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By Walker Perkins
Akora'ala Hlaviir
Note: This character profile is being posted as it was given to me in an unedited format. This is due in part to capture to player's original intent, and in part because I'm too lazy to go through and fix the problems with them. Understand, however that the inaccuracies presented here have been corrected in person.
Akora'ala Hlaviir
Female Half-Drow
Cleric 4 of KelemvorIn this world there are good people and there are bad people. As for the bad people. there are those who simply aren't good hearted and those who are evil and sinister. Leokul Harptracker definitely is the later of the two.
Two hundred forty nine years ago an acne covered, greasy haired, half-elf youth showed up to the gates of the Grim Academy. Not muttering a word the youth handed the gatekeeper a partially decayed skull filled with five hundred gold pieces, they exact price of freshman admission.
Two hundred seventy three days after entering the academy Leokul graduated. The day prior Leokul exterminated and then re-animated every single classmate one-by-one, and even a few teaching assistants. Most people would have considered such treatment of peers insanity, others sadistic, but at the Grim Academy it was considered exemplary work. The teachers threw a graduation party for one, and Leokul was carried away from the academy on the shoulders of his newly formed undead legion
After years of perfecting his art Leokul took a small army of undead & a few personal revenant body guards to the Spider Swamp, south of the Forest of Mir, in search of some underground artifact. Long story short; no artifact was found only a drow encampment several hundred feet below the swamp. As the battle ensued the necromancer's overwhelming power was made obvious. So, in a desperate attempt Akora'ala Hlaviir, a female half-drow child stepped forward and full of emotion put all her power into a simple dagger throw. The throw was so mighty it succeeded in surpassing Leokul Harptracker's magical protections, but only had enough left over to scratch the cheek of Leokul. The necromancer was FURIOUS! He ordered all the remaining drow captured alive.
It's never good to injure a person's pride. Even worse is it to injure a man's pride. And more still a powerful man's pride. But worse still is to injure the pride of an insane, power hungry epic necromancer's pride.
Over the next decade Leokul tortured Akora'ala. At first Leokul took great pleasure in the things he did to Akora'ala. Firstly he fed her meals made of her surviving companions, on days when he didn't get a good nights rest he would force feed Akora'ala magically preserved/ partially alive pieces of her tribe. If not for her bindings, she would have taken her own life here. After the stock of drow parts ran dry Leokul had to change the pace of his torture. He moved on from cruel psychological torture to physical pain. Her teeth were removed one at a time (also as a measure to prevent her from trying to swallow her own tongue) and salt water flushed over her face. Finger nails were bent back but not removed. She was raped in such an uncivilized manner so continuously that the complete details make even Rimmer shiver in horror.
As time passed Leokul constructed specialty undead to perform all the tasks of both torturing her & ensuring she stayed alive. All this time senses were left in tact so she could fathom all that was happening. And every few months Leokul would personally come in, clean her out, dry her, and force himself in a way to ensure bleeding.
Akora'ala stopped crying after a decade, finding that the tears only exited his enjoyment. It's not that she didn't want to cry, rather physically her body lost the ability. And after fifty more years Akora'ala became as emotionless as the undead & constructs which oversaw her confinement. Leokul had to start using telepathy to directly assault her mind. And after a time Akora'ala no longer reacted to even mental punishment.
And time passed. Leokul continued the torturing for another eighty years under the premise that it somehow affected the nearly comatose Akora'ala.
Eventually salvation came for our heroine.
The only details known to Akora'ala Hlaviir are that several diviners at Baldur's gate noticed a large amount of concentrated negative energy just outside Alokkair and informed the local temple to Kelemvor. Bezurgathan Indraeyan, Kelemvor's high priest, let the onslaught of Leokul Harptracker's tower. In the end Leokul was to egotistical and his pride wouldn't let him run, and as such was slain.
The invaders spent another day cleansing the land of magical traps, vile magical pollution and undead abominations. Through all of this their will never wavered, they were clerics and paladins on a crusade against evil & corruption. After a time the crusaders came to Akora'ala's torture room.
Upon seeing Akora'ala's imprisonment they rushed over and freed her from bondage. But to their dismay she just slumped to the ground.
"Please stand up girl, we must get you out of here."
"Why she asked, what's the point"
"The necromancer has been slain, you should not remain in such a vile place"
"I am to believe you aren't an illusion of Leokul here to give me false hope? I am not a fool, and will not give you the satisfaction of seeing me show hope."
The crusaders did all they could to convince Akora'ala to leave, and decided it best just to carry her out if she wouldn't move willingly. And when she was finally outside, they laid her down in clean grass, on a cool & bright day. Akora'ala had not seen anything other than her torture room she was confined to for so long. The warriors sat down and broke bread, ready to celebrate their victory and hearing such Akora'ala finally realized she had in fact been freed.
A steady stream of blood ran from tear ducts so long unused. There weren't sniffles or gasps for air. Her body never convulsed with emotion, she just laid there inert. One of the paladins came to bring her food & drink couldn't even notice the blood, her face was so caked with filth.
Here, sit up and eat. No response. Again, please sit up and eat. No response. Please lady, sit up and eat.
"I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?"
"My body doesn't listen to me."
The paladin called for a medic. He inspected her with the most solemn face any warrior could show after winning such a battle. This woman's muscles have atrophied so much I am surprised her body doesn't collapse. And her reaction, she must have been tortured innumerous times for her to be so non-responsive. I would say daily for a decade from the looks of it.
"No, it was hourly."
WHAT!
"Hourly, he wanted to ensure that I never had enough time to collect my resolve with rest."
"Oh dear, how long did he do this for?"
"One hundred sixty years last month. Leokul told me so himself, he wanted to remind me that I had been there more than a lifetime and would remain many more."
Magics, death looking them in the eye, undeath trying to devour them, unholy blights, none of these things broke these warriors resolve. But hearing and witnessing something such as this girl's plight was unfathomable. They broke into tears.
Atonement, healing, rejuvenation, ressusitation, regeneration & every other restoration spell known to this group's divine casters were cast upon Akora'ala. They bathed, clothed & fed the young lady and nursed her health as they returned to Baldur's Gate. Once returned to the adventurer's home months were spent exercising her body back to normal. Inch by inch they cleansed her body, replacing & repairing body parts of her body, but how easy is it to help somebody who gave up on life? After a while she stood up, then moved her arms and eventually walked.
Then Markisyl Uldjow, the monk in charge of her rehabilitation, told her "You are as healthy as we can make you here, we must send you to Cormyr to finish your recovery.
The next day Akora'ala Hlaviir was magically sent to Corymr where she spent 3 years living in and coming back to a "normal state."
After Akora'ala felt physically whole again, she joined the clergy of Kelemvor to repay them for all they did to her. They thought her solemn & unemotional demeanor would be advantages when dealing with the subject of death and gladly accepted her in the ranks. Akora'ala worked hard, and excelled exceptionally. Apparently all the torturing made her incredibly strong both physically and mentally.
And when the Purple Dragons came to the church looking for new members everyone pointed at Akora'ala as the best choice. They were hesitant about taking even a half-drow into their ranks, but times were tough and they needed new members.
After some time the higher ups of the Purple Dragons informed her that she was being transferred to a new, elite squad called the Steel Dragons. The new elite unit has lost several healer deaths lately due to smart opponents. Many of their adversaries have been striking down the healers first. They were up front with her, because they didn't want to see her leave the Purple Dragons, and they didn't want send her in unwarned.
"I am not afraid of death; I will do my part in the name of Kelemvor & his priests."
And of she went to be the newest member of the Steel Dragons.
Hopefully this explains the character I am going to play. She's been through the worst and had the opening to her feelings cauterized shut. It should be obvious why she hates undead, follows Kelemvor's teachings and is so completely logical and straightforward.
Her name means 'Beloved & greatest of all priestesses child of the house of the Seers of Dominance'.
The content of Steel Dragons is the property and copyright of Walker Perkins and is not to be published or redistributed without permission.