Senlin

Senlin Janrhen

Following the death of his family at the hands of Gnoll raiders in the Arux Valley, Senlin left his house an clan in Pandesh and set out into the world to uphold the light. His Holy Symbol, Prayer Wheel and Vestments were left with his other belongings on the Mountain.
Gifted a moontouched cloak by Alteryon.

Campaign Ideas

Senlin will learn of the Gnoll King who has led raids on the valleys of Pandesh in his time away. Senlin re-encounters gnolls at a later point to [collect an item/find information] and comes face to face with his wife and child's killer a chosen of Yeeonghu who has used his wife's scalp for horrendous dark voodoo magic.
Introduce Senlin to the Order of the Gauntlet.

Ophina - Our Lady, Star of the Sea

As Senlin continues to stand against darkness in Barovia he will attract the notice of Ophina. She cannot translate her presence directly due to the mists of Barovia, but Senlin will instinctively begin to wield her power from within.

Powers

Inner Blessing - Charm of Heroism
Silver fish sigil (right-hand palm) - at first, only seen as a silvery oval mark. Grows stronger as Strahd wanes. Clearly a shimmering fish on the material plane
Hallowed ground - appears on the location where Senlin completes an act of light: Hallow spell is cast, 10 ft. radius, with the Daylight effect. Size may scale with level

Physical Description

Body Features

Green scales

Identifying Characteristics

Carries a shield with a dragon's features on it.

Special abilities

Dragonborn breath weapon: Poison
Paladin powers:
Nature's Wrath
Turn the Faithless
Divine Sense
Lay on Hands
Resistances:
Poison Damage (dragonborn heritage)
Immunities:
Disease (paladin divine protection)

Specialized Equipment

Chainmail, shield, longsword, javelins, holy symbol amulet, moontouched cloak.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Grew up as part of the dragonborn clan Janrhen. Senlin was a priest for a Draconic ancestor god, Karguxyen, who was believed to bring prosperity to the clan. Senlin was raised to join the temple but his wife, Tian, was from a family with a strong warrior tradition. Her father would not permit Senlin and her to marry until Senlin could prove himself a capable warrior. Tian's three brothers liked Senlin, so they trained him how to fight. Senlin proved to Tian's father at a festival tournament (celebrating the dragonborn rebellion against Vizden and freedom from slavery) that he could fight by winning the tounament (although he suspects that Tian's brothers took a dive in their fights to help him). He lived with his wife, Tian, and daughter, Kuali, in relative peace and calm, in the valley leading up to the city of Pandesh.
On Day 9 of Sun's Height T.A. 281, Senlin departed for his temple in the small hamlet nearby, where he was an acolyte, to pray for the morning star. During the night the alarm bells rang and as he rushed to defend villagers streaming into the temple he watched as others were cut down as houses were hit with flaming torches, going up in fire, as gnolls rushed through the hamlet. Senlin defended the doorway to the temple with his four companion acolytes and the temple leader, Grahchek, and prayed for the protection of his clan, prayed for the protection of his Tian and Kuali as he fought against the horde. Grahchek was cut down in the night. Eventually the gnolls retreated, the resistance being too strong for the effort, and Senlin thanked his god for the blessing, until he reached his home. He found his wife Tian scalped and her body mutilated, and his baby child Kuali stuck through with a poorly-smithed gnoll dagger and pinned to his doorframe.
Senlin buried his family in a nearby grove, that his wife and he loved to visit together. In that sacred grove, upon the graves of his wife and child, Senlin disowned his god who could not protect the family that he had left in its care and vowed to become a shield against evil, to never let the light die, to never let the suffering he had experienced spread across the world. A paladin of the light.
Clearly waiting to defend against evil was not enough to protect the innocent from harm. Evil needed to be pursued and chased down. Driven by despair and anger Senlin took leave of the village and set out to preserve the light in the world and protect the innocent from harm. Before he left, Alteryon summoned him and asked if Torinn could accompany him out of the valley and beyond. Hearing Senlin's confusion of where to now find purpose, Alteryon counselled Senlin to seek out Ilaria Hopeswater at the House of the Glowing Veil in the lost lands beyond the Mountains of Razdún, west of Icarna.
Senlin met with Torinn and left the Pandesh, Mouth of the World" href="/w/ilarium-Hardiman12/a/threadspine-mountains-article">Threadspine Mountains and headed southwest toward the Windbreakers. En route they encountered Carric Liadon being ambushed by corrupt guards and saw them off. Carric accompanied the duo on. With Senlin's goal of moving towards the House of the Glowing Veil, the trio adventured across Galbreth through the early winter, becoming fast friends.
One night whilst hunting for food with Torinn and Carric, Senlin got lost in the woods on the borders of Harthelen - the trees seemed to shift around him and he could not find his way out. After searching for what felt like an age, he found Torinn and Carric sleeping on a path, magiclly lulled to sleep, whilst some sprites and pixies placed berries and woodland food next to them. When they saw Senlin they made a 'shh' sign, fired their sleep darts at him, and disappeared. Senlin was woken by his companions who asked him what happened. Senlin lied that he did not know, but gathered up the foodstuffs for their journey, which lasted the party unusually long.
In the Month of Darkest Night, the trio boarded a ship captained by Taowhiri in the port town of Dwellen. On the trip to Icarna, the party was ambushed by genasi of Zendíron, washed up on the shores of Kollerdörf. In the night, they were pulled by the mists into the lands of Barovia.

Education

Skills & Proficiencies:
Insight
Medicine
Persuasion
Religion
All weapons, armour, and shields

Failures & Embarrassments

Failed to protect his family - relied on a god whom could not protect him nor them.

Mental Trauma

Family brutally murdered by gnolls

Intellectual Characteristics

Not particularly knowledgable about the world.

Morality & Philosophy

Alignment: Neutral Good

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

I aim to preserve the light that is in the world, wherever I can find it.
My family were murdered by gnolls and I will never forgive Yeeonghu for this.

Vices & Personality flaws

Sometimes I find it hard to see the light that I am trying to preserve.

Social

Social Aptitude

I am confident in my interactions with people and do my best to hide the fact that I am not particularly knowledgable about the world.

Wealth & Financial state

Hut in the valley of Pandesh. Door leads to a living area. To the left, a pantry, above which is a platform with hay bed and cradle. Outside are a number of barrels storing smoked foods. Wild flowers grow outside the hut, and off to the side there is a spit for outdoor cooking. Around to the right there is a smoking house which is sometimes shared with other huts down the way.

Born:
T.A. 251 (age 30)

Species

Dragonborn

Ethnicity

Pandeshi

Year of Birth

10937 30 Years old

Gender

Male

Eyes

Yellow

Hair

None

Height

6'6"

Weight

83kg

Known Languages

Common, Draconic, Elvish, Sylvan

• Wife: Tian (killed)
• Daughter: Kuali (killed)