Sighter Tnailog
01-25-07, 10:26 PM
Character Specifics
Name: Findelfin ap Fingolfin
Race: Elven
House: Tel'Quessir
Gender: Male
Age: 235
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 150 Pounds
Hair Color: Golden
Eye Color: Green
Character History
Findelfin was born in the village of Mirdan Timbreth, located in the forest of Timbrethinil. This town was primarily composed of fishermen and hunters, most of them elven. There were a few woodsmen, as well. Findelfin was blessed to be born to the richest of the elves in the village, whose name was Findalfin. Findalfin was a merchant, and had a small fleet of six or seven trade ships at his command.
Findelfin grew up fast, learning how to ride a horse, shoot a bow, heft a sword, and all other things that young elves were supposed to learn. He learned all of these things quickly and well, but he excelled most at the various musical arts. His voice had a haunting quality that was especially suited to songs of purification and exorcism, and his fingers could handle harpstrings with a deft and masterful touch.
However, despite his obvious musical talents and the knack he displayed for the military arts, Findelfin would find the forces of economic traditionalism impossible to surmount. Instead of being enrolled in the Academme Turlinstrata, an institution of magic most renowned among the elves of Timbrethinil, he was instructed by his father in the ways of the merchant. He showed no gift for it, or at least not much. He could banter with a shopkeeper and force the price down to an extent, but he showed none of the finer traits of the merchant.
However, even as he was forced to work for a career he had no interest in, he was able to train his preferred skills on his own, with a variety of tutors. Every once in a while, a visiting mage would teach Findelfin little tricks of the voice, the way to perfectly hold a tone and imbue it with a magical effect. A wandering master-of-blades named Legeliwyn Aeyl taught him the forms and the stances of the swordsmen, while the local hunters, whose eyes and ears were unmatched, instructed him in the ways and the discipline of the archer.
Life continued like this until the date of his two hundred thirtieth birthday. This day is considered the coming of age day for an Elf, and as part of the ceremony Findalfin gave Findelfin a mission. He was to travel on his first merchant voyage, to trade furs and timber with the elves on the northern coast of Timbrethinil. Although Findelfin's distaste for this commission was made plain, he left two weeks after his birthday.
A week into the voyage, disaster struck. The ship steered directly into the teeth of a storm. The sailors and the captain managed to save the vessel, but in the storm they had been knocked hopelessly off course. The stars in the sky were unfamiliar, and the seas were choppier. Soon, they found themselves in yet another storm -- one from which they would not recover.
The ship went under during the third hour of the morning, gigantic waves finally driving the wooden craft beneath the swell. Findelfin is probably the only survivor of the crash, and he washed up on the shore of Corone, close by the edges of Concordia forest. Gathering what little strength he had left (the water had sapped most of it), he set out to find aid.
Finally, he stumbled upon a village in the forest, but even as he did so, he crumbled to the ground, his last reserves of vitality completely gone. He awoke in a room, quiet and empty, having been saved by an unknown person. He can still remember a face, however, and he would recognize his saviour if he ever met him again.
His strength refreshed, Findelfin took a quick meal within the house, still wondering where the inhabitants were. When he went outside, he found out. The entire population of the village was lying in a bloody, decaying, festering mess. Someone--or something--had massacred them. Luckily, there were several people nearby that were still alive. A man named Legeliwyn Aeyl (the grandson of his old sword trainer, no less!), a young boy, and an elf named Elrulith all helped Findelfin to purify the town of the evil that was in it...but at the same time, a curse was laid upon Findelfin by an unknown person, but the person who Findelfin assumes caused the deaths of all those people.
Where the Winds of Hell blow,
You will find Me there.
Where the Terrors of Hell grip,
You will find Me there.
Where the Fires of Hell burn,
You will find Me there.
And where the Death of Hell dwells,
You will find Me there.
Moving onward now, the prophecy now stalking his heels, Findelfin found himself in Radasanth, the veritable capital of the Althanian world. Seeking shelter in an inn, he, along with the other tenets, were soon face to face with Wind Demons and Land Krakens. After a long fight, Findelfin and his company, which included Legeliwyn Aeyl and Leopold Stevens, vanquished these foes.
Findelfin now set out to explore whatever he could of Althanas. Soon, he noticed an alarming trend: the rise of groups, calling themselves "Clans," which he deemed to be undercutting the sovereignty of the individual. In response to such conformist social movements, he founded a group which was destined to shape a portion Althanas' history: the Purifiers. The organization was devoted to the principle of individual rights, and it soon came to be composed of such illustrious figures as Devon Starslayer, Legeliwyn Aeyl, Leopold Lord Stevens, Edmund Lorisiac, and Kylin Rouge. The organization waged the first Clan War, although the circumstances of that war later gave Findelfin reason to doubt his ideals, and they endured as a powerful group for some time.
Soon after, Findelfin entered the Lornius Corporate Championship with his friend and fellow Purifier, Legeliwyn Aeyl, under the team name "Sword and Bow." Together, they defeated the same team twice, but were in turn defeated by Thoracis and Mazrith, a pair of Alerian warriors beyond compare. In the process, Thoracis destroyed Findelfin's prized harp, and this has been a bone of contention between the two ever since.
After the LCC, Findelfin became immersed in the politics of war that were developing between Raiaera and Alerar. There had never been good relations between the two nations. In fact, Alerar had become a nation when the Raiaerans expelled the Dark Elves from their lands in ancient days. However, Alerar was prepared to respond to this ancient enmity with a war of conquest and expansion. Findelfin found himself in Raiaera, as a student in the Turlin School along with Devon Starslayer, none too soon. On the very day that the Alerian army began sending its armies through the pass in the Raiaeran Mountains, Devon dispatched his familiar, Sabriel, to send a message to Kylin Rouge in Alerar. Sabriel saw these troops moving through the mountains, and returned immediately with the warning.
Devon and Findelfin sprang into action. With his horse, Pelektar, Findelfin sped off to rouse the Schools of Magic with word of the approach of the Alerarians towards Raiaera. Devon went to Velicë Arta, the Grand Palace of Eluriand, to warn the High Bard Council. Upon completion of these two tasks, and in recognition of the crucial role Findelfin and Devon had played in defending Raiaera, Devon was given command of the forces which would defend Valinatal, the city at the mouth of the Alerian Pass, while Findelfin would command a detail of cavalry through a hidden mountain pass and come upon the unguarded rear of Thoracis, Alerar's General and Findelfin's old adversary.
Wasting no time, Findelfin set out. However, a rock fall in the mountains during the second day of his ride blocked his passage. He was forced to turn back for Eluriand. Upon arrival, he found a horrible sight. Xem'zûnd, one of the ancient Forgotten Ones, had launched an attack on Eluriand itself.
All thoughts of Alerar's approach now dispelled, Findelfin led his cavalry in a daring charge, breaking the backs of the first wave of Eluriand's attackers. Retreating to the city, Findelfin sounded the Horn of Velicë Arta, a thing which was not to be done without express permission of the High Bard Council. Then he led forth a brigade of Turlin mages, leading them in a spell-song that dispelled any undead within its range.
Suddenly, though, the tide turned. Mulciber, an ancient servant of the Lord Aesphestos, arose from the earth and challenged Findelfin. They battled on the plains of Eluriand for an hour, Findelfin's blade of purified energy, Vardaturil, competing with the tainted saber of Mulciber. Finally, Findelfin placed his sword through Mulciber's skull, but at the same time, was pierced by the dark sword of his enemy. A trio of bards leapt forward, their Turlin and Aglarlin magic seeping into Findelfin's body, and the taint was purified.
Despite Findelfin's efforts, the battle for Eluriand was lost. Undead roamed victorious in the streets, the Elves driven backwards into their schools and the Grand Palace. Luckily, though, developments taking place in the Obsidian Tower of Xem'zûnd -- events such as the arrival of Devon Starslayer from victory at Valinatal -- led to the evil mage's downfall (although not his death). The result was that the undead, though their swarms in the streets were beyond the power of the Elves to drive out, were leaderless, and could mount no concerted or intelligent attack on the havens of the Elves.
Findelfin escaped from all this mess, and for some time life continued. He fought in battles and he was involved in the politics that came from being the leader of a powerful organization, the Purifiers. However, while researching in the library of Radasanth, attempting to find out how the undead could be driven back, he and Kylin Rouge experimented with a machine meant for training students in battle strategy. They were soon sucked into a gripping battle with their fears, the Terrors of Hell seeking to take their souls and suck them into the infernal city of Dis. They won out in the end, though, and lived to tell the tale.
Findelfin's worst moment came in a subterranean hall known as Siukan's Haven, where he sought to defeat a great monster. His traveling companions were Devon and Legeliwyn Aeyl, and together they fought extremely small imps and traversed a cataclysm using a rolling pillar as a bridge. Devon saved Findelfin's life on this little excursion, and for that Findelfin is most grateful.
Sadly, though, disaster struck in Siukan's Haven. As the company neared the Veil of Dreams and the lair of the beast known as the Shadow, they awoke this monster. The beast gave chase, and the shock of this animal's awakening sent a reverberation through the cave which caused the ceiling to collapse. Although the rock fall blocked the Shadow's chase and saved the lives of Devon and Findelfin, the rubble encased Legeliwyn in a tomb.
Stripped of his dearest friend, Findelfin soon found another: Thoracis, ever Findelfin's foe, had formed a Grand Army and assailed the Purifiers, casting the group out of its Dome of Purity and dealing the organization a death blow. To deal with his grief, Findelfin found himself returning to Concordia, seeking to find the village where he had first met Legeliwyn. In Concordia forest, he found a cave, and the ice demon and member of the army of the Forgotten One Denebriel, Ashiakin Xan-ris Azzarak, pushed him into a hole within the cave. Findelfin grabbed Ashiakin as he fell, and together they plummeted into darkness.
Inside the cave, Findelfin and Ashiakin found that they had stumbled across a portal to the very depths of the underworld. They witnessed the hellacious creatures cavorting and marching in their infernal army. In fact, they saw an entire Legion preparing to march on the overworld. Ashiakin, though an evil being himself, had his own qualms with the chaoticism of the underworld, and together Findelfin and Ashiakin encased the leader of the army, Bealial, in a sheet of ice prepared through a combination of their magics. But the demons were not happy at the loss of their leader and creator, and they turned on Findelfin and Ashiakin in a rage. At this point, Ashiakin’s friend, a teleporter, showed up and saved him. Findelfin was left alone. He went down with a great fight, a battle in front of the very gate of Dis. The demons still whisper his name with fright, for he was the first of the material plane to ever inflict such great damage on their ranks.
But fall he did, in the end, though he was not killed. Set free for reasons beyond his knowledge -- perhaps the imps feared him, or did not wish to risk his escape -- Findelfin instinctively sought the aid of one he knew from whisperings that had gone abroad in the world. Gild Sorrain, the leader of the Bandit Brotherhood, was who Findelfin found. Gild was very busy, but Findelfin prevailed upon him to take the elf to an important meeting in the Salvaran wastes, where the current clan leaders of Althanas were discussing what to do about the power of the Facade.
There, Findelfin laid bare all he had seen -- the threat of the demons and the imminent attacks of Duke Bealial. He was challenged, however, by Zieg dil'Tulfried, who argued that the demons had no such designs on the overworld. It was here that Findelfin first realized that perhaps the Haidians were not of the same kind as Duke Bealial's kin. Disturbed by the thought of demons hiding even from the Haidians, lurking in underrealms unknown to the races who had fought in the Demon War, Findelfin set out to find more of Bealial and his plans.
He located the portal to Haidia within Salvar, and went through it. There he met a group of Haidian Elves, members of what they called the Second Brigade. Apparantly, at the end of the Demon War, a group known as "Tel'Quessir," composed equally of Raiaerans and Alerarians, agreed to set aside their ancient feud and descend into Haidia, forming the Seven Brigades. Three were Raiaeran, three Aleraran, and the seventh was made up of mixed races. Their duties were to guard the Haidians and report on their activities should another Demon War be imminent. In addition to these duties, they were supposed to guard six keys, and each one was in the possession of an elvensmith. This last duty they took the most seriously, it seemed, and it was why they needed Findelfin.
Findelfin had been watched for some time, and now they needed one who did not bear their marks -- members of the Seven Brigades all wore tattoos that identified them, and were only visible in the sullen glow of the Haidian underworld. He had to sneak into Vainta via secret channels and find out what had happened to one of the Six Elvensmiths who held the keys, then infiltrate Vainta's labyrinth to find the safe house of the elves, where the smith might be hiding. This Findelfin did...but troops under Duke Bealial's direction were there when he came out of the tunnel, and they captured Findelfin and flung him into the Labyrinth.
Bound and tied, Findelfin did not know what to do. But unbelievably enough, who else appeared than Legeliwyn Aeyl! Unknowingly, Legeliwyn had entered the labyrinth from Fallien, and just in time. Legeliwyn freed Findelfin, and together they went through the Labyrinth, found the safe house, and relayed the information. The elves there gave Findelfin the key, and told him he would need it one day. Then Duke Bealial appeared, and Findelfin and Legeliwyn escaped using a magic device given him by the Second Brigade.
Back in the Second Brigade, where the device took him, Findelfin and Legeliwyn were suddenly confronted by someone Findelfin had met earlier: Lomaniel, an elf of the brigade. Now she revealed her true colors and attacked them. She was defeated. Findelfin left his sword with Legeliwyn, where one of the six elvensmiths was to smithy it as Legeliwyn recovered from wounds suffered in the battle. He returned to Raiaera via a secret portal.
In Raiaera, he spent some time reacquainting himself with things, getting recommissioned as a diplomat and military leader, along with catching up with various old friends he'd made. With him came Hilmandil, of the Second Brigade, to serve as a military advisor to the Raiaerans. It was not long before he was dispatched to Alerar on a diplomatic mission, to speak with Valsharess about peace in lieu of the possibly gathering threat of Duke Bealial.
After that, Findelfin's history is contained in this thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=51792#post51792). I won't write it all out.
Also, this update assumes at least ONE thing that is to be revealed in an upcoming thread, soon-to-be-begun: At the end of the above thread, Findelfin is stabbed by a man who kills himself, and in so doing the man transfers the authority of Telendor Nauvarin, a secret and ancient society, to Findelfin. Findelfin is now the Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin...the particular place in which this is important comes up in a moment, and I will ask the moderator to consider this later.
((Wow. That was a lot. Sorry if the history got nasty towards the end...I got tired of writing it and decided to do it rush-style.))
Skills, Spells, and Abilities
WARNING: I am adding ONE skill in this section. I ask leniency on this addition for the following reason: in all my seven levels, I have only asked for THREE new powers outside of my original powers, each one earned within a thread. That means I have been very self-restrained with regard to enhancing Findelfin's strength. This is, of course, the moderator's decision. I merely ask that they keep my prior history of restraint in mind when considering my requests. Requests are in RED.
Skills
Woodlore -- Findelfin is at home within a forest, and can craft many useful things from the things he can find within the woods. He is well versed on the various magical properties of different herbs and woods, for instance, although he has yet to learn the specific art of potion-making.
Swordsmanship -- Findelfin is an excellent swordsman, and his weapon of choice is the long sword.
Bowmanship -- Although he is not the best bowman ever, he is still above average.
Horseback Riding -- Findelfin can ride a horse quite well
Web of Informants -- As the new Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin is now able to make use of the diversity of information available to the leader of a group that has been gathering information since the Wars of the Tap. This means Findelfin may now claim knowledge of many things of Althanas history without having to resort to the classic "I found it in a book" excuse, as well as being able to discover and possibly exploit knowledge of other characters provided a legitimate vehicle exists for this knowledge to be known. An example would be a tournament battle, which many people might have witnessed, and therefore one of them could be an informant. But a thread occuring far off in the woods would NOT be something Findelfin's informants would know, unless one of the thread's participants was secretly a member of Telendor Nauvarin. In addition to his informants within Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin's network of acquaintances within Raiaera and Radasanth provide him with a healthy amount of news and information.
Spells
Findelfin can manifest all these spells in weaker versions than here mentioned...for instance, he could use the Requiem of the North to make things cold, or the Fire Ring Requiem to make things warm. But he cannot exceed the power described here.
Requiem of the North -- A song-spell taught to him by Elrundir Galadhrim, this Dagorlin song produces chunks of ice that are propelled through the air towards his enemy.
Fire Ring Requiem -- A defensive song of the Ostlin school, this music will create a ring of fire around the singer. The ring can be either motile or sessile, depending on how hard the singer concentrates.
Purification Nocturne -- This Turlin song is extremely difficult to sing when one is attempting to elicit its full power, but it can also manifest itself in weaker forms. The only limitation on what it can purify is internal -- it cannot fix anything wrong with the singer himself, only external objects or people.
Healing Sonata -- This Lissilin sonata can heal up to ten people within a radius of fifty feet, and the singer can select the people to be healed if he concentrates hard enough. If not, then the ten people chosen will be random -- either friend or foe.
Limited Telepathy -- With concentration, Findelfin can send a message directly to another's mind. He cannot, however, receive messages from others without telepathy and he cannot read minds.
Property
Weapons and Armor
Ainalindil -- A sword of mythril with a golden crosshilt and a fine leather grip. The hilt is inset with a ruby that bears a Rune of Turlin, which imbues the blade with a soft glowing light. The blade is deadly to anything undead, and can purify most black magic at a touch. It was crafted for Findelfin by a Elfsmith of Haidia, and can shoot blasts of holy light from its tip. The blasts are only mildly harmful to most organic entities, but to enemies carrying evil within them it is potent and perilous.
The Swordcane of Leopold Stevens -- Twenty-four inches steel. It can launch a magical assault with fire and lightning for up to twenty feet, and will return to the owner's hand on command. Currently kept above the mantle at Findelfin's villa above Valinatal.
Brigandine
Bracer, Leather
Thumb Ring
Composite Bow (Ulder and Bone)
Longbow (Talymer)
Three plynt daggers, unweighted
A delyn coif
97 Arrows, Rywan Shafts and Mythril Tips
Home
Findelfin owns a small villa to the north of Valinatal, in Raiaera. Most of his gold is stored there, and his horse, Pelektar, is stabled there.
Important Items
Key of Vainta -- One of the five keys denoting a Guardian of Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin found this key while in Haidia on his first mission. His new goal is to rebuild Telendor Nauvarin by first finding new Guardians, and he is to entrust this key to the person he decides to name Protector.
The Diadem's Key -- The largest of the five keys, this sizeable golden key is a symbol of Findelfin's authority within Telendor Nauvarin. As with all of the keys, it can unlock or reseal the latches affixed on the Gateway to Dis. Discovered in this thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=51792#post51792).
Letter from Legeliwyn I -- This letter was written to Findelfin by the previous Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin, Legeliwyn Aeyl I. It contains much of the information that Findelfin is using to gain his skill (in RED above), along with lots of advice, warnings, and so forth. An indispensable little letter. Discovered in this thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=51792#post51792).
Mending the Tear -- A book on the nature of the Eternal Tap, Raiaeran song magic, and how to fix the Eternal Tap. Basically a how-to on the Turrea a Calan. Discovered in this thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=51792#post51792).
Torc of Tel'Quessir -- A golden torc with three jewels (a ruby in the center flanked by two emeralds), each of these jewels has a power. The middle jewel will immediately return the person who presses it to the Hall of the Second Brigade in Haidia. The leftmost jewel will send a message to the person the caster needs most -- although the torc is fickle about who it thinks that person is. The final gem will render the wearer -- and anyone they are touching -- invisible for eight seconds. It can only be used once a day, or else the bearer will be rendered unconscious on the second attempt.
Other Items
All these items are stored within Findelfin's villa above Valinatal.
Three small silver fox statues
Flute
A book on bardic verse
Several casks of wine and two gallons of black tar, purchased in Alerar
Familiar and Steed
Findelfin's horse, currently stabled in Raiaera and awaiting the return of her master, is named Pelektar, or Striker. She is a russet warhorse, fast and enduring, and is one of the best.
Findelfin has a pet in the form of a small red fox named Auran, or "Iron Lord." He has a fondness for beef jerky, and is very friendly. Auran has no powers other than a hefty dose of courage. Auran has been entrusted to Findelfin's close friend, Hilmandil Valdas, for the time being.
Name: Findelfin ap Fingolfin
Race: Elven
House: Tel'Quessir
Gender: Male
Age: 235
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 150 Pounds
Hair Color: Golden
Eye Color: Green
Character History
Findelfin was born in the village of Mirdan Timbreth, located in the forest of Timbrethinil. This town was primarily composed of fishermen and hunters, most of them elven. There were a few woodsmen, as well. Findelfin was blessed to be born to the richest of the elves in the village, whose name was Findalfin. Findalfin was a merchant, and had a small fleet of six or seven trade ships at his command.
Findelfin grew up fast, learning how to ride a horse, shoot a bow, heft a sword, and all other things that young elves were supposed to learn. He learned all of these things quickly and well, but he excelled most at the various musical arts. His voice had a haunting quality that was especially suited to songs of purification and exorcism, and his fingers could handle harpstrings with a deft and masterful touch.
However, despite his obvious musical talents and the knack he displayed for the military arts, Findelfin would find the forces of economic traditionalism impossible to surmount. Instead of being enrolled in the Academme Turlinstrata, an institution of magic most renowned among the elves of Timbrethinil, he was instructed by his father in the ways of the merchant. He showed no gift for it, or at least not much. He could banter with a shopkeeper and force the price down to an extent, but he showed none of the finer traits of the merchant.
However, even as he was forced to work for a career he had no interest in, he was able to train his preferred skills on his own, with a variety of tutors. Every once in a while, a visiting mage would teach Findelfin little tricks of the voice, the way to perfectly hold a tone and imbue it with a magical effect. A wandering master-of-blades named Legeliwyn Aeyl taught him the forms and the stances of the swordsmen, while the local hunters, whose eyes and ears were unmatched, instructed him in the ways and the discipline of the archer.
Life continued like this until the date of his two hundred thirtieth birthday. This day is considered the coming of age day for an Elf, and as part of the ceremony Findalfin gave Findelfin a mission. He was to travel on his first merchant voyage, to trade furs and timber with the elves on the northern coast of Timbrethinil. Although Findelfin's distaste for this commission was made plain, he left two weeks after his birthday.
A week into the voyage, disaster struck. The ship steered directly into the teeth of a storm. The sailors and the captain managed to save the vessel, but in the storm they had been knocked hopelessly off course. The stars in the sky were unfamiliar, and the seas were choppier. Soon, they found themselves in yet another storm -- one from which they would not recover.
The ship went under during the third hour of the morning, gigantic waves finally driving the wooden craft beneath the swell. Findelfin is probably the only survivor of the crash, and he washed up on the shore of Corone, close by the edges of Concordia forest. Gathering what little strength he had left (the water had sapped most of it), he set out to find aid.
Finally, he stumbled upon a village in the forest, but even as he did so, he crumbled to the ground, his last reserves of vitality completely gone. He awoke in a room, quiet and empty, having been saved by an unknown person. He can still remember a face, however, and he would recognize his saviour if he ever met him again.
His strength refreshed, Findelfin took a quick meal within the house, still wondering where the inhabitants were. When he went outside, he found out. The entire population of the village was lying in a bloody, decaying, festering mess. Someone--or something--had massacred them. Luckily, there were several people nearby that were still alive. A man named Legeliwyn Aeyl (the grandson of his old sword trainer, no less!), a young boy, and an elf named Elrulith all helped Findelfin to purify the town of the evil that was in it...but at the same time, a curse was laid upon Findelfin by an unknown person, but the person who Findelfin assumes caused the deaths of all those people.
Where the Winds of Hell blow,
You will find Me there.
Where the Terrors of Hell grip,
You will find Me there.
Where the Fires of Hell burn,
You will find Me there.
And where the Death of Hell dwells,
You will find Me there.
Moving onward now, the prophecy now stalking his heels, Findelfin found himself in Radasanth, the veritable capital of the Althanian world. Seeking shelter in an inn, he, along with the other tenets, were soon face to face with Wind Demons and Land Krakens. After a long fight, Findelfin and his company, which included Legeliwyn Aeyl and Leopold Stevens, vanquished these foes.
Findelfin now set out to explore whatever he could of Althanas. Soon, he noticed an alarming trend: the rise of groups, calling themselves "Clans," which he deemed to be undercutting the sovereignty of the individual. In response to such conformist social movements, he founded a group which was destined to shape a portion Althanas' history: the Purifiers. The organization was devoted to the principle of individual rights, and it soon came to be composed of such illustrious figures as Devon Starslayer, Legeliwyn Aeyl, Leopold Lord Stevens, Edmund Lorisiac, and Kylin Rouge. The organization waged the first Clan War, although the circumstances of that war later gave Findelfin reason to doubt his ideals, and they endured as a powerful group for some time.
Soon after, Findelfin entered the Lornius Corporate Championship with his friend and fellow Purifier, Legeliwyn Aeyl, under the team name "Sword and Bow." Together, they defeated the same team twice, but were in turn defeated by Thoracis and Mazrith, a pair of Alerian warriors beyond compare. In the process, Thoracis destroyed Findelfin's prized harp, and this has been a bone of contention between the two ever since.
After the LCC, Findelfin became immersed in the politics of war that were developing between Raiaera and Alerar. There had never been good relations between the two nations. In fact, Alerar had become a nation when the Raiaerans expelled the Dark Elves from their lands in ancient days. However, Alerar was prepared to respond to this ancient enmity with a war of conquest and expansion. Findelfin found himself in Raiaera, as a student in the Turlin School along with Devon Starslayer, none too soon. On the very day that the Alerian army began sending its armies through the pass in the Raiaeran Mountains, Devon dispatched his familiar, Sabriel, to send a message to Kylin Rouge in Alerar. Sabriel saw these troops moving through the mountains, and returned immediately with the warning.
Devon and Findelfin sprang into action. With his horse, Pelektar, Findelfin sped off to rouse the Schools of Magic with word of the approach of the Alerarians towards Raiaera. Devon went to Velicë Arta, the Grand Palace of Eluriand, to warn the High Bard Council. Upon completion of these two tasks, and in recognition of the crucial role Findelfin and Devon had played in defending Raiaera, Devon was given command of the forces which would defend Valinatal, the city at the mouth of the Alerian Pass, while Findelfin would command a detail of cavalry through a hidden mountain pass and come upon the unguarded rear of Thoracis, Alerar's General and Findelfin's old adversary.
Wasting no time, Findelfin set out. However, a rock fall in the mountains during the second day of his ride blocked his passage. He was forced to turn back for Eluriand. Upon arrival, he found a horrible sight. Xem'zûnd, one of the ancient Forgotten Ones, had launched an attack on Eluriand itself.
All thoughts of Alerar's approach now dispelled, Findelfin led his cavalry in a daring charge, breaking the backs of the first wave of Eluriand's attackers. Retreating to the city, Findelfin sounded the Horn of Velicë Arta, a thing which was not to be done without express permission of the High Bard Council. Then he led forth a brigade of Turlin mages, leading them in a spell-song that dispelled any undead within its range.
Suddenly, though, the tide turned. Mulciber, an ancient servant of the Lord Aesphestos, arose from the earth and challenged Findelfin. They battled on the plains of Eluriand for an hour, Findelfin's blade of purified energy, Vardaturil, competing with the tainted saber of Mulciber. Finally, Findelfin placed his sword through Mulciber's skull, but at the same time, was pierced by the dark sword of his enemy. A trio of bards leapt forward, their Turlin and Aglarlin magic seeping into Findelfin's body, and the taint was purified.
Despite Findelfin's efforts, the battle for Eluriand was lost. Undead roamed victorious in the streets, the Elves driven backwards into their schools and the Grand Palace. Luckily, though, developments taking place in the Obsidian Tower of Xem'zûnd -- events such as the arrival of Devon Starslayer from victory at Valinatal -- led to the evil mage's downfall (although not his death). The result was that the undead, though their swarms in the streets were beyond the power of the Elves to drive out, were leaderless, and could mount no concerted or intelligent attack on the havens of the Elves.
Findelfin escaped from all this mess, and for some time life continued. He fought in battles and he was involved in the politics that came from being the leader of a powerful organization, the Purifiers. However, while researching in the library of Radasanth, attempting to find out how the undead could be driven back, he and Kylin Rouge experimented with a machine meant for training students in battle strategy. They were soon sucked into a gripping battle with their fears, the Terrors of Hell seeking to take their souls and suck them into the infernal city of Dis. They won out in the end, though, and lived to tell the tale.
Findelfin's worst moment came in a subterranean hall known as Siukan's Haven, where he sought to defeat a great monster. His traveling companions were Devon and Legeliwyn Aeyl, and together they fought extremely small imps and traversed a cataclysm using a rolling pillar as a bridge. Devon saved Findelfin's life on this little excursion, and for that Findelfin is most grateful.
Sadly, though, disaster struck in Siukan's Haven. As the company neared the Veil of Dreams and the lair of the beast known as the Shadow, they awoke this monster. The beast gave chase, and the shock of this animal's awakening sent a reverberation through the cave which caused the ceiling to collapse. Although the rock fall blocked the Shadow's chase and saved the lives of Devon and Findelfin, the rubble encased Legeliwyn in a tomb.
Stripped of his dearest friend, Findelfin soon found another: Thoracis, ever Findelfin's foe, had formed a Grand Army and assailed the Purifiers, casting the group out of its Dome of Purity and dealing the organization a death blow. To deal with his grief, Findelfin found himself returning to Concordia, seeking to find the village where he had first met Legeliwyn. In Concordia forest, he found a cave, and the ice demon and member of the army of the Forgotten One Denebriel, Ashiakin Xan-ris Azzarak, pushed him into a hole within the cave. Findelfin grabbed Ashiakin as he fell, and together they plummeted into darkness.
Inside the cave, Findelfin and Ashiakin found that they had stumbled across a portal to the very depths of the underworld. They witnessed the hellacious creatures cavorting and marching in their infernal army. In fact, they saw an entire Legion preparing to march on the overworld. Ashiakin, though an evil being himself, had his own qualms with the chaoticism of the underworld, and together Findelfin and Ashiakin encased the leader of the army, Bealial, in a sheet of ice prepared through a combination of their magics. But the demons were not happy at the loss of their leader and creator, and they turned on Findelfin and Ashiakin in a rage. At this point, Ashiakin’s friend, a teleporter, showed up and saved him. Findelfin was left alone. He went down with a great fight, a battle in front of the very gate of Dis. The demons still whisper his name with fright, for he was the first of the material plane to ever inflict such great damage on their ranks.
But fall he did, in the end, though he was not killed. Set free for reasons beyond his knowledge -- perhaps the imps feared him, or did not wish to risk his escape -- Findelfin instinctively sought the aid of one he knew from whisperings that had gone abroad in the world. Gild Sorrain, the leader of the Bandit Brotherhood, was who Findelfin found. Gild was very busy, but Findelfin prevailed upon him to take the elf to an important meeting in the Salvaran wastes, where the current clan leaders of Althanas were discussing what to do about the power of the Facade.
There, Findelfin laid bare all he had seen -- the threat of the demons and the imminent attacks of Duke Bealial. He was challenged, however, by Zieg dil'Tulfried, who argued that the demons had no such designs on the overworld. It was here that Findelfin first realized that perhaps the Haidians were not of the same kind as Duke Bealial's kin. Disturbed by the thought of demons hiding even from the Haidians, lurking in underrealms unknown to the races who had fought in the Demon War, Findelfin set out to find more of Bealial and his plans.
He located the portal to Haidia within Salvar, and went through it. There he met a group of Haidian Elves, members of what they called the Second Brigade. Apparantly, at the end of the Demon War, a group known as "Tel'Quessir," composed equally of Raiaerans and Alerarians, agreed to set aside their ancient feud and descend into Haidia, forming the Seven Brigades. Three were Raiaeran, three Aleraran, and the seventh was made up of mixed races. Their duties were to guard the Haidians and report on their activities should another Demon War be imminent. In addition to these duties, they were supposed to guard six keys, and each one was in the possession of an elvensmith. This last duty they took the most seriously, it seemed, and it was why they needed Findelfin.
Findelfin had been watched for some time, and now they needed one who did not bear their marks -- members of the Seven Brigades all wore tattoos that identified them, and were only visible in the sullen glow of the Haidian underworld. He had to sneak into Vainta via secret channels and find out what had happened to one of the Six Elvensmiths who held the keys, then infiltrate Vainta's labyrinth to find the safe house of the elves, where the smith might be hiding. This Findelfin did...but troops under Duke Bealial's direction were there when he came out of the tunnel, and they captured Findelfin and flung him into the Labyrinth.
Bound and tied, Findelfin did not know what to do. But unbelievably enough, who else appeared than Legeliwyn Aeyl! Unknowingly, Legeliwyn had entered the labyrinth from Fallien, and just in time. Legeliwyn freed Findelfin, and together they went through the Labyrinth, found the safe house, and relayed the information. The elves there gave Findelfin the key, and told him he would need it one day. Then Duke Bealial appeared, and Findelfin and Legeliwyn escaped using a magic device given him by the Second Brigade.
Back in the Second Brigade, where the device took him, Findelfin and Legeliwyn were suddenly confronted by someone Findelfin had met earlier: Lomaniel, an elf of the brigade. Now she revealed her true colors and attacked them. She was defeated. Findelfin left his sword with Legeliwyn, where one of the six elvensmiths was to smithy it as Legeliwyn recovered from wounds suffered in the battle. He returned to Raiaera via a secret portal.
In Raiaera, he spent some time reacquainting himself with things, getting recommissioned as a diplomat and military leader, along with catching up with various old friends he'd made. With him came Hilmandil, of the Second Brigade, to serve as a military advisor to the Raiaerans. It was not long before he was dispatched to Alerar on a diplomatic mission, to speak with Valsharess about peace in lieu of the possibly gathering threat of Duke Bealial.
After that, Findelfin's history is contained in this thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=51792#post51792). I won't write it all out.
Also, this update assumes at least ONE thing that is to be revealed in an upcoming thread, soon-to-be-begun: At the end of the above thread, Findelfin is stabbed by a man who kills himself, and in so doing the man transfers the authority of Telendor Nauvarin, a secret and ancient society, to Findelfin. Findelfin is now the Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin...the particular place in which this is important comes up in a moment, and I will ask the moderator to consider this later.
((Wow. That was a lot. Sorry if the history got nasty towards the end...I got tired of writing it and decided to do it rush-style.))
Skills, Spells, and Abilities
WARNING: I am adding ONE skill in this section. I ask leniency on this addition for the following reason: in all my seven levels, I have only asked for THREE new powers outside of my original powers, each one earned within a thread. That means I have been very self-restrained with regard to enhancing Findelfin's strength. This is, of course, the moderator's decision. I merely ask that they keep my prior history of restraint in mind when considering my requests. Requests are in RED.
Skills
Woodlore -- Findelfin is at home within a forest, and can craft many useful things from the things he can find within the woods. He is well versed on the various magical properties of different herbs and woods, for instance, although he has yet to learn the specific art of potion-making.
Swordsmanship -- Findelfin is an excellent swordsman, and his weapon of choice is the long sword.
Bowmanship -- Although he is not the best bowman ever, he is still above average.
Horseback Riding -- Findelfin can ride a horse quite well
Web of Informants -- As the new Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin is now able to make use of the diversity of information available to the leader of a group that has been gathering information since the Wars of the Tap. This means Findelfin may now claim knowledge of many things of Althanas history without having to resort to the classic "I found it in a book" excuse, as well as being able to discover and possibly exploit knowledge of other characters provided a legitimate vehicle exists for this knowledge to be known. An example would be a tournament battle, which many people might have witnessed, and therefore one of them could be an informant. But a thread occuring far off in the woods would NOT be something Findelfin's informants would know, unless one of the thread's participants was secretly a member of Telendor Nauvarin. In addition to his informants within Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin's network of acquaintances within Raiaera and Radasanth provide him with a healthy amount of news and information.
Spells
Findelfin can manifest all these spells in weaker versions than here mentioned...for instance, he could use the Requiem of the North to make things cold, or the Fire Ring Requiem to make things warm. But he cannot exceed the power described here.
Requiem of the North -- A song-spell taught to him by Elrundir Galadhrim, this Dagorlin song produces chunks of ice that are propelled through the air towards his enemy.
Fire Ring Requiem -- A defensive song of the Ostlin school, this music will create a ring of fire around the singer. The ring can be either motile or sessile, depending on how hard the singer concentrates.
Purification Nocturne -- This Turlin song is extremely difficult to sing when one is attempting to elicit its full power, but it can also manifest itself in weaker forms. The only limitation on what it can purify is internal -- it cannot fix anything wrong with the singer himself, only external objects or people.
Healing Sonata -- This Lissilin sonata can heal up to ten people within a radius of fifty feet, and the singer can select the people to be healed if he concentrates hard enough. If not, then the ten people chosen will be random -- either friend or foe.
Limited Telepathy -- With concentration, Findelfin can send a message directly to another's mind. He cannot, however, receive messages from others without telepathy and he cannot read minds.
Property
Weapons and Armor
Ainalindil -- A sword of mythril with a golden crosshilt and a fine leather grip. The hilt is inset with a ruby that bears a Rune of Turlin, which imbues the blade with a soft glowing light. The blade is deadly to anything undead, and can purify most black magic at a touch. It was crafted for Findelfin by a Elfsmith of Haidia, and can shoot blasts of holy light from its tip. The blasts are only mildly harmful to most organic entities, but to enemies carrying evil within them it is potent and perilous.
The Swordcane of Leopold Stevens -- Twenty-four inches steel. It can launch a magical assault with fire and lightning for up to twenty feet, and will return to the owner's hand on command. Currently kept above the mantle at Findelfin's villa above Valinatal.
Brigandine
Bracer, Leather
Thumb Ring
Composite Bow (Ulder and Bone)
Longbow (Talymer)
Three plynt daggers, unweighted
A delyn coif
97 Arrows, Rywan Shafts and Mythril Tips
Home
Findelfin owns a small villa to the north of Valinatal, in Raiaera. Most of his gold is stored there, and his horse, Pelektar, is stabled there.
Important Items
Key of Vainta -- One of the five keys denoting a Guardian of Telendor Nauvarin, Findelfin found this key while in Haidia on his first mission. His new goal is to rebuild Telendor Nauvarin by first finding new Guardians, and he is to entrust this key to the person he decides to name Protector.
The Diadem's Key -- The largest of the five keys, this sizeable golden key is a symbol of Findelfin's authority within Telendor Nauvarin. As with all of the keys, it can unlock or reseal the latches affixed on the Gateway to Dis. Discovered in this thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=51792#post51792).
Letter from Legeliwyn I -- This letter was written to Findelfin by the previous Diadem of Telendor Nauvarin, Legeliwyn Aeyl I. It contains much of the information that Findelfin is using to gain his skill (in RED above), along with lots of advice, warnings, and so forth. An indispensable little letter. Discovered in this thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=51792#post51792).
Mending the Tear -- A book on the nature of the Eternal Tap, Raiaeran song magic, and how to fix the Eternal Tap. Basically a how-to on the Turrea a Calan. Discovered in this thread (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=51792#post51792).
Torc of Tel'Quessir -- A golden torc with three jewels (a ruby in the center flanked by two emeralds), each of these jewels has a power. The middle jewel will immediately return the person who presses it to the Hall of the Second Brigade in Haidia. The leftmost jewel will send a message to the person the caster needs most -- although the torc is fickle about who it thinks that person is. The final gem will render the wearer -- and anyone they are touching -- invisible for eight seconds. It can only be used once a day, or else the bearer will be rendered unconscious on the second attempt.
Other Items
All these items are stored within Findelfin's villa above Valinatal.
Three small silver fox statues
Flute
A book on bardic verse
Several casks of wine and two gallons of black tar, purchased in Alerar
Familiar and Steed
Findelfin's horse, currently stabled in Raiaera and awaiting the return of her master, is named Pelektar, or Striker. She is a russet warhorse, fast and enduring, and is one of the best.
Findelfin has a pet in the form of a small red fox named Auran, or "Iron Lord." He has a fondness for beef jerky, and is very friendly. Auran has no powers other than a hefty dose of courage. Auran has been entrusted to Findelfin's close friend, Hilmandil Valdas, for the time being.