Dec 8

Dec 8 Guldak Bellow (Guard Captain) & Yana Taisiya (Hermit)

Header Art: Old Wise Woman by Remy Dupont and Half-Orc Character Portrait by Jim Nelson

Guldak Bellow - Guard Captain

The captain of the guard for the city of Aurora, Guldak Bellow is not your stereotypical soldier slipping into his twilight years. Not one to sit around the office idly passing the time, Guldak patrols the streets daily. He is well liked by the city's citizens and respected by those with less than reputable careers. Guldak has maintained the peace during his career, whether by reputation or, on those rare occasions, with his blade.

Physical Description

**Harak / Half-Orc Character Portrait by Jim Nelson**, Art Inspiration for Guldak Bellow

Even at the age of 54 years old, Guldak still looks like the quintessential warrior. Guldak has light gray skin tones, stands at 6 feet 5 inches, and his 220 pounds is mostly muscle. His hands and face display a lot of scars from his years on the battlefield. He wears them with honor, paying homage to his orc heritage. His jaw is more human than that of an orc, but his smile reveals a set of large prominent teeth.

Backstory

Born in a small town in the northwest part of Eldeth, Guldak's parents moved to Aurora when he was young. His father was a successful merchant and his mother ran their storefront, leaving Guldak to explore the city with little supervision. He got along well with kids his own age and was quick to defend his friends no matter the odds. After a life of military service Guldak never reached a rank higher than sergeant due to his penchant to ignore orders he viewed as foolish or unfair. Required by law to retire at the age of 50, he became the captain of the guard at the request of the city's nobles, who knew about his exploits on the battlefield.

Hot Head. Guldak was an average student who had a reputation for a quick temper. He was well liked by his peers, but would often run afoul of school authorities, who repeatedly suspended him for such behavior. He spent this time battling in the fighting pits. He was a good fighter, but wild and without form. Guldak won more than he lost and could make a bit of money, but not enough to live on. With no desire to take over the family business, and not having the grades for university, he was unsure of what his future would hold. With no real prospects, Guldak signed up with the Aurorian army after graduation. He found the military hard at first, having to follow all the rules and regulations, but quickly learned how to stay within the boundaries while pushing the line regularly.

Guldak the Tank. Aurora was involved in numerous skirmishes and two wars during Guldak's years as a solider. He reveled in the simple beauty of combat and gained the admiration of his fellow soldiers. His superior officers did not share this feeling, as Guldak would often ignore orders. He was assigned to the Vanguard division, a company of soldiers whose purpose was to break through enemy lines through brute force and sheer will. It was here that he earned the name "Guldak the Tank", as he was at the forefront of Vanguard company's formation, absorbing enemy blows while pummeling them with his shield.

Quick Reference Traits

Personality Traits. Guldak is gruff and many find him abrasive, but well meaning.
Ideals. Guldak believes in peace, and is willing to go to battle to maintain it.
Bonds. Guldak cares deeply for all children, protecting them at all costs.
Flaws. Guldak will give into his chaotic nature when those under his charge are threatened.

Adventure Hooks

A local noble's child has been abducted. Guldak has kept the news of this kidnapping quiet so far, and needs someone to find and rescue the child before it causes a panic.
Aurora's highest-ranking city official is traveling to a nearby city to sign a trade agreement. Guldak cannot leave the city and needs the party to escort them.
War is coming to the city of Aurora. Guldak recruits the party to join the forces of Aurora and defend the city.

Yana Taisiya - Hermit

Yana appears to be an old woman, though she is actually only 15 years of age... She thinks. It's difficult for her to accurately recall as the whirls of wild magic keep her aging and de-aging almost at random. She has accepted that she has little control over the age of her body and is trying to make the best of it, though she still has the maturity of a young girl and isn't above throwing tantrums to get her way... even if she appears over 90.

Physical Description

**Old Wise Woman by Remy Dupont**, Art Inspiration for Yana Taisiya

This old woman has deep crow's feet and worry lines etched into her forehead. Hunched over, as if she were carrying a lifetime's worth of memory, she wears heavy cloaks and relies on a gnarled staff to help her walk. Her eyes are bright, in contrast to her leathered tanned skin, and her white hair is neatly bound in a cowl.

Backstory

Yana Taisiya is from the small village of Faiza, located just outside the fey-haunted Isa Forest. Her birth was as normal as any other baby, but as she grew, she began developing magical talents. At first, this magic was quite small and useful around the house, lighting a candle with a whisper or cleaning a dish by rubbing her hand across it. But by the time she was 8, her magical talents had far outstripped the power an 8-year-old should have.

During a fight with her parents, Yarik and Sanya, Yana's temper got out of hand and magic flooded out of her, causing her parents to turn into potted plants. Scared out of her mind, Yana took care of her plant-parents for several hours before they transformed back into human. Her parents had no memory of what had happened to them, but this scared Yana. That night, she decided, for the safety of her family, she had to leave.

This was the first time she tried to run away, and it ended after only a few hours as she ran out of food. Over the next year, she tried several times to run away, and was finally successful when, while the village was searching for her in the forest, she used her magic. She suddenly found herself ejected out of the forest and a thousand miles away in another small village.

Chaotic Magic. Yana is unable to control her magical bursts, causing magic to suddenly explode out of her in myriad effects. Over the next 6 years, she has caused earthquakes, made herself into an old crone, caused an explosion of fire, and more. While she hasn't caused any lethal harm, her magic is uncontrollable.

Her dangerous magic can take any form, though age seems to be a popular effect that her wild magic causes. She has aged and deaged over and over so often that she sometimes wakes up not remembering what she looks like. Whenever she returns to her normal age, it isn't long before she is quickly shunted to middle or old age. She once thought she wanted to be normal, but is currently having too much fun to think that anymore.

Quick Reference Traits

Personality Traits. She rarely gets frustrated by her gifts and just accepts that she will always be different.
Ideals. One day, she hopes that she can use her magic to help others.
Bonds. She ran away to protect her family, but she still thinks about them every day.
Flaws. While she may appear old, she is still quite young mentally and throws temper tantrums when frustrated or scared.

Adventure Hooks

A magical explosion in a village causes a menagerie of dangerous illusionary creatures to begin stampeding through town. Child-Yana asks the party if they can help fix the magic.
Yana approaches the party and asks them if they know how to read spell books. She wants to learn more about her condition and is hoping there might be a spell book about it.
Old-Yana is looking for a specific type of balm to ease her old joints. On their return, she greets them as a child.

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