Jun 8

Jun 8 Darrien Madeline (Mercenary) & Lady Allura (Expedition Leader)

Header Art: Dark Sun Campaign Setting & Dark Sun Creature Catalog by Wizards of the Coast

Darrien Madeline - Mercenary

An explorer by accident, Darrien has been to the ruins of Terranor when he was part of a mercenary group sent to clear out brigands. When he, and the rest arrived there, they were attacked by something far more ferocious than normal brigands. As the only survivor of the battle, Darrien stumbled away, vowing to return to Terranor for his revenge.

**Art Inspiration for Darrien;** *Dark Sun Campaign Setting,* 2010 by WotC

Physical Description

Darrien is a half-elf with long dark hair and deeply tanned skin, standing just under six feet tall. He keeps an easy smile on his face and his worn armor is proof of his dangerous life.

Backstory

Darrien has spent the majority of his life as a mercenary for the Golden Sands Company, stationed out of Serrat. While they were always a small group, they were well trained and had dealt with several threats within the desert, like ankhegs, a behir, and roving desert giants. They had even taken down a young blue dragon that had tried extorting protection money from the city or else it would send bolts of lightning down. During all of this Darrien relied on his steel and magical talents to keep himself and his allies alive. He had seen the Golden Sands Company as his family, and in truth, they had been his family since they found him as an orphan and brought him into the mercenary life.

This ended when the Golden Sands Company was tasked with clearing the ruins of Terranor. A bandit lord had set themselves up and was causing problems for those within the Falkrunn desert. When the company arrived, they found not bandits but serpentfolk who attacked and destroyed the ill-prepared company. Everyone, but Darrien, died in an ambush and he has sworn to return and take his revenge.

Present Day. Since then, Darrien has spent most of his time drinking and gambling, as well as getting on the wrong side of the law. The defeat at Terranor, and the death of his family, weigh heavily on him and he has had little motivation to get his revenge, at least, until he heard that Lady Allura was beginning her expedition to Terranor. Seeing this as his chance to get his revenge, he approached the Lady, but she refused him. She deemed Darrien as a coward for running away from the serpentfolk and a criminal for his wanton behavior when returning to Serrat.

With her refusal ringing in his ears, Darrian plans to return to Terranor before her and get his revenge. After that, he is going to find whatever it is that the Lady is looking for and destroy it, just to spite her.

Quick Reference Traits

Personality Traits. He is haunted by memories of his fallen allies and what he could've done.
Ideals. People should decide their own fate.
Bonds. He would die for those he once served with.
Flaws. He holds grudges close to his heart, seething in the anger and becoming unreasonable.

Adventure Hooks

While Darrien has little in the way of coin to pay adventurers to help him in his quest, he does know that Terranor holds ancient treasures within the vault. He is willing to split it with any who would join him in destroying every serpentfolk.
Once they arrive in Terranor, and destroy the serpentfolk, Darrien wishes to find out whatever it is that Lady Allura is looking for and destroy it in front of her.
There are darker secrets within Terranor than he realized as, upon sinking lower into a ziggurat, ancient tombs open. There is an evil spirit residing within the structures that called the serpentfolk to Terranor so that it might be released.

Lady Allura - Expedition Leader

Claiming to be descended from an unbroken line leading back to the nobility of Terranor, Lady Allura is attempting to bring together an expedition to the destroyed ruins and bring back proof of her lineage. She has worked to this moment for most of her life, and won't let anyone change her mind.

**Art Inspiration for Allura;** *Dark Sun Creature Catalog,* 2010 by WotC

Physical Description

Despite her title of Lady, Lady Allura dresses as an explorer. She is a human with long red hair, a wiry frame, and walks with the bearing of someone who knows they are better than everyone else in the room.

Backstory

Lady Alluranelte Namacuin, or just Allura or Lady Allura, has heard since she was a child that her bloodline descends from nobility within Terranor before it erupted in a magical explosion. These stories had been passed down through the centuries through the family as they struggled to regain the previous position they had in their past. They have precious little in the way of physical proof of their nobility, but what they do have, they cling to tightly. As a young child, Allura was confident that she was going to be the one that would save her family from falling off into obscurity and bring back real proof of her family's importance in Terranor.

As the years passed, Allura continued to press her family to help her accomplish her goals. While other young ladies were learning to sew, dance, or maintain a household, Allura was learning from the best swordfighters that her family could afford as well as practicing with the innate magic her family has. This innate magic is one of their pieces of proof, that within their bloodline is magic that only the nobility of Terranor was said to possess.

Present Day. The day has finally come that Lady Allura will bring an expedition into the Falkrunn desert and to Terranor itself. She has been hiring caravan drivers, guards, archaeologists, and more to help her expedition succeed, almost wiping out her family's entire fortune. Everything hinges on the success of the caravan and bringing back lost secrets and treasures from the ruins of Terranor.

Once they arrive in Terranor, Allura must seek out relics relating to her family. She wishes to find ancient scrolls, her family's crest on important documents or buildings, as well as anything else of magical importance that she can bring back and sell to help recoup the cost of the expedition.

Quick Reference Traits

Personality Traits. Any who doesn't respect her will be tossed aside.
Ideals. Respect is due to those of nobility.
Bonds. She will do anything to restore her family's name and prestige.
Flaws. She sees herself as far superior to most people thanks to her bloodline.

Adventure Hooks

With the caravan on the way, they run into a variety of dangerous elements as they trek across the desert, including a pack of lamia trying to destroy the caravan.
Arriving in Terranor, the serpentfolk don't hesitate for a second to attack the caravan. Already a few people have gone missing, perhaps kidnapped by the foul creatures. Lady Allura needs all of them destroyed before she can properly begin exploring the ruins.
Believing to have found an old ziggurat that her family helped fund and build, Lady Allura made her way within to the ancient tomb where an old spirit resides within. Whispers from the spirit have led Allura to believe that her bloodline comes directly from the spirit and that releasing it, it will restore her family's prestige.

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