Toki Fardelver
Rebel, Rebirth, Renewal
"When I first met him he was a sullen and bony lad, on top of being kin to our enemies. His will and spirit were sharp though, and had I not already known that he would be my disciple I would have laughed aloud." - Recollections of Flevvin Fardelver, Green SpeakerFlevvin Fardelver of Ghal Ankhar had accomplished much in his life; he had been a master craftsman whose works fetched a prince’s ransom and the respect of his people. He had taken arms in defense of his nation against raiders and their fallen cousins in Cinderstone . By any measure he would have been a favorite candidate for leadership of his clan. However, dealings both political and financial were of no interest to him, and to drive home that point he passed on his craft and left the dwarven kingdom behind on a lone journey. His family thought him mad, but grudgingly allowed it. Few among his people felt the calling, but Flevvin had a strong connection to the stone of his mountain home even by the standards of the dwarves, and after nearly two centuries came to the realization that it was only a part of the whole picture. Having done all he could in the place he’d lived and protected his whole life, he sought to seek out the rest. He spent a decade wandering the continent, learning from the few druids and rangers he came across to draw on the waning power of Tairos, and in turn how to nurture it even as the soul of the land declined due to the Queen's Rebuke . Flevvin traveled as far as the Rylan Woods and the Queen’s Scar, making lasting friendships in Frostmere among the totem worshippers there. He was one of the few outsiders that earned their respect. It was rare for one of his people to not only care little for profit but to give due reverence to the spirits of the land. Eventually, he decided to settle, choosing a wooded area that he could tend to, not too far from his former home, in hopes that someday others of his kin would see the value of returning as much as they took from their broken world. His small settlement was not overly far from a road to and from the mountain strongholds of Ghal Ankhar. This was by design; he was a hermit, but still liked interacting with his people, strange though they found him. One day, a patrol of dwarven soldiers approached and asked for respite for the night; they were traveling back to their fort after having repelled a raiding party of Stormlanders earlier in the day. This was not uncommon; Flevvi kept his doors open for any travelers seeking shelter. This time, however, the soldiers had with them a captive from the battle. In a cage atop a wagon was a boy that was no older than fifteen, though it was difficult for them to judge a human’s age at times. The boy did not struggle or complain. Flevvin was strangely intrigued and asked about his circumstances. The soldiers recounted the story, claiming that he was a green raider on one of the vessels of Ship Mullan out of the Stormlands. The fighting was vicious and he sustained harsh injuries and lost consciousness. When he awoke he claimed he remembered not a thing that had happened or even who he was. They were taking him back to their fort to decide his fate. Flevvin spoke to the boy, asking him why he was so calm. Resolutely, he responded that when told he was a raider that had attacked a dwarven settlement, and that his people were a scourge upon the civilized, he accepted this outcome and decided to pay whatever price was exacted on him. His interest piqued, he spent the evening talking to the boy, and learned he indeed could not remember his name, though he had scant memories of his life before, the harshness of its environment, the demands of his people, the violence needed for survival that ruled their culture. Specifics escaped him, but those lingering feelings remained. Flevvin needed no spell to tell he spoke true of his remorse; here was someone that had reached the natural conclusion of the limitations of his upbringing and the futility of a life of theft and killing. It was not unlike himself at the end of his accomplishments, different though their paths to this point have been. Brewing a concoction that would slow the heart to a crawl, he was able to persuade the boy to take it while the guards were otherwise distracted by their duties, convinced that he could not escape alone. By morning they found a corpse, having seemingly succumbed to injuries unseen by them before. Flevvin convinced them that he would handle the burial, and the soldiers eagerly left his settlement, glad to not have to deal with a prisoner that would likely have been executed anyway. When he awoke, he offered a home to the boy, and peace of mind from the troubles of a life he knew he had but could not even remember. He readily accepted. To hide his presence and identity, Flevvin allowed him to live in a hut deeper in his woods, teaching him how to survive off the land. Though his manner of speech and physical appearance was Storm Landing, the tattoo on his forearm marking him as part of Ship Mullan, a screaming harpy wielding a trident, could be changed. Flevvin used his magic to change its shape, but it was otherwise formless; that, he told him, would have to be decided by him when the time came. The next few years Flevvin taught the boy, whom he named Toki after the agelessness of the spirits of Tairos, as much as he could about druidcraft and training spiritual strength. Toki struggled with the former. He could draw power from the earth, but the fine molding of that power was difficult for him. He did, however, excel at turning that energy to combat. Memories of his brief time fighting on the seas and in competition with other Storm Lander youths had remained with him. Like muscle memory, his gift for martial techniques emerged, aided by the energy he could draw from the spirits around him. Flevvin was impressed, but sometimes worried that such a talent for violence might corrupt him. As time passed, his fears became assuaged; Toki loved competition, loved mimicking the movements of wild beasts, and he loved the freedom it gave him, but he also had a strong distaste for violence for its own sake or for attacking others without good cause. Eventually, hoping to hone the talents Toki did possess with those who could hear the whispers of the Totems better than even he could, he decided to take him to Frostmere. The cold regions of the north were a shock to Toki, but he also thrilled at the harsh environment, seeing it as a challenge to overcome. Flevvin entrusted Toki to the care of a Skald named Gunnhild, a sage woman that the dwarf had befriended in his time here. Though greatly suspicious of this young man and his apparent ties to their hated enemies, Flevvin’s word and Toki’s eagerness to learn more of the nature of the totems convinced the Frostmerites of his sincerity. Flevvin returned to his wood, promising to check in on him every so often on his progress. In honor of his surrogate father and teacher, Toki adopted the Fardelver surname. Skald Gunnhild was a strict teacher, moreso than Flevvin was, and with difficulty Toki furthered his education. He called feel the faint call of the totems in the raw environs of the north, and his awareness of their presence increased steadily. This came as a surprise to Gunnhild; it was difficult for even the most learned among them to hear the faintest calls because of the damage done to the land. As well, it took time to earn the friendship of the youths his age in the settlement, given their hatred of his people, but his bravery and toughness eventually won many over. There were frequent games and hunting in the north, and he participated with great enthusiasm. Several more years passed, and Flevvin true to his word visited a few times in between, marveling at his foster son’s abilities. Though true druidic abilities were likely beyond him, his path to empowerment from the elements granted by the totems was within Toki’s reach. A different path to his fulfillment than his own, but a worthy one nonetheless. Frostmere had become a second home to him much like Flevvin’s wood had before. Toki had taken to, between his training, becoming a scout with the other youths. It was during one of these jobs tracking a path for several visitors that he came across the famous adventurers Boligherst Rogahn and Liesl Zelligar, a rogue and sorcerer duo that traveled to the north on some mysterious business. With them was an assistant of sorts, a man near Toki’s age named Kamose Khafra. Being as learned as he was, he immediately noticed Toki was not native to Frostmere, and in conversations between them, learned of his training with the Skald on the totemic traditions. Greatly interested as he himself was seeking greater knowledge on the subject, he offered they pool their experiences to further their respective training. Toki thought the man a little strange, having never met someone from Baradrad, and sometimes difficult to understand given his formal upbringing. Still, he admired his intelligence and similar reverence to the natural power of Tairos, and so he agreed to their partnership and accepted a position with the odd adventuring pair. Not more than a few weeks after they arrived, however, disaster struck. An accident caused by Liesl’s reckless magic did great harm to the community. Though Kamose was able to recover items important to whatever scheme they were planning, the Frostmerites were furious even as the accident had also claimed Boligherst’s and Liesl’s lives. Kamose proposed that the two of them continue on and discover what they might have been looking for, which would lead them to the edge of the ruins of Carda and the vase forests that had swallowed their civilization. Toki, eager to further his training and with that challenge dangled before him, accepted. Though Skald Guunhild was also angered by the ice sheet disaster, she gave Toki her blessing to discover what he could in the raw nature of Carda’s woods, promising to let Flevvin know of his whereabouts on his next visit. With a companion as different as could be from himself but with a camaraderie forged by their quest to to discover nature’s powers, Toki continued on his path to fill his cursed past life with one of his choosing.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Unassuming and of average height, a first glance causes most to underestimate his prowess
Facial Features
Sloppily half shaven facial hair
Identifying Characteristics
A tattoo on his right forearm, or interlocking patterns separated by four cornerstones flowing towards the center
Mental characteristics
Intellectual Characteristics
Reacts more on instinct than any logic or thought out reasoning
Morality & Philosophy
Overly eager at times to help others, in part to erase the stigma of his origin, in spite of his loss of memory of those times.
Personality Characteristics
Likes & Dislikes
Friendly in a direct way, he is always trying to get others to train and compete
Hygiene
Goes through daily ablutions, though otherwise amateurishly put together
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Sex
Male
Gender
Man
Presentation
Masculine
Hair
Long and frequently tied
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tanned from his youth sailing the seas, it is now paler after time spent in the north
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