Rayne Gellar
Rayne Gellar
He is the youngest son of a Drow family. He was exiled for refusing to worship Lolth. He became a cleric of Talos for awhile and after a traumatic event lost his faith. He now follows Selune.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Rayne was born the youngest son of a low ranking noble Drow house. As a young man he learned that he was only half drow, but it was never revealed what or who his father was.
Rayne attended Melee Magthere but was exiled in his 10th year as he rejected Lolth and Drow culture.
Education
Rayne attended Melee Magthere but was exiled in his 10th year as he rejected Lolth and Drow culture.
Rayne Gellar: Exiled Drow warrior. Former cleric of Talos, currently cleric of Selune.
View Character Profile
Alignment
Neutral Good
Age
41
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Violet
Hair
Silver Blue
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Ashen
Height
5 11
Weight
165
Related Plots
Related Reports
- Session 20: The Black Marlin
- Session Eight: Flying along the Cloudwalk
- Session Eighteen: One Small Step
- Session Eleven: Seven Hells! It's a Space Lich!
- Session Fifteen: The Pirate Expanse
- Session Five: The Old Dwarf Way
- Session Four: Cloudhook Report
- Session Four: Forging Ahead
- Session Fourteen: The Search for the Black Marlin
- Session Nine: The Ferry and the Ruins
- Session Seven: Bipplebopple Darkmask IV
- Session Seventeen: Sea of Stars - Uchuu No Umi
- Session Six: Old Dwarf Way continued
- Session Sixteen: The Good Dog
- Session Ten: The Ancient Dwarf Dig
- Session Three: Forging Ahead
- Session Twelve: The Pirate King's Son
- Session Twenty One: Honagolin's Hidden Deck
- Session Two: Further in to Not-Blue-Alley
A Clerics new Groove or "that time the goddess touched my marble"
Rayne knelt in the blood-soaked mud, surrounded by the charred remnants of his fallen shipmates. The charged air, still sharp with scent of ozone, filled his lungs as he sobbed. Smoke from the burning ship burning his eyes. Despite the pain and loss he felt, he could feel his strength coursing through his veins. He felt the strongest he had ever been at that moment, all that strength meant nothing. As he looked upon the broken, burned bodies of his only friends in the world, he heard the voice of Talos in his head: "If they were worthy, they would have lived."
But Rayne refused to accept that. He defied Talos and shouted, "No! If I were worthy, they would have lived." With determination, he pulled a marble from his pocket, a token of his deity filled with a spark of divine lightning. As he yelled his frustration at the marble, there was a deafening crack of thunder, and the marble cracked in his hand, releasing the lightning into the smokey night air.
The crack of the thunder in his nightmare jolted Rayne awake from his meditation. Months, or possibly even years, had passed since that fateful night. The strength Rayne remembered from that night was now gone, rent from his body and soul after defying his deity. The pain he felt at the loss of his companions was but a dull ache compared to the overwhelming sense of loss he experienced after losing his divine spark.
The first few months after losing his Cleric powers were a difficult time for Rayne. Hiding in fear and shame, he struggled to come to terms with his newfound weakness without the destructive power of lightning at his command. In his desperation, he relied on his sword and the skills he learned during his years at the Melee-Magther. He found Irony in the fact that a useless runed sword he stole from his mother's treasure vault out of spite was the only thing currently keeping him alive.
The thought of giving up haunted him, and the temptation to use his sword to end his life rather than guard it ate away at his dark thoughts. However, something deep within him refused to let him give in, a spark of determination and resilience that kept him going, no matter how difficult things became.
Rayne, a third-born Drow male, had defied his family, his matriarch mother, and even the gods Lolth and Talos. Despite all he had lost, he refused to surrender, driven by a strength that defied death itself. He was determined to find a new purpose, a new path, and to regain his sense of self in a world that no longer made sense.
It was around the time Rayne decided to carry on living that he found himself having a one-way conversation with the moon. He would sit with no other audience than the moon in the sky, usually by the shore of the ocean, with his stolen sword in his lap and pour out the stories of his life. When he had these conversations, the blade would grow warm in his hands and he felt comforted like he was telling the tale of his life to an old friend.
On this night, like many of those nights, Rayne found himself leaning against a large tree staring out at the reflection of a full moon on the gentle waves of the Ocean. The nightmare he had just awoken from weighed heavily on his mind and he decided to tell the moon all about what he was feeling. He cradled his warming sword in his lap and recounted the events the led up to that fateful night. He told the moon about the loss he felt as he sat amongst his dying friends, the shame he felt knowing that his lust for power was what drove them to the fight that ended their lives. He recounted the disorientation and fear he felt as the life that he was living ended for the second time.
No tears fell this time as he came to the end of his tale. He realized that he finally had forgiven himself. While there was no excuse for his actions, he knew that his mind was poisoned by the time he spent amongst his people and further poisoned by the strength given to him by Talos.
He had forgiven himself and for some reason there was a hope in him that the moon could forgive him as silly as that seemed.
It was in that moment that he heard a voice, soft and mellow as the moonlight.
“There is no need to seek forgiveness from me, my child,” the voice said. “Forgiveness comes from within, and the strength to forgive yourself is one of the greatest powers you can possess.”
Rayne looked up, questioningly, at the moon. “All this time you have been listening to me?”
A name he had heard once on his travels came to the front of his mind, and he whispered a prayer. “Selune.”
As he whispered the name of the goddess, he sprang into a kneeling position, facing the moon.
He heard a gentle chuckle as Selune said, “There is no need for such formality, are we not old friends at this point?”
At those words, Rayne stood and looked up to see an exquisitely beautiful woman. She had dusky skin and shining, radiant lime-green eyes. Her hair was silver-blue and fell to her knees.
“What have I done, goddess, that you would look upon me with the favor of an old friend?”
“You have done many things, Rayne Gellar,” the goddess replied. “Some known to you and some unknown. Most you have done by simply being all the phases of your true self.”
“So you might see the sincerity in my offer of friendship,” she continued, “I will name three specific things.
“First, you spit in the eye of the Spider Queen and overcame the inherent nature of your race.
“Second, you found the strength to break the seductive power of Talos.
“And finally, you are traveling with an old friend of mine…”
Rayne looked around, surprised at the suggestion that he wasn't alone on this deserted beach. Selune chuckled mirthfully again. As she did, Rayne felt the sword in his hands grow warm again.
"Her name is Eclipse," the moon goddess declared. "I forged her and gave her life centuries ago. The tale of how she came to be traveling with you is long and sorrowful, longer and more sorrowful even than your own. She has a gift for you."
As the goddess spoke the word "gift," a rune on the blade lit up with gentle moonlight. "She has decided to gift you with an opportunity to be her bearer. This first rune is a taste of her true strength. Of the two of you at this moment, she is by far the stronger, but you will have to earn that strength."
Rayne looked down at the sword, which had become his only companion over the last year. "Eclipse," he said in an almost loving tone. His family had had this sword in their vaults for at least a century. They knew there was something special about the sword, but no one could even wield it properly. It never swung true, like it had a mind of its own. Rayne chuckled at that thought.
The goddess interrupted his reminiscing appreciation of his sword. "I too have a gift for you, Rayne Gellar. I can restore some of what was lost to you."
The thought of having his power restored hit Rayne like a bolt of both exultation and revulsion. While he wanted to be strong enough to make a difference in the world again, he wasn't sure he wanted to feel that destructive power course through his veins again.
"The power I offer you will be different than what you once wielded. While I can restore your abilities, the source of that power will change them in subtle ways."
Rayne sighed with relief, and the goddess smiled at him, knowing the turmoil that was clouding his thoughts currently.
"There are some stipulations if you are to become my Cleric, Rayne. First, while I restore the power you once held, you cannot progress any further down the path of a Cleric. The path you follow henceforth will be of your choosing, but it will be a martial path. Secondly, you must exhibit the qualities I expect of my followers:
You must embrace change in all its forms and adapt like the ever-changing faces of the moon.
You must act with kindness and compassion, always striving to understand and help others.
You must embrace your dreams and strive to create beauty and inspiration in the world.
You must accept what comes your way with serenity and peace, embracing the lessons that each new challenge brings.
You must be unwavering and merciless in the face of your enemies.
Rayne fell to one knee and earnestly spoke, "I swear to Selune to do my best to embody these qualities and to honorably represent you."
"I know that, child," Selune whispered. "You already are."
"You carry a memento in your pocket. Pull it out for me, Rayne."
Rayne reached into his pocket and pulled out a dull, lifeless, cracked marble.
Selune brightened and the silver-blue light that enshrouded her was so bright that Rayne had to look away. She reached out and laid a hand upon his shoulder, and as she did, some of her light passed into Rayne. A small speck of divine silver-blue moonlight lit up his cracked marble.
“You have taken the first step on a journey to redemption and growth. Embrace it, and the path will unfold before you. The light of the moon shall always shine upon you, guiding and nurturing you on your journey."
Rayne sat in silence, the weight lifted from his heart and the warmth from his stolen sword spreading through him like a comforting hug. He knew from that moment on, that he would never be alone, and that the moon would always be his friend and guide.
He stood up, feeling lighter and more free than he had in months. He sheathed his sword, took one last look at the ocean, and started to walk down the path that lay before him, ready for whatever lay ahead.
Rayne Gellar makes new friends.
Rayne
Since Selune revealed herself to me and restored my cleric abilities, I have been wandering the Sword Coast somewhat directionless. Last night, as I sat on the shore staring up at the full moon and talking to Selune (though she has never answered more than once), I was in the midst of expressing my desire to be of service in some way that would wash some of the blood from my hands. But, unexpectedly, the world turned inside out.
I found myself in the strangest of places, surrounded by the strangest of companions. I can only assume that Selune has a task for me among this party that claims to be saving the world from the return of ancient dwarven gods. The strange metal chambers I found myself in convinced me of the seriousness of their plight.
My initial reception among the party was less than welcoming, but by the end of the day I believe I was able to earn their trust. There was a strange Kenku warlock, named Offa, who was carrying around a talking head on a stick. The head was quite informative and useful. There was also a headstrong dragonborn Paladin, named Gorthax, who reminded me of my fallen companion, Jaehaerys. I hope his ambition doesn't burn so bright and his heart doesn't turn so cold. Lastly, there was a good-hearted druid, named Salina. While Salina was the most welcoming of the group, I believe her large cat companion wanted to taste my intestines. But by Selune, I will do all in my power to see that they succeed in their task.
My new companions and I made our way pretty effortlessly through this ancient dwarven base, finding marvel after marvel. There was a sword of light able to cut through solid steel, meat that had been preserved for 100,000 years, and even a chamber that our talking head guide assured us would alter our psychology to make us stronger. My desire to become stronger has been tempered by the tragedy I have seen, but still burns. I narrowly avoided the temptation to succumb to this offer of alteration, but at the last minute, I came to my senses just in time to face an invading force.
Three large metal-clad warriors attacked us. It was a close call, as these were formidable warriors. My new Kenku friend was able to restrain them, and thanks to Selune, I was able to call on my power to deal a fatal blow. It's strange how Selune affects the storm inside of me. Where once billowing storm clouds would roll in at my call, now there is just the mottled clouds on a moonlit summer's night. When I called down lightning on my foes, what once was a forked strike of jagged electricity now strikes as a beam of silver-blue moonlight crackling with electricity. The effect of the strike was not diminished in any way, as I channeled my full power into the beam, killing two of the three warriors outright, while crippling the third. With only the leader of the crew left to deal with, my new companions and I quickly dispatched him, and settled into our chamber to rest for the night.
Comments