Ryjel's page

Lord Ryjel was born in the lap of luxury amid the ruling class of the Hidden Kingdom of Songfarla. Being related to the royal family but nowhere near the line of succession, Ryjel was given a small barony to rule and encouraged to pursue whatever activities he saw fit. He spent much of his early life as a dabbler and dilettante-- exploring the Underdark, overseeing the management of his lands, feasting and drinking with his relatives, and commanding (that is, interfering with) his soldiers and knights as they fought off invaders and contributed to the defense of the realm. He became convinced of his own vital importance, though he did almost nothing himself. But everything changed for him on his forty-second birthday, when he officially came of age.

The night of his investiture, Ryjel slept particularly soundly, and had a vivid and portentous dream. He saw every gnome in his family standing in lines, stretching forward and backward farther than he could see. Nearby, he saw the royal throne, where the king sat. But there was something else behind the throne, a deep shadow that was so large and so black that it plunged the area into darkness. Ryjel could see teeth and eyes and tentacles and other horrors within the cloud, and as he stared at the king he realized that he could see those same horrors dancing within his royal eyes. And as the line moved past the king, Ryjel saw that each of his brothers and cousins and other relatives bowed, and as they did so the great shadow absorbed them too, filling them with its malignant evil. Then it was Ryjel's turn, and though he tried to resist, he fell to his knees and felt a presence form inside his mind. Hail, it whispered, and against his will Ryjel answered Hail.

Many of the subsequent years are a blur, as if Ryjel had slept through them all. A part of him still remembered the dream, and suspected that he was not alone in his body, but for a long time nothing happened. In his mid-60s he began to become more aware of his surroundings, and several times he started to ask other members of his family if they had ever had bad dreams about shadows, but it seemed to him that as soon as he did he could feel something within him stirring, and worse yet his relatives seemed to darken and glare at him, as if they too were heightened and hostile. He learned to laugh off these questions as a joke, but besides confirming to himself the substance of his nightmares, he got no further in his investigations. He did, however, start to become very skilled at sneaking around and poking his nose into secrets.

Two decades later, he happened to make the acquaintance of a priest of Baravar Cloakshadow named Poshment, and they became good friends. Slowly, over time, Ryjel began to confide in Posh-- little hints at first, circling around to the story through hidden meanings and allusion, which Ryjel found did not cause the spirit within him any alarm. In this roundabout fashion, he asked Posh for advice. Poshment promised to learn what he could and to circumspectly share his discoveries. What he found was that the spirits were pervasive throughout the entire royal family, and that they were some kind of evil outsiders-- demons, most likely. Together they determined that the spirits slept if they believed their vessel was of no great use to them, and Ryjel learned that he could gather some of the spirit's power for himself in the form of divine magic, so long as he was careful not to wake it. And so the two of them carefully and painstakingly hammered out a plan.

Ryjel legally adopted Poshment as his heir, saying that they wanted to spend even more time together. Then after the deal was done, Posh went to Ryjel's lord asking for an audience, and told him that Ryjel had told him a fanciful story about shadow-spirits possessing the entire royal family. A crazy story, to be sure, but he thought the lord should know. Soon word came down from the king that Ryjel had been declared incompetent to run his estate, and that it would officially pass to his new heir. Ryjel blustered and fumed and declared that he would rather live in exile than remain where an old friend had betrayed him, and left Songfarla for the surface lands forever.

When plotting, the two friends did not know if their adversaries would also be able to possess Poshment, or if the spirit would leave Ryjel as soon as he no longer ruled his lands. They imagined the same spirit could even depart from Ryjel and enter Poshment. In any case, they decided that Ryjel would make his way to the human lands in the west and seek out friends and allies. They hoped these learned men might be able to help Ryjel discover more about their shadowy enemy, and perhaps even help him return to Songfarla and cleanse the evil from the Hidden Kingdom. When they parted ways, Ryjel still believed that his dark spirit remained, and Posh did not seem to be under any malignant influence yet-- though they knew that this could change at any moment. Because of the risk of discovery, they agreed that it would be best they did not communicate any further, at least not until Ryjel was ready to return.

Ryjel has spent the last few years traveling across Faerûn, honing his powers and eating and drinking his way through the money he managed to save from his inheritance, all the while trying to track down rumors of demonic shadow plots and heroic figures who might be persuaded to assist him in his grand quest. He made no headway with the red wizards of Thay in Athkatla, and so he bought passage to Arabel in the Eastern Heartlands, hoping that he would have more luck in that region. He has since learned that there is a great temple to Baravar Cloakshadow beneath the city of Waterdeep, far to the northwest, so it is his intention to continue there as soon as he can obtain enough money to pay for the journey.

The Witchmarket is a fey merchant caravan that travels through interplanar portals, setting up temporary camps throughout Faerûn to sell their bizarre wares. These include goods like bottled memories, enhanced prowess, or uncanny replicas of lost items. The things the merchants require in return are equally unusual, such as dangerous services, the buyer’s middle name, or her ability to see dogs.

Because of the unique method that the gnomes of the Hidden Kingdom use to mine their valuable gems, they have strange properties when they are first removed from the rock. Scholars suspect that the area of the Underdark where Songfarla lies overlaps with the Feywild in the same way that cities like Evermeet do. In their unworked state, gems formed in this region are imbued with emotions and memories left behind by humans as they dream, and these dream-stones are incredibly valuable to the fey folk, though none of the gnomes admit to knowing why.

For this reason, the Witchmarket visits Songfarla often, acting as their primary trading partner with other markets in Faerûn and the Feywild. The currency with which they buy the dream-stones is rarely gold, but rather powerful magic instead. A single gem usually sells for the equivalent of one wish, which is approximately equal to 25,000 gp, and that is the basis for the economy of the entire region. In exchange for being the sole source of these gemstones, the Witchmarket keeps the location of Songfarla secret.

Being a member of the royal family, Ryjel has met and dealt with the merchants of the Witchmarket many times, and when he was exiled he twice managed to get them to agree to take him on as a passenger during their rounds: first from Songfarla to Athkatla, and then from there to Arabel. Besides the cost of room and board, the price for this exchange was the memory of both of his parents-- he can no longer recall anything about them, or feel anything regarding them. From the window of his carriage he saw many strange and terrifying sights as they traveled through the Feywild, but fearful that he would get separated from his company and left behind, he never left his cabin at any of the stops they made along the way.

At first glance, Ryjel appears to be a fabulously wealthy gnome-- his white facial hair is long and well-groomed, and the way it frames his face gives his features a dignified appearance. His eyes are large and bright, and deep purple in color-- closer to red than blue. His clothes are impeccably made and accessorized with gold, gemstones, expensive jewelry, and fancy embroidery. He carries a spell components pouch (suggesting that he is skilled in magic), a sheathed dagger, and several small traveler's bags. Two ioun stones float above his head, one a dusty rose and the other dull gray. He is usually wreathed in shadow, making him difficult to see clearly even in bright light. When he speaks, his voice is rich and melodious: like honey poured over thunder.

On closer inspection, one might recognize that the hems of his garments are a little worn, as if they have seen much use. It has been a very long time since his jewelry was new. He has subtle worry lines across his forehead and around his eyes, and spots on his hands-- though he is barely middle-aged, his joints and knuckles are so tight that they almost look like those of a corpse. His skin is slightly pale, and has small folds that might indicate he has lost a lot of weight.

Those who get to know Ryjel know that he is pompous and overdramatic, friendly but self-centered, and nurses old grudges. He is quick to laugh at jokes and appreciates fine food and drink, but there is always a thin veneer of sadness and lust for revenge beneath everything he does. Among those he vociferously hates are demons, giants, and of course goblins, though he is not clear about why. He is very proud, and very vain, and very concerned with appearances. Yet he also bears fierce loyalty to those who stick their necks out for him, and he likes to keep his word. He sees himself as a nobleman first, and tries to act in an honorable fashion.

Ryjel carries a powerful evil spirit within him that is almost undetectable and capable of directly controlling his mind and body. Fortunately, thanks to divine insight, he has learned how to cause the spirit to enter a deep slumber from which it cannot dominate him. Furthermore, when the spirit is in this state, Ryjel has learned how to harness some of its power and turn it to his own ends. This Propitiation, as Ryjel calls it, is simple: over many long years he has acted like a vain, selfish, pompous hedonist, such that the spirit came to believe that he was a useless vessel and lost interest in him. By dressing in fine clothing and adopting foolish and spoiled mannerisms, Ryjel ensures that whenever the spirit occasionally stirs, it sees nothing worth rousing itself fully and returns to sleep.

Unfortunately, since Ryjel never knows when the spirit might check on him, he does not believe he can confide in anyone directly for fear of being overheard, and thinks he must maintain his ruse at all times. Thus, he often seems moody and bitter, resentful and even vengeful, pining for the noble life he has lost. He acts as if he only cares about himself, putting great stock in appearances and consumed with pride and vanity, yet he is desperate to find friends and allies he can trust. And it must be said that many of the behaviors that he has performed for so many years have become ingrained, such as expecting to be treated like an important person and demanding luxurious lodgings and provisions whenever possible. But underneath it all, he is ultimately a heroic figure, and one who has managed to turn a great evil into what he hopes will be a great good.

I'm around 50, I live in California, and I've been playing Pathfinder here on the boards and elsewhere for more than 10 years now. Before that I played a lot of White Wolf and some older D&D, and I was particularly devoted to a game called Ars Magica (for which I authored a great many supplements in the early 2000s). In my spare time I perform in local community theatre. I'm especially proud of my multi-year run as Ash in Evil Dead: The Musical, as Javert in Les Miserables, and as Man In Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone. Earlier this year I was extremely fortunate to get to play Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers, The Amazing Karnak in Ride the Cyclone, and Chris in The Play That Goes Wrong.

Ryjel is super illusion-focused, so I'm using his favored class bonus to grab all the best illusionist spells that he's not getting from the Dark Secrets revelation. Primarily, he's well-suited as a debuffer of enemies (color spray, ill omen, obscuring mist, shadow trap, twilight haze). He is an excellent face, and has some very roguelike abilities (trapfinding, really good Stealth, and gnome racial affinities for Disable Device) that would make him a very good scout. As an oracle, he's got healing spells and other forms of party support (ashen path, ears of the city, guidance, invisibility, liberating command). Much later in his career he will get shadow evocation spells and thus be able to do a little blasting, but he's always going to be much better at control and buffing than he is at dealing damage.

1. Oracle 1, mystery (Shadow), oracle's curse (Covetous, Shadowbound), revelation (Cloak of Darkness), spells (cure light wounds*, detect magic, ears of the city, enhanced diplomacy, guidance, light, obscuring mist, prestidigitation*, shadow trap*), tinkering +1, Extra Revelation (Dark Secrets), Noble Scion (War)

2. Oracle 2, spells (blurred movement*, ill omen*, message*, resistance), Spell Focus (Illusion)

3. Oracle 3, seeker lore, spells (arcane mark*, liberating command), Greater Spell Focus (Illusion)

4. Oracle 4, spells (ashen path, color spray*, cure moderate wounds*, invisibility*, oracle's burden*, stabilize, twilight haze*), tinkering +2, +1 Cha, Tenebrous Spell

5. Inquisitor 1, charged by nature (Heavens: Awesome Display), domain (Darkness/Shadow: Whispering Shadows), gifted detective, holy magic, spells (acid splash, brand, disrupt undead, expeditious retreat, oath of anonymity, recharge innate magic), stern gaze +1, studied target +1

6. Oracle 5, revelation (Misfortune), spells (protection from evil, silence, vanish*), Effortless Trickery

7. Oracle 6, spells (bestow curse, cure serious wounds, deeper darkness, detect fiendish presence, see invisibility*, shadow enchantment*, shield of darkness), tinkering +3, Shadow Grasp

8. Oracle 7, revelation (Wings of Darkness), spells (dark whispers, hypnotic pattern*, magic circle against evil, sure casting), +1 Cha, Spell Penetration

9. Oracle 8, spells (blessing of fervor, create water, cure critical wounds, major image*, shadow conjuration*, shadow step), tinkering +4, Greater Spell Penetration

10. Oracle 9, spells (communal darkvision*, communal resist energy, freedom of movement, lesser restoration), Extra Revelation (Shadow Mastery)

11. Oracle 10, spells (breath of life, greater invisibility*, major phantom object*, mass cure light wounds, purify food and drink, shadow evocation*, shadowform*, vampiric shadow shield), tinkering +5, Quicken Spell

12. Oracle 11, revelation (Pierce The Shadows), spells (death ward, dispel magic, grace, rainbow pattern*, spell resistance), +1 Cha, Persistent Spell

13. Oracle 12, spells (baleful shadow transmutation*, greater shadow enchantment*, heal, mass cure moderate wounds, persistent image*, shadow walk), tinkering +6, Solid Shadows

14. Oracle 13, revelation (Shadow Projection), spells (dimensional anchor, greater dispel magic, phantasmal web*, true seeing), Widen Spell

15. Oracle 14, spells (greater bestow curse, greater shadow conjuration*, mass cure serious wounds, mass invisibility, permanent image*), tinkering +7, Spell Perfection (color spray)

16. Oracle 15, seeker magic, spells (break enchantment, chains of light, ethereal jaunt, shadow walk*, subjective reality*), +1 Cha, Additional Traits (Focused Mind, Magical Lineage: color spray)

17. Oracle 16, spells (holy aura, greater shadow evocation, mass cure critical wounds, mind blank*, project image*), tinkering +8, Esoteric Heritage (Stealth)

18. Oracle 17, spells (euphoric tranquility, greater scrying, unshakeable zeal*), Eldritch Heritage (Shadow/Umbral: Cloak of Shadows)

19. Oracle 18, spells (greater shadow transmutation*, miracle, scintillating pattern*, shades), tinkering +9, Improved Eldritch Heritage (Shadow/Umbral: Shadow Well)

20. Oracle 19, revelation (Living Shadow), spells (divine vessel, mantle of doubt*, mass heal), Greater Eldritch Heritage (Shadow/Umbral: Enveloping Darkness)

I originally developed Ryjel's backstory as being from such a far-flung place because I needed a region where there could plausibly be gnome nobility, but more importantly I wanted to explain why Ryjel only knows about as much as I do about the Forgotten Realms setting. Having grown up in a hidden city on the very edges of Faerûn, recently exiled, explains this perfectly. I have since read more about the campaign themes in the Player's Guide to Faerûn, and I have some thoughts on how Ryjel's story might play into them going forward.

Firstly, the drow and Lolth's silence. Ryjel's story only peripherally touches on that of the Demon Queen, in that Ryjel grew up in the Underdark and presumably his people clashed occasionally with the drow. I imagine that during Lolth's silence, the gnomes of Songfarla were able to expand their kingdom significantly into drow territory, since Lolth's clerics were weakened. The gnomes don't want to live there, but they do want the gems that they can mine there. That's probably going to lead to trouble (if not full-scale war) once Lolth comes back online.

I also imagine that the plot that Ryjel has uncovered among his noble relatives is part of a grand design by Rhyxali, Demon Princess of Shadows, in service to Graz'zt, the Dark Prince. Basically, they have found a way to implant demonic shadows into a noble bloodline that can possess and control the hosts. It is possible that they have taken other royal lines under their sway, though it may be harder to tell among the more complicated bloodlines of the surface nations. In any case, at some point, Ryjel will want to return to his home country and save his people from the vile machinations of these Abyssal agents. To do this, he will probably need to find a way to more permanently neutralize the shadow that lives inside him.

The second major theme in this era of the Forgotten Realms is the recent sudden return of the City of Shade and the shadovar threat. (More "Darkness in the Heartlands"!) Of course it's up to the GM what motivates the former Netherese, but while it is theoretically possible that the agents of Graz'zt have also infected the line of the Princes of Shade, I think it's better for the story that they haven't, so that these are two separate threats. (It might be that the evil shadows cannot possess Shadowfell outsiders for some reason.) Ryjel's shadow magic (through divine intermediaries) ultimately comes from the Weave, and shadovar shadow magic is more often associated with the Shadow Weave and their patron Shar. This naturally puts them at odds, which I greatly appreciate as a player, because to me it is kind of like fighting fire with fire-- good shadows vs. bad shadows. I'm hoping that opposing the shadovar will be a major theme for this campaign, and an opportunity for Ryjel to distinguish himself.