Fornik

Fornik Baelfyre is famed for being a member of the Heroes of the Free States, Tee’Chaher, and also one of the most successful adventurers turned statesmen in Runetalras history. He took part in many conflicts which included the Days of the False King, Second War of Thaxnorian Expansion, and Wars of Undeath.

Life before the Heroes of the Free States

Fornik lived within the Cildarth Forest, an enclave of some of the Elder Races within the Kingdom of Thaxnoria. The lands and peoples of the Cildarth Forest were plundered and pillaged by the men and women of the Guildlands. This only intensified when the Guildlands discovered veins of Weaveite within the Forest. The peoples of the Forest protested the mines and were ignored, then they began resisting and were imprisoned and killed. Fornik wanted to help but was soon captured and put to forced labour in the mines he tried to fight against.
After several months Fornik was freed from his servitude in the mines by members of the Tee’Chaher. He unfortunately learnt much of his clan had been enslaved, scattered or slaughtered, his parents dead, and his sister Zyla missing. Fornik travelled back to the ruins of his former home, and found an abandoned wolf pup who became his companion named Narvis. Fornik sought revenge so joined the Tee’Chaher Caethddim Commando. Fornik spent decades with the Caethddim Commando, he trained, became friends with the daerienn-gyntaf (First-Mage) Aengich and the Commander Velan’as. The Commando focused its activities on freeing slaves and indentured servants, punishing slavers, and doing everything to protect the elder races from the greed of humans
Eventually the Caethddim Commando met up with the Traisis Commando. The Traisis were far more extreme in their fight against humanity, as Fornik still sought vengeance he joined with Traisis Commando despite the warnings of Aengich and Velan’as. The violence and brutality of the Traisis surprised and shocked Fornik. Fornik was ordered to kill defenceless imprisoned humans, he refused and freed them. The Traisis turned on Fornik, their leader Thenn’ral killed Narvis and damn near Fornik, however, as a result of an attack from Guildlanders Fornik was able to flee.
Fornik lost consciousness and was almost bled out but was saved by a Human husband, elven wife, and their daughter. They nursed Fornik back to health, their kindness challenged Fornik’s preconceived notions and prejudices eventually causing him to reevaluate his views. As Fornik grew healthier he was able to use his magic to perform a ritual that restored Narvis, he also began helping those that saved him, including their daughter Gwen.
Fornik’s peaceful life did not last. One day he and Gwen returned to find Gwen’s parents murdered by the Traisis Commando. Fornik took Gwen to her estranged Lord Grandfather who agreed to keep her safe but refused to acknowledge her lineage given her half elven blood. Fornik headed to the Elnurian Forest to rejoin the Caethddim Commando, to do good and to find the Traisis Commando and Thenn’ral

Velfauna

Fornik was within Velfauna when the Days of the False King began. Fornik allied himself with Ecthelion and formed what would become the Heroes of the Free States. The Days of the False King was a coup led by the racial race revolutionary the wizard Ragdak; Ragdak conspired to kill the King of Velfauna Thaydos Folean, and take control of the Free State of Velfauna as regent. The Heroes of the Free States thwarted Ragdaks attempted murder of King Thaydos, killed Ragdak, and restored Velfauna to its rightful monarch.
The Heroes of the Free States won further renown when they saved the Village of Red Larch from goblinoid conquerors, wherein Blank became its Barron.

Alliances for War

When Fornik and the other Heroes arrived at Glean Sord, Fornik verbally sparred with Thenn'ral it did not, however, escalate to a fight as they were the neutral ground of the Tee’Charher Camp. A meeting of Tee’Chaher was declared to determine what role they would play during the Second War of Thaxnorian Expansion. To secure more support Fornik spoke with various Commando leaders and convinced many to his side, the Heroes also helped the Diren Commando; Fornik personally negotiated a truce between the Commander Brybella and the Lord Alexanda Daltech. Fornik successfully convinced the Tee’Chaher to join with the Free States and against the Kingdom of Thaxnoria.
Fornik and the Heroes still searched for alliances within Glean Sord; they were able to secure to the support of the Kingdom of Elnusari, Caedreon, and Legvaren garrisons stationed at Glean Sord. They were also able to convince to the highest representatives of Elnusari and Caedreon to discuss the matter of full support in the War with their leaders. The Heroes were also able to negative alliances between the lower Free States, but at the behest of Fornik it was a requirement that the forces allied to resist Thaxnoria institute more equal racial laws.

Havdar’s Field and the Second War of Thaxnorian Expansion

Despite the efforts of the Heroes the War did not favour the allied forces. The first open battle of the war took place at Havdar’s Field. Fornik led the assembled archers of the Kingdom of Elnusari and Caedreon to great effect, whilst the Tee’Chaher were stationed in a forest to the East of Havdar’s Field to protect the flank or even out flank the Thaxnorian forces. Whilst the battle ended in a stalemate, the result of the Curse of Havdar reawakening, losses on both sides were enormous; the Tee’Chaher suffered acutely, as a mass formation of Thaxnorian mount knights cut through the forest and the Tee’Chaher stationed there. The allied armies broke, the Tee’Chaher limped back to Glean Sord, whilst Thaxnoria was able to replenish their numbers.
In the aftermath of Havdar’s Field Thaxnoria captured the capital cities of Velfauna, Enarsel, and Feloc. Despite the setbacks Fornik and the Heroes convinced Queen Sinead of Caedreon and the Council of Clans of the Kingdom of Elnusari to make a full alliance with the lower Free States given the reformed to racial relations Fornik had enforced. A Senedd of the Tee’Chaher was called in the aftermath of the failure and losses of Havdar’s Field; two sides emerged, those who remained committed to the War against Thaxnoria, whilst the other was to use this opportunity to attack both Thaxnoria and the lower Free States. Fornik gave an impassioned speech and was able to convince the Senedd that the alliance with the Free States was the right decision. After the Senedd Thenn’ral, who had led the opposition at the Senedd, attacked Fornik. Fornik defeated Thenn’ral but refused to kill him, whilst Fornik did not forgive Thenn’ral he did not sell any use in ending life unnecessarily. Thenn’ral revealed to Fornik that he had captured Gwen, and had her taken to the Feywild to hurt Fornik; with the knowledge of the threats that faced Runetalras, Fornik decided to only go and find Gwen then those threats were defeated.
The Heroes were able to break the occupation of the capitals, just as Runetalras learned of the great imminent threats that were about to be unleashed during the Wars of Undead which effectively brought an abrupt end to the Second War of Thaxnorian Expansion.

The Wars of Undeath - The Avatar of Orcus

The Heroes claim to have first learnt of the threat of the Avatar of Orcus from the deity Talos, although this is likely a case of exaggeration. Regardless, the first confrontation took place beneath Velfauna in front of the discovered Silver Gates. The Avatar of Orcus then struck at both Aranthaig and Kelmar at the same time. Allied forces halted a horde of undead and demons at Aranthaig, in no small part due to the intervention of the Heroes. Kemlar suffered a worse fate, the Avatar of Orcus led the attack itself obliterating the defenders and taking the city for its own. In the aftermath Aran’Nack joined with the allied forces to fight in the Wars of Undeath, whilst the Craglands in the Kingdom of Thaxnoria was imperilled and threatened by the forces of the Avatar of Ocrus.
The Heroes joined the battle within the Craglands saving all those they could as the forces of the Avatar of Orcus rampaged. The allied forces eventually drew up battlelines and engaged an endless horde of undeath, whilst the Heroes, with other key allies and friends, assaulted Kelmar and put an end to Avatar of Orcus. In the aftermath some of the undead seemed to regain their minds and were sent into the Underdark.
Ideas of peace were abruptly ended when the capital of Crystal Catalyst, Garthedd, was transported back to the Prime Material Plane.

The Wars of Undeath - The Crystal Catalyst

The reemergence of the Crystal Catalyst was not a surprise, although the destruction it enacted was. The Heroes entered into a conflict with the Red Wizards and their leader Grand Imperator Tervenus Hafansmith, over a Crystalline Catalyst. In the process the Heroes exposed Hafansmith’s betrayal of Thaxnoria and his pact with Terraxia, a ruler of Crystal Catalyst.
The Heroes were able to kill Hafansmith and bring down the Red Wizards, however, the Crystalline Catalyst ended up in the possession of Terraxia. With all the Crystalline Catalyst in her possession Terraxia led a coup to become first of the Triarchy, sole leader of Crystal Catalyst, and transported the city of Garthedd to the Prime Material Plane. Terraxia declared the Crystal Catalyst had returned and would once more dominate Runetalras.
As Garthedd and Crystal Catalyst reemerged it unleashed a horrific weapon that obliterated the city of Hathban and extinguished hundreds of thousands of lives in one instance.The Heroes uncovered and kept secret a method of bringing down the floating city of Garthedd to neutralise its weapon. The Heroes began their assault on Gathedd one day before the armies met, they wreaked havoc, and eventually brought the city to the surface of Runetalras by the time armies reached Garthedd. The Second Siege of Gathedd was short but exceptionally bloody, when the dust settled the Heroes had destroyed Terraxia and ensured the defeat of the Crystal Catalyst.

End of the Heroes of the Free States

Prior to when the Heroes came to an end they travelled to the city of Mythandin in the Feywild and rescued Gwen from an Archfey the Queen of Stage and Light. With the threats of the Avatar of Orcus and the Crystal Catalyst at an end the Heroes then went their separate ways.
Fornik did not rest after the Heroes came to an end, and continued his life's work, improving the lot of the elder races in Runetalras. Fornik brokered an agreement to reduce farmland around the Elnurian Forest, to allow it to regrow, in exchange for magical enrichment of the remaining farmlands; this resulted in some conflict, however, the agreement has remained. Fornik worked to maintain and improve the relations between the races, in the Union of Crowns and Elnurian Forest, a part of this work involved the expansion of the schools, education, and other charity work carried out with the Royal Vampire of Velfauna Sakrath von Feldorth Agrath.
Fornik was also instrumental in the creation of autonomous region Cildarth within the Kingdom of Thaxnoria; a difficult negotiation with required the tribute of timber and Weaveite to the former lords. Fornik also provided support to the ravaged Kelmar, in the Craglands, and the refugees of the Underdark. Fornik continued his work with the Tee’Chaher, generally in a more peaceful manner, however, he did not turn away from violence where Kingdoms refused to recognise the rights of the Elder Races.
Fornik regularly splits his time between Glean Sord and the Cildarth Forest tirelessly working to improve Runetalras.

Ethnicity

Elf

Year of Birth

429 124 Years old

Birthplace

Cildarth Forest

Aligned Organization

Tee'Chaher