Shauvon
Gaven Shauvon
A great explorer of old who mapped much of Western Unity with his partner Trendow. Each of them have a peninsula named after them. Shauvon is also remembered for singlehandedly 'constructing' a palace on his peninsula, which would later be turned into a real palace. His exploration party is largely the reason humans and aaracokras dont get along.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Being born in Highwick, Shauvon found himself raised in true medieval society. However this wasn't enough for him, so he set out with his best friend Hany Trendow to explore the world. In Valanche of 286 he would travel North into the Birchwood Hills before entering into the edge of the known world for Gracians at the time, the city of Lakerrun. From Lakerrun he got into a boat and sailed West (ending up South West), landing in what is now known as the Motionless Mire. He described the land as 'dirty' and 'wet', as true a poet of words he was, and discovered there wasn't much more any further South.
However, this wouldn't dismay him, even as Trendow begged for him to head home, as in Salvis of 286 he headed even further West, travelling the full extent of the mire and naming it during this time. He eventually found land that was not the swamp he and his exploring party had been trapped in for over a month, but a region of woods vast in green and beauty. Shauvon proclaimed the party to have circled the world, as this must be the infamous Royal Crossing, known for its such beauty and home to the nature god Jorden the Immovable, then proclaiming that "it is indeed a small world after all". This was until Trendow pointed out that the statement could not be true, as The Fortress would be visible from here, and that the idea that this was all there was to the world would be "most disappointing". This gave Shauvon a spike of inspiration to continue on his explorations, before the group was ambushed by wood elves.
Far away from home and civilisation as they knew it, the party found themselves prisoners and then servants of the wood elf tribe known as the Dasatones for three years, before the tribes camp was raided and they were able to escape in the chaos. Without supplies and in deep forest, the party stood little chance of survival, and yet they managed to make their way to what is now known as the Marsh of Coatimore, finally being out of what Trendow called the 'Dasatone Woods' when telling the story of their trip in his book.
They eventually reached the South-Eastern point of the marsh and saw the most glorious thing they had ever seen, Crescent Isle, a floating island in the shape of a crescent moon and waterfalls travelling down it on three sides, ships travelling up them as if it were not a vertical slope. Without a ship, they knew it to be impossible to travel there, to visit what was surely to great city of the air god Aeranus the Illusive, as mysterious as they were. So they made a raft and sailed to the nearby islands that were in the swampish water, rather than floating in the air. They discovered a strange looking ship moored in the water, a large form of trireme, wing metal forged into the shape of golden wings on the prow. The party managed to sneak aboard, finding bird-men taller than themselves sleeping below decks. Unfortunately for the party one woke up as they were below, in shock of seeing the humans, a species they had never seen before, it struck out with a sword on it's bedside and killed the party member Games Donnason, leading the rest of the crew to evacuate the ship on their dinghy and away from the islands, which Trendow would later name after their fallen comrade, Donnason Cay.
Sailing open in the large lake left them astray. They would remain on the waters for over a week before they eventually came upon land, but not before noting down islands seen across the trip such as a distant view of the Turcord Isles and Ameshaw Isle as well as closer views of the Isthmus of Glaswick and Lemsay Island. They eventually landed on what would become known as Shauvon's Peninsula, named of course after Shauvon himself. Exploring the peninsula, they found it connected to the West Spruceburn Plains, the region the party originally came from. This was the end of their first exploration mission, but it was not enough for Shauvon.
Shauvon would find love sometime in the 290s, meeting a woman named Ashva who hailed from the far city of Whitport on the other end of the West Spruceburn Plains. She loved him for his ambition and devotion to what he does, including her. They would have a loving relationship and marry around 294, Ashva helping Shauvon build a port and ship that would be used for his next exploration mission.
Many of the party would not join Shauvon again for his second exploration mission in 296, except for Trendow, who despite now being married joined his old friend on this journey. After getting a new exploration party together, full of young Gracians ready to set out on the world and searching for meaning and adventure, they set out from the new found peninsula right near the plains, which now had a bridge connecting it not far from the holy city of Rutariton. There was now a port on the coast of the land, from which they set sail in a small ship Shauvon built himself over the last few years, having gone mad from not being able to continue his self-designated mission.
After setting sail they quickly found the Turcord and Ameshaw isles again, as well as discovered Beresbalt Peninsula and Huddows Island, this time Trendow mapping the whole thing. However, unbeknownst to the crew, Shauvon had now directed the ship towards Crescent Isle in the hopes of reaching the forbidden fruit atop it's golden cliffs. Once Trendow caught wind of his plan he begged him to stop, but it was too late, Shauvon was too far gone and the men were young and ready to fight. As the ship reached one of the shimmering falls the ship stuck to the water like a foot to tar and began travelling vertically. But as they did the bird-men descended from their flying home, spears in hand, and spoke in a foreign language (later to be discovered to have asked them to politely turn around). As they could not understand them, they did the human thing and shot them down with bows, causing more to descend. Many of the crew were killed in the Battle of Shimmering Falls besides three, not including Shauvon and Trendow themselves.
The ship, which was almost irrepairable, floated back to the coast of the plains where many parents discovered their sons dead, and all lost faith in the ability of the great Shauvon, including Trendow. Trendow himself would travel North-West of Highwick, their home city, and settle a farm across from the Birchwood Hills, on a peninsula that would eventually be renamed after him, Trendow's Peninsula, due to his maps being the foundation for all maps of Unity. Shauvon however, would move North of his port on the peninsula he discovered, and founded a small town with his wife, who he now had a son with. In this town he began stacking mud together, which in his madness he called his palace, and created a wooden sign with badly painted letters depicting the mud hut as his palace. Shauvon would eventually die in his madness trying to swim to Crescent Isle, despite his wifes pleas to leave it be, but his memory would live on in annals and maps created by Trendow, who decided it best that Shauvon be written in a good light, to be a symbol rather than a lunatic with a fascination, Trendow only discovering his death from whispers travelling through the kingdom. The town Shauvon created would eventually become the city of Helmsfirth, and his mud palace would eventually be replaced with a real one, but maintain it's name in his honour. His descendant would go on to become an acolyte to Aeranus the air god, something Shauvon and Trendow surely would have a laugh about if they were alive to see it.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Explored much of Western Unity, being the first human to explore it.
Social
Family Ties
Religious Views
Followed Gracianity
Relationships
History
Both traversed the wild swamps and woods of Western Unity, though after Shauvon went mad Trendow lost faith in him. Despite this, he would go on to preserve his memory as the best it ever was, at his greatest, in his annals and maps.
Relationship Reasoning
Best friends from childhood.
Commonalities & Shared Interests
Partners in their exploration missions of Western Unity.
Alignment
Lawful evil
Species
Life
265
312
47 years old
Birthplace
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Gender
Male
Eyes
Green
Hair
Blonde, shaggy
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale white
Height
5'6''
Other Affiliations
- Common - fluent
- Elvish - fluent
Character Prototype
Similar to Zapp Brannigan, Christopher Colombus and the combination of Lewis and Clark.
Shauvon the Explorer
Shauvon the Mad
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