Zagnauk Hailstrom's page

When Cheliax was even more powerful than it is today; when it was in the last years of its Imperial glories; Roknaug Hailstraum and several other Human families moved to just outside of Barrowood. Their dream was to build a separatist community of Humans where they could feel safe and live a peaceful life tending the land and trading in lumber of barroak wood for ship building and shade maple used for arcane implements. They freely worshiped Erastil the god of family, farming, hunting, and trade and they lived without incident for years. But then the Civil War spun all of Cheliax out of control for thirty years.

Roknaug was able to keep his small community out of the troubles but that may have been only because of the logging his little clan could produce. The clan was not bothered and was left alone but that didn't mean they didn't notice the changes. They were able to see the power shifts and how the new laws and diabolical followings affected the people. Being removed from the cities the clan was not affected directly by the surrendering of morality to the law and order of fiends and House Thrune. They kept their worship of Erastil hidden but it did not wane.

Ragnauk Hailstraum son of Roknaug had a heart of good. He secretly hated what he saw around him. Yes there was Law and Order but at what cost. What evils were being allowed to support the rule? Ragnauk became outraged at what Cheliax had become. Several people of the clan and Ragnauk started to secretly support Revolutionaries that wanted to return Cheliax to its heyday before the rise of the House Thrune. Maybe do what Andoran had done and establish a common rule. Ragnauk had even started to help in the Bellfower Network as a tiller. It took time for him to prove himself to the mostly hafling freedom fighters but after he did he used his cover as a logger to help sneak slaves to their final destination in Andoran.

Zagnauk Hailstraum, son of Ragnauk son of Roknaug, grew up learning to help others less fortunate than he was. He loved his father and knew where his family came from and believed that Cheliax could be something more something better. Zagnauk knew the risks of helping others and the worship of Erastil, but he never thought of the costs. He learned what the costs were and they were more than steep. He never saw so many Hellknights at once as they descended upon the clan’s meager settlement. They were there to hand out their justice to those that went against the law. And being a secret revolutionary, a Bellfower agent, and a worshiper of Erastil was about as far as you could go against the law.

Zagnauk fought with his clan and as he did a rage burst from deep inside of him for the first time ever. He fought as ferocious as a caged animal using a great axe to carve into any Hellknights that stood in his way, but there were too many for the small clan. Zagnauk turned after taking down a Hellknight and never saw the metal barbed whip coming towards him. He got hit squarely in the face with the whip ripping a deep gash from the top of his forehead down to and through his upper lip. The wound barely missing his left eye as it cut through his flesh. As he fell he heard one of the Hellknights yell for the Order of the Rack before he passed out.

Zagnauk was left for dead as the clan’s houses were burned and the dead left for the vultures to gorge themselves. But Zagnauk did not die, because of the kindness of a person just passing through Cheliax. Charlandiax found him barely alive and healed him and took Zagnauk out of Cheliax. Charlandiaxa took him to Sandpoint and he stayed there a short time healing and deciding what he was to do without family or clan. Charlandiaxa convinced him he should seek out his own fate and find his purpose.

Zagnauk followed her advice and found a group of adventurers not far from Sandpoint. He studied and trained and found favor with this group and he grew in strength even more than he could imagine. Zagnauk has become grim yet determined to gain justice for his lost clan by enacting justice on those that deserve it. But that will have to wait because what he has learned has put a burden on his soul that must be relieved. So he has not returned to Sandpoint but has ventured forth to become what he must to save more than himself. He is honor bound to use his to save until he has fully paid for what has been done for him. He must find a way to repay Charlandiaxa for the kindness that was given to him no matter how long it takes. His life is hers and he shall spend his life in this life until his debt has been paid in full no matter how long it takes.
He joined a group that would venture forth to a desert place to search their fame and fortune. The competition in Wati is f fierce, and dozens of other adventuring groups have made their journeys to the Half-Dead city to try their luck and skill in the necropolis, as have scores of merchants and others looking to capitalize on the influx of people. Each of the other adventuring groups has flavorful names to help them stand out among the competition. His group talked among themselves and came up with a suitable name for an adventuring party, Clan Triumphant, which in retrospect seemed quite ambitious. That is once his group received their invitation and they ventured forth to find their fame and fortune they died. Not just the others but Zagnauk himself. Though he died after escaping from the tomb they were assigned. There he was found by the guards and brought to a temple where he was brought back from the dead. Only to his own dismay for he lived even though they have all died. Now he must live with the fact that he has lived where others have died. All he wants is to die with honor and to do that he must get back to the Necropolis and die there where all the others died. Kev the Halfling rogue, Monique the human witch, Marie the Dwarven cleric, and Annie the elven wizard; all died while he lived. His new family once again died but he lived. Those deaths are on his soul. Those deaths are the deaths of his family. Those deaths are his. He must die as they all have died.

[spoiler=Physical and Mental description]
Zagnauk is full of scars both physical and mental. He is unattractive to the point that all Humans find him ugly. His scars from the Hellknight attack never healed quite right leaving him looked mangled. The largest scar starts at his forehead and travels between his eyes through his nose cutting through his lips. This has left him with a bit of a slurred speech pattern but he is not unintelligible. He is large and very strong for his god has blessed him with power of body more than of magic. His broad shoulders and barrel chest make even large men seem slight.

His hatred of evil is only topped by his sense of honor at helping others be free and safe. He has adopted those in need of help as his new clan and would sacrifice himself in order to free others. He is nice to the point of gullibility but even when he finds that out does not react with anger. But if he believes someone has harmed or taken advantage of someone he will apply his judgment without remorse. He also has a blood debt he owes to Charlandiaxa and plans on repaying it before he dies. He is unsure how this will ever occur but he will make it happen. In the mean time he will stay around town looking to help out where he can and looking for evil to vanquish.