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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ruined" data-source="post: 714196" data-attributes="member: 113">And I did post it late. Feel free to penalize me. Ah, the woes of real life...Marus BlackfeatherThe early life of Marus Blackfeather was an easy one. He grew to maturity in the humid Jantos Forest, learning the ways of nature from his elders. He showed promise in the realms of brewing and herbal remedies, and was one of the youngest elves allowed into the age-old Guild of Brewers. Under the tutelage of the elder guildmaster, he excelled at his craft.Marus was particularly devout in his faith, worshipping the nature spirits of the land around him. He became a laymen of the faith, journeying and training with human and elven druids from neighboring lands. As he grew older, Marus discovered his affections for one of the human druids, a female named Silva. They courted for well over a year, and were married soon afterwards in a quiet elven ceremony.Although the call of the lands outside of the Jantos was intriguing, soon Marus found himself called back to his home at Broadleaf Village to work with the Guild. This in turn worked well for the newly formed couple, as Silva was given task to care for a specific area of land important to the druids. The two built a modest home not far from Marus’ village where Silva both could pursue their careers.Marus Blackfeather, male elf, Druid 2: HD 2d8+ 0; hp 12; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC  15 (Hide armor, +2 Dex); Melee longspear (1d8/crit x3); SA spells; SQ elven traits, Nature Sense; AL NG; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +8; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 13.Skills and Feats: (stats) Alchemy  +4, Animal Empathy +2, Concentration +1, Craft (brewing) +4, Diplomacy +3, Handle Animal +4, Heal +6, Intuit Direction +4, Knowledge (nature) +6, Listen +5, Search +4, Spellcraft +4, Spot +3, Swim +1, Wilderness Lore +7, ;Iron WillDruid Spells Prepared (4/3): 0– Detect Poison, Guidance (x2), Purify Food and Drink; 1– Cure Light Wounds, Magic Fang, Summon Nature’s Ally I.Tragedy befell the young couple within a decade of their marriage. Silva contracted a strong outbreak of the Yellow Fever, and it quickly put her to bed rest. Marus tried to apply his remedies, but to no avail. When that and his minor magicks seemed fruitless, he gathered Silva up and carried her towards the elder druids that had taught them before. Silva would not survive the journey.Marus’ grief was overwhelming. He had steeled himself early on, knowing that a pairing of human and elf was doomed due to the shorter lifespan. But he felt that he had been robbed of time with Silva, their love lasting only a decade. After laying her to rest, Marus roamed the ends of the Jantos forest, interacting with few sentient beings. His only companion in this was an owl he befriended a few months after Silva’s burial. He concentrated his efforts on learning the ways of the land, and following in Silva’s footsteps with the druidic faith.Marus’ wandering had yet another tragic effect. With his departure from the grove outside of Broadleaf, there were no guardians to watch after the land. A sinister force must have discovered this, and used it to their advantage. A man known as Deragar entered the village as a conqueror. He brought with him a mass of undead abominations, and used sorcery to overcome the village’s lacking defenses. Within a night, the village of Broadleaf had fallen.This was not unnoticed by the elder druids of the Jantos, who used a sending to rein Marus in. Horrified at what had quickly become of his home, Marus vowed to reclaim his home. Gathering a group of willing adventurers and a few younger druids, Marus led them into Broadleaf village.Marus Blackfeather, male elf, Druid 5: HD 5d8+ 0; hp 30; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (Hide armor, +2 Dex); Melee longspear (1d8/crit x3); SA spells; SQ elven traits, Nature Sense, Woodland stride, Trackless Step, Resist Nature’s Lore, Wild Shape 1/day; AL NG; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +10; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 13.Skills and Feats: Alchemy +5, Animal Empathy +4, Concentration +3, Craft (brewing) +6, Diplomacy +5, Handle Animal +8, Heal +9, Intuit Direction  +5, Knowledge (nature) +7, Listen +6, Search +4, Spellcraft +4, Spot +7, Swim +2, Wilderness Lore +10; Iron Will, Combat CastingDruid Spells Prepared (6/4/3/2): 0– Detect Magic (x2), Detect Poison, Guidance (x2), Purify Food and Drink; 1– Cure Light Wounds (x2), Magic Fang, Summon Nature’s Ally I; 2- Charm Person or Animal, Flame Blade, Warp Wood; 3- Cure Moderate Wounds, Spike Growth.Marus found the city to be a nightmare come to life. The inhabitants, elves he had grown with, even his parents, had been slain by Deragar’s forces. What was worse, some foul magic had reanimated them to serve their new master. The Broadleaf had been turned into a city of zombies.Leading the forces with relentless force, they waded into the Broadleaf and worked to destroy the zombies. As anticipated, this brought out the human Deragar, displeased that his forces were being slaughtered. A great conflict ensued, with Marus leading the charge against this necromancer. In the end, Deragar was laid low and all of the zombies dispatched. As the other began the grim task of burial, Marus examined the fallen enemy. He noted that the man seemed to draw his power from a bizarre crested helm that he wore. Divinations revealed its potent magic and its inherent danger. Over the next few weeks, Marus did everything under his power to destroy the helm, but found himself unable. He learned something of it, a great necromantic device called the Crest of Yeorem. With his magic unable to destroy the cursed item, he looked to other methods. The device could not be entrusted to men, who would waver and use its power to summon great armies of the dead. In the end, he decided to secret the crest away in a hidden place within the fallen brewer’s guildhouse and used spells to conceal its whereabouts.Marus, now having lost everything, returned to his wandering. For years he wandered, visiting other villages and tending to their sick. The people of the Jantos knew him, but his grim nature shied many away. Many years passed and still Marus traveled.Marus Blackfeather, male elf, Druid 7: HD 7d8+ 0; hp 41; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (Hide armor, +2 Dex); Melee longspear (1d8/crit x3); SA spells; SQ elven traits, Nature Sense, Woodland stride, Trackless Step, Resist Nature’s Lore, Wild Shape 3/day; AL NG; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +11; Str 10, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 13.Skills and Feats: Alchemy +6, Animal Empathy +6, Concentration +4, Craft (brewing) +7, Diplomacy +6, Handle Animal +8, Heal +11, Intuit Direction +6, Knowledge (nature) +8, Listen +6, Search +4, Spellcraft +5, Spot +7, Swim +2, Wilderness Lore +10, ; Iron Will, Combat Casting, Weapon Finesse (longspear)Druid Spells Prepared (7/5/4/3/2): 0– Detect Magic (x2), Detect Poison, Guidance (x2), Light, Purify Food and Drink; 1– Cure Light Wounds (x2), Entangle, Magic Fang, Summon Nature’s Ally I; 2- Charm Person of Animal, Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Warp Wood; 3- Cure Moderate Wounds, Plant Growth, Spike Growth; 4- Dispel Magic, Flame Strike.Another outbreak of yellow fever caught Marus’ attention and forced him to remember his fallen love. Much more knowledgeable now, he noted certain peculiarities about the disease and how it did not conform to mundane diseases. The trail of this mystery eventually led him to an area underneath the Jantos, into a system of partially submerged caves. Underneath, he learned of a horrible creature called Ys’Garnoth that had enslaved many humans and elves from the surrounding countryside. The yellow fever outbreak was a ploy of the creature to weaken the surface dwellers and make the populace more susceptible to its domination.Enraged, Marus invaded the caverns intent on destroying the creature. He charged the creature, using every power at his command. To his dismay, Marus could not best the monster, and found himself poisoned by its lengthy tentacles. Unwilling to die without destroying Ys’Garnoth, Marus used his shapeshifting powers to escape from the caverns and heal himself. He would not be defeated so easily.Marus took months to prepare for the inevitable conflict. He studied for a great deal of time, learning what he could of the rare aboleth creature. He worked on strategies to overcome not only the gargantuan beast, but also to stop the mind-controlled slaves that could hinder him. Marus slipped into desperation, and finally he decided upon a strategy to confront Ys’Garnoth. The Crest of Yeorem.Retrieving the helm from its place in the guildhouse, Marus steeled himself to do what was necessary. He knew that the item would attempt to twist him, but his will was strong. His intentions were to enter the cave system with the Crest, use the slaves to his advantage, and destroy Ys’Garnoth once and for all. If successful, Marus’ last hope was that he could either remove the Crest, or die in the attempt. No one is sure of the final outcome.Marus Blackfeather, male elf, Druid 12: HD 12d8+ 12; hp 81; Init +4; Spd 30 ft; AC 15 (Hide armor, +3 Dex); Melee longspear (1d8/crit x3); SA spells; SQ elven traits, Nature Sense, Woodland stride, Trackless Step, Resist Nature’s Lore, Wild Shape 4/day (Large, Tiny, Dire), Venom Immunity; AL NG; SV Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +14; Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 13.Skills and Feats: Alchemy +8, Animal Empathy +8, Concentration +7, Craft (brewing) +9, Diplomacy +6, Handle Animal +10, Heal +13, Intuit Direction +6, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +6, Scry +4, Search +4, Spellcraft +9, Spot +8, Swim +4, Wilderness Lore +12; Iron Will, Combat Casting, Weapon Finesse (longspear), Dodge, Mobility.Druid Spells Prepared (7/6/5/5/4/2/1): 0– Detect Magic (x2), Detect Poison, Guidance (x2), Light, Purify Food and Drink; 1– Cure Light Wounds (x2), Entangle (x2), Magic Fang, Summon Nature’s Ally I (x2); 2- Charm Person or Animal (x2), Flame Blade, Flaming Sphere, Warp Wood; 3- Cure Moderate Wounds (x2), Neutralize Poison, Plant Growth, Spike Growth; 4- Dispel Magic, Flame Strike, Summon Nature’s Ally IV (x2); 5- Ice Storm, Wall of Fire; 6- Healing Circle.Equipment: Crest of Yeorem (Animate Dead 4/day)</blockquote>

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