| Character
Description
Dirken has dirty blond hair which is worn just past shoulder length
and is of lean build. Dirken is from the streets of Arabel.
Dirken's story begins very typically of many rogues and scoundrels throughout the Realms. His mother, an elven maiden, was ravaged by a band off mercenaries near her small village in the forests of the Dalelands. The shame of her predicament drove her to leave this supportive community to raise her child elsewhere, away from knowing eyes.
Through several years of wandering, looking for a better life for her child, her travels eventually led her to the city of Arabel as Dirken was reaching his 3rd summer. Taking employment at an "adventurers" inn & tavern, she managed to scrape out a meager existence for her family. Then, tragedy struck this poor girl, again. Shortly before Dirken's 5th summer, his mother was brutally assaulted by an unknown group of assailants, assumed to be some less reputable adventuring company, and died of the many wounds that she received. Dirken found her in the alleyway near their drafty apartment, her delicate body beaten, bloody and broken.
Severely traumatized, as would be expected, the young Dirken took to the streets. Hereafter, his story is one of self-sufficiency and survival. Running with some older, street-wise children, Dirken quickly learned how to survive alone. The older children recognized his quick wit, and quicker hands and feet, as an asset to their group. Teaching him the skills to survive the life of a "street-rat" was easy and profitable. Dirken was soon recognized as a leader among the city's orphans and outcasts.
His agile hands, keen mind and fast feet allowed him to make it through many rough years. At one point, at about the age of 14, Dirken attempted to break into the horse trading business, a big business among the local merchants. Starting out by breaking "wild" horses, his agility was soon recognized by some local merchants who began to bring him into their circle and groom him for bigger and better things. This is when he developed his considerable riding skill.
This life was not to be, however, as habits from his past appeared too hard to break. The matter of a local Nobleman's missing jeweled dagger led to his dismissal by the merchants. The same jeweled dagger remains, to this day, one of his most prized possessions, as he sees it as the item which turned his life to its present course.
Though not outwardly friendly, Dirken is neither callous nor unfeeling, as many seem to believe. The many trials of his life, faced mostly alone, have given him a predominantly sour outlook on life. His misunderstanding of his mother's self-imposed exile from her home, has led him to think of elves as generally aloof, condescending, and uncaring. This tends to effect his
initial reactions towards any fully elven individuals he encounters, as he sees them as partially, or wholly, responsible for his mother's (and thus his) suffering in life.
Although not always obvious, he has a recognizable affection for the common "street-rat", the homeless multitudes, who grow up on the streets as he did. He rarely is seen as being kindly towards them, but sometimes acts as a kind of mentor to those who show promise, self-sufficiency and, most importantly, no weakness. He often pays very handsomely for trivial services that he asks of them, going so far as to pay 3 or 4 gold pieces for some meager service, when a copper or two would have been expected. This, in turn, has earned him a form of loyalty, in several cities, from the local urchins.
His moral code is questionable, but cannot be described as evil or malicious. It can best be explained as completely based on self-sufficiency and flexible to allow him achieve whatever ends he is currently working towards by whatever means he sees fit to use. While not a murderer, he does view killing as a suitable and justifiable tool, to be used against those who
deserve it. This moral flexibility perfectly matched him to the life of an adventuring rogue.
Around his 24th summer, Dirken joined, and helped to found, the adventuring band known as the Fellowship of Sundyr. His exploits with this group were many and spanned several planes and alternate realities (briefly). His relationship with the group's members was always somewhat strained. He never viewed them in the conventional role as friends or even
comrades-at-arms. To him, they were mostly a means to reach some of his personal goals, namely: adventure, wealth, influence, and respect. Although this relationship was rocky, his only serious problems with the group centered around two members of the party. The party's muscle, a paladin named Cerrano, was constantly at odds with Dirken over his less-than-admirable methods and intentions. This led to many confrontations, and several outright brawls, although no permanent harm was ever intended by either individual. This relationship shows another aspect of Dirken's personality. He will NOT back down from a challenge and he fears virtually
no person or situation. This is not to say that he does not recognize the value of a strategic retreat, but he will not flee in fear. He does not view a withdrawal from a winless situation as fear, but as wisdom gained through his upbringing in the alleyways. Live to fight on more favorable terms. However, when forced into a confrontation, he is a fearless, ruthless and very dangerous opponent.
The other very confrontational relationship existed with the party's priest,
Nadan. This very arrogant and condescending elven priest, confirmed Dirken's every ill thought about the elven race. The bitterness between the two stemmed from Dirken's understandable, it misplaced, distrust of elves and Nadan's attitude of superiority and contempt for Dirken and his impure
(half-elven) heritage, a sore subject for Dirken already. This was always a tense situation, often leading Dirken to refuse healing magics, so vital to the life of an adventurer, offered, with much trepidation and coercion, by the priest. This relationship is ultimately what led to a break in the
Fellowship and the departure of several members from the group, of which Dirken was one.
Dirken still harbors great resentment towards Nadan, who went on to take up the mantle as leader of the notable adventuring band,
The Riders of Elvenflow. He has had some minor dealings with several members of both the Riders and the Fellowship since his departure. His closest ties have stayed with the peculiar Invoker, Izigy, formerly of the Fellowship of Sundyr. He
sees Izigy as a useful and powerful, if somewhat unpredictable, ally and tool. Dirken harbors thoughts of some day challenging Nadan's leadership of the Riders, as he feels he has a sort of bond with their former leader,
Magnus Xavier. It seems to Dirken that he and Magnus share a common view of the world and that a partnership with the powerful wizard would be highly
beneficial to both parties. This point of view has brought Dirken to the conclusion that if Magnus had been such an effective leader for the Riders of Elvenflow, that a like-minded individual, namely himself, would make a far more suitable head-man for the organization than the current leader, Nadan. The possibility of co-leadership, with Magnus, also holds promise in Dirken's
eyes.
One thing not to be overlooked when dealing with this dangerous man, is Dirken's ability to plan and utilize situations and items extremely effectively. Upon gaining one of his most prized possessions, a Cloak of Arachnida, Dirken re-invented both his adventuring style and his role in the party. This tool is used by Dirken to conceal his movements, utilizing walls and ceilings, above ground or below, to maximize the use of his special abilities and their usefulness to the party. It also helped showcase his understanding of combat, his role in battle and his unusual bravery for one of his profession. On many occasions, this item was used to gain access to an enemy's exposed and vulnerable back, while the party engaged in battle. Dirken would then wade into the fray, maximizing his effectiveness and standing toe to toe with many impressive adversaries. On one particular occasion, he even used this favorite treasure to scale a cavern wall, unnoticed by the group's worthy adversary, an evil dragon. As the party distracted and began to engage this creature, Dirken leaped from the cavern ceiling, leading with his sword and struck several devastating blows to the creature while masterfully maintaining his position atop the enraged beast. This valiant but risky move, no doubt, greatly contributed to the party's victory that day.
His use of often-overlooked items can be categorized as extremely impressive and effective. After a setup by a known criminal and arsonist in Selguant, a man known as Flame, Dirken found himself and a companion left as fall-guys for the City Watch. Flame, thinking the plan was working perfectly, used a Ring of Invisibility, an item known to Dirken, to disappear from the crime scene with the Watch fast approaching. Angry beyond reasoning, Dirken used a Wand of Mineral and Metal Detection, an item the Fellowship had wanted to discard, to effectively track and chase down the offending, invisible criminal by following the emanations from his metal Ring. In the pursuit that followed, due in large part to a multitude of injuries sustained during the set-up, Dirken found himself captured and incarcerated by the City Watch and the offending party, Flame, walked away laughing. The Fellowship secured his release and left Selgaunt shortly after. To this day, Dirken vows vengeance upon Flame. The time will come when he will return to the hunt for this man and end his life. This is a burning hatred that Dirken has harbored for several years and it will definitely bring out the worst and most ruthless side of him when, again, he takes up the hunt.
Dirken's character can basically be summed up as follows. He is practical and self-serving. His goals are what is important, but do not mistake this for selfishness. He is simply very driven once a course is set. He is, by no means, evilly inclined, but violence and death are tools suitable for him to use when needed. He is a planner but also quick-witted, often able to out-smart and out-maneuver an opponent. He fears very little but is not "stupidly heroic". Once he has entered the fray, however, beware, for he is a formidable opponent, capable of using many items in his possession in a very effective and unconventional manner. He does know how to have a good time, but is rarely jovial or overly friendly. His sarcastic manner, coupled with his previously mentioned lack of fear, often land him in dangerous waters. He does seem to swim out on top more often than not. He is loyal to his "companions", in his own way, although, not for the same reasons as most people. As mentioned previously, he usually views his "companions" as a means to an end and not much more, so with this in mind, he does exhibit a mild form of loyalty and "friendship". He will not abandon a group in "mid-stride" to further his own agenda, as this goes against his personal code of "honor" (a result of his views about his mother's "abandonment" by her own people), but after his stint with a group has ended or their usefulness is at an end, he has no problems walking away with no remorse. For this reason, he chooses his companions carefully, as he does not wish to be stuck in a situation that is unfavorable for him.
At the time this story is "written", Dirken's whereabouts are in question.
At the time of his departure from the Fellowship of Sundyr, he was a 10th level Rogue. His "current" level, abilities, and equipment are unknown (room for expansion and creativity). See
also the Riders
of Elvenflow page for information on characters listed
above. |
