Andreas Vaughn's page

Andreas was born in eastern coastline of Cairn, but when his parents were lost in a mudslide he was left with no immediate family in the area. Only four years old at the time, the youth soon found himself placed aboard a ship sailing to Crescent Harbor by family friends. He was told he was going to live with his great uncle, a sculptor of some talent that had relocated to the capital several years prior.

Ghethellain Vaughn had garnered some measure of respect in his new home, but had fallen out of touch with his family in Cairn's outlying settlements. News of the death of his niece and her husband was slow to reach his ears; the arrival of a great nephew he had never met came as a complete surprise to the man. Despite this, the aged artist and cleric of Mireille grew fond of the boy quickly, taking Andreas on as an apprentice and raising the youth as his own.

Andreas proved quite skilled at sculpture, shaping stone with an ease and flair elusive to most that practiced the art. Seeing his great nephew's skill as a gift from the Eternal Rose, Ghethellain began instructing the boy in the teachings of Mireille. In this Andreas excelled as well, though it soon became apparent that the youth lacked the patience required of one that walks the path of a cleric. Much like his approach to sculpting, Andreas approached his faith with zeal and a sense of urgency. When his age rendered Ghethellain unable to continue his craft, his hands having grown withered and arthritic, he proudly gifted his artisan's tools to Andreas. That same day Andreas surprised his great uncle by asking him to stand witness as he made a vow to serve Mireille as a paladin, a request Ghethellain was happy to grant to his student.

Andreas was quick to garner a significant level of respect among those of Crescent Harbor's art scene, as well as a reputation of some notoriety. His studies have led him to conclude that the female form is the apex of beauty, and that Mireille herself stands as an example of perfection of the form. His sculptures, and his ability to persuade young women to pose for them, have been described as scandalous by some and divinely inspired by others. Even more so than his artistic ability, however, a series of recent events have resulted in Andreas' name being whispered in hushed tones throughout the streets.

Several months ago the young wife of a foreign Chosen Artist arrived in the city, visiting family and friends living in Crescent Harbor. When Andreas approached her to pose for one of his pieces she agreed, and over a span of two weeks the paladin produced what he believes to be his best work to date. However, once the piece was finished the model feared word of the sculpture might reach the ears of her husband, and demanded the work be destroyed. When Andreas refused, she hired a band of thieves to render her likeness unrecognizable. The paladin and his hounds proved sufficient to thwart the would-be vandals. Rather than report the woman responsible to the authorities, Andreas decided to take matters beyond the young woman's grasp. He revealed the sculpture publicly, announcing it as his grandest work and naming the model as his inspiration. He then sent the piece to her husband as a gift.

Publicly, the Chosen Artist denounced Andreas' work as low-class. The leaders of the diocese of Cairn, already having come to an opinion that the youth's works would one day cause them trouble with the community, dispatched the paladin to the town of Camlin; he was tasked with the repair of damages to the statues of the four deities of nature, at the town's chapel. Unknown to most, however, a week later the sculptor received a sizable payment and an unsigned letter bearing the mark of a Chosen Artist, complimenting his ability. The funds allowed the paladin to move into a well-furnished room in the Bearded Elf, though his monetary resources are now quickly dwindling.