Sathias Firevale
Sathias Firevale
A striking elven sorcerer with golden hair and eyes. Though he is extremely powerful with magic, he spends most of his days living a simple life in the small town of Stonegratten, running an inn which he owns. In truth, he is a bastard of the Nelleneth noble house, and his power comes from his draconic ancestry, which traces back to the Ancient Gold Dragon, Synssenthia.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
While not particularly athletic, Sathias is slender, fit, and healthy.
Facial Features
Glowing golden eyes
Special abilities
As a dragon sorcerer, Sathias has magic in his blood. He can cast a variety of spells, but most often wields fire, which conjures as more powerful, golden flames. He also has the ability to grow draconic claws, wings, and breath fire. Recently, he has even gained the ability to transform into the form of a small dragon completely, giving himself all the powers of the legendary beasts.
Apparel & Accessories
Usually wears plain human clothes, typical of a tavern owner in a small town of Grattenmar. He also owns fine clothes from his life in Nelleneth, but they are a few decades out of style.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Early Life
Sathias was born in Nelleneth as the bastard child of Raeneus Firevale, the head of the Firevale house, and a household maid named Sumina Keylynn. This causes quite a stir in the Firevale household, since Raeneus was already married to Terasynora Firevale, and the two had yet to successfully produce an heir. Sumina was fired and sent away, but nonetheless, Sathias was allowed to stay, and was raised within the walls of the Firevale estate. Growing up, Sathias was relatively isolated, treated like an embarrassing mistake by his father, and a hated reminder of her husband's adultery by his step-mother. He was given comforts and an education, but kept out of the public eye due to the scandal he represented. Thus, the occasional visits his mother was allowed were some of the few happy parts of his early life. A few decades after Sathias's birth, his step mother, Terasynora gave birth to a "proper" child of the Firevales, Alenia Firevale, Sathias's half-sister. With a child of her own, Terasynora became much less cruel to Sathias for a time, showing him no love, but tolerating his existence. Sathias began being groomed to be a family assistant to his half-sister, making many public appearances at parties and social gatherings as a Firevale child. Having been allowed little social interaction as a child, he took to it, becoming a talented socialite, even as young as he was. His powers also began to appear, and he was immediately talented, giving Terasynora great hope for the talent of Alenia. The two half-siblings even got along well as they grew up together, and she was the only member of Sathias's family that seemed to enjoy his presence, even if Terasynora disproved of their time together, and actively kept them separate as much as she could. Shortly before the end of Sathias's first century, however, his mother passed away, dying quite suddenly of an unknown illness. For years, Sathias was heartbroken, throwing himself even deeper into the role that had been laid out for him, and meeting as many people outside of his family as he could, to make up for the loss he felt. He became well known around Nelleneth in his teenage years, often dressing as and pretending to be a commoner to make friends and enjoy the simple life his mother had. However, towards the end of Sathias's teenage life, his step-mother's opinion of him turned to the worse. While Sathias just became more and more talented with his magic, the legacy of the Firevale line, Alenia was struggling, her results underwhelming. Old wounds were opened, and Terasynora's jealousy came back with a vengeance. She treated Sathias more cruelly than ever, actively hating him as if he was personally responsible for her daughter's lack of talent. Eventually, she gave her husband an ultimatum. She wanted Sathias disowned, or she would leave, and take his heir with her. Raeneus tried to reason with her, but Sathias had had enough. No longer wanting to stay in a home that didn't want him, he agreed to leave, only asking that he be allowed to keep his name. Terasynora agreed, and Sathias left the house, the city, and the country altogether. He traveled south, to the human kingdom of Grattenmar. As an elf, he wasn't very welcome in much of the human-centric lands, but that was nothing knew to him, and his own charming nature convinced many people to change their prejudiced way of thinking. He wandered the country for a few decades before eventually settling in a small town named Stonegratten, building himself an inn called the Dragon's Nest.Adventures in Stonegratten
Sathias spent a couple decades peacefully running his inn. He made friends with many people in town, such as Milly, the owner of the general store, Paris, the local weapon smith; Dolgur Thunderstout, a traveling beer seller who supplies the tavern; Greywyne, an older dwarf who became a regular at the inn writing his autobiography as he ate his meals and drank his beer; Nora, the eccentric young nun of Erastil who would occasionally manage the inn for him when he was on errands; and finally Fritz, a gnomish alchemy student and talented chef, who Sathias hired to be the cook in his inn. Things began to pick up in the year of 3552, when a particularly vicious gang began to move into the small farming community of Stonegratten. At first, Sathias was content to leave them be, occasionally chasing the rowdier ones out of his inn. Around the time of their arrival, a mysterious girl appeared as well, dressed all in black and carrying two swords on her back. Her name was Trisha. She visiting the inn briefly, giving away little about herself other than that she was looking for a man named Targren, which was fine by Sathias, since he didn't like to pry into people's business anyway. Soon after, Fritz told Sathias that his reckless cousin, Fritin, had gotten into some bad gambling debts with some of the new gang members in town. Later that night, while on a walk through the streets of town, Sathias heard a cry for help and stumbled on a kidnapping, the assailant making off through the night on horseback with a gnome-sized bag slung over his back. With a flash of magic, Sathias broke the bag and spooked the horse, rescuing the victim while the assailant fled into the night. Fritz soon came running down the street, and as the bag was pulled open, a disheveled Fritin emerged. Fritin told them both that she'd had a bad losing streak, and now owed a whopping 1,000 gold to the local gangsters, to be paid in a week or else. Neither Fritz nor Sathias had anywhere near that kind of cash, but Sathias agreed to help his cook and friend save her cousin from mob violence (even if it was kind of her fault). Fritz went home to make potions as quickly as he could, while Sathias brought Fritin with him to find odd jobs that would pay out quickly. The two got themselves hired as guards for a small merchant family, who wanted to take an unpatrolled shortcut through the forest to get to the nearby city of Sordale before the competition. Along the way, Sathias and Fritin fought off a pack of goblins who attacked the cart, and Fritin discovered she had talent as a bard, playing her pan flute to inspire Sathias and tossing a knife to take out one of the attacking goblins. Sathias helped train her magic as they continued to adventure together. On the first night, the merchants chose to camp in an abandoned watchtower, where they found another group of travelers to Sordale. Among them was Trisha, who had decided to go to Sordale to gather more clues about the man, Targren. She seemed strangely nervous as everyone laid out to sleep, and turned on a bright oil lamp next to her before going to sleep herself. Annoyed by the brightness, one of the children of the merchant family snuck over and turned off the lamp. Suddenly, the darkness itself began to rise around Trisha like smoke, she awoke with a scream, and a giant, two-headed demon dog appeared. It pounced on Trisha, trying to devour her, and slashed the merchant boy with its claws. Sathias jumped in to help and with the help of Fritin and Trisha, managed to burn the creature to ash. The other travelers were terrified and furious, aiming it all and Trisha before Sathias managed to calm them down, saying that he would watch her outside the tower, while Fritin healed the boy. The two went to a stable, and Trisha told Sathias that she was cursed, marked for death by demons when she was only a child. She had a mark on her back which, when she slept in darkness, would summon demons to devour her. The man she was hunting, Targren, was one of the men who'd placed the curse on her, and killed her entire family in a dark ritual. She wanted to leave, but Sathias insisted she stay. He created light with magic and offered to keep it up all night, watching over her while she slept. When she voiced her surprise at his kindness and acceptance, he told her that he understood what it was like to be disliked for something you couldn't help. Trisha enjoyed her first restful night in years. Trisha stuck with Sathias and Fritin as they finished escorting the merchants to the city of Sordale, receiving their reward. Trisha left to search for clues, and Sathias and Fritin picked up another job, finding a missing noblewoman in a nearby forest. After a bit of exploring, they found her captive to the same tribe of goblins that had attacked them on the road. After a short fight, and a few firebolts, the goblins, and the ogre leading them, were vanquished, and Sathias and Fritin headed back to Stonegratten. There was bad news upon their return, however. As they got back to the inn, Nora told Sathias and Fritin that the gang had Fritz had been kidnapped in Fritin's place, and the due date had been pushed up to tomorrow. Fritin was distraught that her cousin was now in danger because of her, and Sathias was getting angry. Still though, he thought they could pay it. Now desperate for time, Sathias and Fritin took on an even more dangerous job, clearing out an ancient tomb that had been discovered in the local quarry. Before they left, Fritin, now completely determined to save her cousin, stormed home, and came back wearing fine gnomish armor, a magical cloak of protection, and a shortsword at her side. She revealed to Sathias that the armor belonged to her father, and that she and Fritz were actually royalty-turned-refugees from the gnomish kingdom of Albion, before it was taken over by the armies of Heimdar some forty years ago. She'd tried to forget all about it, losing herself in part time jobs and gambling, but was ready to pick up her father's sword if it meant saving Fritz. Sathias encouraged her, and the two headed off together. Venturing into the tomb, they discovered it was from the ancient dragonborn empire, specifically the tomb of the final dragonborn king. They explored it, fighting ancient skeletons, the reanimated mummy of the king, and even some kind of blood golem that regenerated from any of which (the latter was only dealt with by locking it in a magical furnace which kept it in a state of burning and regenerating for all eternity). Finally, they reached the deepest part of the tomb where they discovered the corpse of a dragonborn woman chained to a stone pillar. Reading the ancient writing, Sathias learned that she was the Queen of the dragonborn Empire's last king, that he was an evil tyrant and she had betrayed him, killing him with a dagger given to her by Bahamut. As punishment, her soul had been trapped in her body for all eternity. Speaking to the spirit, the ancient dragonborn woman begged him to end her suffering, and he did, stabbing her with the very dagger she'd been given, which he's kept since. As she passed on, the magic left the tomb, and the rest of the undead went back to rest. From the tomb, Sathias and Fritin found of a variety of loot, such as a gold breastplate of flight, a magical orb that controlled the wind, a crystal that could absorb the spells of others, the magic circlet that Sathias still wears, and more than enough treasure to pay back Fritin's loan. The two went back to Stonegratten, and found Trisha waiting for them. While in Sordale, she discovered that Targren was in fact the leader of the gang that had moved in to Stonegratten and were threatening Fritin's life. She asked Sathias to help her kill him. Surprised, Sathias agreed to help her bring him to justice, but insisted that rescuing Fritz was their first priority, and that they would start by trying to pay off the debt. Trisha, though anxious to find her first target, agreed to trust him. Together, the three of them met Fritin's gambling contact, and were led to the gang's hideout, an abandoned farmhouse on the edge of town. They were brought inside, and brought before Targren himself. And tied to a chair nearby, was Fritz, beaten to an inch of his life. Targren revealed that he'd tortured Fritz for information, and discovered that Fritin was the princess and heir to old gnomish kingdom of Albion. He no longer cared about the debt and demanded that Fritin turn herself over, so he could ransom her off to whoever wanted her, whether they be gnome or Heimdar. For Sathias, seeing that his friend had been tortured was the last straw. Eyes flashing gold, he summoned twin spheres of flame and attacked the gangsters surrounding them. The whole room erupted in violence, with Trisha fighting her way towards Targren, Fritin freeing Fritz, and Sathias burning down the criminals in a wave of golden fire, nearly burning the whole house down with them. Targren tried to run, but Sathias shot him down with magic missiles before he even got the chance to escape, killing him unceremoniously in a hallway. He apologized to Trisha for stealing her revenge, but she was just relieved that he was dead, the first line appearing on her curse mark. While Fritin healed Fritz, Sathias and Trisha decided to clear out the rest of the farm house. Upstairs they found a magical safe full of ill-gotten gold, and an enchanted hearth that the thieves had been using to teleport to and from the hideout as they committed crimes all over the country. Sathias added both to his inn. In the basement, the two of them discovered it was full of demons, guarding Targren's personal chambers. They killed them all, and in his room they found a noblewoman from Sordale being held captive, along with a blood-red grail that gave off malevolent power. Trisha recognized it as one of the devices from the ritual, and as they approached it, Targren suddenly reemerged from inside the cup, this time in his demon form, a bulbous pod covered in eyes and spikes, with a dozen spider-like legs stretching beneath it. Sathias and Trisha killed him for a second time, and then Sathias destroyed the grail with a blast of fire, melting it into burning black sludge. Rescuing the noble woman, Sathias and Trisha met back up with Fritz and Fritin, and all returned to the inn, where Nora began to care for Fritz's wounds. Now safe, Fritin hugged Sathias in tears, thanking him for saving her cousin and her and pledging eternal friendship to the elf. He told her that that was all he could ever want, and he was looking forward to when Fritz could come back to work. While Fritin and Nora took care of Fritz, Sathias and Trisha escorted the noble woman back to the city. To their surprise, Queen Sandella Runs herself showed up to thank them, the noblewoman being a personal friend of hers. Sathias asked about a maned named Targren on Trisha's behalf, but the Queen had heard nothing about it. Sathias spoke with the queen for a little while, and thought she seemed strangely sad about something despite her friend being alive, but their conversation was cut short by the Queen's escort who didn't want her seen speaking too long to an Elf. Sathias and Trisha were unceremoniously escorted away and given only the small reward posted for information. Trisha was bitter that they'd been treated badly, but Sathias stayed positive, and used the money to buy himself a Hat of Disguise, before they made their way back to Stonegratten. Once they were back, Trisha turned in to rest, while Sathias went to report to the mayor that the local gang had been taken care of. To his surprise though, the mayor had gone missing and half the town was looking for him! After a quick investigation, Sathias found that, while expanding his basement, the mayor had stumbled upon yet more dragonborn ruins, released a ghost of some kind, which had kidnapped him and gone north. Sathias reluctantly decided to go to his rescue, and when he went back to tell his friends, Nora insisted on coming with him, saying it was "unfair" that everyone else had gotten to go on adventures with Sathias, and that Sister Nancy never let her do anything fun! So, he let her tag along, and the pair went north. Along the way, they were attacked by zombie ogres the spirit had raised. Sathias moved to protect Nora, but to her surprise, she touched a holy symbol of Llomedai, the god of justice and valor, hidden beneath her nun's robes and it summoned a suit of full armor around her body, and conjured a huge great hammer in her hands. Using her clerical magic to enhance her strength, she attacked the zombie ogres, and the two of them together made quick work of the undead. When Sathias asked her why she had such a magic item, Nora admitted that she'd stolen it from one of the young paladins that often make pilgrimages to the local temple of Erastil, a sister goddess to Llomedai. She told him that because she was "weird" and "odd", people usually avoided her, and didn't like having her around, except Sathias of course. But a few months ago, all of a sudden, a visiting paladin around her age started talking to her, and seeming interested in her. But, shortly after she got her hopes up, she overheard him talking to his friends, who had dared him to try and seduce the "oddball" nun. As a bit of petty revenge, she played along and slept with him, stealing the holy symbol off the nightstand and sneaking out in the early morning. He got in a lot of trouble for not being able to explain where he'd lost it. She'd only found out it was magic afterwards, and figured she could use it better than he could. When Nora was done, she nervously asked Sathias if he thought she was a bad person, and he told her she wasn't. That the guy had it coming and it was a funny prank, and that he knew what it was like to be bullied too. Nora was happy with the sympathy, and the two continued on their mission. Reaching a small ruin deep in the forest, Sathias and Nora descended underground. As it got dark, Sathias offered to make a light, but Nora admitted she could see fine in the dark, and Sathias noticed her eyes were glowing white. He thought this was odd for a human, but kept it to himself. Underground, they found the shadowy specter raising corpses and, noticing that it avoided sunlight, Sathias blew a hole in the ceiling, evaporating the ghost in the light. They rescued the mayor and brought him back to town, and he was so grateful to Sathias that he fell madly in love with him, much to the elf's dismay. When they returned home, Fritz was finally back on his feet, and he made the same pledge of friendship as his cousin. Sathias and his friends enjoyed a night of celebration. In the morning, Trisha had packed her things, and told Sathias that she was going to hunt down the next man on her list, a man called Dalio, that she'd heard may be further east. She thanked him greatly for his help and kindness. Before she left, Sathias gave her a new lantern he'd enchanted to glow forever, so she wouldn't have to worry about it burning out or falling over. She gratefully accepted it, touched again by his generosity, and the two exchanged fond farewells.The Gnome Rebellion
Over the next year, word got out that there were dragonborn ruins buried all over the area around Stonegratten. Adventurers and treasure hunters from all over the country began coming to the town to explore the many crypts and catacombs found beneath. In her adventures with Sathias, Fritin found that she loved the adventuring lifestyle (after all it was even more exciting than gambling), and began doing it full-time, teaming up with all sorts of adventuring parties that came into town. Sathias though, stayed out of it, choosing only to expand his inn for the increased traffic. Fritz finished alchemy school and became a full-fledged alchemist, forcing Sathias to hire a new chef, a tiefling man named Zar Megas from the south, and an assistant manager, a gruff dwarf woman named Agna. Things were busier, but he was back to his simple life. Until, that is, another unusual traveler came walking in his door. A strange man with a shaved head, a black hat, and a wide smile sat at his bar and checked into a room, asking if it would be alright to bring "company" back with him later. Sathias charged him a little extra, but then asked cryptic questions about any "interesting women in town" with "dark hair", or maybe "a lot of scars". Finding him suspicious, Sathias played verbal games with him back and forth, but couldn't even manage to get a name out of the man. They were interrupted by Nora, who came over to talk to Sathias. The man immediately took an unusual interest in her, and he expressed it, chatting with her quite a while, and she responded amicably, seeming almost enchanted by his words. As night came, the man retired to his room. Sathias warned Nora that he thought the man was dangerous, and she seemed surprised, but agreed to stay away from him before heading home herself. Unable to shake his odd hunch, Sathias went up to his own room and stood watch by the window, and sure enough, after a few hours, he saw the man sneak out the window below. Taking the opportunity, Sathias went to the man's room and went inside, only to be attacked by a pair of women brandishing swords and wearing strange collars around their necks. Recognizing that they were charmed, he dispelled the collars, and both of them broke free, confused as to where they were and why they were here. The last thing either of them remembered was the man in the hat coming to talk to them. Putting things together, Sathias raced after the man, following his trail to the temple of Erastil. Bursting inside, he found the man, Nora already in his clutches, with a knife to her throat. Two bearded demons stood at his side, one standing over the wounded body of Sister Nancy, who called out to Sathias for help. The man revealed that he was, in fact Dalio, the second man who'd performed the ritual that had cursed Trisha. He'd found out that Targren was killed and came here to eliminate those that did it, including Sathias himself. As for Nora, he found her to be an interesting specimen, revealing that she had angelic blood, and intended to keep her as one of his "pets". Dalio ordered his demons to kill Sathias, and they attacked, setting the church on fire with their flaming pitchforks. Sathias fought with them for a bit, then shot straight at Dalio, freeing Nora from his grasp. She healed Sister Nancy, and the older cleric unleashed a lightning storm that killed the demons. Sathias blew Dalio straight through the stained glass window with a fireball, and then jumped out after him, confronting the man in a yard of broken glass. Dalio tried to teleport away, but Sathias caught the spell in his spell-stealing crystal, and forced Dalio to use his last resort, a Ring of Recall, and he vanished. However, the ring left a fragment of magic in the air, and after examining it, Sathias discovered the exact location it had brought him. He helped Nora and Sister Nancy escape the burning building, and then asked if they wanted to help him chase after Dalio. They were very willing. Casting the teleportation spell he stole from Dalio, the three of them appeared in a secret backroom in some kind of palace. Sneaking out the door, they found Dalio, now in his demon form, a tall, green-skinned, lanky horned demon covered head to toe in long spines, angrily barking orders to a human man in fine clothes. After listening in for a moment, they learned the man was the Viscount of a place called Nordheim, the Heimdar colony that had once been the gnomish kingdom of Albion. Having heard enough that the man was a conspirator to Dalio, the three of them burst out of their hiding place and attacked. Sathias threw fireballs, killing the Viscount and injuring Dalio in the process. Sister Nancy wrapped him in vines, while Nora charged ahead and attacked with her battle hammer. Finally, in one last blast of flame, Sathias killed Dalio as well, taking the magic Ring of Returning off his corpse. Mere moments after he was dead, the front door burst open, and Trisha appeared, swords drawn and ready to kill Dalio, only to find him dead already. To her surprise, Sathias was here, and he sarcastically apologized for stealing her kill twice now. She was just happy to see him, and told him that she had snuck in here to hunt Dalio down. The second line appeared on her curse mark. Hearing more footsteps approach, Sathias told Trisha to hide and turned her invisible. The door burst open again, and guards rushed in, led by a woman in a navy officer's uniform, who upon seeing the seen immediately arrested Sathias, Nora, and Sister Nancy. Trisha invisibly snuck away while the rest of them were captured. The three of them were brought to a dungeon underneath the palace. After a short time, Sathias was brought to a plain white room with the uniformed woman, as well as a robed court wizard. The woman introduced herself as Julianna Vos, the wife of the former Viscount, and the new Viscount of Nordheim. She admitted to him that she had no ill-will towards him for her husband's death, she had been aware of his collaboration with that demon and had been trying to find a way to act against him, and that Sathias had likely done her a favor for getting rid of her husband and the demon controlling him. However, she had to discover the elf's motives. She told him that the room had been enchanted so no lies could be spoken inside, and began to question him. Sathias told her the truth, that Dalio had attempted to kidnap a friend of his, and so he had followed and killed him, without originally intending on killing the leader of the island colony, or even coming to Nordheim at all. She then questioned him on if he had any connection to the active gnomish rebellion, or had had any contact with them in any way. Being the first time he'd heard of it, Sathias honestly answered that he had no contact with the gnomish rebellion (though he chose not to mention his personal friendship with a certain gnome princess). Juliana, reassured, told Sathias that he and his friends would be sent back to Grattenmar unharmed. Nora and Nancy were retrieved, and then Juliana escorted the three of them out of the palace, past the ruins of the gnomish royal house, and through the walled city of Nordheim. When they arrived at the docks, Juliana introduced Sathias to a privateer under her employ, a broad-chested half-orc named Captain Rufus. Rufus welcomed Sathias, Nora, and Nancy aboard his rowdy ship, and they set sail for Grattenmar. By the time they reached the port city of Seagale a few days later, Sathias had managed to befriend the crew, and they said goodbye as welcome passengers rather than prisoners. After arriving in Seagale, Sathias and friends left the city limits and used the pieces of his magic hearth to return to the inn. Sathias, Nora, and Nancy returned to a their worried friends, and told them about their short adventure. Fritin and Fritz especially were surprised to hear about the active gnome rebellion in their home country. Before they could decide what to do about it, the door to the inn burst open, and they were interrupted by about ten gnomes. They swarmed Fritin in excitement, cheering that they had finally found their long-lost queen. Once Fritz managed to calm them down, the gnomes explained that, since the Heimdar occupation, gnomes had been treated as second-class citizen by the colonists, and a large rebellion had formed recently to fight for independence. This company of gnomes had been sent to find the long-lost royal family, to help fight for their freedom. Fritin was overwhelmed by the sudden news of a life she'd tried to forget, and she looked to Sathias. Sathias smiled and asked her what she wanted to do. After thinking for a moment, Fritin decided that she wanted to see her home again, and at least try to help her people. She asks Sathias and Fritz to help her, and they both happily agree, with Fritz joking that as her cousin, he'd probably have to go anyway. Nora and Sister Nancy said goodbye, going back to the temple to help with repairs, while Sathias used the magic hearth to bring himself, Fritz, Fritin, and the company of gnomes back to the edge of Seagale. The first step was getting back to Nordheim. The gnomes admitted they had no plan on how to get back, so Sathias improvised. He and Fritin went tracked down Captain Rufus to a rowdy bar and, after sneaking past an active bar fight, asked Captain Rufus to smuggle their company onto the island. Captain Rufus liked Sathias, but was hesitant to risk such a lucrative business arrangement he had with Nordheim, so Sathias offered to trade him a magical orb that controlled the wind, which he had found in the dragonborn tomb a year ago. Realizing how valuable such an item was for a pirate like himself, Rufus heartily agreed, and after rounding up his drunken crew, took the gnomes on board and sailed back towards Nordheim. Rather than going back to the city's port, Captain Rufus dropped them off on a hidden beach on the south end of the island. From there, the company of gnomes led Sathias and co back to a hidden gnomish war camp deep in the forest, where Fritin and Fritz were reunited with their childhood teacher, an old gnome named Hutmy, who was leading the rebellion. At the same time, Sathias was reunited with Trisha, who revealed that gnomes had originally helped her sneak into the palace to kill Dalio, and in exchange, she had agreed to help them with their war effort. Just as Sathias was being introduced to Hutmy, the camp was attacked by Nordheim soldiers, who had also trained Trolls to attack. Sathias introduced himself by repelling the soldiers with walls of fire, and dropping the trolls into summoned pits of acid, and was met with cheers from the gnomes, excited their new queen had brought such a powerful sorcerer to aid them. Asking Hutmy about the war plan, he revealed that, before he died, Fritin's father, the king, had sent his crown back to the Fey Wild to keep it from falling into enemy hands. The crown, gifted to the gnomes by fairy king Oberon himself, had the power to control the enchanted forest of Albion, and that the gnomes would need this power if they had any chance to defeat the larger and technologically superior humans of Nordheim. Fritin, Fritz, and Sathias agreed to retrieve the crown and Hutmy led them to a portal to the Fey Wild. He gave them two warnings. First, that time passed differently in the Fey Wild, but as the royal heir, Fritin could keep them leveled in time, and if she stayed focus, they wouldn't be sent to the past or future. Second, he warned them not to eat, drink, or have sex with anything while in the Fey Wild, or they would be trapped there forever. Fritin agreed to stay focused, and joked that Sathias and Fritz would have to worry more than her. Ironically, the three of them ran into a group of bathing nymphs shortly after passing through the portal, and while Sathias and Fritz resisted their magical charms, Fritin was soon sprinting towards them while throwing off her clothes. What followed were several comical attempts by Fritz and Sathias to tackle a half-naked Fritin, but she had become so adept at ducking and dodging as an adventuring, that Sathias had to resort to paralyzing her with magic and dragging her away while the onlooking nymphs pouted with disappointment. Once they were far enough away for the charm to fade, Fritin was quite embarrassed, forced to rethink her sexuality, and could only hope that she wasn't unfocused long enough to send them too far off their time. Following the distant sound of music, Sathias, Fritin, and Fritz eventually found their way to Oberon's court, which was in the middle of a boisterous celebration, with all manner of creatures partying as guests. They stood before Oberon himself, overseeing the party from his throne, with an empty chair beside him, and after recognizing Fritin as the descendant of the first King of Gnomes, welcomed them as guests to his court. Politely refusing his offer of food and drink, Sathias asked for the crown to be returned on Fritin's behalf. Oberon was amicable to return what was hers, but admitted that he had misplaced it, and believed it now rested in a corrupted tower a small distance away, guarded by a dark fey creature called Lady Marrowick. Fighting their own hunger and thirst, Sathias, Fritin and Fritz ventured off to retrieve it. They found the tower a few hours later, in a gloomy part of the Fey Wild, where all the beautiful and vibrant plant-life had shriveled and died. Going inside, they fought past vicious darklings and redcaps, before meeting a strange little boglin with ladybug wings, who told them that he had seen the crown they were looking for, in the chambers of Lady Marrowick herself upstairs. Cautiously, Sathias led his gnome friends upstairs, having to get past a room full of mirrors, where elongated, claw-fingered shadows would emerge out of mirrors. Sathias defeated them by breaking the mirrors without looking at his reflection, and sure enough the creatures were trapped inside the glass. Searching the upstairs further, they found several crystallized bodies of nymph's, all with their faces shattered off. They looked for clues, and through a series of notes, journals, and love letters, Sathias deduced that Lady Marrowick was, in fact, Queen Tatiana, wife of Oberon, who had discovered that her husband was having a love affair with one of her handmaiden nymphs. Even worse, he had called her the most "beautiful of them all", and out of jealousy and self-loathing, she transformed into the wicked creature Lady Marrowick, and murdered the girl, along with the rest of her handmaidens. Since then, she'd locked herself in the tower, corrupting the nearby area with the power of her negative emotions. Seeing that this was a sensitive issue, Sathias told Fritz and Fritin to wait downstairs while he turned invisible and ventured to the top of the tower alone. There he found a large beauty chamber full of mud baths, and sitting in front of a mirror was Lady Marrowick, a hideous version of her former self, eternally brushing her hair in front of the mirror and sobbing with rage. Rather than attack her, Sathias spoke with her from invisibility. She hunted and chased the invisible elf throughout the room, but after a few attempts, his encouraging words about self-worth and not defining herself by her awful husband's opinions managed to coax Lady Marrowick into transforming back into Queen Tatiana. The corruption around the tower was cured instantly, and she thanked Sathias, before happily giving the crown back to Fritin. Most surprising of all, the little boglin that helped them was cured of his corruption and changed back into a happy little house brownie, who had forgotten his own name. Sathias named him "Harold" and offered him a place in his inn, which Harold happily agreed. With Harold in tow, Sathias, Fritin and Fritz left the tower to return to Oberon's court, joined by Queen Tatiana who wanted to "talk" to her husband. When they returned to the court, Oberon was happy to see them returning with his wife (he had, of course, known that Lady Marrowick was actually his wife and had hoped the newcomers would be able to cure her "hysteria"). It was not a happy marital reunion, however, as Queen Tatiana immediately told him off, saying that Sathias had helped her remember that she should value herself, and instead of aiming all of her anger at herself, should point it straight at him. She was beautiful. She was powerful. And more to the point, she should be in charge. Oberon only had a second to realize his plan had backfired before the two Archfey came to blows, having a demi-god battle in the sky while Sathias, Fritin, Fritz, and the rest of the party-goers watched the show from the sidelines. When the battle was over, Tatiana came out on top and took the throne, with Oberon grumpily sitting himself down on the smaller chair beside her. As the new ruler of the Fey Wild, Queen Tatiana crowned Fritin, naming her true Queen of the Gnomes, with all the powers that came with it, and also gifted her a talking unicorn steed, named Elias. Then, she gave all three of them her blessing, allowing them to eat, drink, and no longer worry about the time-warping effects of the Fey Wild. In celebration, Fritin insisted they stay for the party for at least a little while, and Fritz and Sathias went along with it, keeping an eye that she didn't get too caught up in the celebrations. While attending the celebration, Sathias was approached by a startlingly beautiful Elf, with oddly familiar golden hair and eyes. After coyly dodging the subject and asking many probing questions, she revealed herself to be his family's draconic ancestor, Synssenthia, and told him that she'd been watching him for a while now, and was very impressed, so impressed in fact that she'd decided to get involved in the lives of her descendants again. Sathias became uncomfortable, as he always did when his family came up, and told her he wanted nothing to do with the Firevales anymore. She responded with a smile, and told him she'd be watching over him nonetheless, before leaving him be and disappearing into the party. Sathias gathered a slightly-drunk Fritin and Fritz shortly after and the three departed back to the mortal world, riding atop Fritin's new unicorn. Upon their return, they found a very worried Hutmy waiting for them, and learned that, due to the incident with Fritin and the nymphs, nearly a week had passed since their departure. The gnome rebels, riled up by the return of their queen, had run off despite Hutmy's orders and launched an attack on a human village. Fearing for their safety, Fritin told Elias to hurry, and the unicorn took off at supersonic speeds, in spite of having three riders on its back. They arrived at the village within minutes, to find it already under attack by the gnomish forces, including Trisha. Rushing in to help, Sathias quickly vanquished the Nordheim soldiers with a few quick spells. The rebels, however, cried out for "vengeance" and began setting homes ablaze and rushing to attack civilians. Fritin was horrified, while Sathias, turning his wrath to their own troops, shot a huge fireball into the air, getting everyone's attention. With a face as stern as Fritin or Fritz had ever seen it, he warned them that they would not be engaging in such behavior, or he would take Fritin back home and leave them to die, or even fight against them if he had to. Trisha glared in agreement. The gnomes apologized in shame, and Fritin, for the first time realizing the true importance of her position, thanked Sathias for stepping in. Shortly after, however, they were interrupted as a small flying ship hovered its way over the village. Aboard was Viscount Julianna Vos, along with her guards and court wizard. With a word from his Viscount, the wizard summoned an enormous chimera in the center of town to attack the invaders. Not in a mood to play with the beast, Sathias dispatched it with a single disintegration ray, reducing the creature to dust to the surprise of his allies and foes alike. Then, he turned his focus to the ship in the sky. Juliana ordered the retreat, but Sathias flew after them, sprouting draconic wings from his back. The court wizard tried to ward Sathias away with giant, summoned bats, but Sathias simply blew them out of the sky with a fireball, and reached the flying ship. Touching it, he dispelled the magic keeping it aloft. The ship, and those aboard, fell, tumbling, out of the sky. Sathias flew down after Juliana, intending to capture her. The court wizard attempted to teleport her to safety, but Sathias countered the spell, absorbing it into his crystal of spell stealing. The wizard shouted for Juliana to use the ring and use their secret weapon. Reluctantly, she did, activating her Ring of Returning, identical to the one Dalio had used, teleported her back to the palace. The wizard's last act was to hold Sathias off for a few seconds with bolts of lightning, before he dying on impact with the ground below. Sathias hesitated a moment, questioning himself due to the wizard's sacrifice, but decided he needed to end this war as quickly as possible, for Fritin's sake. He used the Ring of Returning he took from Dalio, and teleported back to the hidden chamber behind the palace throne room. Turning himself invisible, Sathias chased after Juliana, following her trail down into the dungeons. There, he found a hidden chamber, which Dalio once used for his magic experiments and keeping the women he enslaved. It was now cleared out and guarded by Nordheim troops. Sneaking past them, Sathias found a shallow pool in the very back of the chamber, where Dalio's grail sat on an alter in the center. There, Juliana stood, about to activate the power of the grail. Fearing a repeat of the tragedy that had befallen Trisha's family, Sathias had no choice but to use his deadliest spell, the Phantasmal Killer. An illusionary phantom appeared before Juliana, and before her eyes, took the shape of her greatest fear. In her case, her father appeared before her. She gasped in surprise and disbelief, before the image of her father, reached into her chest, and stopped her heart. From everyone else's perspective, she simple collapsed, and all of the guards in the room rushed to her aid. While they were distracted, Sathias stole the grail, looked sadly down at Juliana, and then crept out of the chamber. On his way out through the dungeon, Sathias ran into a mysterious, large figure clad entirely in golden armor, with a helmet that shrouded his face in darkness. Sathias tried to sneak past him, but to his surprise, the man looked straight at the invisible elf and addressed him, introducing himself as "Leonidas". He asked Sathias to hand over the grail, and when asked why, explained that he planned to destroy it. Oddly, Sathias felt he was telling the truth, so he hesitantly handed over the grail, and sure enough, Leonidas's hand glowed with power, and he crushed the grail between his fingers. After that, he simply bid the elf good will, and walked past him, towards the body of Juliana. Sathias felt his suspicions of the identity of the strange individual, but hurried out of the palace. As he left, he saw the palace guarded by similarly golden-armored individuals, but of mixed races: a human, goblin, orc, and elf, all standing side by side. On top of that, they all wore black tabbards with gold highlights, and Sathias remembered hearing rumors about a southern empire that had quickly been expanding of late. Sneaking out of the rest of the city, Sathias met back up with the gnome rebels. Fritin, Fritz, and Trisha were all relieved to see him back safe, and he told them about what had happened. Trisha was perturbed at the mention of the mysterious figure, Leonidas, but stayed focused on the task at hand, and she thanked Sathias for stopping another tragedy. Ultimately, Fritin decided that, with the enemy Viscount dead and their leadership in disarray, now was the time to press the attack. Going to the edge of the forest, she activated the power of the crown, and much of the forest rose up as Treants and marched with the rebels north, to lay siege to Nordheim City. At the walls of the city, the commander of the city garrison parlayed with them, demanding the rebels disperse. Fritin, in response, demanded that the Nordheim army surrender, under orders of the true Queen of Albion. Negotiations came to a quick halt. The rebels then executed their battle plan. Fritin and her army stayed within sight of the front gates, with the Treats hurling boulders at the walls from a distance. While the Norheim army was distracted, Sathias and Trisha snuck into the city through a forgotten sewer passage, which Trisha had previously used to sneak into the palace. They traveled through the sewers, killing some demons along the way, leftover minions of Dalio, and emerged into the city. Disguising themselves as soldiers, Sathias and Trisha went to the city gates and activated the mechanism to open them, repelling all of the soldiers who came to stop them. Once the gates were open, Fritin, riding atop Elias, led her soldiers in a charge through the gates. Another Nordheim wizard appeared, and he cried out for the giant to be released. Suddenly, the middle of the street opened up, and with the clanking of chains, a huge frost giant was risen up from underground. It immediately attacked the rebels, smashing gnomes and treats alike with huge sweeps of its fists. Seeing they now had to fight a very large enemy, Sathias gave Trisha the Breastplate of Flight, spouted his own draconic wings, and the two flew out together. Trisha flew into the face of the giant, slicing at it with a flurry of blades, while Sathias fought the wizard, quickly defeating him in a duel of magic. Turning his attention back to the giant, Sathias flew up to it from behind and, using his crystal of spell-stealing, cast the teleportation spell he'd stolen from Juliana's court wizard and sent the giant 1,000 miles away, into the sea. It was never seen again. With the giant gone, Fritin's forces clashed with Nordheim soldiers, until a voice suddenly called out for them to stop. Overlooking from a nearby building, a hooded figure appeared. Sathias was surprised when he recognized her as Julianna Vos. And on top of that, she was flanked by two of the golden-armored guards that had arrived with Leonidas, a human and a goblin. She ordered her troops to surrender, and then called for Fritin to meet her in the palace to negotiate terms. The soldiers and rebels were both confused, but the fighting stopped, with the Nordheim troops laying down their arms. Sathias and Fritin both went to the palace together, and met with Juliana. Seeing her up close, they saw her now pale-skin, red-eyes, and the way she hid from the sun beneath a hood before going inside to shuttered windows. She explained that she had been brought back as a vampire by the Emperor, and he had shown her the truth, that Nordheim had been wrong to persecute the gnomes and that the world should be unified under the racial equality of the empire. Juliana had agreed to join him, and help him wage war on the colony of Nordheim's mother country, Heimdar, further to the north. For that, the Empire planned to use Albion as a naval base, a stopping point to resupply their newly-built navy on the long voyage to Heimdar. So, she gave Fritin an offer on the Emperor's behalf: she could have her kingdom and her crown back, if Albion pledged itself to the Empire as a vassal state. Albion would have to enforce Imperial law, but its citizens would have lighter taxes and be exempt from required military service. Racial equality would be enacted, so gnomes would no longer be persecuted, but neither could they retaliate against the humans who'd colonized them or seize their property, and any humans who wished would have to be allowed to safely return to Heimdar. Finally, Fritin herself would need to sign a blood contract, swearing her soul to live up to the agreements of the deal, and never attempt to undermine the Empire. The offer didn't seem great. Fritin didn't want to retaliate against the humans of course, but she and many of the gnome rebels had hoped to restore Albion to the way it was. The thought of freeing her country from one overlord, only to place it under another was unappealing, especially if she had to offer up her soul. However, Juliana warned her that if she refused, the gnomes may win their kingdom for a day, but would soon find themselves invaded by an even greater power, the Empire, and they would fall all over again. This was the last chance for them to have at least some of the independence they craved, and their kingdom back, even if mostly in name. As Fritin hesitated, Sathias poured over the details of the law they would enforce and contract Fritin would have to sign. He negotiated better terms for both, and demanded that more than just Juliana sign the latter, so the Empire could not easily back down from their end either. Juliana agreed, and left for a couple days to get the signatures. Fritin thought it over all the while. When Juliana returned with the revised contract, signed by the entire Imperial Council, including Emperor Leonidas himself, Fritin asked Sathias what he thought she should do. He told her that the deal seemed reasonable now, and practically, there was good reason to take it, but it was her decision to make, and he'd support her regardless, even if it meant fighting the Empire. Fritin was happy to hear him say that, and she made her decision. She'd had enough of war, and didn't want to subject her people to another invasion. So, she signed the contract, and joined the Empire as the Queen of Albion. Fritin and Juliana made the announcement together. Like any good compromise, many on both sides were unhappy, calling both women traitors to their nations. But after some convincing, most of the gnomes rallied behind their queen and forgave the humans, agreeing to live equally alongside them. Most of the humans, being younger than the colony itself, felt more loyalty to the island of Nordheim than the distant Heimdar, and agreed to follow Juliana and become imperial citizens. The gnomes who refused to forgive were warned that racism would not be tolerated, and the humans who still felt loyalty to Heimdar were, as Juliana promised, allowed to flee the country back to the norther islands, with the warning that their nation would soon come under attack. Juliana thanked Fritin for working with her, and the two became a sort of friends before Juliana left to meet back with the imperial navy. The very next day, the gnomes had a coronation for Fritin, in the ruins of her father's throne room, which she decided to keep as is, overgrowth and all, while she lived in Juliana's palace. Fritz was crowned too, as a prince, and he reassured his cousin that he would stay with her to help her rule, after all, she was very irresponsible with him not around. Of course, Fritin's first act as queen was to declare a celebration, and the entire country spent the next couple days in revelry, healing the wounds between Gnomes and Humans. Sathias and Trisha stayed for the celebrations of course, but as they ended and life began anew, it was time to say goodbyes. Trisha was the first to leave, saying goodbye to Fritin and Fritz, who both insisted that she write and come back to visit from time to time. She was surprised by their kindness and thanked them in turn. Sathias escorted her to the docks, and she finally told him what was on her mind. As Sathias had guessed, Emperor Leonidas was, in fact, the last man on her list. She revealed to him that he was once a half-orc man named Leonus, who her family had taken in and sheltered after he'd escaped from slavery. He'd been a teacher and mentor to Trisha growing up, so his betrayal was particularly stinging. For the longest time, she'd hated him the most, but hearing Sathias's account, that he'd broken Dalio's grail, that he'd established an Empire based on racial equality, made her think of the man she once knew, rather than the monster she'd made in her head. She was second-guessing his motives, and so she planned to travel to the Empire, and see the land he'd created for herself. Afterwards, she decide whether or not to try and kill him. Sathias offered to come with her and help, but she turned him down, saying that this one, at least, she wanted to deal with alone. Sathias respected her decision, and bid her a fond farewell, telling her to come back if she needed anything, and that she'd always be welcome at his inn. With a grateful smile, she hugged him and left on the ship, sailing south. Next, Sathias knew it was time for him to go. He went to Fritin and Fritz, in their palace, to say his goodbyes. Fritin was sad, and anxious about being on her own, and tried to make up any excuse for him to stay, but they were all minor problems he knew she could handle herself. He reassured her that she could do it, that she'd make a great Queen, especially with Fritz helping at her side. Realizing there was nothing she could do to make him stay, she instead gave him a gift, a royal portrait she'd had painted of herself. Sathias accepted it with a laugh, saying he'd be sure to display it prominently in his inn. In return, he gave both of them pieces of his hearth, so they could return to see him whenever it fancied them. Likewise, Fritin insisted he keep the Ring of Returning he took from Dalio, and to stop by once and a while. Finally, Fritin gave him a tight, teary hug, telling him that he was her best friend, and that she'd never forget how he'd helped her get back everything she'd ever wanted, and become the person she was meant to be. Fritz shared similar sentiments, and told Sathias that whenever he visited, he'd have a hot meal waiting for him. With that, Sathias said the last of his goodbyes, and tossed a bit of hearth into the fireplace, returning back home once again.Quiet before the Storm
In the year that followed, Sathias went back to his peaceful life, running his inn in the small town of Stonegratten. During that time, things were peaceful, and Sathias only dealt with minor issues, like saving the town from a fire-worshipping cult. But overall, things were uneventful, until three more unusual travelers came walking in his door...Education
Private tutelage in the Firevale household. Though he was a bastard, he was educated as would be expected for a high elf lord. An emphasis was given on how to control his powers, which he excelled at.
Employment
Since leaving Nelleneth, Sathias has been self-employed as an innkeeper in the small town of Stonegratten.
Intellectual Characteristics
Sathias is clever and smart, usually finding creative solutions to dangers and problems. He is especially good at understanding the feelings of others, and often uses his words instead of his flames to deal with other intelligent beings.
Morality & Philosophy
While good at heart, he tends to mind his own business, only stepping in when asked or when dangers begin to threaten his friends and home. However, he is always willing to help those in need who ask it of him.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Sathias wants little more than to live a quiet life, meeting friendly faces and protecting those that he cares about. He would be perfectly happy running his little inn in peace and quiet, if danger didn't keep knocking on his door.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes reading and good drinks. Unlike most elves, he is quite fond of dwarvish beer and whiskey, which is most of what he stocks in his inn.
Hygiene
Sathias keeps himself the way he keeps his inn, nice and clean. The rooms of his inn are always spotless (magically cleaned), and he spends a lot of the time he doesn't need to sleep grooming his own appearance. He spends a lot more time taking care of his hair than most men, even elven men.
Relationships
Wealth & Financial state
While he lives humbly, Sathias has collected a great deal of gold and valuables from his adventures, which he keeps carefully stored away in a bag of holding or magical safe inside his home. He occasionally uses the gold to small improvements to the inn or buys magical items, but, like a dragon, he mostly just collects it.
Alignment
Neutral
Species
Year of Birth
2926
244 Years old
Circumstances of Birth
Born out-of-wedlock between Raeneus Firevale and a household servant
Birthplace
Nelleneth
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Gender
Male
Eyes
Gold
Hair
Long, Golden-Blonde
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Lightly tan
Height
6'1"
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