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gaeleth:people:lorvaden_degrance

Lorvaden Degrance

Character concept by Akai O'Keefe, all rights reserved.

Defender of Arpelos

Date of Birth: Unknown.

Current Status: Summer, 1331 Avard. Lorvaden managed to make it to Kur Maeth, and meet with the Disciple Deffrom Mallick of Arpelos. The Disciple Mallick gave Lorvaden a quest deep into the Alekdan Principalities that nearly got him killed several times. Lorvaden returned just in time to defect with the ArchPrelate of Kur Maeth to Rakore. He now serves as a holy man-at-arms for the temple of Arpelos recently constructed in Chasadan. Lorvaden has easily maintained his fourth brace as a paladin of Arpelos, and even obtained a holy avenger / sunblade named Krisp during his travels.

Appearance

Lorvaden intimidates evil. A head taller than most men, with a lean build and an innner strength, he shines like a beacon of light. His long black hair is worn in a pony tail with a silver clasp at the back of his neck. The knight errant's green eyes seem to shine from within with a holy light, and a clarity of purpose. Clean shaven and immaculate, he can make blood and gore on his armor appear an intentional, stylish effect. He dresses in silver-gilded field plate, complete with an open-faced, lobster-tailed helm. The armor bears golden dragons across the chest plate, on the left shoulder greave, and on the right shin greave. Slung at one hip is a silvery longsword with a golden dragon design on one side of the hilt, and across his back or on his left arm, is a silvery kite shield with a golden dragon emblazoned across it. The leathers he wears beneath the plate are dark blues and greens, as is the widely hooded cape he wears across his shoulders. Every inch the noble warrior, his quick smile and disarming honesty can wile the hardest of men and the coldest women.

Background

Lorvaden Degrance was born as preparations for the Fourth Crusades began, and he spent his formative years first in doomed Giranhad, and then in Kur Maeth. Rebelling from the crusades and the church, he left his parents and family to join his uncle, an envoy to the courts in Vridara. There, he tried the patience of his gentle uncle, until his rebellion forced him to leave even that haven. Escaping into the vast Vridaran Forest, he unleashed his natural talents for hunting and woodsmanship. For several years, he kept to himself, surviving off the land, and stealing what he needed on occasion. One day, though, he met a man that would change his life, who battled the undead infestations with the quiet resolve embodying all the ideals and covenants of a true knight. William Everhart was a knight errant for the Duke of Westshire, near the Sea of Kiriath, and a truer knight than any other in Vridara. Lorvaden saw in the knight errant all of the ideals and honor that had been missing from his life. For a year, Lorvaden harried the knight, pleading and begging of him to become a knight in return. His patience and his devotion to becoming what Everhart was, convinced the knight errant that Lorvaden was a worthy soul. After extensive training, and Lorvaden's sudden gift from the gods, Everhart dubbed the young man 'knight', and sent him to Brevitt for additional training. In Brevitt, Lorvaden underwent additional training under his uncle's priest, a cleric of Arpelos named Divon Erstones. The priest declared Lorvaden a paladin, and notified the Shining Light temple in Kur Maeth. With his uncle's blessing, Lorvaden entered the service of Arpelos as a knight errant, and returned to William Everhart to deliver the wonderful news, and receive his blessing as a knight errant. Everhart indeed condoned the status of paladin Lorvaden had worked so hard for, and gave him a trained mount from his stables named Cloudhoof, trained for war. Cloudhoof died while Lorvaden attempted to infiltrate some caverns in Western Vridara on a mission for the Church of Lul. Thereafter, he and several others helped retrieve the vaunted Talon of Lul, a holy weapon that was turned over to the First Temple of Lul in Thayon.

Character

Lorvaden is a paladin who follows the spirit of the knight errant, down to the depths of his soul. He does what he does out of love for Arpelos, and hatred for the undead. With the typical discipline of the devout, he has undertaken the study of his arms and armor as deeply as priests study the arms and armor of the soul. A charming and delightful man, he often defers to the advice of others, though there is within his kind eyes the shrewd light of a man who has seen the dark side of his soul. Tolerant of other gods, Lorvaden is content to spread the glory of Arpelos through his actions, saving the art of wordplay for those more skilled than himself. Humble to the core, he always thinks of others before himself – though he tends to get a bit unfocused when battling the undead. Though he may lack the knowledge or level or reasoning of those around him, his clear focus lends him depth, making him the anchor for all those around him. He also has a tendency to talk too much, even when his comrades would wish otherwise; his candor and his wit leave him little room for beguiling thought. Lorvaden currently seeks to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Kur Maeth, and visit the Temple of Light to Arpelos that is there. Though unbroken, his faith was shaken up when he was nearly defeated in fierce battle east of Brevit. His bonded mount was slain, and his own weapons useless, against the cronies of the Baron Vale. Though the baron perished in the confrontation, and his mount resurrected by the Church of Lul for his valiant service to them, Lorvaden's heart weighs heavy in his chest. Though he does not know it yet, only acquiring a holy weapon will ease his soul – and this shall become his greatest personal quest.

Mount

His bonded mount is a pegasus known as Skye. On land, Skye has the appearance of an enormous destrier with a pearly white coat, eyes the same green as the early morning forest, and a large head that easily houses a man-sized brain. The pegasus wears no horseshoes, and his hooves have a silvery, almost metallic look to them; in combat, those hooves deal as much damage as heavy crossbows, backed by Skye's formidable strength. His barding, dyed in dark blues and greens, has a strange appearance; though the saddle appears normal enough, the belts are all forward set, more made as though to pull a heavy load, than to carry a rider in combat. The reason for this becomes apparent when Skye takes to the air. His enormous thirty foot wings are kept ethereal until he becomes airborne, and the forward set of the saddle allows the wings to unfurl from ethereal space with a faint shimmering of golden light. Gentle and quite intelligent, the pegasus is a gift from the Disciple of Arpelos Defrom Mallick in Kur Maeth – for it is the same bonded mount that the Chosen of Arpelos, Garalus, once rode. After flying for a considerable time, Skye has been known to land, and then pull up what appear to be weeds or strange plants for his bonded rider – the plants have various herbal or medicinal qualities, and the pegasus likes to have them rubbed into his coat.

Follower

A soft-spoken man with a big heart, Arel is Lorvaden's squire, assisting him in all the functions of paladin hood. His one goal is to become a belted knight of Vridara, but no noble in his home nation would take him on as a squire because of his lowly background in carpentry. Lorvaden has found him to be a devoted follower of Rahne, and incredibly competent. When not learning the trade of knight hood, Arel can be found carving exquisite designs into sheets of wood.

2E Stats

4th-Level Slate Paladin of Arpelos
HP 35
AC -4


Alignment: Lawful Good
Languages: Common, Vridaran
Weapon Proficiencies: Longsword expertise, armor, shields, sword and shield style.
Nonweapon Proficienies: Hunting (secondary skill), etiquette, heraldry, land-based riding, air-based riding.
Special Attacks and Defenses: A devout holy warrior, Lorvaden has all the special abilities of a true paladin, in addition to his special turning ability as a paladin of Arpelos – turning the undead as though he were one level less than a priest of the same.
Str 18/19, Con 11, Dex 10, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 17
Equipment: Field plate, bonecrusher shield, holy avenger / sunblade +2, adventurer's pack.


Skye: AL NG; AC 6; MV 24, FL 48 (C,D); hp 32; THAC0 16; #AT 3; 2 hooves (1d8 each), 1 bite (1d4); S23, C22, D20, I8, W13, Ch12. NWP: Herbalism and tracking (inherent), navigation, direction sense. Fearless (19) morale.


Arel: L LG; AC 0 (field plate +2, kite shield); MV12; F1; hp 12; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; S15, D11, C16, I10, W11, Ch12. WP: Bastard swords, armor, shields, sword and shield style. NWP: Carpentry (secondary skill), swimming, endurance, artistic ability – woodcarving. Elite (13) morale.

gaeleth/people/lorvaden_degrance.txt · Last modified: 2021/09/28 15:49 (external edit)