Chief Defender Halgra of the Blackened Blades has many claims to fame in Trunau, amongst which figure her many children.
Born of a short-lived tryst uniting the adventurer-turned-town-leader and the elven wizard known as Jorael, Finch spent much of his youth on the road, following his mother on her adventures, and being one of her many children to settle in Trunau as she did.
Finch was a wild, rambunctious soul. Some went as far as to call him a force of nature, and many in town were infuriated with his pranks and his flighty ways. Hoping to teach him a lesson and give the town, Halgra sent Finch on a trip to see his father. Perhaps his elven roots could teach him to calm down and think for a second or two.
Learn he did, but not what his mother had hoped: His elven father taught him the art of archery, and the minor basics of arcane magic. Finch could have gone further, but, as his father often said, he could not sit still enough to cast anything but the most basic of cantrips.
His father quickly lost patience, and Finch returned to Trunau with the next trade caravan, returning to his (now prestidigitation-assisted) pranks, to his mother's great irritation.
One day, as he sought to surprise the town by releasing a flock of folded-paper ducks down the hopespring, Finch met the mysterious druid known as Silvermane. Relishing a chance to have some fun at the expense of such a fascinating man, Finch hid and observed the man for a while, looking for some means or another of getting to the druid.
Soon, however, he found himself entranced by the old elf's rituals, and how water and plants seemed to follow his meditation. Intrigued, he watched Silvermane for hours, and returned the next day. Before long, he had abandoned his pranks entirely, instead spending part of his days watching, now openly, as the druid practiced his magic, and the rest of the time attempting such magic on his own.
The practice of meditation had a great effect on the boy, focusing his boundless energy into productive work. It was not long before, to Halgra's relief, Finch became a productive member of Trunauan society. In the spring and the fall, he joined the farmers and helped sow and reap the fields. In the summer and the winter, he joined the hunters and honed his skills in the wilderness. In times of plenty, he sometimes opted to throw his lot with groups of mountaineers curious to see the high peaks of the Mindspin peaks.
Through it all, however, he continued to observe Silvermane's teachings by example. Occasionally, the druid would take an interest in his impromptu student, and opt to wordlessly teach him a few spells fit for a druid-in-learning.
In time, Finch found himself in tune with nature. One day, sweltering under the sun as he helped till one of the town's fields, he held a silent wish for a refreshing breeze, and was rewarded with the same.
On that day, Finch smiled, for he knew he had found his way.
