in on Dellastern, Duncan rushed to the city’s defense and the two stole a moment for a final game. Much to his dismay, Ryla intended to save one more life, drugged his beer, and had him dragged aboard a ship bound for Mardrun. Though incensed at first, he eventual forgave Ryla and the two decided to stick together when they landed on the new continent.

But the princess of Aldoria, Ryla was not, and Duncan would be damned if he was going to give her a free ride in a harsh new world. He taught her how to use a sword and fight and the two settled into mercenary work protecting caravans and travelers. Ryla’s new talent with a blade was mediocre at best, but the measured caution of her youth had relaxed in Duncan’s company and for the first time in her life, she became cocky. Despite Duncan’s warnings, she became more and more reckless with her safety. While on a relatively routine guard job roughly three and a half years ago, Ryla got into a bit of trouble and would have lost her head if Duncan hadn’t come to her aid. But in so doing, he sustained a horrible wound that nearly killed him.

He was nursed back to health by a healer named Erin and through his recovery the two fell in love. When he was fully healed, he and Erin settled in New Aldoria and were married. Ryla, feeling depthless guilt, stayed by his side through his recovery and into his new life with Erin. She got a job at a butcher’s and the three lived a quiet happy life for a little over a year. But it soon became obvious that though Ryla loved her new family dearly, she was growing restless. Duncan and Erin took matters into their own hands, bought her new gear, and forced her to take a guard job traveling to Newhope. They bid their farewells, telling her that she would always be welcome to visit.

Thus, Ryla found herself on the road, once more alone and seeking her fortune. Over the last few years she’s befriended a motley group of fellow travelers. That is where we find her now.

Relationships: Travels with Nighen, Tylon, and Weilyn

Rumors: There is a surprising amount of gossip, in the right circles. Some people say she’s the kind of low life scum who thumbs her nose at proper social decorum and hangs around with robbers and whores. Others say she’s surprising helpful and resourceful, if a bit down on her luck since coming to the new world.

Played by: Chris Raab
Name: Connor Darkwing
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Race: Human
Hair: Brown, usually has stubble and a goatee
Eyes: Blue
Occupation: ex-Vandregonian Ranger, Eagle in the order of Arnath’s fist
Known Skills: Dual-Wielding, Archery, Armor Proficiency, Disease Resistance, First-Aid, Thrown weapons
Birthplace: North-Western Vandregon, town of Greenridge
Notable Traits: Pragmatic and stoic, resourceful and somewhat blunt.
Relationships: Father (Gerard), Mother (Sibyl), Sister (Rachel)
Rumors: It’s said he’s only been on Faedrun for 6 months or so, years later than any other known arrivals.

Seeing as I’ve cheated death more times than any should have been able to, I’ve decided to set down my tale and thoughts in this journal.
I wish I could tell you truthfully that I was part of some grand prophecy or a pivotal part in the ending of the plague on my beloved Faedrun, or maybe even bringing the end to the civil war these Ulven have become caught up in, but this is not the time, or place for fiction. I am simply a man, trying to do the best he can to survive.
I was born in the North-Western part of Vandregon, in a town known as Greenridge, where my father was a carpenter. My mother worked as a cook for the local noble, I forget his name now. We lived simply, but comfortably, directly on the edge of the noble’s estate. My mother worked long hours to allow me to attend lessons on the estate. I learned to read, to write, first-aid, and basic mathematics, as well as swordplay and archery. While this was the basis for my current skills, my father taught me resourcefulness, which, in retrospect, has proven more useful than anything.
We never really worried much about the undead until we heard of a caravan that was attacked on the road leading to the town. My father joined a few other townsfolk to look for survivors. They returned a few hours later, and with only half of their original number. One thing I will never forget in all my days is the look on my normally stoic father’s face. It was as white as paper and his lips were locked in a tight grimace, though his eyes betrayed a fear I had never seen before. He said almost nothing, but immediately began packing our belongings into our wagon.
He wouldn’t tell us more until we were several miles to the South, explaining that he had seen the undead and that they were headed towards Greenridge, they may have even arrived by now. We continued south to the capitol city, where my parents looked to book us passage on a ship to the colonies. They found room for two on a ship leaving the next day, and my mother and sister set off for Mardrun, I have not seen or heard of them since. My father and I lived in the capitol city for a year or two before I decided to join the Vandregon army at the age of 16, only a few months before the capitol city fell. I left the city with a company of soldiers to hold back a penitent force cutting a swath of destruction to the north. After a few days of travel, we came across the penitent force, which numbered more than we had anticipated, we soon found ourselves surrounded. We would have been killed to the last man hand it not been for a timely rescue by a company of Vandregon rangers who had been tailing the penitent. What advantage the penitent had in numbers the rangers dissolved with tactics and swiftness. After seeing the effectiveness of the rangers, I decided to join them, and did so with the blessings of my commanding officer.
As a ranger, we made countless excursions into penitent and undead controlled territory, delivering key blows to support the bulk of the Vandregon forces. No matter what we did though, the horde pressed towards us, and every few weeks we had to move our camp. Eventually, we took refuge in an abandoned keep near the border of Aldoria. We continued to attempt rescues and plan strikes on penitent and undead forces, but we saw more towns and villages fall than we rescued. One day, on an expedition into Aldoria, we came across a scholar and his students that were running from a penitent force. After rescuing them, they told us of a relic, hidden in the now toppled May’Kar Dominion that would prove to be a great weapon in the war against the dead. Hurrying back to the keep, it was quickly decided that a group of us would go to retrieve this blade and take it to Mardrun, if only to keep it out the hands of the enemy.
It was a long, hard journey. We had to evade several penitent and undead forces and exterminate near as many. The few surviving Vandregon soldiers accompanied us, as well as the scholars, so that our force numbered nearly forty. We acquired the relic and headed toward the coast to secure passage, but were tailed by a large force of penitent. We raced to the coast and arrived to find no ships seaworthy, and only one that was repairable. We quickly set to work repairing that ship and were nearly done when the penitent showed up. The soldiers and a few of the rangers broke off to hold the penitent off while we finished the boat. We cast off just as the line broke and the penitent killed the last of those still on land.
We numbered only 15 as we cast off for Mardrun, stopping where we could along the coast for supplies before truly setting out to sea. It was a long, grueling journey, especially for one not acquainted to sea travel. As happy as we were to see land, that changed as soon as we set foot on the coast. We were set upon by humanoid…things…I’m not sure exactly who, or what, even now that I’ve had the chance to rethink the whole ordeal. The scholar, a student, another ranger and I escaped into the wilderness while my brothers in arms held off our assailants. I can only assume they fell to our attackers as a small band of the things followed us after the battle. We managed to evade them long enough to make it to the edge of a vast swamp. We hurried into it as our pursuers gave chase. Miles in, something happened that caused them to abandon the hunt and retreat. I never knew what exactly it was. We hid in that swamp so long that I lost track of time. One night, we were set upon by monstrous creatures I’m told are called mordok. Four of them came out of nowhere, killing the student in a heartbeat. Between the other the three of us, we were able to slay our attackers, but not before they dealt fatal blows to my companions.
I didn’t sleep that night, and built a small cairn in the morning for the three of them. Grabbing the relic, a small, golden bauble from the scholar and picking up the extra sword they had, I wandered the wastes for weeks, always keeping out of sight of the ulven as well as the mordok. After that time, I came upon a familiar enemy. Zombies came out of the woods. Having fought them before, I slew them, but not before one bit me on the leg. The rest is a haze that I don’t properly remember until I woke up on a cot, but that’s another story.

Helgin Black, born Jack Helgin Forester Jr., was born in a small town on the West cost of Faedrun as the son of Jack and Anna Forester. His mother was born Anna Helgin and later in life was married to a man named Jack Forester whom she had met along a journey to the north. They were a loving couple who survived off of Jack’s wealth gained as a scout for hire. However, Jack was never quite right in the head after an incident involving a book written by an unknown madman. Jack Jr. grew up listing to his father’s mad stories of walking corpses and evil scripts, but resented his father every day in his youth, feeling that his father was a weak crazy old man that just couldn’t live with the idea of life. Life went on as normal, as day by day Jack Sr. would train Jack Jr. to his craft of scouting, yet the crazy ranting’s and solo talk sessions of his father would drive him to the point of neglect towards his father.

One day a letter would come requesting Jack Sr.’s assistance in exploring a new land dubbed Mardrun. Jack Sr. would kiss his wife goodbye and wish his son luck with his life, claiming that what he was doing would be important when the day came that the undead would over run Faedrun. This angered Jack Jr., feeling his father was truly mad to give in to his false fears and that abandoning his wife and child was a coward’s move.
Jack Jr. would start to run with the wrong crowd that would lead to Jack Jr. using what his father had taught him to become an assassin. Caring little for the lives of others was easy for Jack and would make him a great assassin with his skills. Jack would gain a reputation among the assassin community and gain the name Jack Black, for his heart was just that, black.

Upon receiving a job up to the north one day, Jack would enter a town that was filled with disease and plague and use this to advantage for his kill. He would merely poison that man’s food and watch him die. Jack sat and watched as the man would consume the food in his sickened and famine state in order to live, only this food would lead to his death. The man would twist and squirm as his insides slowly died and eventually gave out. Jack had done it. The man was dead.

“Yes, yes I have done it” he thought, as the man slowly arose from the wooden floor of his kitchen. How could this be? Jack thought, he was dead or wasn’t he? And then Jack saw the undead corpse his father spoke so much of slowly arise and look back, sensing Jack’s presence. Jack would run and run for his life, making it back home only to find that his mother was dead and the town over taken.

Jack traveled for years avoiding the plague till he would find a town that was still yet left standing. There Jack settled and began to study and learn of the undead and there plight in order to stop them.
One night in his sleep, Jack was awoken by a dark shadowy presence that told him that he would help Jack learn of the undead and ways of defeating them if he wished, but he would have to devote himself to all that his order would teach Jack. Jack accepted and was later inducted into what would be called The Order of the Black Knight Society.
The Order of the Black Knight Society was one that considered themselves protectors of the people of Faedrun in which devoted practice and study of the necromantic arts would be used to understand and defeat the undead plague. However this practice was one that was shunned and looked down upon by many humans and for that reason its followers would follow the same fate. Jack, abandoning all he knew of the assassin way, took on the study necromancy in order to get his revenge on the undead plague. He would also abandon his old name and dub himself Helgin Black in memory of his mother. But not enough time would be given in order to stop the undead plague and in time, would be forced to flee in order to study his way elsewhere. Helgin would dawn the appearance of the penitent by marking his face for life and brand himself a traitor for all time. To Helgin, this way his only means to sneak through their forces and gain passage to the new land. Helgin, finding a small sailing vessel manned by only five remaining survivors would find his means to the new world and with it the hope of finding the means of stopping the plague once and for all.

Played by: Andy Andersen
Name: Vladimir “Saint” Ivanovitch lll
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Race: Human
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
Occupation: Serving as a battle cleric for the Vandregon army
Known Skills: Divine magic and poison resistance
Birthplace: In the Kingdom of Vandregon on Faedrun
Appearance: Wears the Vandregon colors under a cloak
Relationships: None
Rumors: From his studies, some think he is too close to the Undead

Bio: “I am not out to claim glory, or power… I am Vladimir “Saint” of the Ivanovitch family. My mother and father sent me to the arms of the church during the Undead plague back home at the age of 7. But I did not despair, they were not as loving as they could of been. The church offered me knowledge and a safe haven on the new continent of Mardun. Once the boats started to set sail for this new world, the priests who had taught me for most of my life took me and the rest of us and boarded the first ship to leave. I enjoyed the trip, the crew had such stories to tell, and some had stories of the Undead or being attacked by the Penitent. I was so interested in them and helping those of the ship that they gave me the nickname “Saint”. When we finally arrived on Mardun, things were very much as I thought it would be- a land also in the middle of a war, for at this time the humans and Syndar were in a bitter war with the native Ulven. The Priests whom I had come to call family quickly moved to establish a new homestead in a small village outside of the newly established settlement called, Newhope.

Days here seemed to go by fast, just as the people who rushed back and forth from the front lines and from the shores, and before we knew it, the war had ended. Some say we won, others said the Ulven prevailed. Either way, the war was over and I thought maybe now I can continue my research and studies. I was always one to take things apart and figure out how it worked and the one thing I longed to study was not as available here. I wished to study the Undead… I had learned all I could from the books in the library and I wanted more than anything to study them. Me being just a boy of fourteen, I wanted to do this more than anything and I pandered to the others. I even went as far as talking to the head priest, Calder. Calder was as religious as he was ruthless; he had fought on the front lines of the Aldorians and the Vandregon. He has seen the Undead scourge for himself, this made him my favorite place to go to answers. But unfortunately he did not give out information on his battle experiences easily. So when I came to him telling him I wanted to study the Undead, he was furious. He said the Undead are not to be studied, rather they needed to be destroyed by the Light. I was a man of the cloth as much as the rest, but I was also a man of the sciences, so anyone can imagine the conflict that this caused me inside.

Even though Calder would not allow me to study the Undead, I still found ways to keep myself entertained. A stack of books arrived all on the battle tactics of the armies of the Old and New. One book was on the Aldorian army, several on the Vandregon army and one or two that really interested me were on not only the tactics of the Ulven and each of the clans individual tendencies and specialties in battle- but one was titles “Mordok Hunting” It talked so low of the Mordok it made perfect sense that more people think of them as animals. I took all the tactics and worked to apply it to my combat strategies. My training took me years to perfect and by the time I was eighteen, I felt ready to set out and join the world. I hade planned on joining new Vandregon in two months. Then one day a group came to our church in search for a blessing on a journey they were embarking on. Balder was the first to greet them as they came up the steps. I was not concerned about what they needed; I was preoccupied with my training and meditation. Later that night Calder asked to see me, he had never asked to see me before- but I went anyways. Calder lived in a secluded part of the homestead with his wife whom I rarely saw and his son who had a grudge with me when one day his father yelled at him for not being as committed to his studies as I was. I had no problems finding Calder; he was standing in the doorway of his study. In a corner I noticed a chest, I had never seen it before. Calder turned to face me and saw that I had noticed it.
“I see you noticed the new chest, those people who were earlier left it in our care.” “Why? We have no need for it. And who is the lock supposed to keep out?”
Calder looks to me with a blank stare “Those people left it in our care….it is imperative it stays locked away from those who are not worthy.”
“So what did you want to see me about?”
“I called you here because I know you are planning on joining the Vandregon army. I know you were planning on leaving us here without any explanation.” I almost jumped when he said that but I let him continue. “”However thought I would not be mad at you for this…I too served for the Vandregon… They are an honorable group and they would be lucky to have you. But first you need to prove that you can fight. This brings me to why I called you in here. Those people need a cleric to go with them and a blessing for their trip, I told them I would send my best and brightest cleric, and that’s you. Now you’re not to let them stray away from this path.”
He handed me a map of Mardrun. “Here is Onsallas outpost. I have heard from a reliable contact that two Vandregon warriors from the militia known as the Myrmiden will be there one day earlier than the Vandregons current leader, William. Maybe there you will be able to join them. Now get moving, you leave tonight and should arrive to the outpost in three days time.”

I couldn’t have been more excited about the pleasant turn of events.
Later that night I met up with the group I will be traveling with. There were a total of fifteen of us. This chest must be very important if they managed to gather so many people. The journey took all of two days to go to hell. On the night of the second day, we were all woken up in the late night by a man on watch called Brueter. Brueter had with him a traveling companion named Rachel. I had no doubt that the two were engaged in relations with each other. He was screaming “He’s found us Rachel, we must get the chest and make hast to the outpost, they can protect us there!!” I had no idea who HE was, so I pondered who could have these men and woman who had seen death and killed in such disarray. Then I felt as if something was there, and odd feeling crept into my body as I noticed that another woman was with us. Her shadow was taller and leaner like a man and held a spear… My brain moved too fast for my body to react, her chest erupted with crimson red blood covering the spear tip as it slid back through her body and a man appeared behind her.
But he was not really a man, his face had almost no color, or flesh on it. His eye sockets were void of any eyes, just black holes. This was an Undead… I became excited- here it was, standing just as I had thought it would, void of any emotion. But I had to wait till it was dead for me to study it, I thought to myself. My mind was suddenly taken by fear as it lunged towards me, spear in hand, ready to thrust its sharp head into mine. I side stepped the thrust, but not before realizing that someone was standing behind me and was not in the cross fire and before either of us came to our sensed it was too late and the spear entered his throat and exited out the back of his neck. When it retracted, it pulled out strands of veins and muscle. Soon the others were aware of what was going on, a panic quickly set in. Each man and woman was working to get away at any cost, but this foolish effort ended up killing more and more of them. Some were set on fire, stumbling into the still burning fires. Other ran into each others drawn weapons. This mass hysteria was soon calmed and controlled by an ex- Vandregon soldier. I had learned of him when I met him, he was an older man in his late thirties called Axas. He was dishonorably discharged due to a crippling injury he sustained during a drunken brawl he started.

None the less, he started barking orders and soon rallied us into a line. Only ten of us were left after the beginning panic. One man moved to lunge his great sword in the Undead’s stomach but the Undead was unfazed by this and moved forward onto the blade until he was face to face with the man who stood petrified. Soon the Undead made it’s move and it thrusted it’s hand around the mans face and began to squeeze. Slowly and painfully, the man’s head started to crack and bleed. His eye were being gouged out and squeezed, the blood curdling screams could be a nightmare in and of itself, but it wasn’t long before the Undead had squeezed the life out of his victim and let his limp body fall into the dirt. But Axas stood tall, weapon drawn before he called for them to rush the Undead. The Undead had thrusted his sword into another person, but this time he let it go, reached for the handle of the great sword in his stomach and pulled it out. The battle began…

Axas did his best, but no one in our little group had the minerals to stand up to this seemingly invincible enemy. I was trying to convince Axas to hand me his sword so that I could bless it but before I could get a chance the Undead made a strong powerful swing for Axas and knocked him back. The Undead were swinging slowly but it would connect on almost every swing and these swings were powerful, at one point he swung hard for Axas and it connected with his big tower shield and it cracked and splintered right up the middle. One by one they started to fall like flies. Axas finally gave up his sword so that I could bless it, I ran for cover in the tall grass that surrounded us. But as I started the ritual, I noticed that the undead had not been so interested in me, until now… I heard its heavy footsteps behind me as I turned around to catch him, but instead I found a knife in my side. I blacked almost out instantly from the pain. When I regained consciousness, I looked around to see if there were any survivors, I only found the reanimated corpses of the others. I had to get away or else I would be next. I looked over and I could see the undead has it’s hand on Bruters head and all of a sudden his dead body began seizing and jerking for two minutes till the Undead staggered away almost in pain. I thought to myself this is how an undead is made…I had learned about the dark energy that coursed through an undead but I never had seen it in play. This undead was able to make its dark energy into a dead body. I saw the undead move to me as he got closer and closer, I knew I would have to endure more pain than I ever sustained, if I was to survive. As the undead reached me I reached up and grabbed the undead’s arm and bought it close to me. I took the dagger out of my side and trusted it into his chest. I then kicked him away. I ran as fast as I could into the dirge swamp… I knew I could not go back so I decided I would hide out in this swamp till I could regain my facilities. I foraged off the land and meditated and thought long and hard on the battle… Then one day, after so long by myself, I met someone…

Played by: Aaron Olson;

Name: Mordecai von Hertz

Gender: Male

Age: 21 years old

Race: Human

Hair: Dark brown/Black

Eyes: Hazel

Occupation: Noble warrior (fighter)

Known Skills (35 exp. Currently): Shield fighting, Toughness, Toughness level 2, Toughness level 3, Dual Wielding

Birthplace: Von Hertz estate

Appearance: Tall, skinny

Notable Traits: Semi-blind, very respectful, kind
Relationships: None

Rumors: None (so far)

Bio: Mordecai von Hertz, the only child of Margaret and Grigori von Hertz, was born on the continent of Faedrun on his family’s estate. It was soon discovered after Mordecai’s birth that he was born with a vision defect that made him half-blind. Regardless of Mordecai’s defect, his parents thought it necessary to train him how to fight and defend himself if he should ever find himself in trouble. So at the ripe young age of 5, the von Hertz’s paid tutors a considerable sum of coin to try and train Mordecai. But it appeared that their attempts would be in vain as Mordecai struggled time and time again to learn to fight with no success. It saddened the von Hertz’s greatly to see their young boy try so hard only to meet with no success. This did not hinder the von Hertz’s from making sure that Mordecai was properly educated though. They taught him politics, economy, battle tactics, and more. It seemed that Mordecai was living the dream life of luxury and safety inside his family’s estate.

But that all changed on Mordecai’s 11th birthday. Early in the morning hours of the day, an Undead horde launched an attack on the von Hertz estate. The Undead were merciless as they slaughtered every servant and guard in their way. It seemed like nothing would be able to stop the devastation that was being wreaked upon Mordecai’s home. In an effort to protect his beloved family, Grigori grabbed the family’s ancestoral sword and shield and went out to meet the vile scum that was the Undead. It was the last time Mordecai would ever see his father alive again. Finally realizing that the estate was soon to be totally lost, Margaret ordered Mordecai escorted away from the estate with two guards through a secret underground tunnel leading out the back of the doomed home while she would remain behind to find her husband. The guards and Mordecai pleaded Margaret to go with them and after a few minutes, convinced her to abandon the house. But fate was not done being cruel to Mordecai on this day. As they finally reached the entrance of the tunnel, a lone Undead had broken off from its pack and impaled Margaret straight through her chest. Mordecai watched as two more Undead appeared and began to mutilate his mother’s body right before his eyes. Even to this day, he can remember the sheer agony in his mother’s voice as her final breathes of air left her body. Finally snapping back into reality, Mordecai ran down the tunnel as the two guards who were accompanying him stayed behind to buy him time to escape. As Mordecai reached the end of the tunnel, he turned to see his once glorious home engulfed in flames. Not knowing what to do next, Mordecai turned around and started to walk away from everything he held close and dear to his heart. After walking for a couple hours, Mordecai stumbled across a boat that was taking people to new lands. Upon seeing this, Mordecai ran to the boat to see if someone would answer his call for help. As he neared the boat, Mordecai breathed a sigh of relief for the first time that day as there on the boat was the ship’s captain and a small amount of people preparing to set sail for Mardrun. They quickly invited Mordecai onboard and offered the battered young boy some food. He quickly devoured it and then proceeded to tell them of everything that had happened that morning leading up to his arrival at the boat. Taking pity on the young lad, the captain decided to let Mordecai stay the night with them.

The very next day, the captain and Mordecai set back out towards the von Hertz estate to see if there were any survivors and see what became of Mordecai’s father. As they approached the smoldering estate, they advanced with extreme caution for fear of any Undead that may still be lingering nearby. After finally feeling that there were no Undead still remaining around, they began to look for any signs that may help them ascertain the fate of Grigori. After an hour of digging through the rubble and ashes, they found what they were looking for. It was the charred corpse of Grigori as it was made apparent by the ancestral sword and shield of the family that were still clasped in his hands. Apparently, as Grigori went out to protect his family, a beam of the house weakened by the fires fell onto him and crushed him where he stood. Mordecai’s worst fear had finally come to pass: his entire family was dead and gone.

There was now nothing left for Mordecai here except memories that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Before leaving though, Mordecai decided to take the family’s ancestral sword and shield from his father’s corpse. As he picked up the sword and shield, Mordecai realized that the fire had charred the blade and shield pure black. Mordecai decided at that moment that he would use his family’s ancestral weapons to fight and protect all the good in the world from evil so that no one else would experience the pain he had felt. Mordecai gave his last respects to his family and vowed to one day restore the house of von Hertz back to its former glory. Upon returning to the boat, the captain feeling sympathy for the now orphaned boy decided to take Mordecai with them to Mardrun. After arriving in the new lands of Mardrun, Mordecai spent the next 3 years of his life learning the virtues of a noble gentleman like honor, respect, and how to judge what is good and righteous that aught be protected from the evil injustice that aught be destroyed. Mordecai also recalled the lessons of his fighting tutors had taught him and trained vigorously night and day to master what he could not 6 years ago. After spending the 3 years with the captain aboard his ship, he finally decided it was time to set out and try to keep the oaths that he had made years ago on the graves of his family. Before Mordecai left the boat, the captain gave Mordecai a gift to help him on his noble trek and give him luck as it had done for the captain: the captain’s swords.

Mordecai spent the next 7 years wandering the country side fighting any evil that he came across, living off what small amount of money he had received from the captain and dead corpses he looted. In these 7 years of traveling that he had done, Mordecai heard rumors of an army that helped the good people of Mardrun and killed the wicked. This army went by the name of Vandregon. Mordecai had heard that they supposedly had a headquarters in the colony of Newhope and was led by a man named William. Deciding to see for himself if the Vandregon army did exist, Mordecai set out for Newhope in the hopes of finding William. He had decided that if the rumors were true, he must join this righteous army and aid them however he could. And in the process, maybe, just maybe, Mordecai could become just that much closer to restoring his family name and home. But that remains to be seen…

Played by: Tim Cochrane
Name: Aram as-Khani im-Brana-Weithe ór-Nalta Isaldi-nor-Eftim (short form of full name)
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Race: Human
Hair: Blond
Eyes: Green
Occupation: Tea house proprietor
Birthplace: Beneath the stars in the deserts of the North
Appearance: A small goatee, thin lenses for his eyes, and sets of bells braided into his hair. His turban and robes are accented with blue.
Bio: Aram is a member of the Kae’Rim people, a small group of scattered tribes located in the May’Kar Dominion. Despite living in the Dominion, they considered themselves separate from the ruling powers, content to wander the deserts according to the precepts of their religion. Aram, along with his Mhitar, Orim, left the Old World at the urging of his tribe. After sailing to the New World, Aram spent some time traveling the continent before arriving at the Newhope colony, learning of the various medicines and restoratives used by the Ulven people, displaying a great interest in their culture and legends.

As with all traditional Kae’Rim, Aram’s full name is quite long and complex, used only in formal introductions and detailing his deeds, role in life, and history. The shortened full version can be broken down into several parts: “as-Khani” is the form used to describe a religious scholar and is loosely translated as “priest” into the Common tongue. “im-Brana-Weithe” indicates that he takes the role of Fire and Earth in most of the rituals performed by a Kae’Rim cleric. “ór-Nalta” tells of the tribe he originally came from, with the “ór-” prefix indicating that he is in good standing with his tribe but is currently separated from them and likely to start a new group. “Isaldi-nor-Eftim” is his familial name, combined with that of Orim’s, indicating that he is bonded with her and that they are no longer of their individual families.

Privately, Aram wishes to learn more about Ulven cultural and religious customs, as he has been struggling to interpret several passages from the Third Book of the Kae’Rim, which indicates another related god to the West. In most religious artwork of the Kae’Rim and in one of their oldest legends, the Four Gods are depicted as loyal hounds, and so he has begun to suspect that the Great Wolf of the Ulven people may be the one who was spoken of in that prophecy.

Aram tries to be friendly and open, offering drinks to any who walk near his traveling tea house, the Desert Hound. While he carries a sword, he is far from proficient in its use, owning it solely as a deterrent from random brigands. It has proven somewhat effective so far, but he has yet to stray from larger groups of other humans.

Relationships: Mhitar (Word, suggesting a pair devoted to the full worship of the Four Gods) to Orim
Rumors: Aram is currently undergoing a spiritual crisis due to his injury of a living creature (in this case, a Mordok). He has promised Rhodi that he will distill a powerful poison if the required materials can be delivered to him. He may provide aid free of charge to anyone who brings proof that they are fighting against the undead. He will pay for any information on the Mordok and their origins, as he is currently writing what he hopes to be an addition to the Kae’Rim religion on the nature of these creatures.
“oh yes the human from the sea of sand, he’s one ofurge humans I like, the tea is good too.” -Stanrick longfang