09-11-2015, 07:29 AM
Portho's Origin feel free to edit locations they are fairly FR specific but at the same time they are nothing but names on a map when it comes down to it.
Origin:
Portho was born in the wild lands in the southern half of the High Forest, beyond the bounds of what most consider civilization, in a tiny forest gnome hamlet of Vallonde.
He was raised by his birth parents, who are still alive. His clan has a tradition of keeping an oral history and his mother is now the village lorekeeper, after his grandfather, the old lorekeeper, passed when he was young.
He grew up with his mother telling him stories at her knee, but it was always his grandfather's stories that he liked best, tales of the lost gnomish city of Dolblunde, once part of the short lived realm of men, dwarves, elves, halflings, and gnomes that was once known as Phalorm. IAs the stories went, in the time of his Grandfather' grandfather the Nihilbuck family lived among the Ardeep Forest, among the elves that still dwelled their, as emmissaries of Dolblunde, important diplomats that helped the gnomes keep good relations with the elves. Portho's great-greatgrandfather had made many friends among the elven people, but when the Kingdom of Three Crowns (Phalorm) disintegrated in 615DR they were forced to leave Ardeep to return to the underdark gnomish city of Dolblunde, whose numbers were severely reduced from the rexent sieges by goblinkind that had caused the alliance of kingdoms to fall apart.
When Dolblunde was abandoned after being sacked by followers of Urdlen in 698DR the Nihilbuck family, always more at home among the elves on the surface, than they were among the rock gnome brethren fled instead to the High Forest. However, Portho's great-great grandfather, now quite old refused to make the trip, choosing instead to give his family time to flee the followers of Urdlen, along with the other denizens of Doloblunde. Waltin Nihilbuck joined other stalwart defenders in a doomed last stand, never to be heard from again.
Unlike his grandfather, or his mother, the stories of the great gnomish city being ransacked by followers of Urdlen, and of the hordes of orcs and goblins that had overrun the greatr alliance of kingdoms did not serve as the cautionary tales that they were meant to. Instead they fired in Portho a great desire to see these places for himsef, as well as the other kingdoms he had heard of like Waterdeep, and Silverymoon, places where the small folk could blend with the big. It also fired in him a feelinmg of dissatisfaction, if his family was so important all those years ago, why could they not be anymore.
Finally at the age of 60 the wanderlust finally got to be too much. He left his home and followed the Delimbyr River south, hoping to seek glory and find his family's ancient home. Hoping maybe the elves of the Ardeep would know where the city of Dolblunde was, lodt as it was in he Underdark. His journey itself was frought with danger, and he learned to defend himself by banding with tall folk along the way. He joined a caravan in Loudwater, bound for the city of Waterdeep,but left the caravan after it reached Daggerford. He decided that from there he would head into Ardeep alone. Of course arriving in the forest he found it abandoned.. the Elven kingdom of Ardeep abandoned decades ago, the elves having Retreated from the encroachment of Men. The forest, no longer under the stewardship of the Elves has become much more dangerous, and he was lucky to escape that foray with his life.
Since then he has allied himself with several different adventuring groups over the years, either to make forays into Ardeep forest, or to gain enough coin to seek information in the libraries of Waterdeep. He still has not found the location of the lost gnomish city, but he refuses to give up, his dedication to finding the place his ancestor died defending now becoming almost obsession. He is convinced that the elves of Ardeep, being longer lived would have kept better records than the shorter lived humans, as it is only a few generations of elves since the city was abandoned, so between bouts of research sometimes lasting a year or more, he joins any adventuring group that is headed into the forest to seek the ruins of the elves.
It was with one such adventuring band that he earned his armour and sword. He had allied himself with a group of mostly human treasure seekers that were seeking a magical portal hidden within the Ardeep, said to lead to the resting place of a great store of magic and knowledge. Only too late did he realize that his chosen afventuring companions did not have noble intentions, for they did inded find the portal they were looking for, but it was guarded by very much alive and breathing elven priestesses. While listening to his erstwhile companions plan to ambush and slaughter the elven priestesses, whom he had realized with his bardic lore were priestesses of the elven goddess Sehanine, he realized he coukld not allow the slaughter. Just at the moment of the attack he used his illusion magics against his allies, catching them completely by surprise, allowing the priestesses to thoroughly overwhelm their ambushers. They would have slain him as well, but when he revealed thgat it had been him who had saved them, they decided instead to name him friend and grant him a boon.
Unfortunately, neither they nor their mistress, who lay beyond the portal (The Glen of Aloevan), could tell them where the lost gnomish city lay, aside from a vague notion of below the hills north and east of Waterdeep somewhere. Wishing to have some reqard for this young elf-friend, their mistress Aloevan, the half mad former Laranla of Ardeep, used her magics to create and enchant armour and sword for him using her magic, something which she considered trifling.
He has since returned to waterdeep, still believing that the lore of the location of Dolblunde must lie in some forgotten trove in one of the many ruins that lie in the areas that were once the Fallen Kingdom of Phalorm (pretty much the whole area around Waterdeep south almost to Balders gate, east to Loudwater and north halfway to Neverwinter). So whenever he hears of adventurer's headed into the many dungeons of the area his curiousity is piqued, and he will attempt to join if he can.
Origin:
Portho was born in the wild lands in the southern half of the High Forest, beyond the bounds of what most consider civilization, in a tiny forest gnome hamlet of Vallonde.
He was raised by his birth parents, who are still alive. His clan has a tradition of keeping an oral history and his mother is now the village lorekeeper, after his grandfather, the old lorekeeper, passed when he was young.
He grew up with his mother telling him stories at her knee, but it was always his grandfather's stories that he liked best, tales of the lost gnomish city of Dolblunde, once part of the short lived realm of men, dwarves, elves, halflings, and gnomes that was once known as Phalorm. IAs the stories went, in the time of his Grandfather' grandfather the Nihilbuck family lived among the Ardeep Forest, among the elves that still dwelled their, as emmissaries of Dolblunde, important diplomats that helped the gnomes keep good relations with the elves. Portho's great-greatgrandfather had made many friends among the elven people, but when the Kingdom of Three Crowns (Phalorm) disintegrated in 615DR they were forced to leave Ardeep to return to the underdark gnomish city of Dolblunde, whose numbers were severely reduced from the rexent sieges by goblinkind that had caused the alliance of kingdoms to fall apart.
When Dolblunde was abandoned after being sacked by followers of Urdlen in 698DR the Nihilbuck family, always more at home among the elves on the surface, than they were among the rock gnome brethren fled instead to the High Forest. However, Portho's great-great grandfather, now quite old refused to make the trip, choosing instead to give his family time to flee the followers of Urdlen, along with the other denizens of Doloblunde. Waltin Nihilbuck joined other stalwart defenders in a doomed last stand, never to be heard from again.
Unlike his grandfather, or his mother, the stories of the great gnomish city being ransacked by followers of Urdlen, and of the hordes of orcs and goblins that had overrun the greatr alliance of kingdoms did not serve as the cautionary tales that they were meant to. Instead they fired in Portho a great desire to see these places for himsef, as well as the other kingdoms he had heard of like Waterdeep, and Silverymoon, places where the small folk could blend with the big. It also fired in him a feelinmg of dissatisfaction, if his family was so important all those years ago, why could they not be anymore.
Finally at the age of 60 the wanderlust finally got to be too much. He left his home and followed the Delimbyr River south, hoping to seek glory and find his family's ancient home. Hoping maybe the elves of the Ardeep would know where the city of Dolblunde was, lodt as it was in he Underdark. His journey itself was frought with danger, and he learned to defend himself by banding with tall folk along the way. He joined a caravan in Loudwater, bound for the city of Waterdeep,but left the caravan after it reached Daggerford. He decided that from there he would head into Ardeep alone. Of course arriving in the forest he found it abandoned.. the Elven kingdom of Ardeep abandoned decades ago, the elves having Retreated from the encroachment of Men. The forest, no longer under the stewardship of the Elves has become much more dangerous, and he was lucky to escape that foray with his life.
Since then he has allied himself with several different adventuring groups over the years, either to make forays into Ardeep forest, or to gain enough coin to seek information in the libraries of Waterdeep. He still has not found the location of the lost gnomish city, but he refuses to give up, his dedication to finding the place his ancestor died defending now becoming almost obsession. He is convinced that the elves of Ardeep, being longer lived would have kept better records than the shorter lived humans, as it is only a few generations of elves since the city was abandoned, so between bouts of research sometimes lasting a year or more, he joins any adventuring group that is headed into the forest to seek the ruins of the elves.
It was with one such adventuring band that he earned his armour and sword. He had allied himself with a group of mostly human treasure seekers that were seeking a magical portal hidden within the Ardeep, said to lead to the resting place of a great store of magic and knowledge. Only too late did he realize that his chosen afventuring companions did not have noble intentions, for they did inded find the portal they were looking for, but it was guarded by very much alive and breathing elven priestesses. While listening to his erstwhile companions plan to ambush and slaughter the elven priestesses, whom he had realized with his bardic lore were priestesses of the elven goddess Sehanine, he realized he coukld not allow the slaughter. Just at the moment of the attack he used his illusion magics against his allies, catching them completely by surprise, allowing the priestesses to thoroughly overwhelm their ambushers. They would have slain him as well, but when he revealed thgat it had been him who had saved them, they decided instead to name him friend and grant him a boon.
Unfortunately, neither they nor their mistress, who lay beyond the portal (The Glen of Aloevan), could tell them where the lost gnomish city lay, aside from a vague notion of below the hills north and east of Waterdeep somewhere. Wishing to have some reqard for this young elf-friend, their mistress Aloevan, the half mad former Laranla of Ardeep, used her magics to create and enchant armour and sword for him using her magic, something which she considered trifling.
He has since returned to waterdeep, still believing that the lore of the location of Dolblunde must lie in some forgotten trove in one of the many ruins that lie in the areas that were once the Fallen Kingdom of Phalorm (pretty much the whole area around Waterdeep south almost to Balders gate, east to Loudwater and north halfway to Neverwinter). So whenever he hears of adventurer's headed into the many dungeons of the area his curiousity is piqued, and he will attempt to join if he can.
