Haldric
When one thinks of their earliest memory, they likely don't imagine their own death. But that was the case for one man and worse so, he had no idea why. All he can remember is being violently hacked to pieces, ending his mortal life in the material realm. What seemed a short time later, (but may have in fact been a long time) he arose in an ethereal body, amidst ghosts and visions of times past. He was in the Border Ethereal, a realm of spirit and will, where the cultivation of one's own sentience manifests in the creation of an ethereal body, in the similitude of a physical one. That is the only reason Haldric (as he now called himself) once knew he was a man -- his spirit had the visage of one. He had no possessions on his person, except a small stone with the word "Ilyaseng" carved into it.
Thus he began life anew, having been revived into a new world which overlays the one that claimed his life. He set about into this world, free of hunger, thirst, and bodily fatigue not knowing the purpose for his continued existence. He met many spirits of the dead along the way, some claiming great things of legend that they had attained in life, but with no way to prove any of it. It appeared that they had all lost most of their memories like Hadric himself had. Perhaps they too, had met some unfortunate end that prevented their consciousness from passing into the proper afterlife.
This misfortune, however, did not stop the people from rebuilding towns and settlements. Culture continued to grow. Tribes and ideologies persisted. Those who were in this realm spent a great deal of time observing the Prime Material, but doing so is often as peering into a scanner darkly. That never stopped Haldric from enjoying and speculating on the events of the world he left behind, albeit the problems and conditions of the world of the living, such as "Whose wheat field is yielding the most grain this year?" often seemed a petty and trifle thing with his drastically changed perspective on life and death.
Haldric continued to visit different parts of the world, sometimes traveling in groups, sometimes traveling alone. People often passed time by telling stories as they walked, learning about many heroes, feats of magical power, annals of the gods, histories of empires and kingdoms past, philosophies of great sages, and dark corners of the earth.
On a journey near Fathluna, Haldric met a very old spirit named Vizalogh, who seemed to possess an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the arcane. Vizalogh was impressed by Haldric's force of personality, and found him attuned to the threads of the arcane weave that flew around them. As a test, Vizalogh instructed Haldric in many stringed instruments, the dulcimer and lyre being among his favorite. Vizalogh saw that Haldric possessed a talent for feeling the strings and vibrations of the instruments, and taught him to feel the vibrations of the magical weave that comprised the arcane. As the strings of an instrument were vibrated to create sound, so too did Haldric learn to maniupate and pluck the strings of the arcane weave through voice and movement. Though the art seemed somewhat esoteric at first, Haldric spent many days with Vizalogh learning new ways to manipulate the weave to form myriad magical effects
Although Haldric greedily learned this new art, he found that his spirit's vibrancy and strength soon waned after forcing his will into the arcane weave to produce wonderful magics. The more extraordinary the magic, the more it waned his spirit. However, as Vizalogh taught him, the more one grows and practices these arts, the more efficient and attuned they will be in producing effects from the weave. Haldric and Vizalogh eventually parted ways, and Haldric set out once again to see what usefulness he might make of his newfound skill.
On one particular journey in Lanar, (where he often dwelt), Haldric stumbled upon a clue toward an ancient secret: a journal left behind from a man who sought the aid of twelve spirits, and through a pact of learning their histories, could evoke their power, for the power itself lay in the knowing of the spirit and their story. Haldric eventually located this journal, hidden discretely within the Crypt of Corbemon. The journal contained little information about the spirits themselves, for its author begat the reader to seek the spirits out and learn from them directly. Along with the journal, Haldric found a strange dodecahedron hanging from a chain, and after spending some time with it in astonishment, discovered that it was attuned to the arcane weave.
Thus began a new chapter in Haldric's unlife. From the arid deserts of Khosan to the Valkauna Swamps, he sought the spirits out. The first spirit he encountered told him the Tale of the Clever Animal and signed his name into the dodecahedron with a touch, forever sealing the promise of mutual history between the two spirits. Haldric repeated his supplications to these great spirits, and one by one, each side of the twelve faces was filled, ending with the Tale of the Mind-Bender.
At one point, Hadric met another spirt like himself named Elscetis, who told him the tale of two shards of great magic, called the Shard of Lanaria and the Shard of Zaeryn. Although the two tarried together for a time, they eventually realized that they had very opposing goals and aspirations, and Elscetis challenged and fought Haldric. Although Elscetis proved to be more formidable, Haldric managed to escape with his life and the Shard of Zaeryn, limiting Elscetis' power of having the two jewels' synchronicity. Haldric keeps the Shard in his dodecahedron.
While viewing the Prime Material plane, he watched as the party and surrounding events unfold as the great calamity known as Pyroc came to threaten all existence. Having seen their plight and knowing their intentions, Haldric knew that he needed to help intervene on the Prime Material to stop Pyroc's return. He set out through one of the known portals that crosses the ethereal into the material, possessing an empty body (often called "hosts") for his spirit-- becoming a Spirit Host: something not quite dead nor living, something caught between two worlds until Haldric's goals and purposes are complete.
Alignment (NG): Hadric doesn't know what kind of man he used to be, all he knows is who he is now. He could have been an honorable knight or a despicable highway robber. Because of spending long periods of time in the Border Ethereal, he often comes across as detached and apathetic toward the events around him. However, Haldric has a deep desire to help others and extinguish injustices and tyranny in the world of the living.
Thus he began life anew, having been revived into a new world which overlays the one that claimed his life. He set about into this world, free of hunger, thirst, and bodily fatigue not knowing the purpose for his continued existence. He met many spirits of the dead along the way, some claiming great things of legend that they had attained in life, but with no way to prove any of it. It appeared that they had all lost most of their memories like Hadric himself had. Perhaps they too, had met some unfortunate end that prevented their consciousness from passing into the proper afterlife.
This misfortune, however, did not stop the people from rebuilding towns and settlements. Culture continued to grow. Tribes and ideologies persisted. Those who were in this realm spent a great deal of time observing the Prime Material, but doing so is often as peering into a scanner darkly. That never stopped Haldric from enjoying and speculating on the events of the world he left behind, albeit the problems and conditions of the world of the living, such as "Whose wheat field is yielding the most grain this year?" often seemed a petty and trifle thing with his drastically changed perspective on life and death.
Haldric continued to visit different parts of the world, sometimes traveling in groups, sometimes traveling alone. People often passed time by telling stories as they walked, learning about many heroes, feats of magical power, annals of the gods, histories of empires and kingdoms past, philosophies of great sages, and dark corners of the earth.
On a journey near Fathluna, Haldric met a very old spirit named Vizalogh, who seemed to possess an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the arcane. Vizalogh was impressed by Haldric's force of personality, and found him attuned to the threads of the arcane weave that flew around them. As a test, Vizalogh instructed Haldric in many stringed instruments, the dulcimer and lyre being among his favorite. Vizalogh saw that Haldric possessed a talent for feeling the strings and vibrations of the instruments, and taught him to feel the vibrations of the magical weave that comprised the arcane. As the strings of an instrument were vibrated to create sound, so too did Haldric learn to maniupate and pluck the strings of the arcane weave through voice and movement. Though the art seemed somewhat esoteric at first, Haldric spent many days with Vizalogh learning new ways to manipulate the weave to form myriad magical effects
Although Haldric greedily learned this new art, he found that his spirit's vibrancy and strength soon waned after forcing his will into the arcane weave to produce wonderful magics. The more extraordinary the magic, the more it waned his spirit. However, as Vizalogh taught him, the more one grows and practices these arts, the more efficient and attuned they will be in producing effects from the weave. Haldric and Vizalogh eventually parted ways, and Haldric set out once again to see what usefulness he might make of his newfound skill.
On one particular journey in Lanar, (where he often dwelt), Haldric stumbled upon a clue toward an ancient secret: a journal left behind from a man who sought the aid of twelve spirits, and through a pact of learning their histories, could evoke their power, for the power itself lay in the knowing of the spirit and their story. Haldric eventually located this journal, hidden discretely within the Crypt of Corbemon. The journal contained little information about the spirits themselves, for its author begat the reader to seek the spirits out and learn from them directly. Along with the journal, Haldric found a strange dodecahedron hanging from a chain, and after spending some time with it in astonishment, discovered that it was attuned to the arcane weave.
Thus began a new chapter in Haldric's unlife. From the arid deserts of Khosan to the Valkauna Swamps, he sought the spirits out. The first spirit he encountered told him the Tale of the Clever Animal and signed his name into the dodecahedron with a touch, forever sealing the promise of mutual history between the two spirits. Haldric repeated his supplications to these great spirits, and one by one, each side of the twelve faces was filled, ending with the Tale of the Mind-Bender.
At one point, Hadric met another spirt like himself named Elscetis, who told him the tale of two shards of great magic, called the Shard of Lanaria and the Shard of Zaeryn. Although the two tarried together for a time, they eventually realized that they had very opposing goals and aspirations, and Elscetis challenged and fought Haldric. Although Elscetis proved to be more formidable, Haldric managed to escape with his life and the Shard of Zaeryn, limiting Elscetis' power of having the two jewels' synchronicity. Haldric keeps the Shard in his dodecahedron.
While viewing the Prime Material plane, he watched as the party and surrounding events unfold as the great calamity known as Pyroc came to threaten all existence. Having seen their plight and knowing their intentions, Haldric knew that he needed to help intervene on the Prime Material to stop Pyroc's return. He set out through one of the known portals that crosses the ethereal into the material, possessing an empty body (often called "hosts") for his spirit-- becoming a Spirit Host: something not quite dead nor living, something caught between two worlds until Haldric's goals and purposes are complete.
Alignment (NG): Hadric doesn't know what kind of man he used to be, all he knows is who he is now. He could have been an honorable knight or a despicable highway robber. Because of spending long periods of time in the Border Ethereal, he often comes across as detached and apathetic toward the events around him. However, Haldric has a deep desire to help others and extinguish injustices and tyranny in the world of the living.
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