Characters
Throughout your adventures, you will be meeting some interesting characters.
Madrigal
To those few people within the sleepy towns of Oldwater and Elmwatch who saw Madrigal on a regular basis, he was simply an old man with a few simple tricks up his sleeve. Fixing an axle of a wagon here, helping crops recover from a blight there. Nothing worth spinning fables about, but enough that he was well liked within the community.
Those he interacted with on a daily basis would describe him as unfailingly polite, genial, and someone regal in his bearing. He moves with a sense of purpose, which often led some of the rougher types to get on his bad side, as he rarely spent the time to deal with layabouts. Some mused that it seemed as though he lived his life on a very specific schedule, and the sundial was growing ever closer towards dusk.
All in all, none of the townsfolk had any idea that he was simply a man waiting for the right moment to die.
“ 'I have not seen you in nigh on three decades, and I make sure to check on all my progeny.’
‘You mean prodigy.’
‘You could say that, I suppose.’ “
- Brewyck, to Madrigal.
Graham
Graham is the current priest presiding over the old church in Elmwatch. His predecessor passed away many years ago, leaving the well-being of the church and its parishioners in Graham’s hands. Originally a foreigner to the Moor from Leathad, he has had plenty of time to insulate himself within the culture of this odd frontier town. He is well educated, as most of the clergy is, but has little patience for those who cannot adapt. This particular trait often causes him to be at odds with the rare travelers who pass through Elmwatch, if those people cannot understand the realities of the frontier.
Old, but not frail, he seems more like the relative who would slip a child a sweet during a sermon rather than be the person who is giving said sermon. His particular style of preaching has earned him the hearts and minds of those in the frontier, and is no longer regarded as the outsider he once was. With how often he is in contact with all manner of folk, he is a fount of knowledge about the Moor. If he doesn’t know something, he has met someone who does know.
“ ‘Tell me, Graham, did the Church send you out here because-’
‘Because I questioned the establishment a little too loudly? Eschewed the heavy-handedness of the Church proper in their dealings? … It sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it?’ “
- Graham, to Hawkins.
Kahrden
Kahrden has been a local fixture around Elmwatch since he was a child. Spending his formative years on the edges of society turned him into an incredibly capable ranger and tracker, but he prefers the solitude of the wilderness to the companionship of his fellow humans. He maintains a good relationship with the residents, but his self-imposed duty to watch over the town means he spends more time outside of it than within.
In a move that would be considered out of character for Kahrden, he took on a protege almost a decade ago - a shy half-elven woman named Aderyn.
“ ‘You’ve been tracking bandits again, haven’t you? … You’ve gone out after them alone again, is what I’m getting at.’
‘How else am I to do it?’ “
- Kahrden, to Graf.
Aderyn
While pairings between an elf and a human are not unheard of, they are incredibly rare. Aderyn, being the product of one such relationship, is generally regarded as an outcast by both societies. Humans see her features as too alien and unnatural to fit in, and elves see her as a dereliction of the duty they are bound by and do not recognize her. This involuntary seclusion has led Aderyn to be a shy, reserved sort of person, but she has found her path in life regardless.
She became a skilled falconer, and under the tutelage of the ranger Kahrden she has honed her fieldcraft and proven herself time and time again to be an asset to the people of Elmwatch.
“ ‘If the half-elf only tolerates them, she likes them a damn sight more than she likes me.’ I had always found her cold and distant, regardless of how I attempted to approach a conversation with her.”
- Madrigal, on Aderyn.
Talib-Zahraziv Ashbrow
A relatively recent addition to the town of Elmwatch, Effie Ashbrow is a strange sight on the frontier. Most of the residents could have gone generations without seeing a dwarf, and now they have seen two in recent memory after the passing of Effie’s teacher, Emberbeard. The Emberbeard Mines and the blacksmith’s shop were his life’s work, and Effie has spent the better part of five years trying to fill a very large set of shoes.
She is brash, fiery, and dedicated to her craft above all else. Underneath her facade of blacksmith and business owner, she harbors a deep insecurity that she may not be doing her mentor’s dream the justice it deserves.
“ ‘... the needles are the most important bit, provided they are within your skill.’
‘Of course they are. None of you humans have anything beyond the skill of a dwarf.’
‘Unless you break them.’
‘Unless I break them.’ “
- Talib-Zahraziv Ashbrow, to Graham.
Graf
An inn or tavern is often the cornerstone of a community, alongside a church. Elmwatch is no exception, and Graf has been filling that need for near on a decade at the Brook & Raven. He is a boisterous, friendly host, and knows just about everyone in town on a first name basis. The few travelers who come to the frontier inevitably stop by his tavern and swap stories and news with him, making his tavern the beating heart of the town.
While technically being uneducated, Graf has a mind like a steel trap and retains all sorts of interesting information, making him a valuable resource for anyone looking to delve further into the frontier.
“The man was so incredibly good-natured it was impossible to dislike him. If only all folk were as truly selfless as him, Aulain would be a much better place.”
- Madrigal, on Graf the innkeeper.
Meet the adventurers you’ll be guiding through the Grieving Moor.
Weave the threads of fate.
