Arcanist Daranil Aldaris's page

Daranil Aldaris found himself at the mercy of the streets of Korvosa in his late teenaged years. Possessed of a great curiosity but flat broke and alone, he had to take whatever jobs he could. Unfortunately, circumstances brought him into the open arms of one Gaedren Lamm. This master certainly put him to work, for better and for worse.

Mostly worse.

But things changed when he found a discarded holy symbol of Shelyn. He asked around and ended up in a temple to the goddess of beauty. And there, he was inspired by the enthusiasm and the art and the pure unmitigated joy that filled the halls and filled his heart. This first touch of the divine would plant a seed within him that would grow despite his harsh conditions.

When his master found out, Daranil learned just how harsh it could be. The beating he received left him with a partially caved-in eye socket and a misaligned jaw, features that he covers up as often as possible. Left broken and scarred, he was too afraid to go back to that temple for fear of getting in trouble, but he did to go other temples and seek other gods.

It was this newfound obsession with art and religion that inspired him to run away to seek his own fate. He went from temple to temple, attempting to take inspiration from the stories and in turn inspire others. And as he saw other faits, he saw other forms of beauty and expression. Some he loved, some he hated, but he was intrigued enough to have thoughts about all of them.

His most recent visit was with a small sect of traveling urgathoans. While he found himself ultimately disgusted and even offended by the abundance of undead, he was otherwise enthralled by their ways of celebrating life and indulging oneself. It was here that he decided to completely lose himself in his performances, opening his heart and speaking his mind, though his opinion that undeath was the “fool’s gold of immortality” was quick to get him sent away.

Now with a fistful of holy symbols and a song in his heart, Daranil is filled with new purpose and meaning. Life is a performance, as is death. And with the Gods as his audience, he would give them a show so grand that they would have to notice him.

This elven male in clothed a gaudy patchwork of outfits. He wears bandages over his mouth and a wooden mask over half of his face.

Daranil Aldaris
Male elf school savant arcanist 1
FCB: 1 Arcane Pool per level
N Medium Humanoid (Elf)
Init +5; Perception +3
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Defense
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AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10 (1 Dex)
hp 14 (2d6+4)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +3
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger +0, (1d4-1/19-20)
Ranged shortbow +2 (1d6/x3)
Class spells known/prepared (CL 2nd; concentration +8)
1st (4/day) - *cause fear, enlarge person, magic missile, silent image
0th - detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, prestidigitation, guidance
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Statistics
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Str 9, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 19, Wis 10, Cha 15
Base Atk +1; CMB +0; CMD 11
Feats Improved Initiative (b)Command Undead
Traits (Ca)Unhappy Childhood: Religious, (So)Talented: Dance
Skills Artistry (Forensics) +9, Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Knowledge (Local)+9, Knowledge (Religion) +9, Perception +4, Perform (Dance) +8, Spellcraft +9, Use Magic Device +7
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Sylvan
Combat Gear dagger, shortbow with 16 arrows, scroll of grease
Other Gear backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, vial of ink, inkpen, iron pot, mess kit, soap, spell component pouch, 10 torches, 5 days trail rations, waterskin, entertainer’s outfit, wooden half face mask, laughing elf mask, holy (and unholy) symbols of Urgathoa, Shelyn, Norgorber, and Calistria, 22 gp
Gear Weight 33 lbs.
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Special Abilities
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Elven Immunities
Keen Senses
Elven Magic
Weapon Familiarity
School Savant Favored school: Necromancy. Opposition schools: abjuration and enchantment.
Channel Energy 7 times per day

Daranil Aldaris has been to many temples in his time spent roaming. Partially to live off of their charity, but mostly to take in as much divine knowledge as possible. With his belief that he is a literal actor for the gods, he seeks to invent his own Pantheon of his favorite deities. He calls it the Great Patrons: which includes Calistria, Shelyn, Norgorber and Urgathoa. Though he will never mention Norgorber as a member of the pantheon out loud, purely out of respect for his secrecy.

The arcanist sees himself as an artist performing for his Great Patrons, treating every action as some potential contribution to the show. Thus, he prefers melodrama and ostentation in all things.

Abadar: ”Some say art lives only by the allowance of its patrons. In this case, I pray the patron remains silent and allows the artist to do his work.”
Asmodeus: ”It is a true paradox that Cheliax is such a cultural metropolis and yet is so keen to censor. Asmodeus pretends stand tall by placing one foot on top of the other.”
Calistria: ”A favored patron of the arts who’s blessings are as welcome as her curses are deserved. A shame her performers can’t handle constructive criticism.”
Cayden Cailean: ”His followers do everything in their power to get you to not take them seriously, but you’d be a fool not to.”
Desna: ”To dance among the stars in the dark places between, and have so little to show for it. Shame.”
Erastil: ”It’s comical how a pillar of the divine can occupy himself with such aggressively mundane activities, but I fear the joke is growing stale.”
Gorum: ” I hesitate to call his followers ‘performers’ and yet, I must admit, few can do spectacular brutality quite like them.”
Gozreh: ”I find that the grand performance of disastrous storms lack a certain… personal element. Haha, ‘element.’ I do slay myself sometimes.”
Iomedae: ”Oh, to be smitten by a paladin. To have years of training and devotion, faith and steel, brought to bear against you in a climactic finale. And to know, at that moment in time, you’re the only thing in the world that matters to them.”
Irori: ”The ‘pursuit of perfection’ is what stagnation calls itself to feel better. Any art with meaning is far more spontaneous.”
Lamashtu: ”One must rise above the filth and muck to achieve apotheosis. They have instead chosen to rut in it.”
Nethys: ”I grew out of my ‘flipping a coin to look intimidating’ phase half a decade ago. They, on the other hand, are taking it to ironic extremes.”
Norgorber: ”To have such talented performers, but to deliberately avoid having audience? A thrilling conundrum for certain.”
Pharasma: ”A bit dull, if you ask me, but she does a wonderful job of keeping my muse entertained.”
Rovagug: ”His performers practice a certain… intellectual minimalism.”
Sarenrae: ”Oh shining sun, oh great healer. I cannot promise to serve you, but I promise your next patient will have an unforgettable story.”
Shelyn: ”I struggle to find flaw in such an pure expression of soul and beauty, though her followers fail to realize that art, true art, is far more visceral than any painting or sculpture.”
Torag: ”There is a certain joy in bringing art to this world, wrought by one’s own hands. But sometimes, art can be found in what you take away from this world.”
Urgathoa: ”My muse, my Moth in the Moonlight. I pray that one day you realize just how perfect you would be if you were to simply embrace life once again.”
Zon-Kuthon: ”Oh, how very… obvious.”
Minor Gods: ”Quality over quantity, my friend. Quality over quantity.”