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Astafar the Pathfinder

I am Astafar, oldest and last living son of Glandril. As the sworn protectors of the Da'aslavrin Keep, my father's bloodline has long stood watch over the farms and tenements which lie in the shadow of my ancestral home. As go their fortunes, so goes my own - the lesson drilled into my head by parents and scholarly teachers alike for as long as I can remember. And for the longest time, I believed it.

Then came the night of the raid. Not just any raid - Da'aslavrin has seen countless raids and stood proud against them all. This was a different thing entirely. The term 'raid' fails to capture it. Assault, perhaps. Onslaught. Violation. I did not recognize the banners they carried, but I could smell the orc blood intermingled with that of the dark elves. Mercenaries, most likely, bought and paid for by a cowardly clan unable to earn their own victory. But it is no matter what coin, if any, changed hands.

In the end, the fire that ravaged the town spread to the countryside. It destroyed building and body alike, burning not only the homes of my people but their possessions, livestock, and futures.

My mother gave her life in the effort to save what few of our people she could find. Huddled in the narrow passage of a hollow oak tree larger than most homes, she gathered a handful of weapons for defense and a meager few torches to light our way, and was killed by a spear thrown from the dark shadows beyond the licking flames. I watched the flight of the iron-tipped shaft, but was unable to altar it's murderous trajectory. As the light left her eyes, so too did my emotional connection and obligation to Da'aslavrin.

Her death was certainly not the last of the evening, and I had no intention to allow my name to be added to the growing list. Few knew the forest of my homeland as well as I, but even after their heavy battle losses the aggressors were unaccountably numerous. To my advantage, our party was (Painfully) small and the enemy's siege plans had long worn through to completion. The enemy masses were then more concerned with securing loot and drink than locating a few survivors. Under cover of falling ash, dark night, and the chaotic visage of widespread battle, I found a path to safety. That the denizens who were not slain also walked that path with me was both acceptable and unimportant. I found the path to my safety, and it cost me nothing to give that safety to the rest.

For discovering a path to safety, the few remaining citizens of Da'aslavarin began referring to me as the Pathfinder - a title which they considered to be an honorific. I still am known as such, but to me there is no honor in it. The path it describes is, to me, not the one trod by a handful of surviving families fleeing to safety. I am the Pathfinder because on that night, I discovered that my path is my own. I choose my destiny. I choose my path.

The obligation and awards of my bloodline ends with the fall of my family's Keep. My future is now mine, to make of it what I can. I start now with little to my name, but I have my name, my wits, and my future. They are mine, and in time, I will use them to gain much more than has been lost. I no longer have the Keep, but I will gain a Kingdom.

Pathfinder Astafar

Advisor Description

Adeltha - a long-time member of my father's court - found me today in Town. She and her daughter were among the few who made it out along the path after the attack and fire at the Keep. Like all the others, I had no idea what happened to her after I left. I suppose I'd assumed she settled down somewhere to start over, much as I had.

But I suppose it makes sense that she would not have found life as a refugee to her liking. Her aristocratic life would not have prepared her for the rugged life of the poor, neither emotionally or practically. Of course, she didn't say quite so much when she pulled me aside as I walked home from the herbalist shop today. Her story, as she told it, was a bit more generous; she told me that she had decided she would track me down and help me, as she still felt honor-bound to help my father's son.

I didn't recognize her at first, dressed in traveler's garb, she was a far cry from the well-heeled lady I grew up listening to. Her position of some note in the Court's Advisors kept her comfortable, if perhaps a little out of touch. Still, I know her opinion was respected and her council generally useful. Her daughter, it seems, found a calling as a farmer and stayed behind. So Adeltha is, seemingly, alone here in Town and has found her way here to help me. We'll see.

Worse things could happen, really. I don't entirely believe her - I'm quite sure there is more to the story. Maybe it is nothing more than a falling out with her daughter, or maybe she (Very incorrectly) thinks she can use me as a stepping stone back to a life of relative luxury. I don't know the truth, but I also don't see how she can do me harm. Certainly, if somebody out there is looking for me, they won't need this old lady to track me down. I have a decent job, stay in a comfortable house, and the Town isn't so big that a name can't be led to a face for a few pieces of coin. I don't see how she can cause me any problem, and she may even prove useful in her wisdom and experience. Unless she gives me reason otherwise, I'll allow her to carry along with me.

Astafar the Pathfinder Post Play & MMORPG RPG Text

I have paid the Town Builders fer meh new wooden abode and today I have moved in to occupy the said premises.

Pathfinder Astafar

I, Astafar the Pathfinder, after much toil and perseverance have finally been able to obtain a stone abode to call my own.

Pathfinder Astafar

I have defeated a Woodsman. Let all know that it be by the mighty hands of Astafar the Pathfinder.

Astafar the Pathfinder

Astafar met a gruesome death at the hands of a nameless thug in a dark alley. An unremarkable end to a generally unremarkable life. Young Astafar was in Town for less than a couple of days, and did little to alter the face of our community. Little is known, though his few shopkeep conversations suggest he was very new to the area and never really settled in. Perhaps, his soul now resting with his family, he has found some peace.