Tylus Symshade

Tylus Symshade (Pronouced Sim-Shade), was a Sun Elf from Meridian, that fled his hometown of Myre after a botched robbery attempt. He would eventually end up in Barovia as a member of the Saviours of Barovia. Together, this group oversaw the downfall of Strahd Von Zarovich, though Tylus had exited the group by that point. Now permanently living in Barovia, Tylus has established a hunting guild outside the city of Vallaki. His guild specializes in the destruction of leftover evil creatures from the days of Strahd.

History

Life in Myre

Born in AoR 495, Tylus was born into the Symshade family, a poor household that lived on the brink of poverty in the coastal city of Myre. Together with his sister Talon, Tylus grew up living an extremely tough early life, often resorting to crime in an attempt to feed himself and his family. Tylus and his sister became semi-professional thieves in order to earn some extra coin, often working for some of the less desirable folk of the city. Eventually Tylus and Talon struck out on their own, diving into the criminal underworld, even working in tandem with criminals connected to The Silver Fox Guild in Astora.
By AoR 589, Tylus began working a series of jobs for a competing spice companies in Myre. His job would be to sabotage shipments in the warehouses of the competition, while staying mindful of those that would do the same. One particular job would spell the end of Tylus' career in Myre. Tylus and his sister inflitrated the warehouse of a prominent company, one with ties to the the Merchant Prince; Kwayothé of Port Nyanzaru. The job was immediately botched, seemingly a set-up from the start. The warehouse was situated on the cliff's edge of Myre, overlooking the dark waters of Naneth's Deep. Tylus and Talon fought side by side on the roof of the warehouse, fending off the protection from within. Unfortunately they became overwhelmed by numbers, forcing Tylus to abandon his sister as he fell through a weak point in the roof. The last sight Tylus had of his sister, was Talon being heaved off the edge of the warehouse roof, disappearing into the water and rocks below.
This devastated Tylus, as he had felt responsible for dragging Talon into a life of crime. He quickly fled Myre out of shame and the now ever-present danger to his own life. Tylus began to travel Naneth, doing odd jobs for small amounts of coin, just enough to keep him alive.

Entrance to Barovia

In AoR 597, Tylus entered Atmora, continuing to put distance between himself and the people that would see him dead in Meridian. Fate would bring him to Krysset, where he spotted a call to arms for adventurers and mercenaries. The local Paladin order had offered payment for hunting down and destroying dark creatures that had been terrorizing outlying settlements. Tylus joined the hunting party, a group that would later become the Saviours of Barovia. Led by a man named Vindril, the group headed into the Pinetrost Woods.
From the moment he had met him, Tylus sensed something peculiar about Vindril. His suspicions proved correct, as Vindril quickly betrayed the party, trapping them inside Death House, a dimensional portal to Barovia. Tylus himself watched as Vindril bid them farewell, before stepping back into the mists of the Pinetrost Woods.

Barovia Village

Now in Barovia, the group learned that the region was under the tyrannical rule of a Higher Vampire named Strahd Von Zarovich. Once in Barovia Village, the group was introduced to a man named Ismark and his sister Ireena. Ismark explained that Ireena was the target of Strahd's sick affections, and he pleaded with the party to offer protection. He explained that she'd be much safer in Vallaki, a city only a couple days worth of travel away.
Tylus once again, and for the first time in Barovia, enlisted less than honorable means to complete his objectives. Along with Tanka Barbearian, the duo stole a wagon from the local general shop, using it to transport lumber to a riverside site where the group would build a raft. The group succeeded and began heading downriver towards Vallaki with Ireena in tow.

Vallaki

The group later visited Vallaki, the largest settlement in Barovia. It was here that the group would begin to contend with the local Baron; Vargas Vallakovich. Within the first day, Tylus, now given the nickname "Slym" by the group, committed yet another crime with Tanka, this one much more serious. During the night, Tylus and Tanka broke into a shopkeeper's house, looking for the key to his store in the marketplace. The break-in went sideways, and ended with Tanka killing the shop owner. To escape, Tylus silently killed a city guard, adding murder to his list of crimes.
Later, after contending with several of Strahd's minions inside a coffin shop, Colborn Sergeant and Shamruuc were arrested by the city guard. It was Tylus that trailed the guards back the manor of the local Baron, where his allies were to face questioning. Tylus took up a position on the rooftops across the street, waiting for an opportunity to strike. He didn't wait long, before he spied Shamruuc escaping out the side of the manor. Tylus assisted Shamruuc by launching a frontal assault of arrows at the manor guards, killing several of them before fleeing the scene. Incensed that the Baron and town guards would arrest his allies, after they had done them a service, Tylus struck back at Vallaki itself, by stealing and destroying the protective ward over the city.
Heading back to the Church of Saint Andral, Tylus broke into the basement and destroyed the Bones of Saint Andral. These bones served the church and Vallaki as a protective ward against the dark creatures of Strahd, and without them, the city would be defenseless. In doing this, Tylus doomed dozens of Vallaki residents to death in the following attack on the Saint Andral Church. Vallaki witnessed Strahd and Argynvost fly low over the city, sending most residents into hiding, with a sizable crowd seeking shelter in Saint Andral. The Saviours of Barovia also took refuge in the church, helping Father Lucian Petrovich protect the civilians within.
Strahd soon arrived with Argynvost, crossing the threshold of the building and brutally murdering Father Petrovich. Strahd used this rare opportunity to display his greatest powers over Vallaki, raising hordes of undead from the church graveyard. The undead advanced on the church, killing dozens of the citizens within. During the attack, Strahd himself toyed with Tylus, bringing the Elf to his knees, and offering to turn him into a Vampire Spawn. Tylus refused, causing Strahd to merely toss his unconscious body aside. Strahd ceased the attack and left, leaving Vallaki in a state of terror. Tylus himself had been responsible for this attack and all the death that had followed. This was a secret shame Tylus would not easily share with anyone.
Later, Tylus was responsible for infiltrating the Wachter manor and stealing a wedding gown from Fiona Wachter. The wedding gown was required by a mysterious figure named The Abbot, and in return this Abbot would resurrect Norgold Dragonsbane. Invisible and flying, Tylus entered the manor, successfully stealing the dress with help from a polymorphed Shamruuc.

Wizard of the Wines

Continuing through Barovia, the Saviours came across the The Wizard of Wines winery and the Keepers of the Feather. The winery had been invaded by druids and nature spirits, leading the Keepers to hire the group to clear out the area. Tylus was the first to get to the winery, ascending to the the roof for a view of the area. Now alerted to his presence, dozens of tree blights, small stick-like creatures controlled by druidic magic, rushed the winery roof, quickly overwhelming the rogue. The rest of the group arrived, driving the tree blights away and allowing Norgold the chance to heal Tylus' wounds.
Inside the winery laid an Arch-Druid in wait, who was quickly engaged by Sarge in combat. Sensing defeat, the druid polymorphed into a Mammoth, breaking free of the building, and killing Norgold. Tylus, still on the roof, leapt onto the beasts back, impaling it with his rapiers. Eventually the beast was defeated, along with the druid as it reappeared. Tylus and the group emerged victorious, though it was costly.

The Amber Temple

The group, in search of the legendary Sunsword, traveled high into the mountains surrounding the Barovia Valley. Crossing Tsolenka Pass, the group arrived at The Amber Temple. Inside, the party found the remains of an ancient wizard order, with most of the remains now reduced to an enchanted state; Flameskulls. Tylus faced these flameskulls, easily dodging their fiery attacks and allowing his allies time to dispatch them.
Also buried within this temple were several vestiges or spirits of pure evil. These spirits promised great power, should they be allowed to inhabit a host body. This was a temptation too great for Shamruuc, who quickly sold himself to several of these dark powers. Tylus, now seeking the power to defeat Strahd, also fell to the temptation, accepting a gift of evil. In doing so, Tylus damned his soul to Barovia for eternity, though he was not made aware of this fact until much later.

The Second Gem; Baba Lysaga

Due to their alliance with the Keepers of the Feather, the group had agreed to recover 3 magical gems for the Wizard of the Wines. These gems provided the magic necessary to keep the winery fields productive and they had been stolen. One of these gems was suspected to be in Berez, a ruined settlement in the southern swamps of Barovia. The group headed there, despite the warnings that Berez was an extremely dangerous place. Upon arriving, the group spied a large witches hut, situated between the branches of massive tree. Tylus took the lead and crept closer, getting a better look at the area.
The door to the hut swung open as Tylus approached, revealing a barely-clothed elven woman, who quickly invited Tylus inside. Tylus obliged, but knew that he was in great peril while doing so. Inside, Tylus indeed spied one of the magical gems lodged into the wood of the tree, providing it with some type of magical ability. Tylus attempted to acquire the gem, whilst the woman offered him comfort in the ways of food, drink and companionship. Tylus tried to politely refuse, though it was clear this being was merely toying with him. As Tylus made a move for the gem, the woman revealed her true form as Baba Lysaga, a horrible hag-like creature. She quickly paralyzed Tylus and sent him plummeting to the ground from her hut. The tree on which the hut sat now awakened, alive and ready to do Baba's bidding.
Tylus laid paralyzed on the swampy ground, unable to help his allies in combat against this great foe. He watched helplessly as one by one his friends fell to devastating spells and the strength of the awakened tree. Sensing the end was near, Norgold pulled Tylus to safety, sacrificing himself to do so. Through a stroke of luck, Tylus finally pulled through Baba's magic, breaking free to aid his allies in battle. Baba, seeing Tylus rise from the dirt, and quite injured herself, fled the battle. Tylus chased after her, leaving his friends behind, seeking revenge against the witch. He did not succeed, as Baba disappeared into the mists of Barovia. As Tylus returned to his allies, he found they had finally slew the awakened tree, though they had once again lost an ally in the process. 

Betrayal of the Saviours

The final confrontation with Strahd Von Zarovich drew near, with the group being invited to Ravenloft for the vampire's wedding to Ireena, the woman they'd failed to protect. The group arrived for the ceremony, taking their places in Ravenloft's cathedral. During the seating process, Tylus slipped away, finding his way onto a balcony overlooking the ceremony. He readied his arrows to strike at Strahd, when the moment was right. Finally, as Strahd leaned in to kiss his new bride, Tylus fired, hitting the vampire with an arrow, and giving Sarge the opportunity to strike with the Sunsword. Chaos broke out in the chapel, with Strahd escaping to parts unknown, leaving the group to deal with his underlings.
The group began to explore Ravenloft thoroughly, searching for Strahd and their chance to kill him. Through the use of a special teleportation circle in the catacombs, the group was able to travel quickly throughout the castle, provided they understood the correspondence to each destination. By now, the group had grown tired of Tylus' antics, especially as they now knew of his betrayal of Vallaki and the destruction of Saint Andral's bones. Because of this, when Tylus suggested searching Strahd's library, the group refused, instead heading to Ravenloft's overlook instead. Tylus angrily spilt from the group anyway, sensing he was in the right. While alone, Strahd himself appeared to Tylus, taunting him once more, toying with his angry feelings towards the rest of the group. When Strahd asked Tylus to join him or die, Tylus obliged and joined forces with the vampire.
With the rest of the group at Ravenloft's overlook, Strahd, Argynvost and Tylus arrived to fight them. The Saviours were confused and furious with Tylus' betrayal, with Tanka promising to kill the rogue himself. During the battle, Tylus focused most of his fire upon Sarge, wanting to fell the wielder of the Sunsword before he could get to Strahd. Instead, he had to contend with Tanka and Norgold, the latter of which peppered Tylus with a variety of spells. By the end of the battle, Strahd and Arygnvost had been defeated along with Tylus, who was quickly spared from death by Norgold. Tanka approached Tylus with the intent to end his life once and for all, but was intercepted by Sarge and Ezmerelda d'Avenir, whom believed that Tylus may have been the target of a charm spell. Regardless of what the group believed, Sarge banished Tylus, promising to kill him if ever he saw his face again.
Tylus then fled Ravenloft, heading into the wilds of Barovia, uncertain of what his life would now be. While on he road he met Ireena and Ismark, both fresh off an escape from Ravenloft due to the Saviour's actions. Unaware of what Tylus had done in regards to Vallaki, they thanked him profusely for his part in their rescue and the defeat of Strahd. They saw him as a protector of the valley and promised to be his friend as long as they lived. This greatly affected Tylus, possibly now feeling regret for some of his actions taken over the past few weeks. These words would later inspire Tylus to begin a hunting guild in Barovia, dedicated to exterminating the remainder of Strahd's forces.

Damned to Barovia; Hunting Monsters

Upon hearing the news that the Saviours of Barovia had left the valley through the mists, Tylus attempted to do the same. However, because of his acceptance of a dark gift within the Amber Temple, he was unable. Now damned to Kelemvor's plane of dread, Tylus turned his attention back to Barovia, specifically on how he could continue to serve this area for the better.
In the years that followed Strahd's downfall, Tylus began a hunting guild outside the city of Vallaki. This guild was dedicated to hunting down the last vestiges of Strahd's power, abolishing them from Barovia. These years would be known as a golden age within the valley, as Tylus' efforts would lead to a better quality of life for all. At some point during these years, Tylus had children, with two of them joining the hunting guild under their father. Life in Barovia had turned out to be a blessing for Tylus, with the weight of all the pain he had caused previously driving him to become a better person, improving Barovia for everyone.
However, in AoR 698 this would all come crashing down. 101 years after his defeat at the hands of the Saviours, Strahd Von Zarovich would rise once more. He sought revenge for the lose of Tatyana and everything else he held dear. This time, Strahd would ensure the destruction of all responsible.

Basic Information

Race: Sun Elf, Male
Ethnicity: Meridianian
Occupation: Thief, Adventurer, Monster Hunter
Other Names/Titles: Slym, Slymshady
Home: Myre (Formerly), Barovia (Currently)
Status: Alive

Dates

Born: AoR 495
Death: Not Available