Category Archives: NPC’s

Darin

Lunars, NPC's

Initiate of YanafalTarnis
Runes: Moon, Death, Fate
Threat Level ***
Traits: Introvert, Physical, Brave, Dependable. Honest, Conflicted

Aged 35 Darin is a Tarshite ex solder, Yanafal Tarnis Initiate, Former bodyguard of Eleanor and now her lover.

He was raised in Tarsh as a miller’s son and served for 7 years in the lunar army before finding work as a professional bodyguard in the service of powerful lunar families. Loyal discrete and professional he had gained a good reputation, and was well recommended to employers.

This changed when he was employed as a bodyguard to Eleanor, they quickly became lovers, and after an attempt on her life have eloped together. He is completely enamoured with Eleanor and does not feel he can help himself. He knows this is not going to end well for him, but cannot get out or does not want to stop the relationship.

In more melancholic moments he feels he has broken his moral code and last lost himself for this girl, but still says he would not change anything.

He is time serving in Balazar led him to try to lie low here. He knows if Eleanor is found by the wrong people they both will die, by any Lunar authority he will die. He is blissfully unaware that her passion for him is not as strong as his for her.

He knows that she probably is a one of the Red Emperors illegitimate daughters, but has kept the secret from her that long he doesn’t know how to tell her about the rumours now.

Plot Uses:he is a roleplaying opportunity who can be used to start to explore themes such as loss of honour and redemption, also the balance of priorities between people and principles

Eleanor du Saren

Lunars, NPC's

Young Lunar noble on the run
Runes: Moon, Harmony, Illusion
Threat Level **
Traits: Optimistic, Emotional, Energetic, Humorous, Adaptive

Currently going by the moniker Ellie, Eleanor is a stunning young woman of 19 who has eloped from a prominent Lunar noble house with her former bodyguard and lover.She is fair haired, slight and small build and bright eyed, with a sharp wit and engaging laugh.

She is an illegitimate daughter of a powerful Lunar Lady of the House Saren in Glamour. She was born rune touched to the Moon rune, and subtle rumours recently circulated in certain circles in  Glamour that she may be a daughter of the Red Emperor.  She is unaware of this rumour.

Due to this rumour she became of significance and a target in dart competitions of the Lunar nobility. After an attempt on her life, she and Darin her bodyguard lover fled Glamour and the Lunar Heartlands and came to lie low in Balazar where he had previously served in the Lunar army.

After quickly passing through Elkoi, she is now lying low in Trilus with her lover. After staying at the Stuck Pig for a week or so, they have become house guests of Quintas Ven Olartas. She is attempting to be in the background and play the role of soldiers girl, but is unable to do that convincingly due to her character and nature.

She has transitioned to a less than noble life well and is enjoying the freedom she now has, she has a passion for both clothing and dogs the first is somewhat frustrated in Balazar.

She has no real combat skills, but has a few interesting magical spells that should enable her to escape many situations.   She is also touched by the moon Rune.

She has a deep affection for Darin who is her lover and a father figure in her life, but she is not as madly in love with him as he is with her. She has not realised this fact, what she has done to him or that this relationship will eventually cost him his life.

Though well behaved Eleanor has caught the attention of most men in Trilus and thus has earned the enmity of Pay Surney who has used a few choice words to describe her.

Halycon von Enkorth is aware she is not all she claimed to be, and has started to make low level enquiries back in the empire, they have yet come to nothing but may bring him very useful information to him in time.

Plot Uses: Can start to open up internal Lunar intrigue to the players, also an excuse to bring very powerful Lunar figures into the campaign if you desire.Also she becomes a possible kidnap victim for unscrupulous Orlanthi characters.

Retainers of Quintas

Balazarings, Lunars, NPC's

Wulgar Farsee,

Balazaring Guide, Foundchild Initiate
Runes:  Water, Death, Harmony
Threat Level ***
Traits: Pessimistic, Dependable, Sour, Calm

Wulgar is an experienced hunter and has a good knowledge of Balazar and of tribal politics, however contrary to what his employer thinks he does not know the Elder Wilds, even though he claims the opposite.

Due to the bitter experiences of his clan Wulgar has a Fear and hatred of trolls which has kept him from exploring deeper into the Elder Wilds.

Tybosh

Balazaring Guard, Initiate of Foundchild, Lay member of Orlanth
Runes: Earth, Death, Harmony
Threat Level ***
 Traits: Passive, Stubborn, Cautious, Reliable

An older man of some bulk and strength Tybosh is one of Quintas’s full time guards, who looks after both his person  and house. Tybosh likes Quintas but is actually spying on him for King Yalaring. He is glad to be able to report nothing of note or consequence to the king.

Tybosh is an experienced warrior and was one of the citadel guards of the previous dynasty. Spared by the King  he is not his sworn man but feels he owes him honour due the mercy shown by Yalaring.

Using a longspear and large shield and usually wearing thick furs Tybosh is not a subtle site at the door to what used to be the Red bear lodge.

Kalaring the Black,

Personal Guard, Initiate of Foundchild
Runes:  Fire, Death, Man
Threat Level ***
Traits: Funny, Amiable, Determined

A Balazaring hunter who has made his living for the last 10 years as a mercenary around the borders of the Empire. He has drifted back to Balazar this last 2 years

Named after his prized possession of a lined black cloak, Kalaring is short, quick, stealthy and competent warrior. He uses a shortsword and dagger combination and is considered a skilled and determined fighter by most of the locals.

As a mercenary Kalaring works for the highest bidder but has a good reputation and has worked with Toraths Orlanthi, Joh Mith and the Greatway  dwarves on occasion, he has no serious allegiances but like his employers to be of some standing and have trustable reputation.

He has turned down the offer of joined Baron’s Blackshields and bad blood exists with that group for that reason. He has enjoyed his time with Quintas and is loyal to his employer

Tinirin

Lunars, NPC's

Lunar Acolyte of Irippi Ontor
Runes:Moon, Truth, Man
Threat Level: ***
Traits: Pessimistic, Dependable, Sour, Calm

He is Quintas secretary, steward and close friend.  Originally a farmer’s son from the from Mrins Cross area. Tinirin is middle aged, a serious scholar and a master of geography in his own right. He is a little more practical than Quintas and gets bothered by day to day matters.

Has enjoyed working for Quintas over the years and  has made choices where he has valued  their friendship over his career on numerous situations. He is also illuminated and shares many interests with the older sage. However Tinirin does not share his masters positive and friendly personality, he does not have his masters warmth or generous disposition even in the best of circumstances. His is distant and often sour, he is also every aware of his status and is quick to use it to keep lesser in their place.

He does not enjoy being in Balazar and is not comfortable in Trilus. He has been known to take this frustration out on some of the servant girls and has badly beaten a couple of them.

Quintas knows and doesn’t approve but so far has turned a blind eye to his friend’sbehaviour. If it becomes an issue he will publically back his friend, but privately chastise him.

Tinirin wears is an ostentatious dresser and usually can be seen  well-made lunar clothes adorned with showy jewellery.

Plot uses: Tinirin has beaten a servant girl who is in Quintas employ badly; dependent the players loyalty’s he can be involved in the following ways;

  • Go fetch Tinirin and bring him to the girls clan
  • Get Tinirin out of town for a while before he is arrested
  • Negotiate with the beaten girls Clan to bring this incident to an amicable solution.
  • Servant girls approaches players to get her out of town and back to her clan
  • Servant girls clan members corner Tinirin in front of the players

Quintas Ven Olartas

Lunars, NPC's

Lunar Priest of Irippi Ontor
Runes: Moon, Truth, Harmony
Traits: Passive, Humorous, Mental, Generous.
Threat Level *****

An old but hale scholar, who seems independently wealthy who has set up home in Trilus, in the old Lunar establishment which used to be called the Red Bear lodge.

He appears to all a nice guy (and is), he has a fatherly demeanour and has a generous spirit to most if not all. He is illuminated which he sees as just a philosophical position, but he is sensible enough to be quiet about this in these lands.

At a surface level he seems a very mundane scholar interested in very mundane things, but those who spend time talking to him will occasionally see evidence of more esoteric law, knowledge of deeper magic’s and an interesting history.

He works independent of the lunar government, and has little interest in politics or political conflict. However he is starting to acknowledge that Balazar is becoming more dangerous and political than he realised.

He is in Trilus researching Balazaring and hunter culture and religion, only because he wants to and thinks it is an enthralling subject and a much understudied region.

He is spending good money round Trilus on his research project and has good reputation because of it.  He has hired a few guards and servants, and will often run short expeditions to the local clans for research purposes.

He is currently housed in what used to be the Red Bear Lodge, which is far to large for his parties needs, he often ends up hosting visiting lunars when he is convinced they wont bring dishonour or discord to his house.

Gets on very well with Dushi Sone, and wants to meet Bluebird (who isn’t keen). Torath Manover has even been heard to say that he ‘Is a decent chap for a Lunar’.

Plot Uses: He is a classic lunar illuminates can be nice guy character. He can be a source if employment, interesting information, and maybe the odd interesting item if the character are so inclined.

Hopefully ads complexity to the way Lunars are viewed by some characters, this guy is genuine and people have little reason to dislike him.

Namara, High Shaman of the Old Ways

Balazarings, NPC's

namara_picRunes: Spirit, Stasis, Disorder
Threat Level *****
Traits: Brilliant, Driven, Fearless, Pious, Stubborn

This female shaman is a former apprentice and lover of Blueface. Slight and wiry, she would be beautiful but is dirty and very unkempt. She has lost one eye, it is rumoured she plucked it out to gain further spiritual understanding.

Raised in the Dusk Owl  Clan a Votanki Clan living on the shore of the Elf Sea at the north end of the Dangerground.  She was always seen as touched by the ancestors and started her apprentice training at the age of 9, at the age of 13 Blueface came for her and assume the role of her mentor, by the age of 16 she was also his lover.

She was his muse for the next ten years, constant companions in there exploration of the spirit world. Then one day he was gone, no explanation, no goodbye, nothing. A hole in her life which had previously been  filled by the great shaman.

She was tormented by what she had done to drive him away, and decided she had not been a good enough shaman, she was impure, compromised, unclean.  The spirits need purity, conviction, single mindedness. Maybe if she achieved that Blueface would come back to her.

She has since started to violently oppose new Gods polluting Balazar and is antagonistic to all foreign cults (including Yelmalio). She has been outlawed from all three citadels for different attacks on foreign cultists, including an assault on Dushi Sone. It is perceived by many that she is still under Blueface’s protection; he has done nothing to confirm or deny this. If she hadn’t been she would have probably been executed for the assault on Dushi Sone.

Namara is so engulfed by her beliefs that she lies on the edge of madness but still she has a considerable following amongst many of the more conservative and independent tribes of Balazar and could raise a fair sized raiding party if needed.

She wields the heart of the forest, an ancient staff made from a bough one of the Aldyrami  Great Trees of the Elder Wilds. This makes her a mortal enemy of Trolls, elves and dwarves.

She has a great passion for the religions and legends of Balazar, and she is currently searching the Elders wilds for Frishnas Pillars in a quest to free the native fire spirit.

Plot Uses:

  • Namara is an adversary to all but Votanki and conservative hunters, she will stir up clans, rouse troubled ancestors and accuse the most innocent of foreigners of vile deeds.
  • Marusa will seek to aid Namara, hopefully without her knowledge, the players could be sent to secretly protect her from a threat the Lunars anticipate.
  • The players learn that Namara is planning to sacrifice one of King Yalarings children to bring back Frishna, they must thwart her plans by negotiation or force in necessary
  • Someone wants the Heart of the forest, retrieve it for them.

Garnst the Chaos Tracker

Balazarings, NPC's

garnst_picInitiate of Foundchild
Runes: Movement, Air, Death
Threat Level ****
Traits : Quiet, formal, kind, introvert, stubborn, occasional outbursts of pathological rage and violence

Garnst is a Balazaring Hunter Tribesman, formerly of the Blood Viper Clan of Trilus. He stalks Balazar bringing warning of chaos threats, leads hearths away from it and guides parties to raid against it. He has been doing so for 6 years, though he is only in his mid 20’s.

He is of medium build, graceful, and fair features, though often has a distant look in his eyes.

He is well regarded hunter, brilliant tracker and competent fighter, who fights with hatchet and long knife. He is thought to be one of the most knowledgeable men in Balazar regarding chaos and its incarnations in the Elder Wilds.

People like and appreciate but don’t trust him. As he has be known to slay people out of hand it he believes they are tainted by chaos.

He is an orphan and has no close family, he doesn’t stay with his home clan, who say little about him, but seem sorrowful when his name is mentioned. Rumours are that he and his mother were captured by broos as a child, but few can or will tell the whole story.

His only close friend is Cela a childhood companion who being mentored by Dushi Sone at the Lightbringers Hall, it’s a deeply affectionate but troubled and difficult friendship. Which seems to verge on awkward and unfulfilled relationship.  Neither has been known to have romantic involvements elsewhere. Garnst will be very violent towards anyone who endangers or gets to close to Cela.

A number of the Orlanthi have tried to befriend Garnst,  but he always is polite but distant and heads back out into the wilds on his own to keep his solitude.

Deeper Background:

At the age of six Garnsts mother managed to hide him seconds before she was captured by a number of Broo Raiders. The child Garnst watched his mother raped by the foul beasts from his hiding place. Traumatised he lay silent as he watched as his mother lay in her blood, left to suffer the consequences. He also watched as his father found his mother, wept profusely and then slit her throat out of mercy. He then watched his father slit his own throat in remorse. It was three days before his clan found him.

He was raised by relatives but was very disturbed and violent child and was asked to leave his clan at the age of 14.

Unknown to Garnst he has always been blessed by Blueface the Shaman. Blueface used incantations  to hide him on the day of the broo raid. Blueface has sent spirits to watch over him, Blueface has guarded his soul from inner demons.  Blueface has palmed of numerous spirit charms onto his person over the years. Garnst is never aware of meeting Blueface the shaman

Plot uses:

  • Garnst can be used to introduce any number of Chaos beasty over the hill plots
  • He can be used as resource to get players to any chaos creature or site they want to track down
  • Dushi Sone may ask players to track him down if he has been gone too long
  • Blueface may manipulate the players to help Garnst
  • He also can be used to examine the personal cost and the horror of fighting chaos
  • Also Garnst maybe the subject of a get the uptight nice guy chilled, relaxed and happy subplot

Balazaring Clan Leaders of Note

Background, Balazarings, NPC's

Outside of leaders of the three main Tribes of Balazar there are a number of other notable clan chieftains, heros and leaders. Some owe allegiance to the tribal kings others  lead their clans independently of the politics of the citadels.

Duvan Drawf-Friend – Elder of the White Goat Clan

The most important and influential tribal Chieftain of the Vale of Hammers, a conservative man of later years. He no longer hunts, but is a formidable warrior and owns a shirt of Dwarven mail.  He has good relations with the Dwarves of Greatway and is strong ally and friend of the King of Dykene.

Yontak the Red, Master Hunter – White Fox Clan

A young ambitious master hunter who leads the White Fox Clan in the Elmswood, he is currently leading young braves from 4 clans against the Lunar empire and the forces of Glyptus the Good, mainly raiding the supply route from Soldiers Ferry, and occasional hit and run attacks on a smaller groups. He has been receiving aid and support from the Balazaring Orlanthi and is considering converting to the cult.

Vilic the Snake – Warlord –  Grass Viper Clan

A leader who has recently emerged in the green viper clan as they have engaged the propitiatory worship toward of the Chaos from festering isle, he is now a devotee of Cacodeman and the clan has embraced deeper forms of Chaos worship unbeknown to other local clans.

The green viper clan leads 3 a loose alliance of other clans in the bear woods area in propitiatory worship of chaos to ward off raids, and for support  against raiding trolls.  The pay lip service to the King of Dykene, but no tribute or formal allegiance.

Wurtarg the Pure –  Master Hunter – Red Otter Clan

An seasoned hunter and he is a hyper conservative leader and a follower of the Shaman Namara, he leads a coalition of 3 clans which have broke away from Elkoi tribe in the higher reaches of the South Woods. They reject all foreign Gods and presence of outsiders in Balazar, but are placed far from where most will be found.

Personable, wise and considered with Balazarings, he refuses to deal with outsiders in any manner apart from the spear and the bow.

Kolsar Strongarm – Master Hunter -Winter Bison Clan

A hunter from Oakwood famous for killing a bear with an axe on his own about 10 years ago,  he is but one of the council members on his clan, but his reputation makes him influential beyond his role with surrounding clans.

Of considerable bulk,  gruff in nature, of few words, and his mood has not improved as his three golden haired daughters  have approached marrying age. He is staunchly loyal to the tribe of Trilius and a friend of Yalaring monster slayer

Vulric Longrunner – Master Hunter, The Running Men

One of the most notable Hunters and clan chiefs of the east plains, if well known for his ability to chase down prey over long distances and is most famous for chasing a wounded Giant Elk for 3 days on a hunt, long after all the dogs and other hunters had given in.

He is a charismatic man and well liked and popular amongst the clans of the east plain, and has changed the name of his clan to reflect his prowess. He is well respected by the tribal leaders of Dykene and Trilius, but currently his allegiance is with Trilius though he rarely visits either citadel.

Banathi Moonsong – Seven Mother Initiate, Barking Dog Clan

Clan chief notable for fully embracing the Lunar ways, he has travelled to Mrins Cross and met with Lunar priests and leaders there.  His clan hunts in the region in the south of the Dog Hills and they are enjoying a period of prosperity, trading with Lunars in Elkoi, the villages and at Holay fort

Banathi is peaceable man of middling years who is well liked and respected by all me meets, he is not the most proficient hunter or warrior but leads his clan with skill and diplomacy.