| Character
Description and History
Rhialdon was born in 1230, the Year of the Long Watch, son of a
pair of wild elves in the Forest of Tethir. When he was but two
years of age, his home settlement was raided by a company of agressive
mercenaries and foresters out of Mosstone, leading to the death
of all his close kin. Rhialdon, barely able to walk at that young
age, was taken from his forest home, never to see it again.
The mercenaries, once their tract with the enterprisers in Mosstone
was concluded, passed further south into Tethyr. At Port Kir, the
warrior who had been charged with Rhialdon's caretaking dumped the
child-elf as quickly as possible with the innkeeper Merahn, a close
acquaintence who owed him a favour, before leaving with his company.
Rhialdon never saw the raider again, not even knowning the name
of the man who had brought about the tumultous adolescence that
was to be.
Life with Merahn was hard at best, and the fact that Rhialdon was
an elf made things only worse with the racially impatient Tethyrian,
who pushed his unwillingly adopted child into a bartending position
as soon as he could. The innkeeper was a harsh, tempestuous man
who whipped his workers (which, aside from Rhialdon, included Merahn's
three blood sons, and two other long standing employees: a barmaid
and a Dwarven brewer) relentlessly, and Rhialdon always bore the
brunt of his anger whenever Merahn was in one of his regular fits
of rage.
His adopted father was not the only cause of Rhialdon's daily pain;
Merahn's three sons bullied the elf ceaslessly. His only daughter,
Lylatla, was another avenue of suffering, for the young girl had
a particularly sharp tongue, and her verbal lashings were far more
cruel than anything three teenage boys could inflict. This treatment,
which persisted for eleven years of Rhialdon's life, made the Elf
a brooding, violent youth, leading to many reprisals on his own
part. Yet, no matter who the real victim was in any situation, blame
always fell upon Rhialdon - a fact that his four 'siblings' knew
very well, and used to their advantage. A particularly nasty incident,
in which Lylatla was giving Rhialdon her usual verbal run-down,
led to the elf snapping, striking her once across the face. Merahn,
racing into the room in response too Lylatla's frantic screams,
had Rhialdon tied to a chair and beaten a dozen times with a crude
stick. Lylatla's mother profusely demanded that Rhialdon be removed
from the household, something Merhan was loathe to do, as it would
mean having to find a paid worker, though he belatedly went about
seeking a way to dispossess his adpoted son.
The opportunity never came about; in the Kythorn of 1233 a large
brawl broke out in the taproom of Merhan's establishment, in which
almost a dozen people were killed, including the Dwarven bartender
(who had been one of Rhialdon's few acquaintences with which he
could have a normal conversaion) and several members of Port Kir's
town guardsmen. Disgraced, and owing the Port Kir authorities a
large fine he could not pay, Merahn was forced to leave the town
and his ruined Inn, heading for Mulmaster, where his cousin owned
a prominent establishment and would surely be in need of assistance.
Merahn's wife, exasperated with their predigament, left to stay
with her parents in Zassesspur, and it was clear she had no desire
to return to her stricken husband. Left with five children and limited
funds, Merahn perchased a dingy caravan and began the long journey
towards the Moonsea city.
Of the trip to Mulmaster, Rhialdon remembers little aside from
darkness and pain. Merhan and his four scions, in foul and unpleasant
moods, readily took out their anger on the elf, and Rhialdon had
few refuges to retreat to. The dangers of extensive travel made
things far less pleasant; an encounter with goblins on the road
between Nashkal and Berdus, and a pirate attack as they sailed on
a merchant ship eastwards out of Teziir, nearly cost them their
lives. When they finally arrived at Mulmaster, it was with scant
welcome. Merahn's cousin, Telkel, had little need of yet more staff
for his popular establishment, though bound by duties to family,
he took the ragged group in. Life in these cramped conditions was
little better than what it had been in Port Kir, though Telkel's
presence prevented Merahn's children from endlessly tormenting Rhialdon.
The aged innkeeper, less prejudiced than his Tethyrian kin, took
pity on the beleaguered Elf, and made an effort to become acquainted
with Rhialdon as the months went by, and Merahn was happy to see
his adopted son taken off his hands. In 1235, believing Rhialdon
to be old enough to take care of himself (by human standards, at
least), Telkel began entrusting a number errands to the elf boy,
and by the time he was eighteen, Rhialdon was making trips outside
of the city to nearby towns and villages, even as far as Calaunt
on the odd occasion.
By 1249, Rhialdon was excercising a considerable amount of freedom
(Telkel was happy to see another un-needed worker freed from his
service, and therefore, his paybook), spending much time roaming
through the woods south of Mulmaster. Perhaps it was legacy of his
Elven heritage, or the untamed call of the wilderness to his brooding
soul, willing him to the darkest, most raw parts of nature, that
Rhialdon frequently went deep into the forests, exploring out their
shadowy depths. Still burdened by the years of hostility he had
suffered, Rhialdon was no less the violent, tempestous youth than
he had been five years ago, though freed from the shackles of his
'family', he had less means with which to unburden himself. Deep
inside, he still lusted for the burning rage to rise up and claim
him, and so it was no small quirk of fate that he came upon a mysterious
cave as he wandered through the woods one eve, concealed from the
careless eye by the thick roots of a great oak. Entering the burrow,
Rhialdon found himself in a small shrine to Malar the Stalker, an
obsidian idol of the God of Fury rising from the bloodstains of
the old druid who had once dwelt there. The clerics of Malar present
turned on the Elf, prepared to slay him, though they stepped back
in surprise as Rhialdon, clung by some tenacious emotion he could
not control, flung himself to the floor, consencrating himself in
that moment to Malar.
So began Rhialdon's life of service to the Beastlord. Made an acolyte
to one of the four cleric's who tended the sacred shrine, Rhialdon
had soon committed enough deeds to be ordained as a cleric to Malar,
all the while maintaining the semblance of a 'normal' life in Mulmaster.
Using the small amount of funds he had acquired from his years of
service to Telkel, Rhialdon prepared himself for the act that was
necessary to prove he was willing to spend a life in service to
the powers of destruction and bloodlust.
It was a cloudy mid-year night when Rhialdon, aided by his natural
Elven fleet-footedness, stole into the bedchamber of Lylatla (now
married to a well-off artisan's son). Gagging his struggling sister
and swiftly carrying her from the house, Rhialdon rode out of Mulmaster,
depositing his terrified bundle on a dark, natural altar lit only
by the stars. There he took the like of Lylatla, revelling in the
hate and triumph that poured through him.
Thus it was that Rhialdon gave in to the whims of his dark heart
of rage, and began the long years of his servitude to the powers
of destruction. Unwilling to remain in the vicinty of Mulmaster,
Rhialdon took to the roads, detirmed to travel the lands and spread
the crimson stain of Malar's ire wherever he could. His first venture
was westwards across the wild lands of Damara, Narfell and Ashanath,
learning the way of the land as he went. In Kront he made the first
true companion of his life, a human warrior named Selene Winterbrow.
Together the pair embarked on several adventures throughout the
north-eastern lands of Faerun, including a foray to the mountains
of Firward to reclaim an ancient relic for a rich Telflamm-based
merchant. Their fellowship sadly ended in 1257 after a foolish skirmish
on the borders of Rashemen led to the death of Selene and the near
death of Rhialdon. Grieved by the loss of the only person he had
ever called a friend, Rhialdon began his solo wanderings once more,
moving westwards this time.
Rhialdon remained on his own for well nigh 21 years, entrusting
himself to normal conversation only alongside fellow worshippers
of Malar. Slowly the grief he felt for Selene's loss faded from
his mind, and the desire to wreak Malar's bidding became foremost
in his thoughts once more. In 1278, while passing through Daggerdale,
Rhialdon was ambushed by a party of hobgoblins, saved only by a
group of five adventurers known as the Fettered Sword Company (Gelea
the human mage, Tzorak the dwarf warrior, Vorondan the human fighter,
Lyssere the moon elf fighter/thief, and Nandor the human bard).
Taken in by the friendly adventurers, Rhialdon vowed to attempt
a new path of subtelty in carrying on his duties as a cleric of
Malar. The company accepted a commission from Joadath, Lord of Shadowdale,
to destroy a potent orb in the hands of a powerful cleric of Bane
in Mulmaster. Rhialdon, despite his hesitation to return to that
city, followed his companions.
A large encounter occured on the banks of the Lis between the Fettered
Swords and a large detachment of warriors out of Mulmaster. Using
a powerful rod he had gained during his days of adventuring with
Selene, Rhialdon incited a large tidal wave that soon ran out of
control, knocking him out. When he awoke, Rhialdon saw that he was
in pain but miraculously alive - as were his companions - and in
that moment a new understanding dawned on him: he was to be one
of the chosen Wrath Priests of the Gods of Fury (replacing an older
cleric who had since been slain by Harpers), a fact fully symbolized
by the obsidian amulet with the sigla of a shattered skull that
had appeared around his neck. Filled with the lust to destroy and
wreak havoc, as is required by all Wrath initiates to prove themselves,
Rhialdon spurned his companions onwards to Mulmaster (though he
did not share the news of his 'promotion').
Passing into the city by day, Rhialdon pursued the quest they had
been assigned by Lord Joadath, though his mind rested on other issues;
the fufillment of his new calls as a Wrath Priest. Foremost among
these duties was his desire to seek out those of his original family
who still remained, and gain his revenge on them. As the party rested
in an inn one night, Lyssere and Nandor having slipped off to do
some more scouting, Rhiladon made his own quiet exit from their
room, dissapearing towards the location of Telkel's old establishment.
Learning that Merahn and Telkel had long since passed away, he nevertheless
managed to divulge the whereabouts of his three 'brothers': the
eldest served in the militia of the city, the middle one had been
slain by brigands on the road to Tantras, and the youngest owned
a smithy in the western part of the city. Returning to his bed that
night, full of grim yet triumphant thoughts of revenge, Rhialdon
carefully laid out his plans.
The Fettered Sword Company headed out through the city in the early
hours of dawn, splitting up to make their way unseen towards their
objective, wanting to raid the tower of the priest by night. Rhialdon,
taking a slight detour, stole first into the smithy of his brother,
slaying him, before tracking down the second brother as he patrolled
the streets of Mulmaster. A company of guards, reacting to the death
of their comrade, attacked Rhialdon, and filled with the burning
bloodlust of Malar, the elven cleric slew them to a man, before
dissapearing amidst the terrified crowds to rejoin his companions
as they lay in waiting near the high tower of the prominent cleric
of Bane. His brash attention-seeking action nearly cost them their
plan, though after dispatching a few weak sentries, the fellowship
successfully infiltrated the tower. A number of battles broke out
before the adventurers descended into the cleric's large basement,
slaying the disciple of Bane but discovering that the orb did not
actually exist. It was soon revealed that the mission was actually
just a ploy by Joadath - widely believed to be a pawn of the Zhentarim
- to send various parties to weaken Mulmaster, the great rival of
the Black Network.
The companions nevertheless looted the great treasures the priest
had hoarded, before fleeing the city with due haste. They were assaulted
twice on the road south, first by a pursuing patrol from the city,
then by a band of brigands, and Rhialdon's burning desire to wreak
havoc made him a fearsome foe in battle. They soon arrived in Tantras
to rest and enjoy the riches they had acquired, though Nandor, Lyssere
and Rhialdon adventured into the Grey Woods to destroy a rising
archlich. Lyssere was killed in the battle, sacrificing herself
to prevent a powerful curse the archlich had summoned, allowing
Rhialdon and Nandor to destroyed their opponent.
Once returned to Tantras, the Fettered Sword Company reformed and
moved south to Raven's Bluff where they began to earn a solid reputation
over the years. In 1285 a dwarven priestess of Sharindlar named
Keldora joined the Company, while Nandor departed to move to Berdusk
for a while, keen to join the ranks of the Harpers. As a Wrath Priest,
Rhialdon remained subject to his obligation to cause disaster and
havoc whenever it was required, and therefore led the Company on
several dangerous adventures abroad that, depsite the hardship endured,
led to them acquiring a large personal hoard of treasure. By 1289
the heroes of the Fettered Sword had commissioned the construction
of a small castle in the northern foothills of the Earthfast Mountains,
though the building process was interrupted early on by several
surprise attacks staged by warriors of the Cult of the Dragon. The
Company scoured the area for several weeks, eventually locating
a set of old caves that were serving as the safehold for the Cult
cell. All the Cultists were killed in the subsequent battle, along
with a young dragon that was being prepared for lichdom. Most of
the Fettered Sword adventurers returned to spend their time peacefully
at Raven's Bluff and their rising castle, though Rhialdon began
discreetly visiting the cave complex by night. Surprised by the
Cult cell's small amount of wealth, Rhialdon held secret suspicious
that there was a hidden cache of treasure located somewhere in the
caves, and began long searches motivated by desire and greed. In
the end he was successful, locating a vast amount of gold stashed
in a secret chamber. Claiming the hoard as his own, Rhialdon began
hiring his own builders, desiring to construct a great shrine to
Malar in those very caves, naming it the Temple of the Bloodmaw
in the very days of its birth.
Leaving the workers to finish the construction of the Temple, the
now-sacred caves protected by a powerful boon gifted by Malar, Rhialdon
spent the years of 1290 to 1294 wandering the central Heartlands,
aiming to recruit followers to the Beastlord's cause wherever he
could (the rest of the Fettered Swords had their own adventures
during this time). His primary companion was Oleavela of Luskan,
a fallen member of the Arcane Brotherhood of that city and recent
member of the Company, who found Rhialdon's dark nature somewhat
comforting. The two were joined by a third companion, Ulaoth Garingblood,
a half-orc warrior/cleric of Malar who was swayed into Rhialdon's
service at Voonlar. Together the three traveled across Thar (where
Rhialdon was responsible for initiating a large avalanche), the
Dalelands, the Shining Plains, the cities of the Lake of Dragons,
and once to Berdusk to entice Nandor back to the Company's newly
constructed home, Shiningspear Castle. By 1296, the construction
of the Temple of the Bloodmaw was fully completed, and Rhialdon
had almost three dozen followers under him (including Ulaoth and
four other clerics).
The following three decades were relatively stable ones for Rhialdon,
occupied with the management of the Temple of the Bloodmaw and his
duties as a Wrath Priest (during this time, he mostly meted out
his destruction on brigands, orcs, and any unfortunate farmers nearby,
travelling far abroad very rarely). His stays at Shiningspear Castle
were irregular and usually short, distancing himself from the other
members of the Fettered Sword, though in 1336 he rejoined his old
companions as they traveled north to aid Mulmaster against the ceaseless
gnoll invasions against the surrounding lands. The adventure served
to stir Rhialdon's blood, and fired by the call of battle, he began
to take a more active interest in his surroundings once more. Several
adventures dominated his time, including a foray into Zhentil Keep
where he became acquainted with the Huntmasters of Malar in that
city.
In 1356 a great wyrm, straying from the great flight of dragons
that was currently raiding the Moonsea lands, attacked Shiningspear
Castle, leading to the citadel being severely damaged before the
members of the Fettered Sword could drive it off. Rhialdon joined
Gelea, Tzorak, Oleavela and Keldora in hunting down the great creature,
claiming the beast's death as Malar-wrought even though the magics
of Gelea and Oleavela were primarily responsible for its destruction.
The incident brought about some tensions between Rhialdon and his
companions, though they were smoothed over in a few months.
During the Time of Troubles he (along with Ulaoth and Thelendalor,
a Stormlord of Talos with whom he had a close alliance) sought after
the avatar of Malar as it wandered the western lands, and though
they failed in that objective, they were forced to defend themselves
against an attack of druids of Chauntea. Brutally slaying the druids
without exception, Rhialdon returned to brood for a while in the
Temple, gripped by black moods and even blacker thoughts that he
shared only with Ulaoth.
In 1363, in the thrall of an inciting rage that required him to
deal out the anger of his god, Rhialdon attacked a group of adventurers
passing near to Shiningspear Castle, moving eastwards away of Raven's
Bluff. The adventurers, which included an apprentice Knight of Myth
Drannor, were all slain, and Rhialdon subsequently dissapeared,
believed to be heading southwards. He as not been seen since.
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