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Raelan
Acolyte
USA
49 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Sep 2006 : 17:43:49
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Well, seeing as how I was writing this up anyway, I figured I might as well post it on the Candlekeep boards for other to enjoy (or snore at). It’s the history of the Realms character I’ve been playing for almost twelve years. He's quite high level but still fun to play.
A warning, however: this is going to be quite long.
HISTORY: Raelan was born in the North to two wizards heavily involved in the caravan trade. When he was four, his parents resumed their travels, taking him with them on a journey to Shou Lung. Following their arrival on the borders of that land, Raelan and his parents were ambushed by bandits while away from the caravan, and his parents were killed. During the fight, Raelan had been hidden in the nearby brush by his mother while his father held off the highwaymen. Shortly thereafter, at a whole five years of age, Raelan saw his parents die before his horrified eyes.
As the bandits were looting the field, an oriental mage arrived on the scene. He drove the bandits off, killing many of them, then found the grieving Raelan hiding in the bushes and had the tale of what had happened from him. Not truly interested in taking care of a child, the mage nonetheless felt a sense of responsibility to the foundling and so took him in.
Initially quiet and reticent, Raelan eventually grew more comfortable around the man who was now his de facto father, and soon showed that he was both quick and intelligent. A few months after settling into his new situation, he found himself doing the chores and drudgework of an apprentice, though without the magical instruction. This changed abruptly when Raelan, who had lived around spellcasters for the entirety of his life, cast his first spell after repeatedly observing the preparations and casting of the prestidigitation that his master used to clean the small cottage where they lived. Shocked by the precociousness of the child under his care, the oriental wizard—a student of both Western and Eastern magics—took Raelan fully under his wing and began training him as an apprentice in truth.
Over the years, his master (who had never given his name, saying it would only come when Raelan had “earned it”) became like a father to Raelan, and, while the cottage was somewhat lonely at times with just the two of them there, it was not a bad life. When Raelan was twelve, his master took on a second apprentice—a local girl named Hao Shi—who had been shunned for being a child of rape. The addition of another apprentice to share the chores allowed Raelan to focus more fully on his master’s teachings, and his skills continued to expand in leaps and bounds.
A few years later, shortly after an unannounced and grueling test of fifteen-year-old Raelan’s magical knowledge, his master sat down with him to begin a long talk. What his master had to say, Raelan was never to learn. It was at this moment that the cottage was attacked by an old rival of Raelan’s master, one who viewed the old man’s study of Western magic as heresy. While Raelan and Hao Shi lent what help they could, it quickly became apparent that their master was not up to the task of fighting the wu jen attacking them, most of his prepared spells being more suited for study than combat.
Realizing that he could not win and that his apprentices would also pay the price of failure, Raelan’s master did the only thing he could do with his current spell roster: he uttered a quick incantation to send his apprentices away from the fighting. As the world faded around him in the swirl of a teleportation spell, Raelan heard his master’s voice in his head, saying, Remember Sun Chin Han and know that he loved you like the son he never had. Raelan’s last sight of the old man was at the culmination of the mage’s most powerful incantation, his body bursting apart in a massive explosion that incinerated the cottage and sent his wu jen assailant flying across the clearing, spell shields burning visibly and skin blackened and charred.
The energies from Sun Chin’s final spell twisted the teleportation magic originally intended to send Raelan and Hao Shi to a safe location, wrenching them apart and flinging them across Toril. When he awoke, Raelan found himself in a forest clearing on the edge of Deepingdale in the Dalelands.
With nothing but the clothes on his back, his spell book, spell components, and a dagger, Raelan set out to find a place for himself in this strange country. At first, he wandered the Dales casting what paltry spells he had for whoever was willing to pay, but he often found himself going hungry or having to sleep in the wilderness because he couldn’t afford a night at even the most run-down inn.
Eventually, he joined up with a recently formed adventuring company. They were a fractious group, but somehow managed to pull it together when danger threatened. During his time with the group (who were never organized enough to bother naming their band), he traveled everywhere from the Dalelands to the Raurin Desert, and even into the void beyond Toril aboard the strange flying vessels known as “spelljammers”.
In time, the members of the band went their separate ways. Some settled down, some left for other pursuits, and some stalked off due to a falling out with the rest of the party. In the end, possession of the group’s spelljamming vessel fell to Raelan as the last remaining member of the group still interested in its use. (Side note: he still has the vessel to this day, though it is stored in a deep cavern in the Star Mounts and hidden behind multiple castings of wall of stone.)
Over the course of the next few years, Raelan traveled extensively throughout the Realms and the skies beyond; he even traveled to other planes on occasion as he sought to help others and, at the same time gather enough power to hunt down the fiend who’d caused Sun Chin’s death. He formed short-lived alliances with various and sundry other adventurers, but never anything lasting.
As he grew more powerful, Raelan became more and more convinced of his own righteousness, much like many paladins who never look beyond the surface of their gods’ respective teachings. As a result, on some occasions he caused as much harm as he did good, and it would take a massive shock for him to realize it.
During this time period, some of his notable deeds include stopping a lich that was attempting to mind control one of the primeval monsters of the world and use it to gain revenge upon certain personages in Waterdeep, attempting to halt the destruction being caused by Halaster’s Harvesttide, transforming his familiar into a mercury dragon via a wish from a luck blade, and numerous run-ins with chromatic dragons.
It was also in this time period when Raelan, using conjured earth elementals and the remaining (very carefully-worded!) wishes from the luck blade, built a keep around his old wizard’s tower. It wasn’t very large as keeps go, but what it lacked in stature it made up for in magic. The keep had the constant protection of walls of force over all of its integral surfaces and, even more extraordinary, could teleport between its original location in a vale near the Spiderhaunt Woods and a rocky promontory up against the boughs of Ardeep Forest, not far from the Trade Way. He used the teleportational abilities of his keep to transport certain select caravans (including all of their personnel and wagons) instantaneously between the two locations, charging a fee for the passage.
To those few who know that it was he who was, in large part, responsible for it, what Raelan is probably the most notorious for is an incident involving a slave revolt, the Thayan capital of Eltabbar, ten barrels of smokepowder on the roofs of various governmental buildings, and a wand-wielding, dragon-riding mage, all in the name of distracting the Red Wizards so that he could break into a Zulkir’s tower to steal a mind-controlling artifact and destroy it before it could be put to use. The plan was effective, but had a horrendous cost in human lives (mostly slaves involved in the revolt) that Raelan hadn’t factored into his considerations; to this day, this incident that haunts him more than any other. This event is also the reason why Raelan constantly cloaks himself with a mind blank spell in an effort to keep his current whereabouts hidden.
A year later, while attempting to foil another Red Wizard plot, Raelan—and the adventuring party he was a member of at the time—was drawn into the Demiplane of Dread. He refuses to speak of the horrors he encountered there or how he escaped, only shaking his head with a tight-lipped grimace.
Following their return to Faerûn, the group took up where they left off in their attempt to stop the Red Wizards latest machinations, eventually culminating in an assault upon a secret citadel hidden in the depths of Thaymount and the interruption of a ritual the Zulkir of Necromancy, the lich Szass Tam himself, was conducting. Taking Tam by surprise, the band managed to destroy his physical form and banish the demon lord he was in the process of binding to his will, though not without casualties.
* * * * *
After a long period of rest and recovery, Raelan set out on a new venture, this one more out of simple curiosity than anything else. He gathered a new group of companions and set out to explore fallen Myth Drannor in hopes that some of the elves’ great magics still remained and could be brought to the light of day once more. Fighting off fiends, alhoon, and worse at every turn, Raelan and his friends eventually emerged from the ruins with much in the way of ancient gems and coinage, and a singular blackened greatsword that practically hummed with power.
Divinations revealed nothing about the blade until a legend lore was cast, resulting in a journey to the living world of Garden in Raelan’s old wasp spelljammer to find the one named as true owner of the weapon. They eventually located a youthful-looking half-elf named Arnus Skywright, wise beyond his apparent years, who thanked them for the return of his sword and asked them to help him oust a usurper from the throne he was heir to back on Toril. The band agreed to assist him, and thus began a struggle that lasted several years and culminated in the destruction of the thousand-year-old necromancer who had seized power in Asten, a nation on one of Toril’s heretofore unknown continents. It also revealed that Arnus was not, as the adventurers had been led to believe, simply the heir to the throne of Asten; he was, in fact, Anros, the mighty warrior-mage of a thousand years ago who had founded Asten and abdicated the throne to his son by faking his own death after two hundred years of rule.
It was during the last few months of this struggle that the most profound event of Raelan’s life to this point took place.
During the siege of Astir by the usurper Artak Bloodbane, the necromancer’s minions brought forth an artifact that had been stolen from the warded vaults beneath the royal palace in Stennus, Asten’s capitol city. The artifact was a large silvery sphere slung between four horses that projected a one-way barrier around it that was impenetrable to all missile weapons and hurled spells, protecting those within. It also prevented all spellcasting within, so that, even if someone could get inside the sphere’s area of influence, one could not unleash the massive blast of magical energy that Anros stated was the only way to destroy the artifact. Because of this, Anros’ loyalist army was unable to harm the archers in the sphere’s area of influence, and they took a deadly toll on his troops.
It was at this point that Raelan acted. Casting a spell of flight and cloaking himself in invisibility, he flew to the top of one of the crumbling towers damaged in the siege, and waited while Artak’s army pressed forward. The artifact was moved up closer to the front lines, and he soon passed inside its zone of negation. As the horses bearing it passed on the street below him, he jumped down and, while falling, broke his staff of power over his knee, utterly consuming himself, the artifact, and all of the necromancer’s nearby troops. It allowed Anros’ forces to win the day, but Raelan was lost to them.
A month later, the clone whose growth Raelan had set in motion before leaving his keep the last time came to maturity, and his soul returned to inhabit its new body. He awoke in the underground chambers beneath his keep, covered in dust and with a sense of time having passed. Moreover, where he hoped (and expected) to remember being gathered into the warm embrace of his goddess, he had no recollection of any afterlife save a sense of vague admonishment whose source he could not place. This shocked him to the core, for he knew for a fact that there was something beyond the mortal coil, yet could not remember anything of it.
After recovering from the initial disorientation, he sought out the spellbooks and other equipment he’d magically sent home before embarking on his fool’s errand, then left Dweomerkeep to consult the priests at the temple of Mystra in Waterdeep. Arriving at the temple, he asked his questions and was told that the gods remove all memory of time spent beyond the veil, as there are some mysteries mortals are not meant to know until their appointed time. Somewhat heartened by this, he returned home to pray for guidance and to reflect upon what the sense of admonishment he felt upon awakening might mean.
As the weeks passed, he came to understand that he had been arrogant—arrogant and foolhardy. After looking back on his life through a new lens, he realized that, in his blind crusade against evil and injustice, he had, in fact, perpetrated some of the very things he was trying to prevent. Moreover, he had violated Mystra’s tenets of responsible magic use dozens—if not hundreds!—of times. This, he was certain, was the reason for the sense of admonishment he had felt when awakening upon Toril once more. He marveled at the fact that she had allowed him to return at all, and vowed to do his best not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
His first step, he decided, was to rid himself of the outright trappings of power over others. He approached Open Lord Piergeiron with an offer to cede control of his keep and its magics to the Lords of Waterdeep, and used part of the monies he received in payment to buy a secure townhouse in Castle Ward, which he moved into as an interim home.
During this time, he was busy with several things. The first was to find out what had become of his former familiar, Ahron, as the link had snapped with Raelan’s death. Several scrying spells later, he had managed to locate and contact the mercury dragon. Ahron was surprised and gladdened that Raelan was alive again, but did not indicate any interest in resuming his former role. Raelan took this in stride as he really didn’t expect anything else, apologized to the dragon for trammeling his freedom for years, wished Ahron well, and took his leave.
Following that, he set about in search of the possible location for a new home, one far from civilization where he could research spells in peace. Always enamored of forested environs, Raelan hired a guide to show him the southern reaches of the High Forest near the Star Mounts. The ranger took Raelan on a long foot trek up the banks of the Unicorn Run as it climbed towards the peaks, and, when they reached the Sisters, Raelan knew he had found the spot he was looking for. It was a place of beauty and tranquility where a weary soul could rest and ponder the mysteries, one far from the clamor and intrigues of civilization—and also far from anywhere his enemies would think to find him. In short, it was perfect.
There was, however, another consideration to take into account.
The ranger told him that, while the elves had departed this region of the High Forest long ago, there were still many fey in the area—especially in the vicinity of the Sisters—who might object to a human mage taking up residence nearby. At that point, all Raelan could do was ask the ranger to intercede with the fey for him, for, while Raelan spoke sylvan, he had little understanding of dryads, satyrs, fairies, and the like beyond the fact that they existed. It took some convincing, but, in the end, the ranger agreed to talk to the local fey and determine if they would allow the mage to settle down in the area without trouble.
Camping out in the large clearing where he hoped to create a new home, Raelan waited for the response. In a few days, his guide returned bearing a positive, if conditional response: he would not be disturbed if his presence did not despoil the land. Having no intention of doing anything but living quietly while at home, Raelan was quick to accept the terms.
Returning to Waterdeep, Raelan proceeded to set about gathering the materials he would need to create a new home. He knew from his researches that the elves of ancient eras were wont to build—or, rather, grow—their homes from various crystalline substances, forming them into breathtakingly beautiful architecture. Having seen and been moved by the shattered crystal spires of Myth Drannor, he even had proof that such magics were possible, and thus set about to re-create one of them, if only on a small scale. Moreover, he planned to improve on the magic and enchant the resulting structure with protective force walls and the ability to mend itself over time.
It took several months to determine the exact enchantments needed, then several more as well as most of his liquid assets to actually craft the bud that would grow into the three interlinked sapphire spires he envisioned.
Finally, he was finished. He teleported back to the High Forest clearing where he planned to set his home, a miniature scuplture of three towers of cut sapphire in his hand. After spending a few hours casing the area to make sure it was secure, he planted the bud under a few feet of soil at the center of the clearing, speaking a command word to activate the magic, then sat down in vigil over it.
Over the course of the next few weeks, the magic of the bud responded exactly as it was supposed to, and three interlinked sapphire towers began to grow from the ground. Raelan used this time to meditate and study, all the while marveling at the wonder that was unfolding before him. This, he realized, was exactly why mages work magic: the sense of wonder and mystery, and the chance to create something lasting.
When the process was complete, three sapphire towers of differing heights rose several stories into the air in the middle of the clearing. Their outer casing was blue, sapphire-like crystal, but backed with stone behind it to both reinforce and insure privacy. A quick test confirmed the force walls were functioning properly, as well, preventing any harm from reaching the crystal sheathing of the structure on the outside, or the stone within. The force walls also covered the window openings unless he consciously deactivated them, server as a further buffer against unauthorized entry. All in all, he was very much pleased with the result.
After casting several rudimentary wardings on the outside doors, he returned to Waterdeep and spent the next month shifting his belongings to his new home via teleportation circle and gate spells.
* * * * *
Following the creation of his new home, Raelan spent the better part of two years studying works of magic which he had picked up almost by accident during his travels. Specifically, he had located a number of the lost Nether Scrolls, and he was determined to put what knowledge could be gained from them to good use. He already knew much of what they had to teach him, but there was also much which had previously been hidden. From the knowledge contained within them, he finally began to have an idea of just how powerful the empire of Netheril had truly been—he only had thirteen of the scrolls, and already his knowledge was advancing in leaps and bounds, but the Netherese had had the entire set! He shuddered to think of what ten—or even five!—mages with the full knowledge of the Nether Scrolls could do.
Shaking his head in wonder, Raelan plunged himself back into his researches. He focused the greatest part of his attention on how magic came to be in the first place, and eventually realized that raw magic is life energy in its purest form, and that it might be possible to tap into it without the Weave as an intermediary, though only by using the magic of his own body. He prayed to Mystra for guidance, asking for a sign to know whether or not such a research would offend her, but received no response. Taking that as an indicator that it was up to him whether or not to continue, he decided he would go ahead and try it.
The first time he attempted to cast a spell using his own life energy, it nearly killed him. He inadvertently drew too much and it almost stopped his heart. As it was, it would’ve taken him weeks to recover if not for one of the permanent enchantments he laced into his body. Though he was recovered by the next day, he did not immediately try again; instead, he went over what had happened step by step, doing his best to pinpoint the exact moment that things went wrong and how it came about. Having done so, he believed he could prevent the same from happening again, though he doubted the process would ever be completely painless.
Over time, his theories proved to be correct, and he realized why the Netherese had never attempted to tap into their own life force: they were, by and large, proponents of “magic without sacrifice”, and tapping into one’s own life force to power a spell was sacrifice, indeed.
All in all, despite the pain and the difficulty of using such methods to power spells, Raelan’s prediction that it would allow him to cast magic reliably in areas where the weave was damage or even destroyed entirely proved to be accurate, and so one of the primary reasons for his researches in the first place had borne fruit.
* * * * *
Raelan has since resumed his travels throughout the Realms, though this time in a more circumspect manner. He has only been involved in one incident of note since that time, and he is sworn to secrecy about it under threat of death. Rumor has it that it has to do with a forcible abduction by the Mad Mage of Undermountain and some sort of task he and several other mages were compelled to perform....
DISPOSITION: Raelan tends to be stern and aloof, sometimes with the sarcastic and cynical edge one would associate with older mages (Raelan is only thirty winters old, and is physically twenty-five thanks to a potion). His personality is forceful and forthright, and he often dominates the room simply by his stance and posture. His gaze is piercing, and if he is annoyed with someone it often seems as if he’s staring right through them.
Raelan much prefers straight talk and honesty to hidden meanings and intrigue, though he realizes that the latter have their place in certain situations. He believes in being up-front about his views and opinions and expects others to do the same, though that does not generally extend to hurling needless insults.
When he feels action is needed, Raelan is swift and decisive, and generally takes the option that resolves the issue the fastest, as long as it does not needlessly endanger others. He believes that, while on some occasions the end justifies the means, it’s usually the other way around.
Raelan is very much an individualist. He believes in the right of everyone to live as they see fit as long as they are not harming others. He is not a fan of laws, though he understands that they have their place if people are to function as a society; he just wishes they weren’t needed in the first place.
While Raelan generally holds back and avoids anything approaching close relationships, he is slowly beginning to realize that there is more to life than magic and righting wrongs. It is likely he will become less cold and stern as time goes on, and will develop a genuine warmth with those he likes and trusts.
QUIRKS:
Raelan has an...odd…sense of humor. When in combat, one of his favorite tactics is to polymorph his opponents into rabbits (his signature spell is baleful polymorph)…
…fluffy rabbits…
…fluffy pink rabbits.
Raelan finds that he doesn’t much like elves. He doesn’t like the fact that he, too, has his prejudices, but can’t escape that damning conclusion that he often can’t stand someone because of their race. For the most part, his dislike is based on the elves’ haughty nature and the fact that many of them see humans (and everyone that is not an elf) as little more than beasts. Though he tries to give elves he meets the benefit of the doubt, he has never met a sun elf he could stand, let alone actually like, and finds the other sub-races too stuck-up as well, with the possible exception of the moon elves (who he has a grudging respect for).
MOTIVATIONS: Raelan’s motivations are fourfold.
First, Raelan would like to see that everyone is free to live their lives as they choose as long as they aren’t hurting others.
Second, he is always in search of or developing new magics, and would like nothing more than to acquire the rest of the Nether Scrolls and have the complete set. He worries, however, about what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands and is still trying to figure out what to do with it if he ever manages that nigh-impossible task.
Third, Raelan would like to search out the wu jen that killed his master so he can close that chapter in his life and begin a new one.
Fourth, he would like to know for certain who his real family are. During what he refers to as the “crusader” period of his life, he had pushed this desire so far to the back of his mind that he almost forgot that it was there. Following the period of introspection that resulted from his death and subsequent return to life, Raelan found a resurgance of desire to know where he came from.
What he has found out thus far is the following: when Sun Chin found him, Raelan had a signet ring bearing the symbol of a stick-figure man shooting lightnings at the heavens on a leather thong about his neck. He had recently taken to wearing it, and one of the merchants he was buying spell components from looked decidedly uncomfortable and kept glancing at the ring. When Raelan asked him what was wrong, he was told, “I’m sorry, good sir, but you Harpells have a reputation for being a bit, ah…unpredictable.”
Thus, Raelan believes he is a member of the Harpell clan, and has even taken to using that as his surname. However, he finds himself quite uncomfortable with the thought of visiting Longsaddle and the Ivy Mansion, and even more discomfitted with the possibility of meeting relatives who are total strangers to him (which is quite ironic, because he’s been known to stare down adult dragons without a trace of fear).
BASIC GAME INFO:
Raelan Harpell (CG hm Transmuter 16/Rogue 1/Archmage 4/Lifespinner 7)
I can post more info if anyone’s still awake after reading that long-winded history and would like to know more about him.
In regards to the Lifespinner prestige class, it’s a home-brew epic class mostly dealing with casting magic via the character’s own life force without tapping into the weave (which costs hitpoints). Unlike the choice to use the Shadow Weave, it’s not an irrevocable decision—a Lifespinner still draws on the Weave by default.
In regards to playing the character, I prefer smaller-scale adventures these days. I’ve been in (and run) enough “save the world” campaigns by now, and it’s much more enjoyable to do “save the realm”, “save the town”, or even “save the caravan” adventures most of the time; after a while, it becomes hard to suspend your disbelief when you’re always out to save the world.
EDIT: Side note--a house rule is in force that states that the Nether Scrolls do not grant 1 level per scroll to characters beyond 20th character level. Instead, it's 1 level per 5 scrolls, thus preventing even more ridiculously powerful characters (50th level is bad, mmkay?  ).
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"I am convinced that one of these days I will be able to run a regular game that doesn't fall apart due to scheduling conflicts. I am also convinced that, on this day, hell will freeze over." |
Edited by - Raelan on 17 Sep 2006 18:13:39
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
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Beirnadri Magranth
Senior Scribe
USA
720 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2006 : 17:31:43
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excellent
have you really been playing him for 12 years?
wow |
"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."
::moussaoui tries to interrupt::
"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."
-Judge Brinkema |
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Raelan
Acolyte
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2006 : 18:35:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Alaundo
Well met
A nice article indeed, Raelan. I for one would certainly like to see more from thy quill
Glad you liked it. :)
In regards to more writings,I'll see what I can arrange. If I get the chance (and can remember enough of it), I may post up adventure details from my Four Horsemen campaign; as far as DMing goes, I'd say that was my greatest achievement, and hopefully it will be useful to other DMs.
EDIT: I'll also see if I can dredge up my write-up for the Lifespinner prestige class. It was originally posted to the REALMS-L mailing list back when I was a member, so it's somewhat dated and will need an update or two for 3.5.
EDIT #2: BTW, is this the proper forum section to post adventure ideas, prestige classes, new spells, and the like?
quote:
Originally posted by Beirnadri Magranth
excellent
have you really been playing him for 12 years?
wow
Well, yes and no.
Back when I had a regular gaming group, we'd pass off DMing every now and then, but continue running the same characters. Thus, about a third of Raelan's adventures happened while I was running the game. However, the problem with this method was that, oftentimes, the players would rely on Raelan for advice no matter how much faulty information I had him give out, since he was supposedly "the mouthpiece of the DM". In reality, he was just there so he'd be the same level as everyone else when the next person took over the DMing duties.
Eventually, near the culmination of my Four Horsemen campaign, it got so bad that I simply killed him off to make the players think for themselves. It gave me the chance to write in a really cool scene ("The Death of Raelan", bwahaha!), and also to take the character in a new direction when his clone finished growing and he returned to life (a different DM took over at that point, as my year-and-a-half-long Four Horsemen campaign had wrapped up quite successfully).
Unfortunately, I haven't had a gaming group for the last two years due to people moving away, scheduling conflicts, and the like, and the few years preceding that were very sparse in actual gaming. (Damn, I miss high school and all the kick-ass gaming that happened back then.) |
"I am convinced that one of these days I will be able to run a regular game that doesn't fall apart due to scheduling conflicts. I am also convinced that, on this day, hell will freeze over." |
Edited by - Raelan on 18 Sep 2006 19:03:39 |
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
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Raelan
Acolyte
USA
49 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 19:08:47
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All of the writing I've been doing lately has gotten me to thinking, and I was repeatedly reminded of all of the cool things that I still want to do with or have happen to my character if I ever get to play him again. In any case, I'm going to post some of the ones I can remember here off the top of my head.
First, I'd love a chance to roleplay a meeting between him and his family. In addition to the awkwardness that's bound to result, it would be fun to play out how Raelan would react, especially if they presume on ties of kinship that are real to them (i.e. they knew Raelan's parents, and also met him when he was too young to remember) but do not yet exist for him. Raelan is naturally rather reserved and aloof, so it'd be fun to see where I could take this.
Second, while the series of events resulting from the Last Mythal trilogy generally took place in the northern reaches of the High Forest, I was wondering what repercussions might have spread as far south as his tower complex along the banks of the Unicorn Run near the Sisters and the base of the Star Mounts.
In addition to that, with a number of elves returning to Faerûn and the possibility of a new elven Realm in the High Forest, it would be interesting to see what would happen when they come across the home of a human mage living in "their" woods. While the elves have had no true realms in the High Forest for more than half a millennium, and despite the fact that their remaining presence was mostly in the northeast, they probably still view the High Forest as an elven territory due to their long lifespans.
Now imagine an elven scouting party coming across what looks to be an elven dwelling in terms of construction if not architecture (the towers are made of living crystal, though not as slender or airy as elven structures usually are). No one replies when they knock on the door, and no one responds to cries of greeting. They try to enter, but are unable to overcome the wards on the doors and windows. Setting up camp in the clearing outside, they rest and consider new strategies, sending one elf back apprise their superiors of the situation.
Early the next morning, a faint "pop" is heard, and they turn their heads to observe a lone human standing on the steps leading up to the only ground-floor entrance. The human wears the robes of a mage, black in color and lined with runes in thread-of-silver along the hems. His countenance is stern, partially shadowed by his cowl, and piercing green eyes look out at them from beneath a circlet of mithral bearing a star sapphire in its center and a downward-sloping point that rests just above his brow. Like their elven nickname, "the hairy ones" suggests, the man has hair on his face: a close-cropped beard of dark brown color. A fire-blackened staff of ash tilts slightly towards them, halfway between resting and attack, and his well-built frame leans forward slightly as he jabbers something in the uncouth language of humans.
It is important to note at this point that the elves in question are fairly young and hail from Evermeet, having never set foot upon Faerûn until recently. Thus, what they know of humans is the commonly-accepted elven perception that humans are beasts and usurpers, breeding like rabbits and always encroaching upon elven lands - and here stands one of them in the very heart of the elven forest!
I don't know about the rest of you, but I, for one, would find this a very interesting opportunity for roleplay. The elves are, for me, the good guys I love to hate. They're often haughty and arrogant, too convinced of their own superiority and totally set in their preconceptions of The Way Things Are. This often leads to surprises when they find out that, in fact, they are not the source of ultimate good and ultimate power in the Realms.
(I can't help it if bursting the egos of thei High And Mighty gives me an almost child-like glee... [insert evil grin here] )
Alrighty, more later. I'm starting to zone out, so off to other topics. |
"I am convinced that one of these days I will be able to run a regular game that doesn't fall apart due to scheduling conflicts. I am also convinced that, on this day, hell will freeze over." |
Edited by - Raelan on 22 Sep 2006 19:10:47 |
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Raelan Harpell: Long-Winded Character History
