Caernak
Riverborn, River Servant and Commander of the River Voices:
Description: Caernak looks like Den of Earth
(“Heavy Metal” movie), except that theleft half of his face is made
of clay. Caernak is a large,
powerfully built human. Repeated
purification rituals for the River have left him largely hairless; it is little
trouble for him to shave off the remainder every day, prior to his morning
swim. Until recently, Caernak was
heavily scarred, but whiledefending a cradle from the remains of the Lunar
forces in Prax, divine forces removed all trace of his life of violence, save
one - parts of his body are formed of clay, notably the left side of his
face. He bears the runes of the
Cleansed One on the palm of his left hand. Caernak radiates a sense of calm,
most of the time, but his easy grace gives the impression that he is about to
burst into (violent) action atany moment.
A newtling leather harnass criss-crosses his chest, and about his neck
hangs a necklace of seashells, the first gift he received from the Mru. An armband featuring a harmony rune
normally encircles his left arm - the one he bore for many years was given to
the River Elves of the Puzzle Canal, as a token of his pledge of River Voice
friendship (and good for one favor) in exchange for passage through their
lands.
Background: Caernak was born in
Tarsh. He remembers little of it,
or his parents, as he was enslaved at an early age. Sold to Icallus Onerus, he was raised in
a gladiator school (ludus), trained to kill. His education in matters pertaining to
the taking of life was quite extensive; outside that narrow (but useful) field,
he was taught little. As a
successful gladiator Caernak Bellyripper was ignorant of gods, money, social graces,
geography, politics, and history.
He fought, trained, and enjoyed the benefits of success, but the killing
began to trouble him.
While
in Furthest, he finally had his fill of blood and death. Believing that killing
was wrong, he escaped and fled to Pavis, seeking a life free from killing and
violence. Any illusion that this
was possible faded quickly, and he sought work as a bodyguard, privately vowing
to avoid killing, if not bloodshed, whenever possible. His motto then was “Killing is
something I left in Furthest.”
Luckily, on his first job, he was swept up by the River and chosen by
Zola Fel to become a River Voice.
The River gave him some peace, and he learned to accept that killing is
sometimes necessary, and while he prefers to invoke the Left Hand of
Conciliation, he is willing and able to invoke the Right Hand of Vengeance in
the service of Zola Fel and the Cleansed One.
Personality: Caernak sees many
parallels between himself and the Cleansed One: Like the Cleansed One, he came
to the River after becoming aware of the evil that he represented, and he feels
that also like the Cleansed One, the River has taken him in and removed the
taint. He is devoted to the River,
to fostering Harmony among all legitimate dwellers along the Zola Fel, and to
seeking non-violent solutions where possible. This devotion has recently paid off, as
he was accepted by Zola Fel as a River Servant. Now,
more than ever, he seeks to prove himself worthy of the great gifts the River
has given him: purpose, peace of mind, and a sense of belonging.
Despite
his Acolyte standing in the Cult of Zola Fel, Caernak remains largely ignorant
of the ways of the world; there is much he does not know or comprehend. His new education has been as narrow as
his early education; achieving the mastery of River Lore and Swimming required
for River Servant status took much of his time for many years. He still doesn't really understand
money; left to his own devices, he spends like a sailor on shoreleave.
The
down side is a lot of ignorance of the world of Glorantha, supplemented by his
own inner certainty that he's got things figured out OK - he has a tendency to
draw his own conclusions, and doesn't usually ask for clarification. The up side is that he doesn't have a
lot of cultural baggage - different people have different ways, but as long as they
deal honorably, he gets along with anyone who treats him fairly. Chaos, and slavery, are
two obvious exceptions to this.
Caernak
is, basically, a Paladin in a world without Paladins. He's devoted to honor and his god. He knows nothing about missile weapons. He
fights with the sure and certain knowledge that he is right. He lives to serve the River, and protect
the people of the valley. A mighty force for good. He is an “avatar” of the
Cleansed One, striking a balance between harmony and vengeance to fulfill his
destiny.
Accomplishments: He is proudest of brokering a de-escalation
of hostilities between Ronegarth and 5 Eyes, and of the
destruction fo the Eye of Wakboth. Heroquesting to end the drought in
Goals: Caernak lives for the day when he can
put down his sword, and rely solely on the Left Hand to solve the River's
problems. This is an impossible
goal, but what he works for, purging chaos and urging others to seek
harmony. He accepts the need for
violence, and is committed to strenghtening the Cult of the Cleansed One by
recruiting, training, and leading new River Voices. To this end, he has just established the
Shennin Ashal Barracks in Corflu; he plans an extensive training program
which will raise the level of competence throughout the valley,
as those who train, but do not advance to River Voice status, will return home
to form the core of their defense.
The staffing goal for the Cult is: rediscover all CO shrines, and have a
Priest and Acolyte(s) serving each one; several bands of River Voices to patrol
the River, led by Acolytes at the least; a network of trained fighters to
provide a first line of defense.
Short term, he hopes he can train a replacement for himself before he
dies, so that even if he is killed, the dream can live on, and his goals might
be accomplished. He wants to
provide well for Dori and Entwistle (his infant son), and to that end he just
founded a trading clan in Corflu - and hired a man of business to make sure he
doesn't just lose all his money. He
hopes to transform Corflu into a major trading port, by dint of diplomatic
efforts and force of personality.
Tison (Twice Born, aka the Digger) Latish:
The scholar, archivist and Journal keeper of the party. Took to calling himself
scribe to the Mighty Caernak and writes long flowery superlative filled
passages about his exploits.
One with a Pavic sense of humor might find some sarcasm in some entries,
but Tison is a loyal friend of the Great River Lord and Leader.
Description: Was a short fit typical
pavic guy with 9" square beard and shoulder length kinky hair, but he has
been magically stretched to be oddly tall and thin, given gray fish scales,
green hair that floats & moves in invisible currents, flint nails and coral
teeth. Bright
tattoos of Water and Harmony on palms. Adventuring has left its mark on him.
Background: Tison grew up an orphan
in the rubble near the real city.
Known as the Digger for his endless excavations and scavenging for
interesting loot
for his aunt Mirth Latish's shop. Joined with the other
River Voices to help his explorations of the rubble. With the party for all but the first
adventure or two, many marvel that he has survived, given his reckless nature
and dangerous curriosity. A master of many strange magics and a collector of even stranger
artifacts. Recently he has given
up on ever being accepted as a Lhankor Mhy sage and has instead dedicated himself
to Pavis.
Accomplishments: Many! Owner of the
Dreamlink, which connected him to the evil First Dreamer and lead to many
problems. Eventually formed an
alliance with 5 eyes dream dragon (“The One”),
learned much dragon lore and became linked with him for a battle against First
Dreamer and later the Lunars, freeing the Cradle at corflu. Stretched by a boggle in the puzzle
canal, acquired his scales inside the Polisher while hero questing with Barran
the monster slayer. He was transformed
into the son of Lord Nekeros the island god via a strange resurrection after
saving him from a God Learner machine at the cost of his life. This explains his weird "sea
god" appearance.
Color: Tison was born once in Pavis and counts he
reincarnation as
Arcus: Dour Sun
Domer/River Voice.
Dorgon: Dour Ostrich
rider Storm Bull/River Voice.
Blu: He is a newtling born in the Zola
Fel river valley near the Fives Eyes community and near the
His high coordination and squirely fighting tactics served
him well in mock battles with other pups and led him to believe he had a future
as a warrior and might aspire to be a rune lord. Blu could see all too clearly
how the ever-present fear slowly ground down everyone and he burned with the
desire to help them. He dreamed of becoming a great hero, vanquishing the foes
of his people and then cheering them all up. As he grew older he discovered
that he had little patience for formal weapon training (he just couldn't stop
clowning), that his weakness and small stature would always disadvantage him
and that his tricks were of little use against trained opponents. He did
however have an extremely high aptitude for magic. After his dream of being a
rune lord died he still wanted to use powerful magic to chase away the shadows
that plagued his folk. And then give them all a good laugh!
He was fortunate that a shaman named Whitetail lived near by and was willing to take him on as an assistant. Despite his high-strung nature he found it easy to concentrate and learn because he truely loved magic and spirit lore. He progressed well in his studies and eventually succeeded in gaining a fetch. After that he began visiting the spirit plane more and more.
[SOME OF THE
FOLLOWING IS SECRET INFO THAT OTHER CHARACTERS DO NOT KNOW, SO DON’T
LEARN MORE THAN YOU KNOW!]
One fateful trip he suddenly found himself face-to-face
with King Bull Frog! He was terrified but for some strange reason (maybe divine
inspiration) he started cracking jokes. King Bull Frog liked this and engaged
him in a joke-telling contest. Of course Blu lost but he was quite intrigued
and afterwards asked his master about this great spirit.
His master introduced Blu to Karmud, the priest of the King Bull Frog cult at
Five Eyes, who initiated him into the cult proper. Blu was only slightly
surprised to discover that his master was also a cult member. That explained
why the old fellow had been willing to take on as lively an assistant as Blu.
As Blu gained more knowledge and power as a shaman his
natural eccentricities grew more pronounced. He basic motivations were
unchanged but his methods of helping people and his penchant for practical
jokes became more and more intertwined. Eventually his master suggested
that it was time (past time many in the area would have
said) for him to go out into the world; to discover what it had to offer and
gain experience that would aid him and his people when he graduated to
bachelorhood and settled down. His master's parting gift was a 6 point magic
storage matrix tattoo'd onto his belly. Karmud gave him some information on how
to find other members of the cult. This included locations of shrines and where
he might meet small activist cult bands that hunted monsters, harried bandits
and carried out occasional reprisal raids on Sun Dome or Lunar outposts. Much
to his surprise his entire village chipped in to provide him with a fine set of
fishscale armor. While his antics were quite un-newtling-like his madness was
considered almost holy.
Blu spent a few years travelling up and down the Zola Fel river between Corflu and Pavis. In 1623 he visited Pavis
itself and sought out a King Bull Frog priest named Ooklaaff, himself a Bull
Frog, who tended a tiny shrine hidden in the Rubble in a grotto under a marsh
south of Ogre Island. Ooklaaff taught Blu the divine magic of Feign Death. To
learn the spell Blu had to run from bandits, hide in a swamp and then pretended
he had drowned when they caught up to him. They were afraid of the swamp so
they left him alone and he gained the spell. That was the second scariest
adventure of his entire life but it was also exhilerating (fighting Bad Man
after gaining his fetch was the scariest). Blu remained in the Pavis area after
that, generally staying with Ooklaaf's motley band of sometime raiders.
The King Bull Frog cult has a courtesy arrangement with
the Zola Fel cult whereby traveling initiates can fulfill their service obligations
at shrines or temples of either cult. Blu took advantage of this many times in
his travels and so developed a good relationship with a number of Zola Fel
centers, including the Zola Fel Temple Barge in the Rubble. It was there that
he met Che'enshashan, the temple priest.
In early 1624 Blu contracted the Lunar mining disease and
discovered that neither he nor anyone he knew could cure him of it. When he
heard that he could obtain a cure from Orlanthi rites up at the Pairing Stone
he managed to get a boat ride there. Along the way he had a strange, mystical
dream about a dragon flying over Pavis. He knew it was a vision but he had no
idea what it meant. At the Pairing Stone he met and was cured of his illness by
the Wind Lord Krogar Wolfhelm. Krogar was amused by Blu's exurberance upon
being cured and they became friends. Blu described his vision to Krogar but
Krogar had no answer for him. Shortly after that a fellow named Miloh the
Shrewd contacted him, told him that others had had the same vision and inducted
him into the New Teeth.
During the past two years Blu has stayed in the vacinity
of Pavis. Among other things he's been playing a strange game of hide-and-seek
with Ooklaaff, who's been moving his shrine around and hiding it in various
places in the Rubble. He's met a variety of newtlings living around Pavis and
found out more about Orlanthi and Lunars. The Lunars he find especially
interesting. He thinks they need a real good prank played on them.
He's also heard a lot about a collection of fellows called
the River Voices who've made a name for themselves within the Zola Fel cult. He
thinks it would be fun to go on adventures with them. They all sound very
serious. Perhaps they could use a good joke or three. Quite recently the New
Teeth have asked him to try to join the River Voices. Apparently they figure
into the New Teeth's plans and as they've suffered some loses to their ranks
recently they might be looking for a new member.
Ji the Watchful, Doorman of Wyrmsjaw:
Description: Clean shaven Mru
(riverfolk), blue eyes, long black hair, truth & death tattoos on cheeks,
shoulders, chest and abdomen, missing right ear with long scars on cheek &
over eye, many other scars, including 3 spear wounds front & back near
heart on chest. Frighteningly
intense gaze, makes people very nervous when he
focuses on them.
Background: Ji grew up in the small
river
merchant he, severed all ties with Pavis and joined
Humakt. He fostered his son
(Ashton) with his parents and focused on mastering the sword. Over the next several seasons he stalked
the merchant until he was able to catch him lightly guarded in the ruble. There he killed the merchant and several
of his guards. The fight ended when he fell wounded and fully armored into the
river. His foes did not know of his
mru background and hence missed his underwater escape.
After
living a fugitive life style for a season or two, he left Pavis with another
Humakt fugitive, general Caspian Vur. Together they traveled to Doraster and
fought in the chaos wars for several years! The general induced and trained Ji in the
Jalmar Ironsword sub-cult of Humakt (dedicated chaos hunters; this is a secret
that he only tells people who swear never to reveal it). Using his new skills
he helped the local Orlanthi in Hazard Fort weed out chaotic deceivers in their
ranks. Many were found and killed
without mercy! He also served in a couple
of battles against Ralzakark's forces, seeking out intelligent enemy leaders
and killing them from within their ranks.
That is where he got the scars.
As a reward for his services, Caspian and the king of the Talastari
arranged to have tattoos inscribed on Ji's body. Recently the general has moved
his base of operations and requested that Ji return to Pavis.
Accomplishments: Defeated a fiend of
Cacodemon; Found daughter of the River in Puzzle Canal; Went to Gonn Orta's
Castle and broke up Crimson Bat hunter demon summoning; Freed the Lost Child
(Giant Ghost) from God Learner trap, Held the door to Wyrnsjaw fort with
Caernak against 6 Zorak Zorani Berserkers and a dozen monsters; killed over
half!
Harmast:
Harmast Olvirsson was born in western Sartar of the Lismelder tribe, clan
Greydog. He was the first, and last, child born to Olvir and Gudrid, his
parents. Olvir was carl of a small stead but the great
obsession of his life was the history of heros. He had collected the life
stories of hundreds of heroic figures all through history and could easily
rattle off the names and deeds of dozens at the drop of a hat. He even named
his son after Harmast Barefoot, the first human to accomplish the Lightbringers
heroquest. Olvir taught all he knew of heros to
Harmast and raised him to follow the heroic virtues. To Harmast Olvir embodied
all of the virtues that he taught and Harmast learned his lessons eagerly.
When Harmast was still quite young he discovered that he had a natural
affinity for alynxes. He quickly gained an alynx kitten as a companion and they
were inseperable. As he grew older he learned to train alynxes and when he
began to hunt he and his alynx Skeggi worked as a team
to catch game. When the time came for him to initiate it was only natural that
he should join the cult of Yinkin, Orlanth's brother and hunting kitten.
At age nine, tragedy struck Harmast's easy life. A corrupt Lunar tax collector was demanding extra taxes and keeping
the difference. Olvir, standing up for what was right as he always did, objected to the illegal assessment. Before Harmasts
eyes the Lunar's bodyguard slew his father on the spot without so much as a
word of challenge. Olvir's neighbors and friends, fearing to be declared in
rebellion, did nothing. Shocked to his core, Harmast saw his father's death as
pathetic and pointless. From that day on he was disillusioned about heroism and
began a gradual drift into a life of cheap pleasures and avoiding
responsibilities.
When he was thirteen his mother remarried and Harmast's stepfather brought his
two unmarried brothers onto the stead to help run it. Harmast took an immediate
dislike to all three and the feeling was mutual. Two years later his mother
succumbed to an illness, or perhaps a broken heart, and died. Barely a month
later Harmast's stepfather remarried and then used some tricks to get Harmast
declared illegitimate.
Disinherited, Harmast had no ties remaining to the stead and left it forever.
He drifted east and eventually left Sartar altogether. Lacking ambition, living
only for the moment, he was often in taverns drinking and womanizing. Were it
not for the Lunar occupation and the resistance
against it his life would have had no purpose at all. In Prax near the Pairing
Stone he found it easy to get work (when he needed some coin) as a mercenary
for the Cold Wind. He quickly gained a reputation as a reliable and crafty
raider who could scout a camp at night and help overrun it. He was too
independent to join the Cold Wind or any other group though and as soon as he
had some money he'd return to the taverns.
It was this very independence that undid him. When the Crimson Bat
approached he had no allies to warn him and he found himself and Skeggi fleeing
for their lives barely ahead of hunters seeking food for the Bat. In
despiration they leapt into a river but even so their foes closed in with boats
and nets. Harmast knew that if he was fed to the Bat it would be as if he’d
never lived at all and even drowning himself wouldn’t save him from such
a horrible fate. In despair he called to the river god, Zola Fel, "Take
our souls, oh mighty river god, and save us from the Bat". Zola Fel heard
him and judged him to be worthy, for he could see what Harmast himself could
not, that Olvir's teachings and virtues slumbered yet within him, waiting to
reawaken. The river rose up and carried Harmast and Skeggi into another plane
of existance where Zola Fel appeared before them. "I claim your soul as
you have offered," he rumbled, "and now you must serve me throughout
your days. Put forth your hands to receive my blessings." When Harmast did
so a burst of spiritual energy coursed through him, so powerful that he lost
consciousness. When he awoke he and Skeggi were in an
unfamiliar place, by the side a sluggish, marshy river in a jungle-forest.
Around him stood followers of the Zola Fel cult who'd been led to him by a
vision from their god. They told him was near Corflu where the remains of the Lunar occupation army of Prax still held command. On the
palms of his hand were magical matrices containing divine magics of Zola Fel.
And so his new life began.
Elohwyn: Gleeful Daughter
of Vinga and renowned ass-whooper. (semi-retired)
Idylla: Elohwyn’s Vingan follower and
leader of the Firshala cult.
A praxian Agimori of the Fireblood clan and member of the
Ankubi
(his khan) has made him a Sentinel, with the job of scouting the waste. He has joined the river voices because
they fight chaos and provide unique skills when faced with chaos in the
river. Hopes to build
his own circle of warriors the worship the bull in a rational manner in pavis. Currently in horrible shape (minus many
attribute points) as a result of various diseases and two slow raises.
Struggling to be examined for khan with the hope of asking Storm Bull
for healing once accepted! (Semi-retired)
Accomplishments: Fought in the battle of
Moonbroth and killed several sable riders before the Lunar
side swept the field. Found a
Thanatari temple in Dyskund caverns (w river voices). Passed initial test to become khan, but
failed final. Will try again! Found & destroyed hidden source of
Muriah witch queen of the broo's powers (w river voices). Fought through
"The Black" and slew the eye of the devil! (with river
voices)
DAKA
FAL'S ROLL CALL: (dead or lost PCs)
Consul Vosh: A Lunar petty nobleman and
adminstrator who joined the River Voices briefly early in their career, but was
enmeshed and devoured by a glue gorp beneath the Devil’s Playground. He is barely remembered.
Mumar Bloodsword: A ruthless pirate from far-off Fonrit
who joined the River Voices for a short but courageous career. He wielded the famous sword named
Magasta’s Wrath (still with the party) but died when his head was bitten
off by a great sea serpent in the Vomiter’s belly. A heroic death, as he wanted it!
Tarranyr Golefson: Rescued from the jail of Thanatari
in Dyskund Caverns, this Issaries/Orlanthi adventurer (once known as Worelius among
the Teelo Norri that cared for him after he was orphaned) served the party well
until he went into the
Nikkolai: Another Issaries trader that joined the
party briefly in service while they pursued whats-his-name (some Lunar guy that
did something bad) across Pavis and Sun Counties and
then through the Desolation Hills and Rockwoods mountain passes to Gonn
Orta’s castle. He died from a
shade’s nightmare attack but was resurrected by
what’s-the-other-guy’s-name (some Lunar who was bad, but not so
bad, and wanted to help catch the other Lunar). On the way, back in an evil Crimson Bat
shrine in a ruined castle, Nikkolai met his final end when he lingered too long
in a treasure-filled cave that was also full of stoorwyrm poison gas, and he
died. Dorgon recovered his body,
but there was no hope of resurrection so he was buried in the wilds. What happened to those Lunars is
anyone’s guess. They
aren’t alive, and Nikkolai was too foolish and greedy, so who cares
anymore. Nikkolai is a cautionary
tale.
Groloday: An Old Pavic axeman who was sent by
Bendrath to help the River Voices explore the Devil’s Playground tunnels
called The Black. Befriended them
and joined them, but also serving the New Teeth faction and his former master Bendrath. Plagued by bad luck
and a grim disposition.
Vanished in the Rubble late one afternoon while heading home to Wyrmsjaw
Fort; his sable was recovered but he is dead and gone. His is a sad story. He is missed, but even his friends saw doom written in his near future.