 About HaldavalHaldaval Shantral
Shadow's Stats:
Shadow LG Large Horse 1287 lbs Init +2; Senses Perception +8 -------------------- DEFENSE -------------------- AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, -1 size, +4 natural) hp 19, current hp 19 Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2 -------------------- OFFENSE -------------------- Speed 50ft. Melee Bite +4 (1d4+4) and 2 hooves +4 (1d6+4) -------------------- STATISTICS -------------------- Str 18, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Feats Endurance, Skill Focus (Perception) Skills/Tricks Combat Trained (attack, come, defend, down, guard, heel) Haldaval's (and Shadow's) Appearance:
Haldaval prefers to not wear armor unless fighting is likely, but if he is responsible for the safety of others he will wear it at all waking hours, being prepared for combat at any time. He is of an average height, and has the skinny look that is usually expected of the elven race. His hair is short and light colored. As a paladin, he is rarely seen away from his trusted mount, Shadow. Shadow is a shade small for a war horse, but still clearly built for battle. He has a dapple grey coat, with a black mane and tail, as well as dark eyes. His legs fade to black hooves except for his right foreleg which is a brilliant white. When armored and geared for battle, they present a very imposing sight.
History:
Twenty-four years ago, the village of Crying Leaf welcomed a young elf and her newborn son who were seeking refuge. The young boy was clearly the son of a human, but the boy's mother never talked of his father, and the people of the village accepted her silence and did not question the boy's origins. The boy's mother was named Narvenial Shantral. She was very grateful the village had let her and her son stay with them. She made friends quickly and was a welcome addition to the village. She had some talents at healing, which Crying Leaf was constantly in need of as it was perpetually prepared for war. Despite her welcome and fast acceptance, her past remained a mystery. Her friends speculated that she had either been banished with her son, or had run from the boy's father, not wishing to have him raised among humans. The boy was, of course, Haldaval. He grew up quickly, aging fast compared to the young elves that made up most of the village youth. There were a few other half-elves in the village and they were treated as equals by the elven population. However, they still always felt somewhat apart, as their comparative rapid aging perplexed the longer lived elves. Haldaval was no exception. He was constantly striving to match his relative equals in skills, despite their decades of practice to his scant number of years. Despite his lack of years, Haldaval quickly became a welcome addition to the warriors of Crying Leaf. He showed extra skill with the animals of the village, and soon surpassed many of the young warriors in mounted combat. He also attempted to study the healing arts with his mother, who was a devout cleric of Desna. This, however, proved to be a waste of time. Haldaval was unable to master even the simplest of healing skills or magic. His studies with his mother did instill in him a great respect for the divine and religion in general. Unfortunately, at least in his mother's eyes, Haldaval could never become a devout follower of Desna, or any of the more chaotic deities popular in Crying Leaf. He simply did not appreciate the chaotic natures that seemed to be all around him. He much preferred the order of military discipline. A company of cavaliers of the Order of the Dragon passed through Crying Leaf when Haldaval reached his late teens, and he was tempted to swear himself to the order then and there. The members applauded his enthusiasm, but cautioned patience. They told him he might yet find a different purpose. Haldaval knew he was meant to be a cavalier. He spent more of his time than ever training himself in mounted combat. He also found that he had an above average skill with bastard swords. A heavy sword that many elves did not favor due to its weight, Haldaval found it fit his natural talents more than any other weapon he trained with. It was at this time that Haldaval began training with his own horse, Shadow. Shadow was a bit of an enigma in the Crying Leaf. He was very strong for his size, but did not take to training as other horses of the village did. He did not have the patience most elves required for their mounts. He was not stealthy, and would often stamp his hooves impatiently and start right into a gallop when asked to move. It was not until Haldaval tried his strong hand at controlling Shadow that Shadow's talents became evident. The two together brought to mind charging knights of elven armies in the long lived elders of the village. It was not a method of combat the village needed a great deal of, but the talent was not unrecognized. As Haldaval and Shadow got to know each other, a change came over Haldaval's mother. She became melancholy and distant from her friends. Haldaval did not notice anything for some time, as his newfound joy in riding Shadow consumed most of his thoughts. Eventually, though, Narvenial's attitude was pointed out to him by one of her friends, and he sought her out immediately to find out the problem. When he found her, she was looking at a small ornate pouch, and she had been crying. He immediately wanted to know the cause of her sorrow but she would say nothing. She simply handed him the pouch and gave a half nod, bidding him to open it. Inside was a silver ring, along with what turned out to be a fair number of platinum coins. The ring was not particularly ornate. It might have been a signet, but it was considerably worn. It had what appeared to be tree, as well as the letters EOA in the common letters. When Haldaval pressed his mother on were this small fortune came from she initially refused to say anything other than it belonged to him. His persistence in demanding an explanation, however, proved too much for the emotionally compromised elf. She eventually explained that it was a gift from his father, a noble from Brevoy. This angered Haldaval a great deal. Haldaval had never questioned his mother about his father. He had assumed from their apparent exile to Crying Leaf, that he had been unwanted, and thus his mother had been unwanted as well. He did not blame his mother or his father for his fate. He merely wished to live the life he was given. This new information about his father was unexpected. Haldaval immediately jumped to the conclusion that this money had been paid to his mother to get rid of her. This noble weakling had been embarrassed by a half-elven son, and would rather exile Narvenial than accept responsibility for their son. Narvenial tried to convince her son that his father had loved him, and wanted to raise him in the noble family but that family rejected the idea. Haldaval wanted to know why his mother had suddenly decided he needed to know this history after ignoring it for his entire life. Even he was shocked at the anger in his voice and actions, but he calmed a great deal when she looked at him and smiled. It was one of the most joyful smiles he had seen on her face. She explained that when she had seen him riding Shadow, charging down a straw dummy with a lance while wearing a shining coat of mail with a bright shield on his arm… he had looked almost identical to his father. It had brought back memories she had kept hidden away for over two decades. Haldaval's anger at his father and his father's family remained great. He did not tell his mother of his anger, but he could tell she guessed his mind. He wanted to find his father, and he wanted to demand satisfaction for the disgrace that had been done to his mother. She continued to try to convince him that his father was not to blame, and there had been real love there. Her words did little to comfort him. His mind was set. He would soon leave Crying Leaf, and seek his father's family. His mother would not give him the family name or any further information that might help him. When this became evident, he did not press the issue. He was confident he could find the family with the ring. As Haldaval prepared to leave the village, he contemplated the direction his adventures might take him. His confidence in his decision to become a cavalier was shaken, as he now associated that profession with the vision his mother had seen of him as his father. He was not abandoning Shadow, regardless of his career. He even insisted on the village accepting payment for the horse, as he was an incredible animal, and Haldaval was not sure if he could ever be replaced. His skills with lance and blade would not suffer if he did not join an Order, though, and Haldaval set out from Crying Leaf with no clear direction, although he had a destination. That destination was the city of Sandpoint, not far to the south of Crying Leaf. Narvenial, as a cleric of Desna, desired to attend the Swallowtail festival that was going to take place in a new cathedral in the city. Haldaval thought this short journey would give him time with his mother before his departure, as well as get him settled into the routine of travel. They arrived in Sandpoint some days before the festival was set, and spent their time peacefully in the new cathedral, worshiping and discussing religion with Father Zantus and his acolytes. Haldaval learned a great deal in the short time there. He began to develop an attachment to Sarenrae, whose distaste for evil appealed to him a great deal. However her devotion to redemption of all things left a bad taste in his mouth. Offering truly evil beings redemption did not appeal to him. The Swallowtail festival was a grand affair, and both Narvenial and Haldaval found their spirits lifted as they celebrated with the citizens of Sandpoint as their new cathedral was officially opened. It was not, unfortunately, meant to be a good day for Sandpoint. As the ceremonies for the cathedral came to a head, there was an attack by goblins on the town. Before Haldaval knew what was happening, a goblin had run past him through the crowd of people, and his mother was lying on the ground, gravely wounded. Haldaval was not even armed, all of his equipment still in the cathedral. He could not leave his mother to retrieve it, and yet he could do nothing to heal her himself. She was not unconscious, and was able to use her considerable healing power to prevent her death, but it was at great expense of her power. Haldaval gathered her in his arms and took her to the cathedral amid the chaos that had descended on the festival. The clerics were nowhere to be found, but he stayed with his mother until eventually one came and helped to stabilize her further. By the time the chaos was ended and Father Zantus returned, able to restore her health with his own considerable skill… a change had come over Haldaval. He was consumed with a fire that he did not know how to restrain. His rage was so great he thought he might burn himself to ash with it. He desired the destruction of all evil things, particularly the vermin such as goblins that thrived on chaos and death. His mother had recovered, none the worse for wear, although quite frightened, but his mind was filled with thoughts of vengeance. She tried to calm him, and succeeded in tempering his initial rage. He calmed and spent a week in the cathedral in meditation and study. Sarenrae did not satisfy his needs, but Haldaval was inspired by tales of her paladins hunting down evil creatures in her name. The idea of become a shining knight hunting evil creatures appealed to him a great deal. He also came across references to Sarenrae rising from the ranks of the Empyreal Lords. In studying these lords of heaven, he learned of Ragathiel. Ragathiel provided Haldaval with exactly the catechism he had been searching for. A god of law, vengeance, rage, destruction, nobility, and good, who was always depicted wielding a bastard sword… it seemed to Haldaval as if divine providence had led him to this point. He swore an oath on the spot to deliver Ragathiel's will to his last breath, seeking out and destroying all of the evil he could find. Narvenial was not thrilled with her son's new direction, but she recognized the drive in his eyes and did not try to dissuade him from his mission against evil, or his quest to find his father's family. She too, perhaps, saw a touch of the divine on him. She had decided to stay in Sandpoint for the present, feeling as if she could help the people there in this troubled time. She asked him to send word to her when he could, but wished him well on his journey. Haldaval spent most of the remaining money from his father outfitting himself for his journey to Brevoy, although this proved to be surprisingly unnecessary. His journey was lengthy, but he was able to join a caravan that was traveling almost the entire way. This provided enough safety that even though he was itching to find a fight at any time, no evil things attacked them. He and Shadow did become used to the travel and life on the road over the long journey. Upon arrival in Brevoy, Haldaval began the quest to hunt down his father and his family. It proved to be much more difficult than he would have guessed. The ring was recognized by no one that he met, be it farmer, merchant, or adventurer. He found it difficult to obtain audiences with the various noble families, but news of his quest eventually provided short interviews in most cases. He was disappointed every time. There were, apparently, a great number of half sons and daughters of the noble families running around attempting to claim a relationship. No one claimed to understand the ring or the letters that were evident. Nothing deterred Haldaval, although he often despaired of any success, and his desire to set out and rid the world of what evil he could was unfulfilled as he seemingly wasted his time on this quest. However, whenever he thought it might be time to abandon his effort, he was reminded of his mother sitting quietly staring at that small pouch. It took him two years, but eventually he had managed audiences with the heads of each of the noble families of Brevoy. He had even managed a brief audience with the king, although he feared the half truths he used to obtain that audience might prove to make his life difficult in the future. In the case of each of the noble houses, he thought they had been hiding something from him when they saw the ring. He was certain the head of House Medvyed had recognized it, but they all adamantly refused to admit any knowledge. When they heard his story, they dismissed him immediately, stating emphatically that the ring would not be enough proof of his heritage even if it was recognized. When he had visited the House Orlovsky, which was the last of the noble families he was able to visit, he began to truly despair. He had seemingly managed to alienate all of the nobility of Brevoy, and his quest had failed, not to mention his mission on behalf of Regathiel. He had almost decided to return to Sandpoint and then perhaps even Crying Leaf again, hoping to recover the confidence he had felt as his quest began. However, before enough time had even passed to put such a plan into motion, he heard news of the attempts to reclaim the Stolen Lands to the south. He spent some time in prayer and meditation, and he thought that perhaps he had a vision, but it was vague. He seemed to see a flaming sword and a flying horse, but then he seemed to wake up, and he could not convince himself it had not been a dream. However, he decided that if nothing else, he could make a name for himself in a venture to the stolen lands, and he could rid the land of much evil. If he could not find his father or extract some form of vengeance for himself and his mother, then he would prove to them all that they had lost a son of far greater worth than they could have imagined. Other Details:
Age: 25
CMB: 3
Skills (ranks):
Equipment Details:
Carried Inventory (Weight): Load: 58, 116, 175 Bastard Sword (6) Chainmail (40) Heavy Steel Shield (10) Clothing, Explorer's (8) Beltpouch (0.5) Coins (0.4)
Mounted Inventory (Weight): Load 300, 600, 900
Total: 233 lbs Combined while riding: 233lbs, 64.9 lbs, 180lbs (me)
|
