Raladyn

You do not wish this child among you? Who shall step forward to claim her from me?

— Raladyn, defending his decision to raise Sanosha

Raladyn was an elven warrior and champion of a small village named Masto Einor. He was the father of Sanosha, one of the Battleborn. His distinctive mithral helm, etched with eagle's wing's on either side, was the mark of his position as champion.

History

Raising of Sanosha

Raladyn, wearing the mithral helm that marked him the village champion, was tracking a tribe of orcs migrating dangerously close to the village. To his relief, the orcs passed by without even knowing they were being watched. He had just turned for home when he heard a cry in the forest. He discovered a babe, her blue-grey pigmented skin marking it as a half-orc, wrapped in furs and abandoned in the forest. Perhaps the child had been discarded, as orcs sometimes do to half-breeds, though it seemed more likely the mother had hidden it away to keep it safe. Either way, when the babe laid eyes on the elven warrior, she quieted, then smiled. In that moment, Raladyn fell in love.

When he brought the baby back to the village, Masto Einor ("Village of the Elders") some of his fellow elves questioned his decision. They demanded to know why they should take in the offspring of their enemy. All fell silent when Raladyn unsheathed his blade and quietly asked who would step forth to take the child from him. None did. The champion called his new child "Child of the Forest", or "Sanosha" in the common tongue, and raised her as his own.

Sanosha grew much faster than an elven girl, and far stronger as well. He taught her the ways of the forest, how to wield a sword and bond with the spirits of the forest animals. There were some who shunned her for being different and the other children would tease her for her blue-grey skin. Most, though, came to accept her in time. As a child Sanosha would sometimes take her father's mithral helm, with its beautifully etched wings, and run through the forests slashing at imagined foes, dreaming of the day when she would become the village champion, just as her father had. As she grew into a woman of prodigious strength there were few who doubted she would.

Yet it was not to be. One day, as Raladyn and Sanosha were returning from a successful hunt, they saw a column of smoke rising from their home amongst the trees. They ran through the woods only to find their home engulfed in a roaring inferno. They immediately sprang into action; Raladyn leading his people to safety, Sanosha moving rubble with a roar to free a family from their home. As they were pulling the last children from the healer's home, the tree above them broke with a resounding CRACK. With cat-like grace Raladyn shoved his daughter aside. Her last sight as she lost consciousness was her father, smiling, as the rubble engulfed him.

She awoke far away in another village, having been pulled to safety by other villagers. She was bleeding and broken, but alive. Weeks later, after her bones had knit, she returned to the smoldering ruin of her home to find her father's remains. She found bones where he had fallen, scorched and burned until they were unrecognizable, but no helm. Not knowing which was which she buried them all. Then, hefting her flail and shield, she set out to find a new tribe.

Death and Resurrection

After witnessing what he believed was his daughter's death, he buried the bodies and began to wander, searching for a way to bring his daughter back. He became dark and brooding, taking whatever work paid the most. He cared for nothing but saving his daughter. After several years of searching, he learned of a Netherese king who was supposedly buried with a rod that could raise the dead. He found a band of adventurers willing to tackle the tomb with him, and set out for the desert.

The party made it through the tomb, taking casualties along the way until only three remained: Raladyn, the wizard, & a thief. Unfortunately, they soon discovered that the tomb was not unoccupied. It had been taken over by a lich who quickly dispatched all three.

The lich was subsequently killed by Mirdanoth, and the rod taken to the shadow dragon's lair. The corpses remained in the lich's former tomb for years until discovered by none other than Raladyn's daughter, Sanosha.

The Battleborn recovered Raladyn's corpse and brought the man back from the dead. The warrior was finally reunited with his daughter. Though he knew that she had long surpassed him in martial skill & he could not go wherever she did, he swore that whenever the fighting was hottest, he would be there.