Bronwedor "Bron"
I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you. You see, I too am from Saerloon. My name is Bronwedor. And you killed my mother.
Backstory
Click to ExpandBronwedor’s father was a Sun Elf merchant & tailor named Galuven. His father was quite tolerant for a Sun Elf, believing that while Elven culture was superior to all others there were valuable lessons that could be learned from the lesser races. Galuven’s unorthodox views led him to trade frequently in nearby Saerloon (a city in Sembia). In one of these forays he fell in love with a stunningly beautiful human woman named Shannah, and the pair were wed.
Racism against elves is common in Sembia, and while they were willing to tolerate the merchant due to his exceptional skill & eye for fashion, there was no lack of disapproval of a mixed blood wedding. Shannah was a devoted follower of Selune, a fact she increasingly had to hide to avoid persecution from followers of Shar. Life was difficult for the couple, but despite the discrimination, they were happy.
Galuven named his first son (born in 1461) Bronwedor (Bronwe (Endurance/Faith) + tôr (Brother)) meaning literally “Brother of Enduring Faith” in his native tongue, in honor of his wife’s hidden faith. They later had two more children, another son named Edenor & a daughter named Arthes. More than any of his siblings, Bronwedor inherited his mother’s beauty & much of his father’s heritage, looking more elven than human.
Galuven insisted that his children be trained as proper elves. He retained private tutors and took trips to elven settlements with his wife to celebrate the holy days of Selune. Though Galuven meant well, this treatment further set his half-blooded children apart. The children were close, having very few friends outside of each other. Though Bronwedor loved his parents deeply (and knew he was loved in turn), a part of him also resented Galuven for the persecution.
As he grew older, Bronwedor rebelliously attempted to downplay his obvious elven blood. He kept his lustrous brown hair trimmed short and attempted to grow a beard (with only moderate success). He insisted on going by “Bron”, an adequately human sounding name. At 17, nearing adulthood, he decided to use the swordplay training he received as part of his elven cultural education & take up the least elven profession he could think of: He became a bounty hunter. Like many in his profession, he paid lip service to Assuran, the god of vengeance (though Bron did it more to “fit in” than from any true devotion).
Had things turned out differently, this period of rebellion & toy faith would have passed. But that was not to be. Not long afterwards Lord Governor Johannes took control of Saerloon. She stirred up anger against non-Sharan worship, which spilled out into even greater racism towards non-human races, and elves in particular. Things began to get dangerous, and Galuven & Shannah made preparations to flee. Galuven went ahead with the children to secure a home in an elven enclave while Shannah wrapped up affairs in the city accompanied by the two shop guards. Bron refused to leave, declaring in youthful arrogance that his father was a coward and that he would not run from danger. Thus it was that he was out pursuing a bounty, proving his courage, on the night a mob gathered outside of the tailor’s home.
The men, bearing torches and crude weapons, shouted for the elf to leave the city. Shannah, flanked by her armed guards, informed the men that her husband had done just that. The ringleader, an ugly human named Norgem, declared that the crowd should “help the elf loving freak out” by dumping her possessions on the street. Shannah watched as the men ransacked her home, her guards nervously fingering swords. She intended to pick through the wreckage once they had vented their rage…but then mob found Shannah’s shrine to Selune.
What happened next does not bear repeating, but Bron returned to his home to find his home burned to the ground. His mother’s corpse was nailed to what was left of a supporting beam, flanked by her two guards. The young man stumbled away, shocked, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. He fled from the home, as if putting distance could make the vision less real. He should have been there. If he had been there, he could have saved her.
He finally found himself in an alley, staring at a crumbling brick wall through eyes filled with tears. There, he saw a symbol carved into the brick: A coin with a two-faced head, the symbol of Assuran. In that moment, standing before the carving, Bron’s tears dried. His mother was dead, and he could not change that. But her killers walked free…that he could change.
It took years for Bron to fulfill that oath. He left the city (after stealing his mother’s body away to give her, and her guards, decent burials), searching for the power he needed. He discovered other followers of the Doombringer, some of whom spoke of otherworldly powers one that would grant power in exchange for service. When Bron returned to Saerloon, he did so as a Hexblade. Members of that mob began to turn up dead, each body found wearing a shirt of distinctively elven cut with the coin symbol of Assuran embroidered on the breast. Norgem was found nailed to a beam in the burnt remains of his home.
Bron left the city, grimly satisfied in his work. He sent word to his father, letting Galuven know that his wife had been avenged. Then he set out into the countryside. There were others who were denied justice. Bron would give it them.
Physical Appearance
Bron was a handsome half-elf who strongly favored his sun elf heritage. He has bronze skin & dark brown hair, which he kept cut short. He kept a small amount of facial hair, to further obscure his elven heritage...which, given his sharply pointed ears, was in vain.
Equipment
Bron was bonded to Night's Edge as part of his pact. The weapon, black as pitch and imbued with a certain level of intelligence, never left his side.
Personality
Bron was a man consumed by the need to bring justice & retribution (which, to him, were much the same thing) to those who could not get it any other way. His tendency was towards the violent forms of retribution, but he did not mete out harsher punishments than he felt the crime deserved. He resented his elven heritage, blaming it on some level for the death of his mother, particularly the arrogance associated with sun elves. Once he got final vengeance on his mother's killers he began to soften somewhat towards his bloodline.
Goals & Motivations
Bron sought to deliver retribution wherever his path took him. In the world after the Severing, he resolved to bring those who had taken the gods away to justice...No matter who that ended up being.
History
Bron joined with the party that would become known as the Hands of Fate prior to the Severing. He bonded strongly with Gavhal "Gavel" Stoneyes, who shared his zeal for punishment.
During the party's time near the Mines of Phandelver, they were tasked with getting certain pieces of information from a banshee who could see the future, in exchange for gifts of great worth. They were given two conflicting tasks, and the banshee offered only one answer. Bron, speaking quickly and charismatically, convinced the banshee to give him a second answer...which he used to ask the location of any of his mother's killers, if they yet lived, much to the chagrin of his party. He was granted a vision of a young boy who acted as lookout during his mother's murder. The vision showed Bron that the man had joined the mercenary company known as the Stray Thoughts and was on his way to fight at the Battle for the Sphere of Eternity.
Upon arriving at the scene of the battle, Bron & his friends, Gavhal "Gavel" Stoneyes and Adrick, pretended to join the mercenary company. There they found the mercenary. Bron engaged him in conversation to confirm his identy, before revealing who he was. The man tried to beg for mercy, swear he was only a boy...but his protestations fell on deaf ears. His corpse was marked like the rest, and Bron strode out from the camp, his step lighter. His mother, at long last, had been avenged. Assuron had smiled on him this day.
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