Angcuru
First Post
It’s admittedly a bit long, but there’s a lot to say. Lotsa time and effort ahoy!
WARNING! SPOILERS FOR THOSE READING MY STORY HOUR!
Angcuru Melaroira (Ahn-koo-roo May-lah-roy-rah)
Neutral Good
Moon Elf
44th Level Ranger
193 years old as of 1551, Dalereckoning.
Physical Description: Angcuru is quite tall at 6 foot 3 inches in height, lean and heavily muscled at 192 pounds, but not over-imposing. He has light green eyes and shoulder-length auburn hair is tied into a single braid which rests on the back of his neck. His skin is of a light golden tan, save for a light bit of tattooing on his face.
Background: Angcuru is the bastard son of Bhaal, the dead God of Murder, and an elven woman who served in his clergy. He was not born out of love, but only for the purpose of being sacrificed to facilitate the return of his father. Raised by the sage Gorion in the citadel of Candlekeep, Angcuru was kept in the dark about his lineage, being told that his mother was an old friend of Gorion’s, whom had made Gorion promise before she died to take care of her son. This illusion was kept up for the first sixty or so years of Angcuru’s life, even as he aged twice as fast as a moon elf normally would. However, not being in the company of other elves by whom he could judge himself, and not being told of his abnormality by anyone in Candlekeep, he considered himself quite normal. Then one day Gorion suddenly told him that they were leaving, that Angcuru was in great danger. That night, Gorion was killed in an ambush, and Angcuru was force to flee for his life. His friend Imoen, who had been very close to Gorion and Angcuru, had left Candlekeep shortly after they had, met him at the site of the ambush, and together they buried Gorion.
Not being allowed back into Candlekeep, they turn to adventuring as a means of survival. Along the way they run into two old friends of Gorion’s; a married couple, Jaheira and Khalid, who joined them after hearing what happened. They were also later joined by Minsc, the hamster-loving warrior; Dynahier, a skilled mage and friend of Minsc; and Viconia, an exiled drow who struggled to stay alive on the surface. After a struggle with the evil Sarevok, an ambitious human with natural skill with a sword, who was discovered to be the murderer of Gorion and half-brother to Angcuru, as almost simultaneously Angcuru discovered his own divine heritage as well as Sarevok’s.
Shunned from Baldur’s Gate (the general location of the Sarevok Conflict) for his blood ties with Sarevok, Angcuru headed north with his friends and was soon ambushed and kidnapped. Later, they awoke to find themselves imprisoned somewhere underground, and escaped when their captor, an evil mage who had been torturing Angcuru with various spells, was assaulted by a large number of thieves. Only Angcuru, Khalid, and Minsc has escaped from the prison, as Khalid was found dead, Dynahier had been killed in their capture, Viconia was nowhere to be found, and Imoen had been abducted by mages along with their captor, Jon Irenicus, who allowed himself to be taken, for some unknown reason. It was soon discovered that Imoen had been taken by the Cowled Wizards, an organization of mages who enforced a strict no-magic policy in Amkethran, the Capital City of Amn where their captor had been based.
While searching Amkethran for information on how to free Imoen from the Cowled Wizards, Angcuru was approached by a man named Galean Bayle, who offered them a proposition. He told them that the Shadow Thieves, the local thieves’ guild, was willing to help them track down Imoen and provide transportation to wherever she may be, but for a price. While the price was a very large sum of gold, Angcuru was willing to do whatever it took to get his friend back.
During a long bout of adventuring to earn enough money to pay off the Shadow Thieves, Angcuru, Minsc, and Jaheira were joined by Keldorn, a human paladin of Torm who wished to help them right the wrong that had been done. Also, following an interesting battle inside an evilly enchanted circus, they were joined by Aerie, a timid Avariel woman skilled in arcane and divine magic whom had been sold to the circus by slavers, but set free once her wings rotted while in her cage and were cut off. Soon after meeting Aerie, they found Viconia about to be burnt at the stake by an angry mob, but Angcuru would not stand for this, and cut her free despite the crowd’s angry protests. A fight ensued, and Angcuru’s party was the victorious one. Angcuru had hoped that Viconia had forgone her somewhat sinister ways, but her relentless taunting of Aerie over her lost wings proved him wrong, and he sent her away. As the group traveled, Aerie began to confide in Angcuru about her past, since being outside of the circus and seeing the sky for the first time in a long while had brought back many painful memories, and many regrets. He consoled her as best he could, and they grew to be close friends.
About a month after they rescued Aerie, they received word from Aerie’s Uncle Quayle, a goodly gnome who had helped her during her ordeal at the circus, telling them that a friend of his needed their help. It turned out that his old friend was leader of a theatrical troupe, and that one of their number had gone missing. After a short ordeal involving much traveling of the planes, they found a freed Haer’Dalis, a tiefling bard who had an odd, free-spirited demeanor. Rather than rejoining his group, he took up with Angcuru, having taken a fancy to Aerie. As time went on and they tried to procure the gold needed to pay the Shadow Thieves, Angcuru and Aerie grew closer to each other, while Haer’Dalis tried again and again to woo her with his poetry and music. Eventually, Aerie turned him down as softly as she could, telling him that she was in love with Angcuru. Haer’Dalis was heartbroken of course, but stayed with them nonetheless, while the love between Aerie and Angcuru grew.
The time came when they had gained a sum enough to pay of the Shadow Thieves, and when they did so, they found that the Thieves had been hard at work since Angcuru had agreed to their terms, and that Angcuru’s group had only to complete a few key tasks before they could find Imoen for sure. They had to oust a new rival thieves’ guild, all of whom were vampires, the guild being based in the graveyard district of Amkethran. During a long and intense battle wherein the vampires were all but wiped out and Angcuru and company were greatly worn down, they provoked the wrath of the Guild Head, a particularly heartless vampire named Bodhi who seemed to know Irenicus, but escaped before Angcuru could extract more information.
The Shadow Thieves soon revealed that Imoen was being held in the Asylum of Spellhold on the Isle of Brynnlaw, and they were soon on their way there by boat. On the trip over, Aerie insisted that she share a cabin with Angcuru, saying that she was feeling particularly uneasy and tense after a recent bout of nightmares, and being near Angcuru relaxed her and calmed her down. However, Aerie told him that she didn’t want the other being suspicious, that she wished to lay with him for the night. Tempted as he was, Angcuru told her that as much as he wanted to, it would be best to wait until the whole ordeal they were was over. To his surprise, she told him that she was thinking the same thing, and asked because she wanted to be as close to him as she possible could. From then on the two of them were together whenever possible, and always spent their nights together, even if they didn’t make love.
On arrival at Brynnlaw, they were set upon by and promptly defeated a group of vampires who had apparently been tipped off by Saemon Havarian, the captain of the ship they had traveled on. Not having time to take vengeance upon him, they made their way to the Asylum of Spellhold, which seemed eerily deserted as they entered. They wandered around freely, with no Cowled Wizards in sight, and eventually found Imoen lying on the floor of a cell, shaking and muttering to herself. As Angcuru tried to return her to her sense, they were confronted by Irenicus, who had apparently taken control of Spellhold as a replacement for his ruined sanctum in Amkethran. Before they could attack, they all fell asleep, drugged by Saemon.
When he awoke, Angcuru found himself standing inside of a glass tube , with Aerie and his friends nowhere in sight. Irenicus told him that they were unharmed, that his only interest was with Angcuru, and that he was about to do to Angcuru the same thing that he had done to Imoen. After an agonizing ritual that he hardly remembered, Angcuru dreamt about battling a human form of his father, as was losing badly as he awoke. He saw Irenicus standing next to Bodhi, and demanded to know what he had done. Irenicus revealed that he and Bodhi were brother and sister, drained of their souls long ago, and that to regain their souls, they had to steal those of two mortals. He had chosen Imoen and Angcuru because their souls were not completely mortal, that their Bhaal Essence would keep them alive long enough for Irenicus and Bodhi to steal their souls. Irenicus had taken Angcuru’s, and Bodhi had taken Imoen’s. The two of them released Angcuru, saying that he no longer had a mortal soul, only his god’s blood was keeping him alive, and then promptly threw him in a cell along with the others. Angcuru felt hollow inside, and began to hear fell demonic voiced in the corner of his mind as he told them what had happened. Shocked as he was that Imoen was actually his sister, he was even more shocked when Bodhi brought them all to the entrance to an odd maze, telling them that this was a way out, and that they had best hurry, since she would be soon hunting after them.
The group made its way through a dark and trap-filled, yet strangely well-furnished labyrinth, and were almost at the exit when the opened a door to find Bodhi waiting for them. She said something about them being too slow, and immediately attacked. Considering that Angcuru and his friends had all been greatly weakened by the labyrinth, and would surely have all died if something miraculous, yet terrible had not happened. As Bodhi rushed at them, Angcuru felt something inside of him take control and force him to attack the vampires with his bare hands. At this point, his god’s blood boiled in his veins and transformed him into a horrible creature that could only be described as murder incarnate. The transformed Angcuru went into a frenzied rage, tearing apart the vampires as Bodhi fled in terror. The creature turned on his friends who were standing in shock nearby, and would have torn them to shreds, if Aerie had not begun crying and dropped to her knees. Its huge claws stopped inches from her face, and slowly turned back into Angcuru, who slumped forward against Aerie, unconscious. When he recovered, it was discovered that he had turned into a creature known only as ‘The Slayer’, one of the forms Bhaal took as his avatar during the Time of Troubles. While this disturbed Aerie, it became all too clear to her that this was the first step towards Angcuru being completely lost to her, and she urged the rest of the group to act with all speed to recover Angcuru’s soul, as well as Imoen’s. The group left the Brynnlaw on Saemon Havarian’s ship, making fully clear to him that if there was any treachery, he would not see another day.
Unfortunately, the ship was soon attacked by Sahaugin and sunk, and yet Angcuru and his friends did not drown. They found themselves in front of a Sahaugin king in a vast underwater city, and were somehow able to breathe water. They were forced to perform a series of tasks for this king, but in the end he turned on them and was killed as well. From this city they were able to find an entrance to the underdark, which was where Saemon had told them(during an intense interrogation) that Irenicus was headed. Shortly after entering the underdark they ran into a group of svirfneblin who offered to tell them that Irenicus and Bodhi had passed by earlier into a nearby drow city. After Angcuru and company performed several services for them, they were steered in the direction of a Silver Dragon living in the underdark, who was charged with keeping the drow below the surface. However, the drow had stolen her eggs and threatened to kill them if she made a move against them, which left her pinned down.
The dragon, whose name was Adalon, offered them a way out of the underdark if they would retrieve her eggs. They agreed, and Adalon used her powerful magic to temporarily transform them all into drow, so they would not be killed on sight. They then entered the city and were immediately taken into service by House Despana, and were forced to do several horrible tasks which we were thankfully able to avoid. One Despana woman named Phaere had taken a particular interest in me after I had saved her from some illithids, and eventually demanded that Angcuru sleep with her. Thinking of Aerie, Angcuru did all he could to avoid this, and was able to do so by claiming to be a eunuch, which angered Phaere, but got him out of that situation nonetheless, much to Aerie’s relief. Eventually it was discovered that Phaere’s mother, Matron Aldruace, was in possession of Adalon’s eggs, and planned to use them for a demon summoning ritual, which he was invited to for the serviced I had rendered for House Despana. Angcuru somehow managed to avert the ritual by substituting false eggs, and the demon slaughtered Phaere and Aldruace for their ‘insolence’. Taking the real eggs, he returned them to Adalon and the group was returned to their natural forms. They soon exited the underdark to find themselves surrounded by elves and drow engaged in battle. Angcuru and company immediately proceeded to aid the elves in battle.
The drow were soon routed, and the elves turned on Angcuru’s group and demanded to know what they were doing there. After several hours of interrogation, their situation was made clear to the elves, who were rightly suspicious of them. Apparently, Irenicus had used the drow to pull the elves away from their tree city of Suldanesselar, so that he could enter the city and cause untold mayhem and destruction. The elves know more of Irenicus then they let on, though they would not tell Angcuru. He demanded to be let into the city but was told that the city could not be accessed without the use of the Rhynn Lanthorn, a lantern that was an ancient elven artifact, which let the way to the city and revealed the way in. Angcuru was told the Lanthorn was in the possession of Bodhi, and immediately set out for Amkethran, as that was where she had to be. On the way there, he ran into Drizz’t Do’Urden, whom he had helped fight off a pack of gnolls some time ago just north of Amn. Angcuru explained their situation, and Drizz’t gladly agreed to help, and told them that he would meet them near Bodhi’s guildhall in several days.
Upon arrival at the city, they were dead tired after many long days of travel by foot, and took their rest in the first inn they came across. As Angcuru climbed into bed with Aerie, there was a flash of smoke and Bodhi appeared at the foot of their bed, and warned them not to come after the Lanthorn, or she would take even more from him. Before he could demand to know what she meant, Bodhi leapt forward and grabbed Aerie, and the both of them disappeared in a plume of smoke. In a state of shock, Angcuru slumped to the floor and let out an agonizing scream which immediately drew his companions into his room. He quickly told them what had happened, and strapped on his armor and picked up his bow, telling them to be ready to fight as soon as possible, that they would attack Bodhi’s lair as soon as possible. On their arrival at her lair, Angcuru found Drizz’t waiting for him, and together with him they fought their way through Bodhi’s newly turned vampire servants, and fought their way into a room where Bodhi lay in wait with her strongest vampires, with a cloaked figure standing by her side. She laughed as she saw Angcuru, and ripped the cloak off the figure next to her, revealing Aerie, looking extremely pale and comatose. Bodhi commanded her vampires to attack, and Aerie launched herself straight at Angcuru. She looked completely different now, with an evil fire in her eyes, claws on her fingers, and fangs in her mouth. Bodhi had turned her into a vampire, and she was now no longer herself, trying to kill Angcuru. The battle was turning against them, and they were losing slowly but surely. Angcuru tried to fend Aerie off with the flat of his sword, screaming her name and trying to somehow bring her back to her old self, but to no avail.
During the fray, Drizz’t in passing stabbed the now vampiric Aerie through the heart with his blades, and she slumped to the floor, the evil look fading from her eyes. As Angcuru cradled her in the midst of the fray, his friends forming a protective circle around him, Angcuru could have sworn that through his tears, he saw her look up at him and heard her softly utter his name before she went limp and died. To Angcuru, the world was now silent, the only thing he heard was Aerie’s voice echoing through his mind. He felt the familiar burning sensation in his blood, and knew he was again into The Slayer, and this time, he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything. Aerie was dead, and all of his hopes for the future had died with her. In less than a second, he transformed from an elf into that horrible screaming creature, which was twice his normal size with huge claws, rows upon rows of wicked teeth, and was nearly unstoppable. His transformation sent his friends flying, and whipping their heads around and seeing what had happened, they rushed to get out of the room as fast as they possibly could. The beast set its sights first on Bodhi, rushing towards her like lightning, grabbing her by the arms and tearing her limb from limb, flesh and bone flying all over the room as it literally shredded her. The remaining vampires leapt all over it, and were soon slaughtered with gnashing teeth, eviscerating claws, and stomping clawed feet.
Then it was only Drizz’t and the creature in the room, as Keldorn had wisely barricaded himself into the closest room, reinforcing the door with whatever was at hand. Drizz’t slowly backed up against a wall, looking on in terror as the creature looked at him menacingly, looked down at Aerie, and then back at Drizz’t with pure murder in its eyes. He banged on the barricaded door to be let in, and friend and ally though he may be, Jaheira, Keldorn, Minsc, and Haer’Dalis knew that opening that door was suicide, even though the creature could easily tear it down with no effort. As he banged on the door, the creature thrust out a claw, pinning Drizzt’s head to the door but leaving him unharmed. The claw then clamped shut on his head, the claws digging into his skull as it lifted him from the floor and tore him in half with its jaws. As the drow’s lifeless, mangled body fell to the floor, the room went silent. As Angcuru’s friends opened to door, they saw Angcuru completely nude, sobbing silently and clutching Aerie’s body to him, his clothes and armor lying torn and ruined on the floor, destroyed during his transformation. Suddenly Angcuru threw back his head and let out an unearthly scream of pure anguish that hung on the air for several seconds afterwards, and then fell silent.
Following Aerie’s death, Angcuru did not speak a single word to anyone. He knew that when a vampire died, its soul went straight to the hells, no matter what it was in life. He could not imagine Aerie suffering in hell for no more crime than loving him, and he did everything in his power to find a way to save her. Imoen’s soul had been returned when Bodhi was destroyed, but now Aerie was lost. Jaheira kept reminding Angcuru that they now possessed the Lanthorn and could find Irenicus and restore his soul, but he words were lost on him. He no longer went into the nightly trance, but spent every waking moment researching vampires and vampirism to find a cure. He tried reading a tome he had found in Bodhi’s private chambers, but could not understand the writing. Then, one day while looking for information in the Temple of Oghma, God of Knowledge, a priest recognized the next in Bodhi’s book, and was able to provide a copy of the book in the common tongue for Angcuru. The book contained knowledge on how to afflict someone with vampirism, but also how to cure them of it. Overjoyed beyond all measure, Angcuru also found details for a method that would not only restore a dead vampire to life, but cure them of vampirism as well.
Following the procedure in the book, Angcuru returned to Bodhi’s chamber and ripped out her black heart from what remained of her body, and without a word to anyone, he took Aerie’s body in his arms and traveled alone to the east, to an old temple to Anaumator, the dead God of the Sun, a temple which he had cleared of undead a little while back. Finding the golden statue of Anaumator standing with outstretched arms, he laid Aerie’s body across in its arms, Bodhi’s heart in one of its hands, and waited. When dawn came, the sun’s light shone on the statue, and Bodhi’s heart burst into white flames and quickly burned away. Slowly but surely, Angcuru saw the color return to Aerie’s skin, and soon saw her chest begin to rise and fall steadily. He could not believe his eyes, it had worked, Aerie had returned to life. Overjoyed, he took Aerie in his arms and watched her sleeping soundly, a small smile on her face after he had kissed her on the lips. She did not wake up for a long while, but Angcuru was all too willing to wait, as long as he had Aerie back. He swore that he would not lose her again. She was his love, his life.
After a week of carrying Aerie across Amn to Amkethran, meeting any stared from the townsfolk with threatening stared of his own, he brought Aerie’s body back to the Inn where the rest of his friends were still waiting for his return. All were very glad to see that Aerie had been restored to her old self, but insisted that they begin traveling back to where they had emerged from the underdark. And so they began the trek back, Angcuru carrying Aerie in his arms, expecting her to awaken at any moment, he wanted to be the first thing she saw when she awoke. Just before they entered the elven encampment, Aerie’s eyes had fluttered open, and she looked up at Angcuru, who was now in trance, ever holding her close to him. She realized what had happened, how for Angcuru had gone to get her back. Aerie reached up and put her arms around Angcuru’s neck, bringing her lips to his in the same motion. Angcuru awoke instantly, kissing her back, sobbing with joy.
Later that day, they arrived at the elven encampment and used the Rhynn Lanthorn to reveal the way to Suldanesselar, and were soon inside of the city. Angcuru saw no less than he expected. The city was in chaos, the populous having retreated, leaving a skeleton crew of defenders. Angcuru’s group moved quickly throughout the city, killing each and every one of Irenicus’ servants they encountered. They saved many lives, which was ironic in that they were trying to find one man whose life they sought to destroy. Eventually completing a ritual to the elven god Rillifane, they saw the city cleansed and the path to Irenicus opened. They found him suspended in a sphere of energy, drawing power from the great tree from which the elves drew their longevity and power. The Queen of Suldanesselar, Ellesime, who was caged nearby, told them that they had to stop him as soon as possible or all was lost. They attacked and killed him, but as he died, they felt themselves die as well, and were sucked into hell along with him. There they had a final battle, wherein Irenicus was barely defeated, and Angcuru’s soul was returned. All was back as it should be, but there was another challenge to come.
Some months later, after Angcuru and Aerie had been betrothed and lain with one another for the first time, other Bhaalspawn began appearing all over Faerun. A new fight ensued, wherein Angcuru learned more and more about his past, killed brother and sister alike, and had to resurrect and join forces with Sarevok, in hopes to redeem his soul and take advantage of his battle prowess. Eventually, Angcuru prevailed over his siblings after a long series of battles, and near wars. He was the last Bhaalspawn, after Imoen had given him her Bhaal essence. Angcuru was faced with a choice: Become a god, or stay mortal. Angcuru was not tempted in the slightest by the promise of godhood. All he wanted was to be with Aerie. He instead used the last of Bhaal’s power to restore Aerie’s wings, and to grant himself a pair, so that they could live on as a true family of Avariel with their child, whom had been conceived during the conflict.
He has spent most of the wealth brought to him through years of adventuring as bribes to governments and other powerful organizations throughout Faerun in return that they spread rumors of his death, so that any of his enemies who survived the carnage would not come looking for him and disturb his newfound peace and happiness.
Angcuru is the main protagonist in my on-going story hour, which when finished will thoroughly detail his struggles from his arrival in Amn to a final, fate-determining choice concerning his divinity.
Combat Style: When in battle, Angcuru prefers to hang behind the melee combatants, using his longbow to wear down and kill the enemy before they have a chance to reach him. If a foe manages to get within striking distance, Angcuru switches either to a spear or a long sword, depending on the situation. As he always fights alongside Aerie, who is a very powerful spell caster, the fight is often over before they are in any real danger, unless they are up against a very tough opponent.
Family: His wife Aerie Melaroira, whom he loves with a deep, deep passion, so much so that if she were to die, he would immediately take his own life to be with her, if it weren’t for his children. It was Aerie’s love that kept him going throughout his struggles, and likewise for Aerie as well. Without their love for each other, Aerie would have surely remained a scared little girl and Angcuru would have given in to his dark nature and become an engine of death instead of a great hero. When they had married, Angcuru had taken on the same facial tattoos as Aerie possessed, to be that much closer to her.
His son Eleelaike Sudraug (Eh-lee-like-ay Soo-drowg) is of the brash, independent wandering sort and left home for a career in adventuring as soon as his parents would give in.
Eleelaike’s twin sister Vanimlote Melaroira, however, is far shyer than her brother, and devotes a significant portion of her time in the service of Aerdrie Faenya. She is very close to Angcuru, being what some would call “daddy’s little girl”.
Aerie’s mother, Feayaana Thoronoldo (Fee-ya-na), and father Seimenel Thoronoldo (Si-menel), live nearby Angcuru and Aerie in Faenya-Dail, and visit frequently. Angcuru is especially close to Feayaana, as she is the closest thing to a mother he has ever known. Initially suspicious of Angcuru, Seimenel has grown to treat him as the son he never had.
Angcuru’s human siblings Imoen and Sarevok had passed on long ago from old age, but Angcuru remembers them fondly.
Personality: Angcuru is generally an elf of few words who will continue a conversation to great lengths once started, but usually has very little to say, himself. He is rarely seen to smile, but is always ready to laugh at a good joke or jest. However, when in the presence of his wife, Aerie, he becomes extraordinarily happy, irrepressible, even. Considering that he is very rarely away from her side, most people know him as being cheerful, a pleasure to be around.
Angcuru is always ready to give aid to any who may have need of it, feeling a drive to prevent as much pain and suffering as he possibly can. He is loath to deal out death and injury, and does so only when absolutely necessary. Angcuru does not let his powerful abilities go to his head, as many other would. Instead, he lives as normally as possible with his family, cherishing each and every moment he spends with Aerie. He spends a good portion of his time visiting Feayaana and Seimenel, spending quality time with Vanimlote, and keeping a proud eye on his adventurous son through various means of scrying. Most of his time is spent with Aerie sitting and reading together, visiting old friends on the surface, making love, and occasionally sparring so that their abilities do not decay, just in case they are needed again. Most commonly however, Angcuru can be found in his home lying on a sofa with Aerie, holding her close to him and looking into her eyes, as she does his.
AGH! Finally done. This was very tiring, yet strangely gratifying to write up.
NOTE TO KAI LORD: This was 11:59 Thursday EST when I posted this. Just so you know.
EDIT: Bolding was messed up. *sheepish face*
WARNING! SPOILERS FOR THOSE READING MY STORY HOUR!
Angcuru Melaroira (Ahn-koo-roo May-lah-roy-rah)
Neutral Good
Moon Elf
44th Level Ranger
193 years old as of 1551, Dalereckoning.
Physical Description: Angcuru is quite tall at 6 foot 3 inches in height, lean and heavily muscled at 192 pounds, but not over-imposing. He has light green eyes and shoulder-length auburn hair is tied into a single braid which rests on the back of his neck. His skin is of a light golden tan, save for a light bit of tattooing on his face.
Background: Angcuru is the bastard son of Bhaal, the dead God of Murder, and an elven woman who served in his clergy. He was not born out of love, but only for the purpose of being sacrificed to facilitate the return of his father. Raised by the sage Gorion in the citadel of Candlekeep, Angcuru was kept in the dark about his lineage, being told that his mother was an old friend of Gorion’s, whom had made Gorion promise before she died to take care of her son. This illusion was kept up for the first sixty or so years of Angcuru’s life, even as he aged twice as fast as a moon elf normally would. However, not being in the company of other elves by whom he could judge himself, and not being told of his abnormality by anyone in Candlekeep, he considered himself quite normal. Then one day Gorion suddenly told him that they were leaving, that Angcuru was in great danger. That night, Gorion was killed in an ambush, and Angcuru was force to flee for his life. His friend Imoen, who had been very close to Gorion and Angcuru, had left Candlekeep shortly after they had, met him at the site of the ambush, and together they buried Gorion.
Not being allowed back into Candlekeep, they turn to adventuring as a means of survival. Along the way they run into two old friends of Gorion’s; a married couple, Jaheira and Khalid, who joined them after hearing what happened. They were also later joined by Minsc, the hamster-loving warrior; Dynahier, a skilled mage and friend of Minsc; and Viconia, an exiled drow who struggled to stay alive on the surface. After a struggle with the evil Sarevok, an ambitious human with natural skill with a sword, who was discovered to be the murderer of Gorion and half-brother to Angcuru, as almost simultaneously Angcuru discovered his own divine heritage as well as Sarevok’s.
Shunned from Baldur’s Gate (the general location of the Sarevok Conflict) for his blood ties with Sarevok, Angcuru headed north with his friends and was soon ambushed and kidnapped. Later, they awoke to find themselves imprisoned somewhere underground, and escaped when their captor, an evil mage who had been torturing Angcuru with various spells, was assaulted by a large number of thieves. Only Angcuru, Khalid, and Minsc has escaped from the prison, as Khalid was found dead, Dynahier had been killed in their capture, Viconia was nowhere to be found, and Imoen had been abducted by mages along with their captor, Jon Irenicus, who allowed himself to be taken, for some unknown reason. It was soon discovered that Imoen had been taken by the Cowled Wizards, an organization of mages who enforced a strict no-magic policy in Amkethran, the Capital City of Amn where their captor had been based.
While searching Amkethran for information on how to free Imoen from the Cowled Wizards, Angcuru was approached by a man named Galean Bayle, who offered them a proposition. He told them that the Shadow Thieves, the local thieves’ guild, was willing to help them track down Imoen and provide transportation to wherever she may be, but for a price. While the price was a very large sum of gold, Angcuru was willing to do whatever it took to get his friend back.
During a long bout of adventuring to earn enough money to pay off the Shadow Thieves, Angcuru, Minsc, and Jaheira were joined by Keldorn, a human paladin of Torm who wished to help them right the wrong that had been done. Also, following an interesting battle inside an evilly enchanted circus, they were joined by Aerie, a timid Avariel woman skilled in arcane and divine magic whom had been sold to the circus by slavers, but set free once her wings rotted while in her cage and were cut off. Soon after meeting Aerie, they found Viconia about to be burnt at the stake by an angry mob, but Angcuru would not stand for this, and cut her free despite the crowd’s angry protests. A fight ensued, and Angcuru’s party was the victorious one. Angcuru had hoped that Viconia had forgone her somewhat sinister ways, but her relentless taunting of Aerie over her lost wings proved him wrong, and he sent her away. As the group traveled, Aerie began to confide in Angcuru about her past, since being outside of the circus and seeing the sky for the first time in a long while had brought back many painful memories, and many regrets. He consoled her as best he could, and they grew to be close friends.
About a month after they rescued Aerie, they received word from Aerie’s Uncle Quayle, a goodly gnome who had helped her during her ordeal at the circus, telling them that a friend of his needed their help. It turned out that his old friend was leader of a theatrical troupe, and that one of their number had gone missing. After a short ordeal involving much traveling of the planes, they found a freed Haer’Dalis, a tiefling bard who had an odd, free-spirited demeanor. Rather than rejoining his group, he took up with Angcuru, having taken a fancy to Aerie. As time went on and they tried to procure the gold needed to pay the Shadow Thieves, Angcuru and Aerie grew closer to each other, while Haer’Dalis tried again and again to woo her with his poetry and music. Eventually, Aerie turned him down as softly as she could, telling him that she was in love with Angcuru. Haer’Dalis was heartbroken of course, but stayed with them nonetheless, while the love between Aerie and Angcuru grew.
The time came when they had gained a sum enough to pay of the Shadow Thieves, and when they did so, they found that the Thieves had been hard at work since Angcuru had agreed to their terms, and that Angcuru’s group had only to complete a few key tasks before they could find Imoen for sure. They had to oust a new rival thieves’ guild, all of whom were vampires, the guild being based in the graveyard district of Amkethran. During a long and intense battle wherein the vampires were all but wiped out and Angcuru and company were greatly worn down, they provoked the wrath of the Guild Head, a particularly heartless vampire named Bodhi who seemed to know Irenicus, but escaped before Angcuru could extract more information.
The Shadow Thieves soon revealed that Imoen was being held in the Asylum of Spellhold on the Isle of Brynnlaw, and they were soon on their way there by boat. On the trip over, Aerie insisted that she share a cabin with Angcuru, saying that she was feeling particularly uneasy and tense after a recent bout of nightmares, and being near Angcuru relaxed her and calmed her down. However, Aerie told him that she didn’t want the other being suspicious, that she wished to lay with him for the night. Tempted as he was, Angcuru told her that as much as he wanted to, it would be best to wait until the whole ordeal they were was over. To his surprise, she told him that she was thinking the same thing, and asked because she wanted to be as close to him as she possible could. From then on the two of them were together whenever possible, and always spent their nights together, even if they didn’t make love.
On arrival at Brynnlaw, they were set upon by and promptly defeated a group of vampires who had apparently been tipped off by Saemon Havarian, the captain of the ship they had traveled on. Not having time to take vengeance upon him, they made their way to the Asylum of Spellhold, which seemed eerily deserted as they entered. They wandered around freely, with no Cowled Wizards in sight, and eventually found Imoen lying on the floor of a cell, shaking and muttering to herself. As Angcuru tried to return her to her sense, they were confronted by Irenicus, who had apparently taken control of Spellhold as a replacement for his ruined sanctum in Amkethran. Before they could attack, they all fell asleep, drugged by Saemon.
When he awoke, Angcuru found himself standing inside of a glass tube , with Aerie and his friends nowhere in sight. Irenicus told him that they were unharmed, that his only interest was with Angcuru, and that he was about to do to Angcuru the same thing that he had done to Imoen. After an agonizing ritual that he hardly remembered, Angcuru dreamt about battling a human form of his father, as was losing badly as he awoke. He saw Irenicus standing next to Bodhi, and demanded to know what he had done. Irenicus revealed that he and Bodhi were brother and sister, drained of their souls long ago, and that to regain their souls, they had to steal those of two mortals. He had chosen Imoen and Angcuru because their souls were not completely mortal, that their Bhaal Essence would keep them alive long enough for Irenicus and Bodhi to steal their souls. Irenicus had taken Angcuru’s, and Bodhi had taken Imoen’s. The two of them released Angcuru, saying that he no longer had a mortal soul, only his god’s blood was keeping him alive, and then promptly threw him in a cell along with the others. Angcuru felt hollow inside, and began to hear fell demonic voiced in the corner of his mind as he told them what had happened. Shocked as he was that Imoen was actually his sister, he was even more shocked when Bodhi brought them all to the entrance to an odd maze, telling them that this was a way out, and that they had best hurry, since she would be soon hunting after them.
The group made its way through a dark and trap-filled, yet strangely well-furnished labyrinth, and were almost at the exit when the opened a door to find Bodhi waiting for them. She said something about them being too slow, and immediately attacked. Considering that Angcuru and his friends had all been greatly weakened by the labyrinth, and would surely have all died if something miraculous, yet terrible had not happened. As Bodhi rushed at them, Angcuru felt something inside of him take control and force him to attack the vampires with his bare hands. At this point, his god’s blood boiled in his veins and transformed him into a horrible creature that could only be described as murder incarnate. The transformed Angcuru went into a frenzied rage, tearing apart the vampires as Bodhi fled in terror. The creature turned on his friends who were standing in shock nearby, and would have torn them to shreds, if Aerie had not begun crying and dropped to her knees. Its huge claws stopped inches from her face, and slowly turned back into Angcuru, who slumped forward against Aerie, unconscious. When he recovered, it was discovered that he had turned into a creature known only as ‘The Slayer’, one of the forms Bhaal took as his avatar during the Time of Troubles. While this disturbed Aerie, it became all too clear to her that this was the first step towards Angcuru being completely lost to her, and she urged the rest of the group to act with all speed to recover Angcuru’s soul, as well as Imoen’s. The group left the Brynnlaw on Saemon Havarian’s ship, making fully clear to him that if there was any treachery, he would not see another day.
Unfortunately, the ship was soon attacked by Sahaugin and sunk, and yet Angcuru and his friends did not drown. They found themselves in front of a Sahaugin king in a vast underwater city, and were somehow able to breathe water. They were forced to perform a series of tasks for this king, but in the end he turned on them and was killed as well. From this city they were able to find an entrance to the underdark, which was where Saemon had told them(during an intense interrogation) that Irenicus was headed. Shortly after entering the underdark they ran into a group of svirfneblin who offered to tell them that Irenicus and Bodhi had passed by earlier into a nearby drow city. After Angcuru and company performed several services for them, they were steered in the direction of a Silver Dragon living in the underdark, who was charged with keeping the drow below the surface. However, the drow had stolen her eggs and threatened to kill them if she made a move against them, which left her pinned down.
The dragon, whose name was Adalon, offered them a way out of the underdark if they would retrieve her eggs. They agreed, and Adalon used her powerful magic to temporarily transform them all into drow, so they would not be killed on sight. They then entered the city and were immediately taken into service by House Despana, and were forced to do several horrible tasks which we were thankfully able to avoid. One Despana woman named Phaere had taken a particular interest in me after I had saved her from some illithids, and eventually demanded that Angcuru sleep with her. Thinking of Aerie, Angcuru did all he could to avoid this, and was able to do so by claiming to be a eunuch, which angered Phaere, but got him out of that situation nonetheless, much to Aerie’s relief. Eventually it was discovered that Phaere’s mother, Matron Aldruace, was in possession of Adalon’s eggs, and planned to use them for a demon summoning ritual, which he was invited to for the serviced I had rendered for House Despana. Angcuru somehow managed to avert the ritual by substituting false eggs, and the demon slaughtered Phaere and Aldruace for their ‘insolence’. Taking the real eggs, he returned them to Adalon and the group was returned to their natural forms. They soon exited the underdark to find themselves surrounded by elves and drow engaged in battle. Angcuru and company immediately proceeded to aid the elves in battle.
The drow were soon routed, and the elves turned on Angcuru’s group and demanded to know what they were doing there. After several hours of interrogation, their situation was made clear to the elves, who were rightly suspicious of them. Apparently, Irenicus had used the drow to pull the elves away from their tree city of Suldanesselar, so that he could enter the city and cause untold mayhem and destruction. The elves know more of Irenicus then they let on, though they would not tell Angcuru. He demanded to be let into the city but was told that the city could not be accessed without the use of the Rhynn Lanthorn, a lantern that was an ancient elven artifact, which let the way to the city and revealed the way in. Angcuru was told the Lanthorn was in the possession of Bodhi, and immediately set out for Amkethran, as that was where she had to be. On the way there, he ran into Drizz’t Do’Urden, whom he had helped fight off a pack of gnolls some time ago just north of Amn. Angcuru explained their situation, and Drizz’t gladly agreed to help, and told them that he would meet them near Bodhi’s guildhall in several days.
Upon arrival at the city, they were dead tired after many long days of travel by foot, and took their rest in the first inn they came across. As Angcuru climbed into bed with Aerie, there was a flash of smoke and Bodhi appeared at the foot of their bed, and warned them not to come after the Lanthorn, or she would take even more from him. Before he could demand to know what she meant, Bodhi leapt forward and grabbed Aerie, and the both of them disappeared in a plume of smoke. In a state of shock, Angcuru slumped to the floor and let out an agonizing scream which immediately drew his companions into his room. He quickly told them what had happened, and strapped on his armor and picked up his bow, telling them to be ready to fight as soon as possible, that they would attack Bodhi’s lair as soon as possible. On their arrival at her lair, Angcuru found Drizz’t waiting for him, and together with him they fought their way through Bodhi’s newly turned vampire servants, and fought their way into a room where Bodhi lay in wait with her strongest vampires, with a cloaked figure standing by her side. She laughed as she saw Angcuru, and ripped the cloak off the figure next to her, revealing Aerie, looking extremely pale and comatose. Bodhi commanded her vampires to attack, and Aerie launched herself straight at Angcuru. She looked completely different now, with an evil fire in her eyes, claws on her fingers, and fangs in her mouth. Bodhi had turned her into a vampire, and she was now no longer herself, trying to kill Angcuru. The battle was turning against them, and they were losing slowly but surely. Angcuru tried to fend Aerie off with the flat of his sword, screaming her name and trying to somehow bring her back to her old self, but to no avail.
During the fray, Drizz’t in passing stabbed the now vampiric Aerie through the heart with his blades, and she slumped to the floor, the evil look fading from her eyes. As Angcuru cradled her in the midst of the fray, his friends forming a protective circle around him, Angcuru could have sworn that through his tears, he saw her look up at him and heard her softly utter his name before she went limp and died. To Angcuru, the world was now silent, the only thing he heard was Aerie’s voice echoing through his mind. He felt the familiar burning sensation in his blood, and knew he was again into The Slayer, and this time, he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything. Aerie was dead, and all of his hopes for the future had died with her. In less than a second, he transformed from an elf into that horrible screaming creature, which was twice his normal size with huge claws, rows upon rows of wicked teeth, and was nearly unstoppable. His transformation sent his friends flying, and whipping their heads around and seeing what had happened, they rushed to get out of the room as fast as they possibly could. The beast set its sights first on Bodhi, rushing towards her like lightning, grabbing her by the arms and tearing her limb from limb, flesh and bone flying all over the room as it literally shredded her. The remaining vampires leapt all over it, and were soon slaughtered with gnashing teeth, eviscerating claws, and stomping clawed feet.
Then it was only Drizz’t and the creature in the room, as Keldorn had wisely barricaded himself into the closest room, reinforcing the door with whatever was at hand. Drizz’t slowly backed up against a wall, looking on in terror as the creature looked at him menacingly, looked down at Aerie, and then back at Drizz’t with pure murder in its eyes. He banged on the barricaded door to be let in, and friend and ally though he may be, Jaheira, Keldorn, Minsc, and Haer’Dalis knew that opening that door was suicide, even though the creature could easily tear it down with no effort. As he banged on the door, the creature thrust out a claw, pinning Drizzt’s head to the door but leaving him unharmed. The claw then clamped shut on his head, the claws digging into his skull as it lifted him from the floor and tore him in half with its jaws. As the drow’s lifeless, mangled body fell to the floor, the room went silent. As Angcuru’s friends opened to door, they saw Angcuru completely nude, sobbing silently and clutching Aerie’s body to him, his clothes and armor lying torn and ruined on the floor, destroyed during his transformation. Suddenly Angcuru threw back his head and let out an unearthly scream of pure anguish that hung on the air for several seconds afterwards, and then fell silent.
Following Aerie’s death, Angcuru did not speak a single word to anyone. He knew that when a vampire died, its soul went straight to the hells, no matter what it was in life. He could not imagine Aerie suffering in hell for no more crime than loving him, and he did everything in his power to find a way to save her. Imoen’s soul had been returned when Bodhi was destroyed, but now Aerie was lost. Jaheira kept reminding Angcuru that they now possessed the Lanthorn and could find Irenicus and restore his soul, but he words were lost on him. He no longer went into the nightly trance, but spent every waking moment researching vampires and vampirism to find a cure. He tried reading a tome he had found in Bodhi’s private chambers, but could not understand the writing. Then, one day while looking for information in the Temple of Oghma, God of Knowledge, a priest recognized the next in Bodhi’s book, and was able to provide a copy of the book in the common tongue for Angcuru. The book contained knowledge on how to afflict someone with vampirism, but also how to cure them of it. Overjoyed beyond all measure, Angcuru also found details for a method that would not only restore a dead vampire to life, but cure them of vampirism as well.
Following the procedure in the book, Angcuru returned to Bodhi’s chamber and ripped out her black heart from what remained of her body, and without a word to anyone, he took Aerie’s body in his arms and traveled alone to the east, to an old temple to Anaumator, the dead God of the Sun, a temple which he had cleared of undead a little while back. Finding the golden statue of Anaumator standing with outstretched arms, he laid Aerie’s body across in its arms, Bodhi’s heart in one of its hands, and waited. When dawn came, the sun’s light shone on the statue, and Bodhi’s heart burst into white flames and quickly burned away. Slowly but surely, Angcuru saw the color return to Aerie’s skin, and soon saw her chest begin to rise and fall steadily. He could not believe his eyes, it had worked, Aerie had returned to life. Overjoyed, he took Aerie in his arms and watched her sleeping soundly, a small smile on her face after he had kissed her on the lips. She did not wake up for a long while, but Angcuru was all too willing to wait, as long as he had Aerie back. He swore that he would not lose her again. She was his love, his life.
After a week of carrying Aerie across Amn to Amkethran, meeting any stared from the townsfolk with threatening stared of his own, he brought Aerie’s body back to the Inn where the rest of his friends were still waiting for his return. All were very glad to see that Aerie had been restored to her old self, but insisted that they begin traveling back to where they had emerged from the underdark. And so they began the trek back, Angcuru carrying Aerie in his arms, expecting her to awaken at any moment, he wanted to be the first thing she saw when she awoke. Just before they entered the elven encampment, Aerie’s eyes had fluttered open, and she looked up at Angcuru, who was now in trance, ever holding her close to him. She realized what had happened, how for Angcuru had gone to get her back. Aerie reached up and put her arms around Angcuru’s neck, bringing her lips to his in the same motion. Angcuru awoke instantly, kissing her back, sobbing with joy.
Later that day, they arrived at the elven encampment and used the Rhynn Lanthorn to reveal the way to Suldanesselar, and were soon inside of the city. Angcuru saw no less than he expected. The city was in chaos, the populous having retreated, leaving a skeleton crew of defenders. Angcuru’s group moved quickly throughout the city, killing each and every one of Irenicus’ servants they encountered. They saved many lives, which was ironic in that they were trying to find one man whose life they sought to destroy. Eventually completing a ritual to the elven god Rillifane, they saw the city cleansed and the path to Irenicus opened. They found him suspended in a sphere of energy, drawing power from the great tree from which the elves drew their longevity and power. The Queen of Suldanesselar, Ellesime, who was caged nearby, told them that they had to stop him as soon as possible or all was lost. They attacked and killed him, but as he died, they felt themselves die as well, and were sucked into hell along with him. There they had a final battle, wherein Irenicus was barely defeated, and Angcuru’s soul was returned. All was back as it should be, but there was another challenge to come.
Some months later, after Angcuru and Aerie had been betrothed and lain with one another for the first time, other Bhaalspawn began appearing all over Faerun. A new fight ensued, wherein Angcuru learned more and more about his past, killed brother and sister alike, and had to resurrect and join forces with Sarevok, in hopes to redeem his soul and take advantage of his battle prowess. Eventually, Angcuru prevailed over his siblings after a long series of battles, and near wars. He was the last Bhaalspawn, after Imoen had given him her Bhaal essence. Angcuru was faced with a choice: Become a god, or stay mortal. Angcuru was not tempted in the slightest by the promise of godhood. All he wanted was to be with Aerie. He instead used the last of Bhaal’s power to restore Aerie’s wings, and to grant himself a pair, so that they could live on as a true family of Avariel with their child, whom had been conceived during the conflict.
He has spent most of the wealth brought to him through years of adventuring as bribes to governments and other powerful organizations throughout Faerun in return that they spread rumors of his death, so that any of his enemies who survived the carnage would not come looking for him and disturb his newfound peace and happiness.
Angcuru is the main protagonist in my on-going story hour, which when finished will thoroughly detail his struggles from his arrival in Amn to a final, fate-determining choice concerning his divinity.
Combat Style: When in battle, Angcuru prefers to hang behind the melee combatants, using his longbow to wear down and kill the enemy before they have a chance to reach him. If a foe manages to get within striking distance, Angcuru switches either to a spear or a long sword, depending on the situation. As he always fights alongside Aerie, who is a very powerful spell caster, the fight is often over before they are in any real danger, unless they are up against a very tough opponent.
Family: His wife Aerie Melaroira, whom he loves with a deep, deep passion, so much so that if she were to die, he would immediately take his own life to be with her, if it weren’t for his children. It was Aerie’s love that kept him going throughout his struggles, and likewise for Aerie as well. Without their love for each other, Aerie would have surely remained a scared little girl and Angcuru would have given in to his dark nature and become an engine of death instead of a great hero. When they had married, Angcuru had taken on the same facial tattoos as Aerie possessed, to be that much closer to her.
His son Eleelaike Sudraug (Eh-lee-like-ay Soo-drowg) is of the brash, independent wandering sort and left home for a career in adventuring as soon as his parents would give in.
Eleelaike’s twin sister Vanimlote Melaroira, however, is far shyer than her brother, and devotes a significant portion of her time in the service of Aerdrie Faenya. She is very close to Angcuru, being what some would call “daddy’s little girl”.
Aerie’s mother, Feayaana Thoronoldo (Fee-ya-na), and father Seimenel Thoronoldo (Si-menel), live nearby Angcuru and Aerie in Faenya-Dail, and visit frequently. Angcuru is especially close to Feayaana, as she is the closest thing to a mother he has ever known. Initially suspicious of Angcuru, Seimenel has grown to treat him as the son he never had.
Angcuru’s human siblings Imoen and Sarevok had passed on long ago from old age, but Angcuru remembers them fondly.
Personality: Angcuru is generally an elf of few words who will continue a conversation to great lengths once started, but usually has very little to say, himself. He is rarely seen to smile, but is always ready to laugh at a good joke or jest. However, when in the presence of his wife, Aerie, he becomes extraordinarily happy, irrepressible, even. Considering that he is very rarely away from her side, most people know him as being cheerful, a pleasure to be around.
Angcuru is always ready to give aid to any who may have need of it, feeling a drive to prevent as much pain and suffering as he possibly can. He is loath to deal out death and injury, and does so only when absolutely necessary. Angcuru does not let his powerful abilities go to his head, as many other would. Instead, he lives as normally as possible with his family, cherishing each and every moment he spends with Aerie. He spends a good portion of his time visiting Feayaana and Seimenel, spending quality time with Vanimlote, and keeping a proud eye on his adventurous son through various means of scrying. Most of his time is spent with Aerie sitting and reading together, visiting old friends on the surface, making love, and occasionally sparring so that their abilities do not decay, just in case they are needed again. Most commonly however, Angcuru can be found in his home lying on a sofa with Aerie, holding her close to him and looking into her eyes, as she does his.
AGH! Finally done. This was very tiring, yet strangely gratifying to write up.
NOTE TO KAI LORD: This was 11:59 Thursday EST when I posted this. Just so you know.
EDIT: Bolding was messed up. *sheepish face*
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