Hal

HAL'S BACKGROUND/DEVELOPMENT:

Hal is a human male fighter. He stands 6'4" but slender, only 190 lbs. Raised predominantly in an elven society, he is well trained in swordsmanship and archery, though as a human he utilizes his strength to wield a greatsword and prefers the handiness of a short bow.

Hal was born in Willow's Bend. A human settlement built in the thickly wooded river valley surrounding the southernmost stretch of the Darasün river, in the southern region of Kastoria [continent] Willow's Bend was annexed and later destroyed during the second crusade of Norvidion (an evil undead lich) when Hal was only three years old. Hal's mother Diana, knowing they could not escape on foot or horseback, tore down her home to build a raft and escape the invading army. She floated down the river for days until going ashore in search of food and civilization. She was later rescued by an elven ranger and lead east, over the mountains and out of the river valley to safety. Hal lived with his mother in the elven town of Quern until she passed during his 14th year - elven food was too rich for her constitution and she developed biliary problems. Quern is an agricultural centre in the far southeast that flourished from the temperate climate and frequent rains coming north from the Shallow Sea (named not for its depth, but because frequent, unpredictable storms prevented all but the most courageous - or foolhardy, depending on who you ask - sailors from travelling out of the sight of land).

In Quern, Hal attended elven schools, made elven friends, and was trained in elven combat techniques. When his mother passed, the ranger that rescued him - Haldir, son of Halueve - became his mentor. They rode together for many years until Norvidion's crusade came too close to Quern for the high elves comfort, as the produce grown in Quern is transported north and feeds countless elven cities and towns in the eastern plains. Haldir and Hal (then still known by his human name, Orin) became officers the Royal Elven Cavalry and fought in many battles. The REC took advantage of the wide open plains east of the Darasün and utilized their speed to conduct flanking attacks on the advancing crusaders, crippling their supply lines and weakening their troops. When the enemy regiment finally met Elven infantrymen on the field of battle, they were extremely malnourished and exhausted from fending off the REC.

Word returned to Norvidion that his entire armed regiment was defeated by two cavalry platoons and the relatively small [think Polish Army circa 1939 vs. the Wehrmacht] elven mobile infantry division. Rumors spread of the ferocity and mercilessness of the Royal Elven Cavalry. There were two platoons, known to the crusaders as the Calan and the Dû - elvish for "day" and "night". They were called such because one platoon attacked in the day and the other attacked at night, leaving the enemy no period of rest. It was a shrewd scheme created by the high elven command, and worked as intended; not only did the enemy suffer twice as many raids and therefore exhaust itself physically, but the psychological burden of the constant threat of attack without rest was akin to mental torture. And, that was not the worst of it. The elven population in the eastern plains is spread thin, so moving a large force to one area would cause tremendous displacement of the populace and leave another region completely unprotected [think nebraska/kansas/oklahoma type population distribution]. Accordingly, the elven high command created small, highly mobile armed forces and ordered them to be vicious, in what was ultimately a case of all-bark-and-no-bite. The command knew they would lose a war of attrition in the eastern plains, so they fought to frighten the opponent away. Not only were armed crusaders killed, but resupply and support forces - mostly composed of women and children unable to fight - were brutally slain as well.

After Norvidion retreted from the eastern plains and agreed to a peace treaty with the elves, Hal and Haldir returned home to Quern. But Haldir was not the same. He was scarred by the atrocities of war, and took comfort in the numbness of fortified spirits. He grew fearful of the eastern woods that he and Hal would scout, unable to sleep unless in a drunken stupor. Unable to come to terms with his grief, Haldir spent the remainder of his REC pension on an old ship and sailed into the Shallow Sea, never to be heard from again. In the elven tradition, Hal (then Orin), as an adult, was to choose his own adult name. He named himself Hal, to honor his mentor Haldir. [Haldir is canonically deceased and now exists only in memory as a namesake and Hal’s mentor]

Hal followed the Darasün river northwest and boarded a ship west across the Green Sea, eventually landing on the northeast coast of [your choice of continent name] at the town of Seabound in search of a quiet life away from Norvidion, who is busy crusading through the western highlands of Kastoria and not yet reached [your choice of continent name].


GENERAL REALM INFO:

Kastoria is a large sprawling continent, bordered by the Shallow Sea in the south, the Green Sea in the west, the Pevear (pronounced pee-vee-err) mountains in the east, and the Glacial Concavity in the north. The shallow sea is a warm, turbulent ocean that provides ample rainfall over the southeast region. The Green Sea is a regular ocean, not unlike the Atlantic ocean - fairly easily crossable which allows for many trade routes between Kastoria and [your choice of continent name]. The Pevear mountains are tall harsh slate peaks, essentially uninhabitable territory for elves. Legends tell of ancient dwarf colonies living deep within the mountains, but they have not been heard from for thousands of years and aren't expected to return any time soon as they don't have much business in agriculture. The Glacial Concavity is a giant crater [think the size of antarctica] filled with glaciers - completely uninhabitable and it is largely unknown if anything lives in there.

The interior is divided into roughly four topographical quadrants. The southeast as described earlier is a great plain, fed by the rains form the Shallow Sea. The northeast has rolling hills, some small-ish mountains, and some large open areas. It is somewhat similar to the forested blue ridge mountains of Virginia and the rolling farmland of Maryland. The eastern quadrants are inhabited almost exclusively by elves. The east and west are divided by the Darasün river, which runs in a backwards "S" shape from the northwest to the southeast. The river is mostly bordered by moderately-sized mountain ranges, creating what is essentially a ridge/river valley dividing the continent. The river valley is either very steep or densely wooded, which makes crossing the river challenging and has all but stopped migration from the west to the east and vice versa. The southwest is semi-scrubland [somewhat like the texas panhandle] rich with minerals that are mined by humans and dwarves, and then transported across the Green Sea and to the northeast. The Northeast is the population center of Kastoria, with an equal mix of farmland, navigable forests, and small lakes. It is inhabited in equal parts by humans, halflings, gnomes and dwarves. There is a large port in on the northwest coast that has a direct trade route to [your choice of continent name], which often makes landfall in Seabound.


CHARACTERISTIC INFO OF HAL:

Hal's training and service in the REC shows he is capable of tremendous violence and bloodshed, but it has been a decade since he fought those battles. Although he retains the knowledge and skills of a world-class fighter, he is somewhat out of practice [this explains his level one status].

His horrific experience on the battlefield humbled him to the nature of battle and scale of force required to wage war. His new direction in life is to live peacefully and only use his training to prevent further bloodshed and to defend himself [this explains his neutral good alignment]. However, there is still part of him that lusts for the thrill of the ride and uncertainty of danger [hence his class as a fighter].

He follows Elhonna, a habit formed during his time as a ranger with Haldir. The hilt of his sword is subtly adorned with fine metals bearing Elhonna's insignia of the dancing unicorn, and the pommel is inlaid with green gemstones. It is unclear whether or not this sword is Hal's design, or if it belonged to Haldir, Halueve, or older elven ancestors, as it is uncommon for humans to acquire enough wealth in their short lifetimes to purchase such a fine item.

Elven food in the southeast region of Kastoria is very decadent and his appreciation of fresh, fatty milk has not dwindled.