ELKË

 
Sister of Mercy

E L K E   M A R E V N A

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Ht: 5'10  /   Wt: 85 lb  /   Hair: red  /   Eyes: red  /   Age: ~160  /   Creed: Vaara

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Elke is a sister of the Varantine Order, steward of the Schola Santa-Vara Infirmary, and the personal apprentice of Doctor-Curate Cardena Dela Vara. Like most members of the Varantine Order, she is also secretly a member of the Vaara race (called vampires by some). 

Spellbound and Unbound

(STORY)

from: CHAPTER SIXTEEN ~ HOMECOMING  characters: KIAN (pov), ELKE, CARDENA DELA VARA

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Kian has returned to find a Ladroa no less complicated than when he left it. It seems that all around him is suffering - the kind that cannot be solved with simple violence.

Rather than succumbing to self-pity, sometimes one must step out of the shadows and instead choose light. And so, Kian makes an appointment with a doctor...

Old Sins Have Long Shadows

VALKE'S TALE

from: CHAPTER SIXTEEN ~ HOMECOMING
characters: KIAN (pov), VALKE

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When the Red Spite was carried back across the Winter Gate, it brought a potent arcane power into the world - one that corrupted the body and mind of all those with Fae blood, and turned them against humankind. 

Valke of the Vaara folk was one of the first to suffer these effects. As the madness crept over her, she rebuked her human comrades, and in a fugue state, fled. Kian searched high and low for his friend, but in the end, he found her at the beginning again, in the port of Ladroa. 

He did not expect to find her in such a state...

The CIRCLE of the COPPER GOBLET*

The Tavern of Blood

There are many drinking establishments in Ladroa, both high and low, but even most locals have never heard of the Copper Goblet. This tavern on a narrow, ill-traveled Arcmacenes sidestreet is mostly beneath notice - an unremarkable hole-in-the-wall, with only a crooked and mostly illegible signboard to indicate its presence. 

Behind the shabby cellar door, one once found a small, dank basement space located under a disused warehouse. Here, both the ambiance and the patrons seemed musty and unwelcoming to newcomers, and this is how they preferred it. 

AGILA

Swordsman, criminal, murderer

A G I L A

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Ht: 5'9  /  Wt: 105  /  Hair: black  /  Eyes: red

Age: ~300  /  Creed: Vaara (secret)  /  Status: DECEASED (?)

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The mysterious hidalgo known as Agila has a dark reputation that manages to stand out even in a city as lurid as Ladroa. While superficially handsome, urbane, and jovial, this manner is only a thin veil for his sociopathy and the vain ugliness of his soul. He is a black-hearted dog, a man who lives by night, and needs little excuse to quarrel and draw blood.

While his skill with a rapier is widely attested, everyone in the criminal underworld of the city knows that what makes Agila so dangerous is his utter disregard for human life, the trappings of personal honour, or any grain of decency. 

He will take any job for a price, no matter how cruel or despicable, and it makes little difference to him whether it is achieved through swordplay, by a knife in the dark, or by outright torture. In truth, he prefers the latter.

It is for this reason that Boss Arriaga made a point of enlisting Agila as his personal enforcer; few would risk welching on debts, especially after Agila has made grisly examples of those who went before.   

While his many bloody crimes are whispered of, Agila has until now been able to avoid entanglements with the Mariscales - partly due to Arriaga's influence over the city watch, and partly due to his remarkable ability to avoid being caught in the act. The lack of living witnesses is also a factor.

ALUKAH OBSIDIAN PLATE ARMOUR

 

Exotic Armour

• AC:17 
• Permits Dex modifier up to +3 
• Resistance to Fire damage 
• Total protection from sunlight damage 
• Strength Requirement 15  /  no Stealth Disadvantage
• Helm must be worn to benefit from full AC (otherwise 16)
  
  

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These suits of exotic plate armour are Vaara artifacts dating back to the era of the Blood Princes (the ancient vampires known as the Alukah). It is possible these were originally taken from the vaults of Taath Naahct. 

They are designed for a slender body type, and composed of a rare material that resembles obsidian or black glass. The material is exceptionally hard, and immune to the typical afflictions of metallic armour. The interlocking black plates are cleverly designed for flexibility and smooth movement.  

Beyond their aesthetic qualities, this armour is also designed to complement the Alukah physiology. Although it has a high range of movement, it is certainly not lighter than normal steel armour - with their inhuman strength, the extra weight is of little concern. 

However, the dark material provides total protection from the sun's rays. The visors on the helmets have no eyelets, but are partially transparent to the wearer, permitting clear (tinted) vision, while screening out the harsh glare of day. 

CUSTOMIZATION:

This armour may also be stripped down to lighter components, though that would sacrifice some of its advantages. Worn as a Breastplate or Half-late, it functions as normal armour, but permits a +3 Dex allowance. 

It also looks cool.

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Resale: ?
Quantity: TWO suits (Kian's suit is customized)

Magic: NO
Owner: KIAN, PARTY
Obtained: Chapter 10 - THE FALL OF CASTLE DREIST
from Bronzanti's armouries

The VAARA

t h e   N i g h t f o l k  

Tales of vampires have echoed through human history. Sometimes they are depicted as evil spirits who seduce mortal victims. Other times, they are savage predatory monsters that stalk the night, and must be hunted down and destroyed. 

The creatures now generally referred to as 'vampires' originated long before humans. In ancient times, they were called Alukah, and they shared the world with other Elder Races like the Elves and the Duathan. They had their own civilization and ruled large areas of Helicos through the late Mythic Age, shortly before the Advent of Man.

TAATH NAHCT

The City of Eternal Gloom

Nestled amid the jagged peaks of Mount Chiros lie the ruins of Taath Nahct. The maw of the long-dead volcano forms a crown of immense jutting spikes that protect the city behind walls of sheer rock, and also shield it from direct daylight, filtering even the noonday sun into to meager shafts of muted haze.

Despite its mountainous elevation, Taath Nahct is mostly sheltered from the winds, and remains curiously temperate. Here, no frost forms, and no snow gathers - a reminder that in primordial times, this peak was a font of brimstone, fire, and lava. Perhaps, far, far below, that fury still slumbers.

TOM FLAGSTAFF

(aka: Gillam Bannermount, Ramon Guillermo Fresco Banderas, Wilhelm Reiner von Kolaz)

T O M   F L A G S T A F F

a lackadaisical wandering minstrel with a golden voice

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Ht: 6'1  /  Wt: 160*  /  Hair: dirty blond  /  Eyes: rusty*  /  Age: 400 ?  /  Creed: Wellund

Tom stretched out his words lazily. He spoke in the relaxed accent of Lundishmen from the pastoral lowlands on the border with the Delon marches - rich with politesse, but low on formality. Even if Tom were human, it would be difficult to assess his age. His face was lean but rugged; fair-skinned and seemingly youthful, yet with the lines and creases of a man who spent his days in the sun. When he smiled, it was broad and open, using all of his white teeth.

 

VALKE

(girl friday)

V A L K E    M A R E V N A

mercenary, wanderer, adventuress
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Ht: 5’10  /  Wt: 99 lbs  /  Hair: auburn  /  Eyes: blue/red

Age: 220  /  Creed: Vaara (Kos)  /  Status: ACTIVE

PROFILE

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Despite her youthful appearance, Valke has been around. By her own account, she has been roaming the Great Continent for the better part of a century, ranging from Helicos to Utgaard, and from Kalthea to the Taizul Steppes. Serving as a mercenary and freelance adventurer during this time, she has acquired redoubtable skills, numerous curious trinkets, and a seemingly unending supply of tall-tales, of which she brags openly and often. 

Considering all her travels and fantastical deeds, she seems no wiser for it. She lives her life with a devil-may-care outlook and her own signature swagger. Her sardonic attitude, rough manners, and short temper may be well-suited to a war-camp, but not to more subtle situations. Valke enjoys red meat, strong booze, and good tobacco, and always seems up for a fight. 

CARDENA dela VARA

Enigmatic Heiress

Dona   C A R D E N A   dela  V A R A
Doctor-Curate of the Schola Santa-Vara of Ladroa

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Ht: 5'11 / Wt: 80 lbs

Hair: pale blond / Eyes: brown (red) 

Age: 30 (?) / Creed: Iagosi (Vaara)

The Lady of the Schola Santa Vara

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The Lady Cardena dela Vara is almost 30, famously beautiful, and famously unmarried. She arrived in Ladroa 10 years ago to take over the Schola Santa Vara. Since then, she's garnered some celebrity in the city's nightlife, while simultaneously remaining elusive and mysterious.

The VARANTINE ORDER

The  SCHOLA  SANTA  VARA  of  LADROA

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The chapter house of the Varantine Order in Ladroa is located in the Puerto district. Customarily, traveling friends and members of the Order will check in when they arrive in a Varantine city to relay messages, render services, or to obtain board during their visit.

The waterfront location also means that the infirmary attached to the chapter house is where it can be easily accessed by the common rabble or incoming travelers sea travelers. In times past, the Schola Santa Vara would have been a quarantine location, and even now, ship-borne dead not buried at sea are often brought to the Order for funeral rites and disposal.