Here follows some short biographies of the main characters of Aetalanta during the Fifth Rectification. Some were player characters and some were those NPCs put together by the GM (me). Some NPCs actually qualify as the GM's own player characters, because I would set up solo adventures in my own world.

Anyhow, I hope you find them enjoyable, and may find some to inspire your own PCs and NPCs.

Note: my favorite NPC. He was actually created outside the Aetalantan game setting as a player character for another DM, but was soon incorporated as an NPC.
AKA “Evandil”, Dagnir Jehannum

AD&D 1st Edition
9th Level Ranger

The Osgerithian national hero was born sometime in the Spring of 1372 V.R., to the renowned Carillion scout Helm Hathogrimyr and a swan-may. Helm was famous as a scout in the far north where he worked alongside the sidhe of Caras Chanadon. Little is known about Avanon’s mother other than that she was allegedly a swan-may, that is, a human female having the power to change into a swan; whether she was a witch or perhaps had the blood of an Urigonil is not known.

During his boyhood, Avanon lived with his mother and knew very little about his father Helm Hathogrimyr. All he knew was that his father was a scout for the sidhe, and by the time he’d reached adolescence, Avanon took it upon himself to find Helm and set up a relationship he’d never known. It’s also wondered if his mother had passed away during this time, leaving him to his own devices in the wild, but even in later years Avanon never spoke outwardly about his youth or where he lived as a child. It is speculated that his childhood was spent in the southern eaves of the Silkwood, and some other ideas state he lived instead in the sparse woodlands in the Nancelduin.

After some doing, the youth contacted the sidhe of Caras Chanadon but learned that his father was far a’field, working against the machinations of the Black Princes in the Idlewood. At this time his father and Avanon’s uncle, Gideon (whom would later be known as the Archmage of Osgerith), were searching for a legendary artifact called the Gerren-Staff, reputed to have been lost by the Wind Lord, Paralda. With his exceptional skills that came naturally in the woodlands, Avanon was able to find his father and uncle and they together were able to locate the artifact in a haunted glade in the deep Idlewood. Reconciled with his son, Helm however did not take to Avanon too warmly; an estrangement that continued for decades later until the death of Avanon. When Avanon became a scout for Caras Chanadon as well, the rift became greater, for Helm possessed a fiery jealousy of his son whom he felt would be a much greater scout and warrior. It was during this time Avanon was granted the second name of “Evandil” by the sidhe in honor of his prowess. After a few years of working tediously side-by-side (c. 1390), the father-son duo broke asunder with harsh and heated words and Avanon left Helm and the sidhe of Caras Chanadon, never to speak again.

It was in 1393 when the young scout came to live in the Adaan, signing up with the Aramdorean miners and farmers as part of their militia. The militia had been increasingly worried about the presence of a powerful evil that had just taken up the abode of Def Elegroth in the Idlewood; a necromancer who had ties with the Black Princes. The evil was left to grow unchecked by the Glantroni crown that allegedly still owned these lands, and the Aramdoreans decided it best to look to their own devices for protection. Frequent raids by the necromancer’s Darwold forces in the Adaan culminated in the Battle of Sar Maen (September 2, 1401); a battle that included Avanon Evandil. Despite the heroic fighting of the scout, the Darwold routed the meager forces of the Aramdoreans and were now free to raid unchecked throughout the Adaan. Avanon and a few of his colleagues, who had served the Aramdoreans at the battle, committed guerilla warfare against the necromancer. About this time, Avanon married Lirith Opwen in Cor Brethil, and they settled in a small house in the South Undeep. It wasn’t long before Lirith gave birth to their daughter, Atarian (August, 1402).

In October the following year, the Def Nimran became the abode of Gideon, Avanon’s uncle – a renowned mage from the Rising Moon. With the necromancer’s trepidations becoming more severe and the new Glantroni king being unable to furnish protection, the Aramdoreans threw off the yoke of Glantron authority and made themselves autonomous. The Aramdoreans, now known as “Osgerithians”, sent a delegation to Gideon to ask his assistance against the darkness of the necromancer, all at the behest of Avanon. The archmage consented to assist and counseling with his nephew, deciding that they needed help in conscripting an army. First of all they needed to find a suitable general, but alas the Adaan was made up of farmers, fishermen and miners. Nor did the fledgling nation have much gold to entice one to be hired or to train. Gideon, inasmuch reluctant as his constituents, decided to barter for the release of no other than Angrod Ogryhorn (aka “The Greyslayer”) in Glantron where he was held prisoner. To Syr Gorthol went Gideon and Avanon, and after much debate, returned the bitter and anti-social sidhe prince to Osgerith.

Assisting the Greyslayer train the militia, Avanon and his homeland soon found themselves caught up in a protracted war with the necromancer, a war that lasted three years (1405-1408 ), with Avanon participating in many of the major battles. With the appearance of a mighty gold drake, Jehannum, the necromancer was at last victorious, destroying the Adaan and its meager defenses. The countryside was laid waste and ravaged, with the dragon exerting his power and influence. Meanwhile, a blow was struck by the Osgerithians, however, as Gideon and Avanon journeyed to Def Elegroth and slew the necromancer in his own chambers.

Soon Avanon came back from exile (1417), and there he gathered a few ragtag men from the Adaan that were in defiance of the ruling Aramdoreans who had sided with Elegroth and the dragon. Calling themselves the Outlaws of Elkenwood, this band of brigands fought and raided the machinations of their oppressors, soon becoming legendary in their exploits. Constantly hunted by the dragon, Avanon and his colleagues committed great acts of heroism and defiance – however, their hideout was eventually discovered through the betrayal of one of the brigands, leading the dragon to destroy them all. Avanon was one of the sole survivors, and beaten, the scout fled the Adaan, hounded by the betrayal and the evil of Jehannum.

During this darkest part of Osgerithian history there arose a hero for the oppressed folk to take up what was left by the Outlaws of Elkenwood. Called the “Green Asp” by her adherents, Atarian, the daughter of Avanon Evandil, continued to wage war against the dragon and the cruel overseers from Elegroth. She was helped by a Dardan warrior named Senreidir, and together they stood against the evil. Through many adventures they defied Jehannum, but eventually they too became overcome by the dragon’s malicious power. Atarian was slain in the South Undeep and her lover and companion, Senreidir, cursed so that he wandered the wilderness, knowing neither his name nor his allies.

In 1429, hearing of his daughter’s fate, a guilt-ridden Avanon Evandil returned to Osgerith. This time he did not conceal himself, but openly challenged the dragon to battle. Armed with his “Defender” sword and other magic items furnished by his sidhe friends in the north, the scout and the dragon fought on the great hill west of Cor Brethil. The dragon was known to be haughty and overconfident, but this apparently proved to be its undoing, for in the great battle, Jehannum was slain by Avanon Evandil and the curse on the Adaan removed.

The victory was not without its cost, however, for even with the dragon burning in its own fires beneath him, Avanon himself was mortally wounded. He died on the great hill of the South Undeep not long afterwards, alongside his foe. The people of Cor Brethil came out and found him thus, and buried him with great honor in that very same hill, calling it Amon Evandil. Later, Lady Avaanyr of Caras Chanadon and Gideon came and devised great enchantments to protect the tomb. Thus lays the greatest Osgerithian hero.
***

aka The Shadow King
aka The Elder
aka Lord of the Drawing Dark

Biography

The first of the Black Princes was by far the most powerful Urigonil ever to have taken on physical form and plague Aetalanta. In his origins it is ascertained that Campyan was an elemental of the deep earth, although his powers increased in DARKNESS and his essence became more thematic and synonymous with FEAR and the DARKNESS itself. The name “Campyan” is unknown, as the name in the Sidhe tongues reflects closely-similar names that mean blossoming flowers and the spring; definitely unlike the nature of the dreaded Shadow King. This name may have hinted that Campyan was not an elemental of the earth but rather a spirit of the woodlands before being corrupted by DARKNESS, and once a servant of Chamomillae. Scholars have been debating this for centuries. In his later incarnation, Campyan had little power over growing things, however. His strength lay in the earth and the darkness of its recesses. The very essence of his spirit was tied to pitch blackness, and the darker it was, the greater his power became. It was his affinity for shadows and darkness that would become his weakness, for he was destroyed by the brilliant fire and light of the Llaurehoth Crown.

The Shadow King was the sole will and instigator of DARKNESS at the start of Godswar, corrupting other Urigonil to his service and leading them to war against the Guardians of Sarlemnar and their allies. Though extremely resilient and powerful, he was at last overcome and had to flee for many long centuries beneath the earth. He was considered to have been destroyed, but his reappearance during the Age of Jaxlar (III.R) proved that notion wrong. With his brethren, Dorgeloth and Ogrilan, Campyan supported the Jaxlaran insurrection and war against the Sidhe kingdoms. After the Jaxlarans were defeated, the Black Princes once again went into hiding. During the Fourth Rectification, Campyan didn’t overtly influence the races, but indirectly sought to weaken the Centrans or corrupt them as he had done the Jaxlarans; when they resisted, the Black Princes used indirect methods to destroy their civilization. This was eventually accomplished, but with aid from the Cataclysm that sank much of the Centran lands under the Western Sea. Campyan held considerable power over the earth and may have had a hand in the Cataclysm.

During the Fifth Rectification, Campyan focused his power through the use of the Crown of Might and his domination of the south. He constantly warred and harassed the Carillion kingdom of Glantron until razing it in 1430 V.r. His triumph complete, The Shadow King was lured out of his fortress of Thangarthrond in a prospect of gaining the Llaurehoth Crown, but instead was destroyed by Luinil Mithinon using the Crown in an Act of Desecration. Campyan, the dreaded Lord of DARKNESS, is no more.

Appearance

Campyan, like the other Black Princes, could assume a fair and pleasing form when he wished, yet the Shadow King very rarely shown himself before the mortal races not under his dominion. He was reputable 24 feet tall, with dark shadowy armor and a misty shape rather than a physical form. There are those who state that the Shadow King appeared most often as a huge, dark shadowy figure with glowing crimson eyes.

Personality

Being the Elder of DARKNESS, the Shadow King was far more direct and confrontational to his enemies. He was considerably warlike, and while his brethren usually used deception and guile to further their own ends, Campyan most often struck forcibly. Cruel and malicious, his essence was of FEAR and DARKNESS; he was unrelenting and considerably dangerous to the living beings of the earth.

Powers

The entirety of the term, “Shadow Magic”, was coined in reference to this dark being and his way of using DARKNESS and FEAR to further his might. A dominating will, he could sway all weak beings to him and either control them or destroy them; this was later enhanced by his stealing the Crown of Might. His power grew stronger when he was immersed in pitch blackness, and it is known that he would rarely send his forces out under the sun to war, preferring the night. The long dark winter nights were when Campyan was the most strongest.

Dorgeloth (lor)
aka The Black King
aka The Second

Biography

Along with his two brethren, Campyan and Ogrilan, Dorgeloth was the second of the Black Princes. In his origins he was most likely a wind spirit, or as the Sidhe called “Wynderellia”. It is unknown exactly when he became seduced by DARKNESS, possibly at the same time as his brethren during the beginning of the Age of Godswar (II.R). There are some legends in the elder chronicles of the Sidhe of a Dorgelor who brought terrible seaward storms and often wrecked ships along the coasts; this was most likely his first incarnation. He is also blamed for the sundering of the Callanendor, and for creating Discord; the same notion that would give rise to the Mordarini (Shadow Elves).

A Urigonil of incredible power, Dorgeloth is noted to have launched these massive storms against the Sidhe kingdoms, and used his strength to waylay, seduce or destroy his Urigonil brethren not aligned with DARKNESS. He is noted to have brought Dalcornia and Gnashgor into the heart of DARKNESS, and slew many great elementals arrayed against him. After the end of Godswar, Dorgeloth lost much of his strength and hid in the highest mountains of the south. Some time at the start of the Third Rectification, he allied himself with Campyan, the eldest of the Black Princes, and together they supported and motivated the evil behind the Jaxlarans. Although never directly confronting their enemies, both Dorgeloth and Campyan used their might to strengthen the Jaxlaran kingdoms during their wars with the Sidhe.

During most of the Fourth Rectification, Dorgeloth concentrated his efforts in sundering the southern Adanya nations from their northern cousins, the Centrans. Many of the ceaseless wars and discord against the Centran Empire were wrought by his dark hand; it is even believed that it was his sole influence that helped the fall of the Centrans, though it was aided by the Cataclysm. He and his brother Campyan fortified themselves in Thangarthrond at the start of the Fifth Rectification, harassing the southern Carillion state of Glantron until its fall in 1430. He then concentrated on the destruction of Dorbad by inciting the southern Eastroun tribes to focus their hatred upon the Arsultanship there, something that would meet its fruition under the might of the Storm King of Ciryatandor in 1503. After the fall of Campyan, Dorgeloth lost much power that they had held together with the Crown of Might. His strength began to wane and the Black King’s influence over the southlands diminished after the Arlindon War. He briefly attempted to sway the strong Sarlmenaric priesthood in Lothdimros to DARKNESS but was found out by the vigilant Kalfenlos, who used a great Rod of Power to wound the Black Prince. He retreated to Bor Dorgeloth and is considered wither powerless or not a threat.

Appearance

The Black King is said to be able to ‘put on a fair guise’ like his brethren, appearing much like a wizened Sidhe of the Callanendor race. He can shift his form to appear not only beautiful and radiant, but terrible and cruel. According to his title, Dorgeloth enjoys wearing black armor or clothing, and even his skin is said to at times be as black as obsidian. His eyes are piercing gray and luminous, and he puts off a tremendous ‘presence’ that emanates for some distance around him.

Personality

The Second of the Black Princes is inherently evil like his brethren, and though he may at times appear wise and beautiful, his heart is malicious and cruel. Cruelty, torture and warfare are his direct means of dominating his will over the races, but he will often use his influence for deception. Intense, Dorgeloth is known to be tenacious and cunning and isn’t above using whatever weapon, agent or army in furthering his will.

Powers

A wind spirit, Dorgeloth lost most of his powers to direct storms and the air when he was defeated in Godswar, but some talents he still possesses. Most of these have to do with air and communication, weather, and avian creatures. He can use his will to influence weaker beings, and use many mind-affecting spells and powers to eliminate or mislead his enemies.

After the loss of the Crown of Might, Dorgeloth’s strength is much weaker than it was. His defeat by Kalfenlos at Lothdimros also wounded his physical form and it took some long decades for him to recover, and he uses much of his focus now on the recovery of the lost Crown and keeping his influence strong over those dominions he still presides over.

Ogrilan
aka “The Wraith King of Nargarmyr”
aka “The Lord of the North”
aka “The Cold One”

Biography

In his origins, the Wraith King is considered to have been an ice elemental of water and the bitter chill of the north. He was possibly one of the Princes of the Snow, elemental spirits associated with the extreme cold winters of the far north of Aetalanta.

Sometime during the Age of Godswar (II.R.), he was seduced and corrupted by DARKNESS and became one of the Black Princes. He purposefully hunted down and exterminated the ice elves (Nalladarini Sidhe) and usurped their power; this race is all but extinct. He then enslaved all the northern tribes of Adanya (humans) and used them as war fodder for his armies in Auroreallis as well as the Darwold.

After the destruction of DARKNESS, he and his brethren hid and became dormant for many long centuries after the Second Rectification. It is not known how much of his power he used to corrupt the Jaxlarans (III.R) into warring with the dominant Sidhe races, but it known that he had taught the early Carillion much of his power and the use of terrible magics. During most of the Third and Fourth Rectifications, the Wraith King was content in manipulating evil from the shadows, rather than with overt might. The Black Princes were overshadowed by the power and splendor of the Centran Empires and the regime of the sidhe Two Kings (IV.R.), but they used their influence to strengthen the Mordarini and Darwold to war and cause destruction throughout the land.

After the dawn of the Fifth Rectification, the Wraith King built up a mighty fortress in northern Aetalanta (Def Gronar, Nargarmyr) and declared himself Lord of the North. Through guile and force of arms, the Wraith King warred unceasingly with the Carillion States of Endaur until they were consumed and destroyed. He then lay dormant in the north for many long centuries until he once again used his power in an attempt to destroy the Western Alliance – but both direct military campaigns failed. He is known to have fought a duel with the great Nargenndon prince, Luinil Mithinon and was bested; though speculated he was destroyed, the Wraith King has vanished from the north but is rumored to still exist.

Appearance

Ogrilan the Wraith King, despite his evil nature and his domain of cold, is considered to be fair to look upon. He may change his form at will, but most often appears as a handsome male adanyan/sidhe youth with flowing white hair and crystal blue eyes. His skin is pale and his features sharp and angular. He often appears wearing light white robes and bestows a strange grayish mist around himself. Being a powerful URIGONIL, the Wraith King precedes an uncanny presence about himself, and can be sensed profoundly before he actually appears. It is due to this presence that he rarely appears before anyone he doesn’t wish to discourse with or hide his identity from. Most Sidhe can sense his presence long before he actually appears before them, and they can sometimes sense his thought upon them; this is one reason he uses deception and others to promote his evil agenda.

Personality

The Wraith King is what the Sidhe would term, Dark-Souled. He is inherently evil, and though he often is pleasant to talk to and to see, he is extremely cruel and malicious in his intentions. He is known to be extremely cunning and brilliant when it comes to military/martial matters, and possesses great arcane knowledge. Ogrilan will generally appear to be wise and fair, full of advice and help, but everything he supposes will eventually serve his own twisted, dark plans. He is untrustworthy and perilous to deal with one on one, but he often doesn’t prefer to fight in duels personally, rather to use those underlings beneath him to fight for him. Many of those with weak minds and wills find the Wraith King hard to resist.

Powers

Easily the most elusive and manipulative of the three Black Princes, Ogrilan has strength in deception and manipulation; he possesses great powers in the use of his voice and presence. When it comes to military might, he can focus his will upon his subordinates and direct them from far away. Using his presence, the Wraith King can hasten troop conscription and training, especially on like-minded creatures such as Darwold.

A sorcerer, Ogrilan derives uncanny magic taken from the cold. His adversaries and victims would agree that his power is greatest during the coldest of winters, therefore, much of his overt power is cold-based; these would include destroying living beings with frost and chill, raising the dead from icy tombs (one reason he is called the Wraith King), and directing winter-borne storms. Raising the dead is a power he uses sparingly, as it takes much of his strength to animate and direct these lifeless creatures. Ogrilan does have some power over the undead that have fallen to his powers, and these are usually those that have died of exposure.

Atarian
AKA "The Green Asp"
AKA Galadin

AD&D 1st Edition
7th Level Ranger

Atarian’s story is sad and tragic, borne upon the winds of a dragon’s curse.

Atarian was born in late summer, 1402 V.R., in Cor Brethil, Osgerith. Her mother was Lirith Opwen, the daughter of the wealthy Opwen merchant house; her father was the legendary Avanon Evandil, the Osgerithian hero. During the first few years of her childhood, Atarian was doted over by her loving parents, but soon the events of a turbulent war began to drag her father away.

The war began as the Osgerithians struggled against the oppressive might of Molosar, an evil necromancer of power who had taken up his abode in the Def Elegroth some distance away in the Idlewood. Fearing that her child was in danger (as all the parents of Cor Brethil felt about their offspring), Lirith took her husband’s advice to leave the township and live in the formidable tower of the Def Nimran with Gideon, Avanon’s uncle. When the war went against the Osgerithians in 1407, and with the appearance of the fire drake, Jehannum, Avanon persuaded his wife to take their little girl into Erelion. Lirith, strong and willful, at first refused, but then understood that soon there would be no safe haven in Osgerith. She left believing that she and Avanon would soon be reunited … it was not meant to be.

The Osgerithians were defeated, and their lands held by the victorious Eastroun/Dardanic lords who had served the Necromancer. Molosar himself had been slain in the war, but his dragon-ally, Jehannum, now held reign over the Adaan. The dragon, able to change his shape into anything he wished, kept his abode in the Ar-Nimran Vale. Although there was no longer an archmage, the dragon could not enter the Def Nimran. Even so, the dragon forced his cruel will upon those he ruled over.

After some years (c. 1414), Atarian, now an adolescent, left her mother and returned to Cor Brethil to find her father. Knowing that her name would be dangerous knowledge, she changed it to Galadin. Although there was no rumor of him in the Adaan, what she did find was oppression and fear. Not one to back down, Atarian took a job as a common serving maid in the Bit and Bridle Inn, finding her father’s old weapons and items in their abandoned home. Much like Avanon before her, Atarian possessed a strong will and a desire to champion those weaker than their oppressors. For the next few years, empowered with an urge to find her father, Atarian trained herself to become a scout.

In 1417, rumors grew about an outlaw band in the Elkenwood that defied the dragon and the overlords. Believing she was strong enough to join them, Atarian sought them out in the early summer of 1418 but was turned away by an outlaw captain, Bram Opbram. Undaunted, Atarian made camp and continued to shadow the outlaw band, showing them that she was indeed a formidable tracker and huntress. It was during this time when she met a handsome scout in the band much older than her who went by the name of Evandil (a name unknown to her), not realizing that it was indeed her father. He, being a kind but strong man, taught her much about the woodlands. In her innocence, Atarian fell deeply in love with him, finding a strong attraction fueled by heredity perhaps; but when she told him of her feelings, the battle-scarred warrior told her that he could not love her, for he lost his wife some years ago and vowed he would not love another. So thus father “Evandil” and daughter “Galadin” knew nothing of each other’s true identities.

Torn, Atarian left the band, but was followed by the cunning and lustful Bram who had coveted her. She had spurned all his advances, even though he had helped her gain admittance to the band. In his anger, Bram attacked Atarian, and she defeated him with her blade. Beaten and in anguish, Bram pleaded for her to spare him; Atarian took pity and left the brutish man in the woodlands, never to return.

Meanwhile, the anger and humiliation in Bram would not rest, and his lust for Atarian grew so much that a dreadful thing occurred. While out hunting, Bram was caught by the dragon, and there, pleaded for his life. Jehannum consented to allow the coward to go so long as he revealed the hiding place of Evandil’s outlaw band. Bram would not do it, even to save his life, and was about to suffer the dragon’s fire when Jehannum negotiated instead. Bram said he would reveal the band’s lair if he would be made a great captain under the dragon, and in so doing, force Atarian Galadin to be his wife. Fate being sealed, the Outlaws of Elkenwood were discovered and scattered and destroyed; Avanon barely escaped the Adaan, and the dragon’s triumph was complete.

The tragedy of the outlaw band’s discovery wasn’t lost upon Atarian, who decided she would continue the fight against their oppressors. Secure in her meek identity as a common barmaid, Atarian donned her woodland armor and her weapons and struck by night against the overlords and the new Lord of Cor Brethil, Bram Opbram. Named the “Green Asp” because of the color of her woodland garb, Atarian soon became a thorn in the side of her multiple enemies.

As Atarian struggled in her heroic and secret identity as the Green Asp, her modest role as Galadin the barmaid soon attracted the notice of Bram Opbram. With his lust for her unquenched, Bram soon ordered her to submit to his desire and marry him. She found herself in a quandary as she could not attack him and reveal her prowess with a blade – lest her secret identity as the Green Asp be known. Leaving behind her barmaid career, Atarian decided she would vanish altogether as Galadin and be known only as the “Green Asp” – living off the countryside and far away from Bram’s desire. The cruel man never stopped hunting her, however, and in her “Green Asp” identity – neither did the dragon.

In the wild she met a wandering Dardan warrior from the east named Senreidir (the future King Senreidir I of the Nanceldui), and after perilous adventures together, soon fell deeply in love. In the shadow of the dragon, they dared to live, love and fight together. They were married in 1426 by the Overland Druids (i.e. “The Unfettered Ones”) and Atarian gave birth to twins: Vanis and Llree. Home life couldn’t keep the young couple safe, however, and the Green Asp was soon championing the cause of the people of Osgerith once again.

Jehannum was cunning, and slowly the noose began to tighten on Atarian and Senreidir. Through betrayals and utter vigilance by the dragon, the couple was discovered living in the hills of Angrod’s March. Senreidir was a formidable warrior, but it was Atarian who the dragon sought and found. Trapped and alone, the Green Asp fought her last battle attempting to save her family, and was killed by the fire drake.

Senreidir, distraught and almost mad with grief, possessed the faculties enough to escape into the wilderness with their children. He would not return to Osgerith for many years; his children, however, would later make their abode in the land of the Green Asp.
***

AKA Mithinon ; “Luinil of Taurbor”

Player: David Sneed
AD&D 1st Edition
10/10 Ranger/Cleric

Controversial in his life, Luinil Mithinon can also be considered one of the greatest heroes of the age. Born to the lower nobility in Caras Chanadon (1250 ? V.R.), Luinil was a Nargenndon sidhe who found a love and learning to follow the woodland teachings of Drillae, the Lady of the Stars. He entered service as an acolyte for Drillae and also developed a strong skill as a scout.

After he passed his “Time of Dawn” (a sidhe rite of passage for adolescent males), Luinil became disenchanted with cloistered living and decided he would follow Drillae’s teachings and guidance as a wandering scout. A young sidhe-noble with a fiery temper and fraught with much impatience, Luinil soon found himself caught up in dangerous adventures in the wide expanse of the eastern lands of Thondaur. His first misstep came when full of arrogance, the young scout/cleric attacked a group of black trolls and was beaten almost to death. If he hadn’t been saved from their rending hands by the fact the bridge he was on collapsing, he would not have survived his one hundredth birthday. Almost dead, his battered body was found washed up on the riverbank by a kind woodsmen family and nurtured back to health. Somewhat humbled by his experience, Luinil stayed with the community for some years until once again he felt the call to head out into the wild once again.

For quite some time, rumor of the young scout and acolyte of Drillae is not known. Some speculate that he had been caught and imprisoned by the Mord Wraith, Marthur, and held in the dungeons of Def Elegroth for many years; some other speculate that Luinil was married to a human female and lived a long while as a humble woodsman. In fact, the latter part of this wandering period, Luinil has travelled far to the north – Auroreallis – to discover what happened to the lost Nallarini sidhe (Ice Elves). In the northern snow and ice, Luinil fought snow cats and snow beasts and the machinations of the Wraith King, but eventually found no evidence of the sundered sidhe brethren. It wasn’t until the year 1457 when the sidhe scout came out of the north and ended up in Osgerith.

By that time, the days of the dragon and the influence of the necromancer were over, and Gideon, the Archmage, had once again taken up his abode in the Def Nimran. Luinil, having heard of the heroic exploits of the wizard, offered his services to hunt down missing artifacts of power and ancient tomes of knowledge for Gideon, and the two became business partners. It was during this time Luinil met and befriended the Urlander, Maegluin Adanedhel (the future King of Osgerith), and together, they embarked on a series of adventures.

Their first quest was to find and secure the lost and deadly Dragonorbs of Nargarmyr, fashioned by the cunning and evil magic of the Wraith King. One by one they discovered these in dark lairs under dominion of the servants of the Black Princes, earning hatred and ire. Protected by powerful influence and magic of their own, the duo chanced the greatest dangers of Aetalanta. On one such adventure, Luinil recovered a great sword of power – the sidhe blade Fealis (Flame of the Moon).

Luinil and Maegluin ranged far and wide together, earning great fame as they recovered lost items of power and knowledge, and as their successes grew, so did their arrogance. Infighting began between the two and they split their union. Luinil took it upon himself to find the coveted Crown of Gold (Llaurehoth), and Maegluin desired to rule the Osgerithians as their king. Luinil, finding great allies among the sundered Nargenndon princes of fallen Murthonde, was able to fashion a spell that not only located the Crown of Might in the Western Seas, but also pulled it from its watery grave. Secured with it, and discovering its great powers of revitalization and desecration, Luinil decided that he would keep it for himself and return to his homeland of Caras Chanadon and bid for the throne of High King of the Sidhe.

At this point the arrogance and ego of the Nargenndon scout had grown so overwhelming, Luinil felt he was strong enough to stand head and shoulders above the greatest good and the most powerful evil of the land. Little had he realized that the Llaurehoth he wore underneath his hood augmented his desires, building his hunger and ego. The sidhe scout, once a humble follower of Drillae, was now armed with two very powerful artifacts – Fealis and the Llaurehoth – and was feeling like a god himself. Such is the way of evil; and it grew in Luinil like an insatiable beast.

Once he returned to Osgerith, Luinil took up temporary abode in the Def Nimran, and began wielding his power unchecked. He soon revealed himself openly to the Black Princes themselves, and within his arrogance sought to destroy them in personal challenges. This at first culminated in summoning the Wraith King of Nargarmyr; but the third of the Black Princes attempted to subvert Luinil’s companions rather than directly confronting the arrogant adventurer. This proved to work well, as the greedy friends sought to make themselves above their egotistical leader. However, when they offered what they had to the Wraith King, the Black Prince tricked them and killed them.

Alone and enraged, Luinil confronted the Wraith King and a mighty battle was fought within sight of the Def Nimran. With the help of his sword, Luinil wounded the archfiend and forced the evil spirit back to Nargarmyr – but the damage was done. Distraught, Luinil returned to Caras Chanadon to give the Llaurehoth to Lady Avaanyr, but at the end, decided to keep it for himself. He set up a large town in the southern Silkwood called Taurbor, and married a noble sidhe woman named Idryll.

For a few years Luinil remained in Taurbor embittered of his betrayal, and he grew more estranged of the counsels of the wise and decided he would not bow before any monarch. His arrogance had now eclipsed any wisdom. Luinil imposed self-exile and went back into the wild. His movements were espied by no other than the Shadow King, Campyan, who came as a dark storm from out of the south to gain the Llaurehoth upon the sidhe’s head.

Here the eldest of the Black Princes plied the arrogant sidhe-lord with words of promise and power; however, fear and suspicion soon overcame Luinil, and in despair, he called upon the might of the Llaurehoth Crown to commit an act of desecration and destruction, killing not only the Shadow King, but himself and the two nearby towns of Darkover and Dreery (1464). A great circular desolation was made, wounding the land. It is stated that the spirit of Luinil Mithinon was caught in the Caves of Ice and is now lost forever. Historians still debate if this controversial figure was a hero or a wandering evil; a debate that has had no answers but does teach us the folly of our own arrogance.
***

Angrod of the Silmarrons
AKA "The Greyslayer"; "Ogryhorn"

AD&D 1st Edition
Fighter/Magic-User (15/12)

The eldest son of the Nargenndon sidhe king, Vanarion of the Silmarrons, Angrod was born in Belthor in Silariand (c. 1190 V.R.). At the start it appeared he was dark-souled, for his mother, after giving birth to the young prince, lingered in a threatening malady for months, unable to do even the simplest tasks. For some time it appeared that Queen Immae would die, but she did recover, though the strain was always upon her heart and spirit thereafter.

Angrod grew up a distant, melancholy youth, leading one Nargenndon sage to declare that the prince was under the influence of the Black Breath of Thangarthrond – a curse from the days Vanarion had fought the Black Princes after allying himself with the Two Kings of Esperith. Yet, it appeared that even though the youth was melancholic, he was brilliant in the matters of the creation of masterwork items and also a penchant for magic and the bearing of arms. Yet, even as the youth grew, so did his dark spirit. He was now turned to quick wrath at the slightest of infractions, and his few friends began to avoid him and his black moods.

Things became their blackest when Angrod fell in love with a beautiful sidhe maiden – Llorae of Dinnl – a daughter of a prominent Nargenndon lord. Llorae returned his affections, but her father was not a friend of King Vanarion, and forbade them to see each other. Still, Angrod and Llorae sought each other out, and planned to run away together and become married, meaning that Angrod would forsake his claim upon the Crown of Silariand, a price he was willing to pay. Yet fate struck a blow before all was set, and Llorae’s father, full of wrath, confronted the young prince. Angrod, full of anger himself, struck with his blade and after the duel was over, Llorae’s father lay dead in a pool of blood. Distraught over the death of her father, Llorae denounced the duel and her young lover, and swayed by his uncontrollable temper, Angrod attacked the maid and strangled her to death. Remorse came upon bitter wings, and lost to his grief and his pain, Angrod vanished into the night.

For years, Angrod became a wanderer in the southlands, working as a mercenary and wise counsel to the Ardorean courts. He married Trinnae, an Nargenndon princess from Elorna, and together they had a daughter, Braenthae. Sometime around 1320, Angrod – now an adult – met agents of the dreaded Storm King, Girion, in northern Dorbad. Here he was offered to ply his warlike trade in service of the Mord Wraith of Ciryatandor, and now long embittered of his homeland and possessing hatred of the people of Glantron, Angrod was ushered into the presence of the Storm King and became his lieutenant of war.

For the next few decades, Angrod became a scourge of the desert sands. He championed darkness in the far south, putting fire and sword to all those who dared defy the will of the Black Princes, and earning him a fearful reputation. Under the tutelage of the Storm King, Angrod’s power increased in both magic and martial prowess. He defeated in turn armies amassed by the Kings of Glantron and the Arsultan of Dorbad, forcing the whole of the south to pay tribute to Thangarthrond. Here he was named the “Greyslayer” because of his preference to wear gray armor in battle. Angrod often was in the forefront of his army, striking with his dread sword and wielding great powers of magic.

In 1378, Angrod’s skill and luck ran out on him, and he was caught by outriders of the Glantron Regents of Llarans. With his guard dead about him, Angrod fought until he was overwhelmed, and though suffering great wounds, he survived and was taken as a prisoner to Syr Gorthol – the capital of Glantron. His hearty physique as a sidhe prince and his dark powers enabled Angrod to heal quickly, and he was sentenced to work in the dreary Mines of Argir in the Hithaellarem Mountains until he died of exposure. Here he lingered, deep in the darkness of the mines, until his release was petitioned (1405) not by his father, but by the unlikely insistence of Gideon – the Archmage of Osgerith.

The Osgerithians were faced with a terrible war against a powerful necromancer in the Idlewood, and charged in finding adequate leadership to train their militia, Gideon had decided that the volatile but brilliant sidhe prince would be their best bet. It was not an easy undertaking, and Gideon had to threaten King Ardramir II of Glantron to get what he wished; the dark-souled prince was pardoned under the guardianship and responsibility of the archmage. Gideon took the exiled Nargenndon prince to Osgerith and applied him to the monumental task of training and preparing the ragtag Osgerithian army for war.

For the next three years, Angrod diligently worked, and here it appears that his volatile nature was quenched as he buried himself in the organization of the army. It did occur to the archmage and the High Council in Cor Brethil that the Greyslayer suffered from profound mood swings and bouts of anti-social insanity. Just as the war began in earnest (1407), a group of displaced Urlanders lead by Lazon Methspaed, settled in the northern Adaan. The Greyslayer, for no other reason than meanness, ignored the Urlander’s bid for assistance against the hordes of Darworld that the necromancer was heaving at them. Against Angrod’s will, Gideon himself welcomed the Urlanders and struck and alliance with them with the Osgerithian High Council. The Greyslayer was forced to treat with the unwelcome visitors, but Angrod would not live up to any accord with them, severely weakening the northern defenses.

The war went hard for the Osgerithians, even with Angrod leading them in many of the major battles and the participation of the archmage and the soon-to-be national hero, Avanon Evandil. The Urlanders, finding little help in the north, were overcome and were forced to flee to the fortified Ar-Nimran Vale. Surrounded not only by uncounted forces, the defending Osgerithians found themselves beset by the fires of a dragon – Jehannum the Golden. Angrod himself stood toe-to-toe with the drake, but he was overcome by Jehannum and hordes of the necromancer’s army. The Eredian Gate was breached and Angrod was sundered from his army. He fell into a chasm rift and left for dead as last of the defenders were crushed.

Angrod survived, but the exiled sidhe prince forsook Osgerith and returned to the southlands. Wishing to put away his dark past, Angrod worked on ships out of Glantron as a disguised sailor. During these years he began to feel sick for his home and entertained thoughts of returning; but his pride would not have it, for he thought he would have to bow before his father, Vanarion, and humble himself before his enemies and face the murder of his lover. Instead he remained idle, and he was far at sea on a Dorbadic ship when the Black Princes unleashed their armies and overran the south in 1430. Triumphant, Campyan and Dorgeloth razed the old capitols of Belthor and Syr Gorthol, placing all to slavery or the sword.

Angrod returned to Shannara (now Aeglarmar), and began to work to lead his people out of bondage. During this time he had found the evil blade, Gurthang, and used it to great effect against the Mordarini and evil Adanyans in the region. In the darkest pitch of night, he led scores of his fellow Nargenndon out of the south, bringing them north to Osgerith where they settled in the sidhe village of Sirion on the banks of the River Tharans (1445). The Greyslayer, now a formidable power by himself, drove out the Aramdorean clanhafts oppressing the people of Osgerith and set himself up as a Protectorate of the wounded land. He set up his abode in the Def Nimran with his mentor of old, Gideon. He sent for his daughter, Braenthae, to be with him, and it appeared that happiness and contentment had finally come for the Greyslayer, despite his dark past.

Despite his contentment, many of his people who had come with him out of the southlands, wished to settle in a land of their own and not be privy to an Adanyan (human) Council. Therefore the sidhe made another exodus in the February, 1446 to the far-flung shores of Murthonde of old. Angrod led them and his people crowned him king of the new sidhe kingdom, Ossedindhros. He made Braenthae his heir and together they ruled in peace, that is, until the Wraith King of Nargarmyr raised his head in the north and began a bloody war against the Endaurean peoples. Angrod was reluctant to join the Urlanders in an alliance against the Wraith King, but eventually consented to sending a contingent of sidhe spearmen and archers under the leadership of the renowned sidhe ranger, Duithenain. The war turned favorably for the Urlanders, and Duithenain was decorated as a valiant hero among the Adanya of that realm.

Angrod’s melancholy returned, and even when his father, Vanarion, had been rescued from the dungeons of Bor Dorgeloth, the Greyslayer had fallen back into his old traits. The freed sidhe under the crown cried out for father and son to rule the new kingdom together, but Angrod would have nothing of it. A great confrontation occurred, but Vanarion backed away in good spirits, telling his son that the crown would be solely his and that Vanarion had no designs upon it. Angrod, bitter in the thinking his people had betrayed him, departed into the wilds, never to return, granting a distraught Vanarion kingship by default.

Angrod once again settled in the Def Nimran in Osgerith, a lonely, bitter exile. He became known as a perilous, powerful sorcerer, and the Osgerithians left him well alone. In 1466, Angrod found his death; what is known is this: Dalcornia, the dark lieutenant of the defeated Wraith King of the earlier war, had come to exact revenge upon the Greyslayer for his alliance to the Urlanders. Angrod and Gideon both fought the powerful Urigonil, but in the fight, Angrod was slain – betrayed by his evil black sword, Gurthang.

The exiled sidhe prince was placed in an enchanted vault in the foundation of the Def Nimran, arrayed with many of his masterworks. The sword he had used for so long was taken away, as Gideon felt it was a curse to keep. Angrod lays there still, illuminated by perpetual starlight.
***

Gideon

AD&D 1st Edition
20th Level Magic-User

Comment: Gideon was my highest level active NPC. He was put together out of the "Rogues Gallery" of the first AD&D supplements by TSR. He was a player character for me in the famous module, Tomb of Horrors as - wait for it - a 13th level MU, hosted by a friend. Gideon, when introduced to the Aetalantan setting, was 15th level and a full NPC. He fastly became the most popular NPC players enjoyed. He was a mentor and a powerful ally when the need arose.
The origins of Gideon are obscure. It is known that he was the younger brother of the well-known scout, Helm Hathogrimyr. Gideon was born near Cillian in Syr Erelion, sometime around 1350 V.R., to a family of displaced Carillions (High Men). His love for the arcane and his dreamy personality kept him reading books and exploring the nearby tombs of the ancient Carillion lords of Erelion rather than tilling the fields at his father's instigation.

His ancestors were from sundered royal stock of Erelion (a fact he was not aware of until much later in life); ancestors who were all but exterminated during the Wars of the Carillion States of Endaur (153-333 V.R.). Gideon learned the art of necromancy and sorcery from the shamans of the Dardans in Erelion. Sometime near 1368, Gideon discovered an ancient Carillion tomb belonging to a forgotten Endaurean mage. After a harrowing encounter with the wraiths of the haunted tomb, Gideon was able to plunder several powerful magic scrolls which sent himon a course of becoming a formidable mage himself.

Hearing about the famous Guild of the Rising Moon in Harne, Gideon eventually left his home (1382). Records of the sorcery guild place Gideon as an apprentice in 1385, achieving the lofty rank of Administering Apprentice (a respectable rank). Admittance to the guild was not an easy undertaking; it required supporters, mentors and great talent. To be granted the level of A.A. was remarkable; it generally took an apprentice 10 years to make that designation.

Gideon rose swiftly to Adept, and soon made himself an Undersage in 1391 (a feat that was more than remarkable - it was considered unworldly). It opened up the doors for the mage to become a full Master seven years later, and when he left the guild in 1400, he had achieved the status of Archmage. To illustrate the importance of that acheivement, at the time Gideon left the guild, there were only two other claimed to have aspired to ARCHMAGE: Guildmistress Anhazrei (the RM guildmaster), and Molosar, the Necromancer of Def Elegroth.

There was only one thing known about Gideon's interest in settling in the Ar-Nimran Vale in Osgerith and the tower of the Def Nimran in particular, and it was because of his rivalry with Molosar. The reason of this rivalry was unknown, but it had to have been bitter and deep to have the neutral archmage interested in championing the Osgerithians against Molosar.

Gideon settled in the Def Nimran in October, 1403. He had come after discovering the keys of the Eredian Gate and the tower itself. Being neutral, he had very little do with the Osgerithians at first, enjoying the pursuit of arcane knowledge rather than becoming mixed up in the politics of Aetalanta. At the behest of his nephew, Avanon Evandil, Gideon was persuaded to assist the Osgerithian High Council in obtaining help in maintianing an army against the necromancer. Reluctantly, Gideon took Avanon to Syr Gorthol in Glantron to petition the release of Angrod Ogyhorn, known to history as the Greyslayer. After severe negotiations, Angrod was released into the care of the archmage (1405).

For the next few years of war with the evil of Def Elegroth, Gideon found himself more and more involved with the maintanence of keeping his charge in check and assisting the struggling Osgerithians' freedom. At this time, Gideon's might and fame as a powerful archmage was sounded both far and near; eventhe Black Princes themselves were loathe to challenge him outright. The war in Osgerith, however, was doomed to fail. For one thing, the people of the wide Adaan were outnumbered, and even with the help of some formidable heroes ontheir side, they were unable to stand up against the gold dragon, Jehannum, and the sweeping hordes out of the east. Osgerith fell in 1407.

When Jehannum broke the Ar-Nimran, Gideon vanished into the wild. Many critics often harangue him for not standing up against the dragon; surely he was more than strong enough by himself to destroy the wretched wyrm, or at least drive it out of the Adaan altogether. Instead, Gideon sought seclusion, believing that his hand "should not sway the Scales of Fate gravely" (his own words to Duithenain). Therefore, Gideon, remaining neutral, did not put forth his strength directly against the Black Princes.

Off and on throughout the next few decades (after the destruction of Jenhannum by Avanon Evandil), Gideon stayed at the Def Nimran pursuing his own interests. These mainly included his acquiring all the Rising Moon tomes and all the artifacts one could find. To assist him, Gideon hired the renowned hero, Luinil Mithinon and his companion, Maegluin Adanedhel. Gideon also extended his friendship and mentorship to Angrod Ogryhorn during his protectorate, and became a sage to all those who sought the arcmage out and paid well enough for it.

During the height of his dealings with Luinil and his retainers, Gideon suffered the arrival of the Wraith King of Nargarmyr who attempted to steal away the tomes and artifacts (but was defeated by Linil in 1463). Later, when Angrod returned out of the west, Gideon destroyed Dalcornia, Master of the Plague after the latter slew Angrod in vengeance.

During the reign of King Maegluin of Osgerith(1466-1489), Gideon applied himself as court advisor. He would intermittenly remain advisor to Maegluin's successor, Ellis.

Gideon, now over 150 years old, died in the Def Nimran in December, 1503 - one hundred years after first coming to the Adaan. He was buried with great ceremony by the sidhe of Caras Chanadon and the Adanedhel Monarchy. The tower itself became closed and sealed untilthe coming of The Brown Ones in 1560.