Zeljka Greenfoot's page

If someone were to ask Zeljka the odds of two half-orcs meeting at an orphanage and falling in love, she would have no answer. But this is what happened with her and her mate, Ausk. They were both originally from Varisia and were taken in by a temple dedicated to Erastil in the city of Magnimar. One of the priests, brother Joel, believed that taking in the unwanted and teaching them basic skills was a practical way to worship Erastil whose teachings prized good deeds over spoken words. Brother Joel would tell Zeljka and Ausk stories of where he had grown up which was a small settlement near the Barrowood. He would share these stories as he taught them the basics of agriculture in the small garden at the temple. He’d also teach them about trapping and hunting even though there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to practice being in the city.

After a year or so of hearing about Brother Joel’s stories, the two half-orcs began to yearn for the picture of an uncomplicated life that his words painted. There always seemed to be tension within the city and Zeljka knew they couldn't stay at the temple forever. Having spent a lot of time with each other, neither Zeljka nor Ausk could imagine being without the other and soon they decided to leave Magnimar for Barrowood. They knew that their kind were not necessarily welcomed in a new place and so they talked to the the priest about whether or not they would be accepted outside of a larger city. Brother Joel did have his concerns but also trusted that actions spoke louder than race and so if they worked hard and contributed to the community that they would be tolerated at the very least.

Ausk and Zeljka made the trek south to Brother Joel’s hometown which was just on the outskirts of the Barrowood. It provided good farmland for the community but also was close enough to the forest to allow for trapping and hunting. As expected, at first the pair were met with resistance. However, a note from Brother Joel swayed the elders enough to allow them to stay. Over the next few years, Ausk and Zeljka worked hard and earned the grudging approval of the town. Ausk’s strength and endurance made him a workhorse in the fields while Zeljka excelled in using traps to hunt. They also showed a side of their race that the townspeople may not be familiar with by showing a commitment to each other to build their own family. Soon a pair of half-orcs was added to the community when Zeljka gave birth to a couple sons.

Their peaceful, idyllic life was cut short by a chance encounter with someone who fancied themselves to be an adventurer. Unbeknownst to Zeljka and Ausk, there were numerous rumors surrounding the Barrowood that would attract would-be adventurers intent on proving their worth. Ausk and the boys, along with one of their friends from town named Lluc, accompanied Zeljka into the forest on that fateful day. She needed to check on her traps and the others were going to gather some wild blueberries. While separated, one of these would-be adventurers stumbled upon Ausk and the children. Seeing three half-orcs in the presence of a human child, they assumed the worst and attempted to rescue the human. It probably didn’t help matters that Ausk became defensive and moved to protect the children which appeared aggressive. In the resulting chaos that ensued, Ausk and Zeljka’s two children were killed. She could hear the sounds of fighting and ran towards it but arrived too late. When Lluc refused to go with the ‘hero’ and ran towards Zeljka instead, the adventurer realized their mistake and fled. Something snapped inside Zeljka when she saw the motionless bodies of her family on the ground and she meant to follow their killer but couldn’t leave Lluc alone in the woods. Moving quickly, she ran back to town and relayed what had happened. A group of men returned with her to collect the bodies of her family and bring them back to town. For the rest of the day, Zeljka was unable to slip away from those attempting to comfort her in her loss. It was only when night fell that she was able to leave unnoticed. Taking everything she would need to track and follow her prey, she left with every intention of finding the man who had killed her family and returning the favor.

Using her abilities she had learned to hunt, she tracked her prey. It didn’t take long for her to catch up to the young man who had killed her family. However, it wasn’t enough to just kill him. In her grief, it seemed perfectly logical that the debt of the loss of her family had to be paid with the loss of his. For the next few days, Zeljka stalked her prey and followed him easily back to Kintargo. Growing up in a large city, Zeljka was able to move through the streets without drawing more attention to herself than a half-orc normally would. Following him to his home, she struck quickly since she had the benefits of surprise and the cover of night – no one in the home at the time survived.

Zeljka took a moment to make sure her and her weapon were cleaned before she moved back into the night and found an inn near the docks to rest. It was when she was finally alone and her task completed that she allowed the grief to swallow her. The next evening while at a tavern, she heard the rumors about one of the minor noble houses being killed in their home. Even though she didn’t regret taking vengeance, she knew enough that it being a noble family complicated matters. She couldn’t return home in case there was a chance she could be identified because she didn't want to endanger those who had shown her kindness. It’s not like there was anything left for her to go back to other than painful memories anyways. Deciding that she needed to leave Kintargo sooner rather than later, Zeljka thought about the best way to get the furthest the fastest. She didn’t know where she planned to go but she figured that south would be the least expected for her kind. Since she was near the harbor, she sought passage on the first ship going south that would take her on.

When one looks at Zeljka, there is no mistaking that she has orc blood as her tusks and pointed ears are quite prominent. Her skin has more of a greyish tinge than green and with her black hair and grey eyes, it looks like someone washed out all hints of color from her body. Years of working outside and moving through the forest has added to her already muscular form which towers over most other women at 6’3”. She wears hide armor covered by a dark green cloak. She carries a crossbow but favors using her trusty falchion. She also carries a machete which can be used as a weapon but is also handy to have available in the forest to cut through denser vegetation.

Having been immediately judged by her appearance all her life, Zeljka is wary when meeting new people and doesn’t always make the best first impression. Ausk used to tell her she was beautiful and it is quite possible that she is considered pretty for a half-orc; however, by most human reactions, they don’t share her mate’s opinion. Because of the reactions she often gets, Zeljka has a tendency to rebuff others before they have the chance to reject her. She takes pride in her ability to trap and hunt because providing food is important to the survival of one’s family and community. She is also a hard worker because she feels the need to prove that she deserves to be part of a community. Up until recently, she had only ever hunted animals. Having tracked and taken revenge on the human who had killed her family awakened something primal inside Zeljka that she is hesitant to acknowledge. It scares her that she enjoyed studying, stalking, and killing her target because she knows that one should never admit to taking pride in killing.