Castor's Tales

Castor's tales are a collection of stories, all set in the century before the first gathering. The charecters vary slightly from telling to telling, as several old stories are combined, and nameless charecters get named. While Castor of Tau did indeed exist, and was an explorer, very little is known about him. Astora is almost certainly named after him in some form, and they honour Castor as their founder. There does exist a tale claiming it is in fact named after his daughter, but this is not considered canon by the noble classes of Astora.

Author

The tales as they are written here are from Hamlin Dralik's "The tales of Castor". Dralik published his work in 107G, after several years collecting the stories from bards and scalds throughout Tariksan. There are newer and longer accounts, but these are considered to be more significantly influenced by the ideals of the author. Some bardic schools have stories that emphasise the parts of the story that embody their teachings, but in the wider world each teller has their own favored way of recounting the adventures of Castor of Tau.

Dralik's tales are not the most compelling, and have been accused of being formulaic. He confesses "Whilst other writers have more flair and create more compelling retellings, I believe the stories how I recount them reveal the underlying plot and themes in the clearest way without removing the general feel of the tales as told by most scalds."

Cast

Castor Fotherash, known mainly as Castor of Tau, and given a varied number of titles relating to his apparent exploits throughout the tales. He is also referred to as 'Castor, son of Danrilla' in circles who wish to emphasise his historical significance or origin. Danrilla was lord of the district known pre-gathering as Tau, and she is reputed to have been ruthless in her control of her people, although rarely appears in most sets of Tales.

Castor is usually accompanied by a large number of people from Tau, as well as several small groups he encountered on his travels. These are Castor's followers, the people who believe he will lead them to a new land, where he will be their lord. They provide very little bearing on any story, often being used as an analogy to the general public, either to let the listener know how they should feel about certain events, or to serve as a warning for things the listener must look out for in their lives.

Castor's party

Castor's friends make up the reccuring named cast, taking supporting roles. Their part in each story varies from telling to telling. They are:

Talrash Sannakin, a halfelf with a connection to the forests and natural power; sources differ as to whether he was a cleric or a druid. His main classifying features are a close freindship to Castor, an aversion to rash desisions, and an accute awareness of the truth of a situation. Often Castor and Talrash find themselves disagreeing, and some tales paint Talrash as bitter for how little Castor seems to value his advice.

Grenag Snek, a halforc driven by a desire to explore, and cast away from his tribe for showing some sort of magical affinity. Often he has some powers of sorcery, complemented by his great dexterity, marking him as incredibly gifted. He is very good-natured and compassionate, and although he rarely drives the story is usually involved in some way.

Timwid Roughwyren, a hardy dwarven warrior who's firecly loyal to Castor. She will follow him anywhere, and would lay down her life for him, as she often comes close to doing. Accounts of her firce rage suggests she was a barbarian by training. She's charecterised as quick to act, taking the first path that comes into her head rather than contemplating all the options.

The gnome Shrinto, who most often uses the names Yalti or Quenta. She is a wizard, a thinker, and a coward when compared to the rest of the party. Drawn to follow Castor either by an old promise or her love for him, tellings differ, but where she appears she is obviously uncomfortable with the rough travellers lifestyle and the frequent danger. Her opinions are often ignored until the others need her advice on something that stumps the rest of them. A few tales ignore Quenta completely, attributing her part in the tellings to Talrash or Grenag instead.

Bursov Ontix, an older human who was Castor's personal tutor in everything from swordfighting to elvish. It is not clear whether they were originally male or female, but in Dralik's version she is female. Bursov is the only one explicitly from somewhere other than Tariksan, as she hails from samurella and maintains a very samurellan attitude towards life. She is swift and trisky, and skilled with a rapier despite her age. She is rare in the tales, although has several solo adventures as the most independant member of the party.

Cast

Castor of Tau - lead - fighter

Talrash Sannerkin - main accomplice - druid/cleric

Grenag Snek - main accomplice - socerer, monk

Timwin Roughwyren - main accomplice - barbarian

Yalti Shrinto - accomplice - wizard

Bursov Ontix - accomplice - rogue