Palag Torufo's page

Background: Palag was born to the Clan of Torufo (Athene cunicularia), a band of nomad vesh in the Thunder Plains. Their leaders were a druid couple who protected their clan from the harsh weather and called forth lightning when they were threatened by other races. Even though Palag was curious about the few ruins they ran across on their way, the druids insisted that the ruins were unpredictable and dangerous and should be left alone. Living the life of nomads and healing the land of the unnaturality of the rift's effects was most important.

Palag was exceptionally intelligent and the leaders tried to teach him the ways of the druids, but he was too impatient to learn in the long term. Besides, the druids concentrated their efforts on a more promising young vesh, Yochtanl, who had been born with the blessings of the Rainbow Serpent upon him. Many years younger, Palag was left in his shadow more often than he would have liked and was rather bitter about it. Palag mostly stayed out of his way, sometimes sulking, but Palag's teenage feud didn't last very long and he started realising that being out of the spotlight suited him just fine.

Palag did learn to handle the few magic items of the clan, and the druids suspected that he might have some kind of other skills and thought that maybe finding another kind of teacher for him would be good.

Just after Yochtanl had gotten his unusual animal companion, the clan's good fortune came to a premature end. They had ran into an unusually heavily armed slaver group who killed many of their axe beaks before they could flee to safety. The leaders fell as well, but Palag managed to escape with Yochtanl and two others on three surviving axe beaks.

The survivors fled aimlessly and would have surely perished, had they not run into Gairat, a capable solitary vesh of another clan who was heading across the plains to Touli. Gairat took care of the survivors for a short while. Now the only ones of their clan, the four became closer, but were still shocked over their loss.

On their way, they met another vesh clan, the Clan of Gorredegh (Buteo regalis). Yochtanl and the two others joined them, but Palag didn't want to because they seemed more primitive. Instead, he asked Gairat to take him to Touli instead and she obliged.

They eventually arrived at Touli. Gairat only spent a short time there but managed to guide young Palag a little in the ways of people other than his own clan. Even though the ways were new, Palag adapted quickly. Of course some vesh who hadn't been nomads thought he was uncivilised and many members of the other races ignored him, thinking he was just someone passing through. Again, keeping himself more mysterious and being more than he seemed was fine for Palag. He wasn't planning on taking up the life of a nomad again any time soon, so he tried to blend in with the resident vesh of Touli. They did take him into their circles, but he had to put up with unsavoury comments about his family and was therefore often fighting with the others.

Palag did give a thought to finding and saving what remained of his clan, but had absolutely no idea how to go about it. It was more of a job for a warrior clan, and he had no related skills. Maybe he could do it later.

Palag grew more independent during the years, but eventually felt that he had had enough of the other vesh in there. He had grown very interested in stories about magic items and wondered why they were so rare. Obviously only very few people would go hunt for them in dangerous ruins. He tried to find anyone who could make such items and decided to break into the best human weaponsmith's smithy at night.

After opening the small bolted air hatch in the forge's ceiling, Palag slid in through the hole that barely let a vesh through. He had only barely managed to look around when he heard the smith moving quickly toward him. He dived into a barrel of ore and hoped for the best.

However, the smith knew her workplace well, and the barrel was among the first to get poked into with a prong.

"Put your hands out!" came the command. Palag did so, and they were caught by two pairs of tongs which then lifted him out of the barrel. The smith and her partner were holding the tongs.

As soon as he was out, he started to explain himself. "Please don't hurt me! I just wanted to learn about making magic items!"

"Oh, you do? Why didn't you just ask during the day instead of breaking in at night?"

"You told me to get off because I didn't have money!"

The smith, Carin, smirked and took her tongs off of Palag's other hand. "I see! Well then, are you planning to become a smith, is that it?"

"...Maybe?"

Carin grinned even wider and told her partner to let go as well. She talked with Palag for some time. It became clear that he wasn't really smith material and he didn't think he'd ever have the patience to practise the trade long enough to get good at making magic items.

Palag left the smith with only bruised wrists and the knowledge that the air hatch would be barred. He wondered how else he could make magic items and decided that the best way would be to find some, dangerous ruins be damned. Perhaps he'd find a quicker way to make them as well. He spent time trying to find some information from the travelers who passed through Touli, and most leads pointed to Riftview. Riftview would be a better place to find whatever he needed.

Before Palag had even begun planning the trip, he heard that a vesh with a rainbow-coloured snake mask had come to Touli; of course it was Yochtanl. The witch had left his clan of six years and was headed to Riftview as well, so naturally Palag chose to go with him – they had been of the same clan and known each other for years, albeit not very closely. Besides, travelling out to the dangerous world was safer with a partner.

Personality: Palag is smart and even patient but only up to a point. He can lose his temper quickly if his clan is mocked or if he's rushed to do something. ("Faster?! Everyone was always telling me I need to be more patient, what are you talking about?!") He is very attached to his mask and feels much safer with it on; he barely removes it while sleeping and eating. While he isn't all that talkative and usually knows when to keep his mouth shut, he can at times go on unwarranted rants or start an overly elaborate description of something that he'd normally keep to himself.

Appearance: Palag is young and slightly shorter than the average plains vesh. He wears practical clothes and carries all his equipment with him. To non-vesh, his mask looks like just another owl, but in truth it depicts a darker-feathered burrowing owl.