SIDHERUN

Hollow Memories

Nothing…. Emptiness…. Void…. That's all that there was before I awoke. Staring up at the clean white alabaster ceiling. My first thought was everything was just too clean. The walls were also that clean white alabaster. The bed was soft, like I had never before in my life slept in a bed so soft. As soon as my senses began to clear I felt the throbbing in my chest. Like the air had ben knocked out of my lungs and I couldn't take a full breath. I looked around at the small room I was in, noticing a small cabinet to the left of the bed with some clean, white towels stacked on top. There were also used towels, caked with dried blood on the floor to the side.

  The pain in my chest was bearable yet annoying. I reached my hands up to pull down the white shirt that covered my chest and my hands came to a sudden stop after a few inches. They were bound by strong, leather restraints. My struggling to break the restraints was futile but tiring. I had barely used any energy at all but felt dizzy.

  "Rest now, you have been through much in the past week." Came a voice from the far left of the room. 

 I looked over and noticed a door that wasn't there a minute ago. Standing in the opening was the silhouette of a medium sized man wearing white, blood stained clothing and a leather apron. I couldn't make out any of his features from my angle, as the room was softly lit by candles and he was in the darkly lit doorway.

  "Questions will be answered in time."

  Just then the blackness began to wash over me. I felt the world around me get fuzzy as a drifted back into unconsciousness. I was vaguely aware of a ticking in the back of my mind….i felt hollow, like a piece of myself had been taken. But the ticking was there taking me back into the darkness. Tick, tick, tick………

I am a child of a far away land. My home lies far to the west. To be honest,  I have no home, no home you'd call real. I grew up in these woods, bathed in the hot springs, ate off the land you see around us and yet this will never be my home. 
I will seek Gar'ahne Manitowoc and not rest until I see the mighty sequoia kissing the clouds.
I have made friends, and know something of the ways of the people here,  however I always feel apart. I sit distant,  watching, being watched.  Not trusted.
I have no desire to harm them, these folk of the city Kingstown,  but I also have no desire to join them. 
Perhaps tomorrow I shall go into the marketplace and sell some fish and skins, for these city folk do so love their gold and I cannot expect to walk among them without any. 
Ti ' Anna we. Nom Tika ' a lalla shane'we.
-Helios.

Ingrid is the youngest of 6 children of Duke Svalinn Rohanr and Duchess Cree Rohnar.  While growing up mostly in Stardock, she has always loved the time she spends at her family estates outside of King's Town.  Being the youngest daughter, her parents are often times busy with official Stardock work or securing husbands for her older sisters. Ingrid is left mostly to her own devices and has formulated her own interests and groups of friends that are not always acceptable to her royal family. 

Although she has not had the chance to travel outside of Stardock or King's Town, she has heard about adventures from her hand-maiden and friend, the Mountain Dwarf, Meg.  Meg was the only survivor of an ambush outside of the Rohnar estates near King's Town.  Ingrid was in residence at the time and while helping care for Meg, the 2 became fast friends. Ingrid insisted to her family that Meg stay on as her hand-maiden.  Her father does not always have time to argue with her and as she is the youngest, he occasionally dotes on her. 

Meg's stories about the wider world has given her a desire for more travel and adventure.  She has had the luxury of having access to the Royal Library as well as the King's Town Library.  There, she learns all she can soak up about the world. She discovered her interest in botany and alchemy from a veteran librarian in Stardock, Brother Norris.  She has not had much experience harvesting her own plants in the wild, but Norris has helped her get materials from merchants in Stardock and she has been experimenting with making various potions and elixirs. 

Gareth Longstrider

Gareth is a very large man of 8 feet tall, somewhere in his blood line there is one of the larger races orc, ogre, or maybe giant. He was raised by his grandmother and she has never told him about his parents and just will say that they will return one day.

Gareth's grandmother was very aware when Gareth was young that he was going to be a large man. She did not want people to judge him just because of his size so she taught him to read, write and to do math. As she is an inn and tavern owner named The Tidelpool in the lower city area. She knew that he needed more skills for his future than incredible size and strength. Gareth at a young age learned to the daily operations of the Tidelpool before his grandmother found a place for him to appreciate.

Gareth being such a large child his grandmother was able to get him an apprenticeship at a young age with Jacob Mc Trerin a shipwright , dock master and carpenter.   Gareth has been Jacob apprentice and now employee for the past 10 or so years.  Gareth has worked for Jacob both on the dock and in his shop.

Gareth being of average to above average intelligence Jacob has him help him with inventory of in-coming and out-going ships, along with his great size and strength he is also valuable for unloading and loading.  Along with his work as a carpenter and the docks, he also still helps his grandmother at their inn the Tidelpool.

Nilo is the son of a carpenter, Pietro Nilothak.

He has always had a fascination in reading which his grandmother Talia always encouraged, teaching him how to read and write, and letting him read a few religious texts, and the tome on the family history. It was this fascination with the written word that led him to befriend a merchant scribe at a young age, assisting him with the scrolls and dockets. Eventually from this scribe he learned about there being a "Place with more books than anywhere else within miles!" Nilo wanted, no needed, to find this store of books which he treasured so very much. Unfortunately this meant that he needed to sneak into none-other that the Mayor's manor.

After sneaking into the manor, Nilo couldn't believe his eyes! To him he may have found a treasure room filled to the ceiling with gold. There were books! More books than he even imagined there could be. He grabbed one off the shelf and read through the first few pages of "An Atlas of the world" He never knew that King's town was such a small speck on the map! Or that the druid lived so very, very, very far away. It wasn't long before he was distracted by another title "Theories on architecture" and soon the young man found himself standing at a table with more than a dozen open books.  Looking at all of them open, turning the page of one and then jumping to the next he greedily read the pages. So involved in the consumption of knowledge he didn't notice the eyes that were now watching him in the dark. Or, the withered shape that was slowly approaching him.

The woman who disturbed him was a relation of the mayor's. She was eccentric and much to Nilo's relief she mistook him as her new "book caretaker" and she began to assign him duties including turning out the books and organizing them for her. Nilo of course took the opportunity to read all of these books as he turned them page by page.

It was a unique experience growing up in a druid enclave. A gifted childhood of timeless  days fill with laughter, excitement, and royal treatment. No one with in the enclave ever suffered or when with out. The unfortunate aspect to gifted children is the poignant taste of golden spoons is well covered by the richness of food and potent spice. This live style was what my parents intended, however the great powers of the universe seldom if ever adhere to the will of mortals.

    My story, has yet to flourish, I know this because of what 'gift' I have been given. There is much you need to know in order to understand what I need to say. My beginning is no different in essence; Man and Woman, Stag and Doe, Water and Earth, Father and Mother, we all beget from two except my parents where all of these.  My Father, Most Exalted High Druid of the Inner Circle of Five named Nudd. Keeper of the Great Trees, Ear of the Wind, the list of titles is exasperating. My mother, Princess Angharad  seventh born and first daughter to King Enfys Yates. Due to the stations of both my parents, their union was one not of love but arrangement.    As arrangements go, all parties where satisfied until I was born.  Two weeks early, and too large to be passed naturally (a normal occurrence with peasant or low born woman and livestock) the midwives of the Enclave where quick and efficient, my mother survival was never a question......

Ben stands six feet two inches tall with blue white hair, silvery eyes and pale skin. He doesn’t look like a typical Ashalaran from the arid eastern lands.    The young man has grown a beard in an attempt to appear older.  The beard has come in quite white and at first glance he may appear to be an older gentleman.  His youthful nature and quick step immediately elude to him being only a teenage boy.

He is the Delivery boy for the Brown Family merchant guild for the past 5 years.  He is seen running from rooftop to rooftop in order to send notes to homes, merchant shops and ships at port for the family.  When not making runs about town he is usually seen at the local library or climbing towers and walls around town.   

Generally aloof and keeping to himself he is still a kind person helping people in the streets when he can and trying to make a name for himself.   For some of the children in town when he first arrived he seemed a pompous, aristocratic snob who didn't look like the other children.   

The time working for the guild and growing up without a lot of friends has turned him into a much different man.  He makes time to stop at the library and converse with others who enjoy literature as well.  Always discussing the books and stories he read as a child he hopes someday to return home a hero to make his family proud. 

Glialind Galeborn, Clan of the Jaguar.

This young Glamredhel is in his early twenties and quite tall and stout for his age and race.  He wears his long ink-black hair in a top-knot to keep it from obscuring his strikingly-beautiful elven face and captivating amber eyes.  He is wearing mottled black and green-dyed leather armor, black belt, high soft boots, and a long bow and quiver slung over his left shoulder.

Glialind was born into the Clan of the Jaguar, a highly respected Elven community in the Devilwood on the southern coast near Kings Town. The clan has come to the aid of Kings Town many times over the years earning the city’s respect and gratitude.  Clan of the Jaguar charges themselves with keeping the surrounding forests and oceans safe allowing Kings Town’s trade industry to flourish.

Glialind works as a runner and tracker for various merchants and city and clan officials and has gained quite a reputation for himself as an expert tracker and hunter.  He is highly sought after and respected.

Now in his late twenties, he has grown restless and longs for something more.  With his excellent skills in hunting, tracking, and marksmanship with his bow, he has decided to set out and join with any local adventuring bands.

The wide world of fame, fortune, and adventure awaits!