Tala na’Meadowsweetdotter

• Female Human Druid 3rd Level; CR 3; Medium-size humanoid; HD 3d8; HP 22; Init +4; Spd 30 ft; AC 14 (Bone Studded Leather, touch 11, flat-footed 13); Scimitar +3 (1d8+2, Scimitar +1 Fire +1d6); AL Neutral/Good; Str 14 (+1, CC 14), Int 17 (+2, CC 7), Wis 17 (+2, CC 7), Dex 13 (+1, CC 14), Con 14 (+1, CC 14), Cha 12 (+0, CC 9)

Race: Human

Class: Druid

Alignment: Neutral

Attributes: Str 14 (+1, CC 14), Int 17 (+2, CC 7), Wis 17 (+2, CC 7), Dex 13 (+1, CC 14), Con 14 (+1, CC 14), Cha 12 (+0, CC 9)

Armor Class: 13 Leather, 11 Flat Foot, 12 Touch

Hit Points: 17

Racial Abilities: Bonus Primary Attribute

Class Abilities: Bonus Language (Druid), nature Lore (Wis, CC 8), Divine Spells, Bonus Spells, Resist Elements (Bonus +2), Woodland Stride

Secondary Skill: Farmer Gardner

Languages: Human, Common, Druidic, Giant, Sylvan

Melee Attacks: Scimitar +3 (1d8+2, Scimitar +1 Fire +1d6)

Ranged Attacks: Sling +2 (1d4+1)

Religion/Ethos: The balance - Good is preserving or restoring the balance - Evil is upsetting the natural balance.

Affiliations: Order of the Grove

Equipment: Backpack (2gp, 2 lbs, 4, capacity 8: {Bedroll (1sp, 5 lbs, 3), Bandages (1sp, .5 lbs, -, 2 wounds), Chalk (1cp, .1 lbs, 1), Flint and Steel (1gp, .5 lbs, -), Silver Holy Symbol (25gp, 1 lb, 1), Wetstone (1gp, .5 lbs, 1), Rations (3gp, 4 lbs, 4)}, Waterskin (1gp, 7 lbs, 1), Flask Holy Water (-, 1 lb, 1)

Money: 87 gp, 4 sp, 8 cp

Current Experience Points: 6122

Next Level XP: 8501

Notes: 2 free destro, twin Anu

Last Will and Testament: I, the undersigned, do herby make the following request, to be executed in the event of my untimely demise: my foster father. Order be informed & receive all my goods

BACKGROUND

Family

    I am the daughter of Meadowsweet (real name Elel) (Elel/Meadowsweet is the Head Gardener for Noble Lady Araidriel). My father is unknown  (not really but he is an infamous/evil character with a reputation so I don’t tell anyone) wandering Scholar/Explorer researching unknown exotic plants. He and mom loved each other but realized that with their different goals they could never live together (mom good aligned – dad evil aligned).  They met in a mission during a border skirmish near the Orcs, where they happened to end up temporally on the same side.  Mom took another name and hid  (successfully from Dad and his minions) as to deny attraction she felt guilty over, and knew would only lead to ruin for them both if anyone found out.  Mom took a job as a head gardener for a Minor noble elf lady, associated with the druids (note afore said noble knows story but had own dark relative connections so is compassionate).  Dad never found us.  Dad happened to be in area to do something nefarious to noble mom worked for…but as part of cover met my mom and changed mind, but not able to change his nature left. Dad doesn’t know he has a daughter (and my twin brother Anu). Dad is not reformable…but not evil incarnate (I’m thinking lawful evil here…. someone who you can respect even if you aren’t comfortable with his goals).   My brother and I were raised with Sind, Araidriel’s half-elven son (he is the son of a Famous human bard/Noble Oder Wanderfoot of Swansreach Manor- and served with my mother in when she met my father…he introduced my mom to Araidriel, and helped/helps my mother hide/stay hidden).

 Plans

    I need to wander the world to increase both my knowledge of living things…in order to help keep the balance of nature and I need to wander in order to help me know what to do when my father finds out about us.  I need to discover if I want to acknowledge him, or he me. My brother doesn’t think this is an issue, and part of why I have left home is that we had a huge argument about our Father. Anu will never acknowledge him, But I think that only fools hides from their nature, until they get bitten on the ass by reality. I want to experience more so that I can come to terms with the part of my darker heritage so that it might not control my life. I fear for my brother Anu, who refuses to see that without Darkness there can be no Light.  If I happen to meet (i.e. can engineer a meeting eventually) my Father I want to be strong enough to stand up to him if necessary. Dad never wanted children because of some prophesy a wandering fortuneteller told him…”Only through his own blood could anyone temper Dad’s ambitions and lust for power.” 

Home: Manor Gilran

    Manor Gilran is the ancestral home of the line of Lady Araidriel (and hunting lodge of the local duke). Lady Araidriel and her line is charged with keeping and guarding the local area, its forests, and healing gardens (grow healing herbs, magical plants, exotics, etc…. for sale in cities to healers, magic users, as well gifts given to the current Duke- for his pleasure gardens.  Manor Gilran is the test garden, to temper exotics and learn how to propagate them as well as test new crops for the Duchy. Meadowsweet lives in a ‘cottage’ (small fortified tower and villa) granted to our Family in thanks for developing a new strain of moonflower that resisted a magical blight carried by a locust swarm a evil magic user set against the local Duke. The villa is part of the outer defenses of the fortified Manor Gilran. Our manor is the fortified egress from the bolthole in the Main Manor. It is hidden quite near the main manor, but has an enchantment so that those meaning harm cannot find it. Only those belonging to the Elven line of Araidriel, the Duke, and the Gatekeepers line (my mom) can reliably find it. Our villa appears to be a well kept but slightly decrepit cottage build next to an ancient tree to all others. Anu and I grew up playing in the woods, and with the castle children, the most prominent of whom was Sind, who Lady Araidriel has kept out of the public eye because the enemy’s his prominent Father Oder has in abundance.

 Training

    There have always been druids wandering about, as every-so-often the Head Druid sends special students to receive training form my mother. Also the Druids keep a fully trained Druid or two around to help study and if necessary contain the magical/exotic plants in the Garden and test farms. These Guardian Druids trained me. My Twin Anu and I both received some training from the Sind’s instructors and Swordmaster. Anu excelled at fighting and is Sind’s unofficial bodyguard (Sind doesn’t know Anu is his Guard as well as his closest friend). The Swordmaster taught me Sylvan. The head forester taught me Giant upon the request of the swordmaster. While I learned how to protect myself, I was drawn to the forest and the Druids instead.  I have been taught to not distain any weapon no matter hoe humble…and so learned the sling as well. I really need to wander a bit to further my training so that I can advance to my destiny…what ever that is.

 Attitudes

    Nature seeks a balance. What some call Good and Evil is the search for this balance. While attempting to correct the balance great evils can occur. “Evil” has its pace within the natural order, as does "Good." The Light is that which keeps the balance; Darkness is that which seeks to wrend the balance for its own selfish need without regard for others. Even predators have their place, as long as they do not seek to destroy their prey. Prey has the right to fight back. Predators do not have the right to do Evil that would destroy the natural balance. The Light always seeks to restore the balance; Darkness seeks to disrupt it for gain. What many call ‘Good” and “Evil” are only meaningful within that framework of natural Order and Chaos. I see Tala as a seeker and possibly a doer someday.

     My worst fear is that people will no longer be able to see who I am if they know who my father is. I also fear what he might do if he finds out about my Twin. Why did he never come back to see my mother? I greatly hope/fear what might happen to us, Anu and I, (mom can take care of herself and make her own informed choices) if he tries to influence us, and our chosen lives and paths. We are not like him, yet he is a part of us…maybe he might someday be brought to see that life is choice, and he could choose to change his life anytime and come to be a part of our family. But if he doesn’t I see it as our responsibility and duty to try to mitigate any damage he might cause. I hope that nothing might happen until I (and someday my twin) am ready and able to confront him without destruction occurring. 

     I feel most comfortable around elves, humans, fighter types, fellow Druids, foresters/ranger types, bards, and the nobility. They do not overawe in anyway. Respect must be earned and nobility had nothing to do with rank but with inherent actions, demeanor, and character.

 Misc:

    I have always had a fondness for cats, and will associate with the wildcat relatives by preference. I also have developed a taste for mead from the Forrester who instructed me in the language of giants. If possible I will take samples of any interesting plants we might encounter and send them back to my mother for study…. or recommendations for sending someone more experience to get samples for her work.

 Appearance

    Tala is nineteen-year-old female human Druid.  Distinctive features are her fire read hair (with the odd greenish golden streaks), golden colored eyes, and lighter golden skin. Tala is not particularly charismatic and tends to blend into the crowd. With my lighter but active build I could be taken for a light fighter type, under the right circumstances. I don’t look particularly threatening; in fact I would say I look on the younger range of my age.  I try use this to my advantage to disguise my intelligence and wisdom, when necessary to protect myself. I would prefer to be unnoticed and underestimated until I am much stronger and experienced.  With my inherently calm nature I try to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and disruption of the balance. I dress in a practical manor for someone who loves to venture into a forest and be outdoors a great deal of time. I dress in the best quality I can afford for durability, strength, and beauty (of the materials-so as to show appreciation for their creation), not for show of wealth or ostentation. Mother would willingly send me stuff, but I want to see if I can support myself without her help…before I consider accepting anything.

 NOTE: I was introduced to Jason’s Bard Gregor through Bard Oder, as a possible reliable traveling/adventuring companion.

QUOTE

"All to many forget there is no light without darkness, evil is either light or darkness trying to upset the balance, everything else is just an expression of nature order and natural chaos" –Tala

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