KingMob’s Character: Alastair Danaan, half-elf warlock

Summary

Alastair Danaan, half-elven warlock, has made a pact with the forces beyond the stars.  He knows, with his pact, he opened a rent in the fabric of space, and every use of his power opens it wider and allows the beings beyond time to see him more clearly. He desperately fears them, and knows their emissaries follow him everywhere, but he can’t give up the amazing powers he’s gained through their worship.

Early History

Alastair always knew he was special. Growing up in Old Den, the only son of Torbald the innkeeper, he was naturally the leader of the other children his age. Well-liked and hardy, he led the human and elven children of Den around the town, playing games he created and mischief on adults and travelers. Torbald couldn’t bear to punish him for his tricks, as Alastair’s mysterious, dark looks reminded him of the Elven mother that had died with his birth.

Eventually Alastair became restless, and Old Den’s mayor convinced Torbald that Alastair would need to be trained for an occupation. Refusing to become an innkeeper, Alastair demanded magical training. Torbald lacked the money for formal magical training (and suspected Alastair lacked the patience), so he equipped and outfitted his son for a journey to the Elven community of the Witchwood…

Warlock Training

In the Witchwood, Alastair found little success in his training as a Warlock. Although he seemed full of abundant natural talent, he had no interest in “communing with the fey” in preparation for his spirit journey into the forest to make his fey pact. While more responsible students were preparing their minds and bodies for dedication to the Elven ancestors, Alastair was enticing local women to spend nights with him under the cold, bright stars. One night, overcome with drink and exhausted with lust, he looked up at the night sky and believed he saw a beautiful Elven woman outlined by the constellations. “Do with me what you will,” he said to himself. The next morning he announced he was ready for his spirit journey and his Pact.

Star Pact

Traveling into the forest, Alastair debated with himself how long he should wait before he returned to the school and informed everyone he had made his pact. Convincing himself the Fey Pact was nothing but a mental state, he prepared himself for meditation as he had been instructed to do. However, his mind strayed from the beasts and flora of the forest, as he rested on his back, looking up again at the stars above.
With no real surprise, he saw the woman in the stars again. Her eyes met his across the vast, cold distance and he realized she offered him power surpassing anything he had known before. Rising from the ground, he kneeled and bent his head, and pledged to serve the stars if they would give him the power he craved.
At once he heard a tearing sound. His mind was in two places at once - in Witchwood and in the void beyond the earth. His chest seized up as it had never before, and his mind went blank. When he awoke, it was many hours later, and he was cold and cramped from lying on the hillside. The first tendrils of fear began to enter his mind, as he remembered what he saw just before he had fainted - a shadow from the stars had reached down and torn a hole in the sky, and a dark, slim shape had stepped through…

Escape

Alastair did not return to the Warlock community of the Witchwood. Realizing the magnitude of his error and fearing the reaction of his elders to his actions, he continued traveling east along the Elsir River towards civilization. As he traveled, he discovered he had the powers he had been told were the benefit of the Pact, although his powers seemed to come from the stars above rather than the forest wild, as long as he gave the stars his obeisance… although he feared what his grasp for power had allowed into the world, he feared more what would happen should he meet the shadow again and be defenseless. Toward that end he practiced using his powers as much as he could, for hunting as well as self defense.
Alastair now lives life as a rootless wanderer, seeking power, knowledge, and artifacts of power. He fears meeting the shadow from the stars again, so he looks around every corner twice for shadows that double what should already be there. He knows someday he will meet another Warlock from Witchwood, perhaps one who can tell him - what did the shadow do that night?

Recent History

Back in Bristol (9/24/08)

Returning to Bristol for the first time in many months, Alastair looked around. The air smelled fresh and clear - hard to believe it was spring, and he had been wandering almost a year since the accident. After he had escaped Witchwood, Bristol was the first big town he had dared show his face. Since then he had wandered east, north, and south without returning to the area. This was his first night back in town, and he wanted to search it for arcane knowledge as carefully as possible.

Alastair looked in the market first, realizing as he did so that rare booksellers would hardly have a stall in the market square. Next he moved to a local tavern, where he heard rumors of goblin attacks. Abruptly, a group of hobgoblins and goblins charged into the tavern, killing humans and setting fire to it. After a brief fight, Alastair and a group of travelers found themselves outside the tavern. To the north they heard a ruckus… as they approached the source of the disturbance, they found it was a massive ogre hauling a wagon with two hobgoblin archers inside.

Battle in Bristol (10/1/08)

The battle with the ogre, hobgoblins, and goblins was over fairly quickly. Alastair kept his cool for the most of it, except when a goblin stabbed him in the back - shocked and horrified, he moved out of range and fried the hapless goblin with his most powerful attack. Even with my eyes open, Alastair thought, I couldn’t see this petty goblinoid. What defense will I have from the shadow?

After the battle, Alastair and the rabble he fought it with were summoned to meet Councilman Troyas to discuss ending the goblin attacks. They were hired to find a number of kidnapped people and a number of town artifacts. After the discussion with Troyas, the group interrogated a hobgoblin. Alastair put up a pretty show for the creature, dancing around and pretending to conduct a rite in the name of the stars to make him speak. He got into it, but eventually the creature mentioned a dangerous subject (his mother) and Alastair had to make a dignified exit, leaving the rest of the interrogation to others. The group had extracted one important piece of information however… the goblin leaders were at Rivenroar castle, north of Brindol.

Travel to Rivenroar (10/8/08)

Alastair and his followers surveyed Brindol for their next step. Asking around about Rivenroar, they found information at the Hall of Valor. Apparently it was a castle started by three noble families. They hadn’t survived and the castle was in ruins. Up the river, past Elsircross and Red Rock.

Leaving Brindol, Alastair’s followers found nothing of use at Elsircross - the hayseeds knew nothing of goblin attacks. Proceeding to Red Rock, Alastair was forced to stay in a nasty little dwarven inn, but overcame his unhappiness with the accomodations the next day and helped his followers look for information in town. Unfortunately, the dwarves knew the general direction of Rivenrock but didn’t offer any help, so Alastair and his followers were forced to set out through the foothills alone. Approaching Rivenrock, they were attacked by lizard-like burrowers (he later realized they were called Kruthik). Alastair blazed with the light of the stars in this battle, killing many of the creatures himself and absorbing their life force each time. Finally the battle ended, and many creatures were destroyed (most by the eldrich power of the warp). Alastair and his followers continued on, finally reaching Rivenrock that day, but decided to rest before continuing into the ruins of the castle.

Current Wish List

Alastair desires power, and doesn’t care from where. His main interest right now is finding a pact blade or rod (corruption, reaving) to help him hurt his enemies. After that … knowledge perhaps? Although he doesn’t have ritual casting… maybe a nice amulet or cloak might help him stay safe in these dangerous times. And an enhancement to his leather armor, so it protects him better from enemies creeping up behind him.

Printable Character Sheets - remove txt extension to see/use

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