Corwyn's back story
When Corwyn was a small boy, about the age of five, he was travelling with his family in a caravan from Neverwinter to Baldur's Gate to start a new life. Misfortune struck when the caravan had left Daggerford and was heading south along the Trade Way. A large raiding party, he later learned believed to be from the High Moor, ambushed the caravan. He was thrust into a waggon by his father and told to remain hidden under boxes, until told to come out. The caravan was swiftly overrun due to superior numbers of wolf riders and other creatures. The raiders made off with the waggons and he stayed hidden. When the raiders camped, he emerged, crept past sentries and fled.
Somehow he managed to survive, eeking out the few rations he had taken from the waggon and foraging what he could. It is unclear how many days passed like this until he was found by a party of wood elves from the Misty Forest. They were one of many such groups who had been scouting the movements of a number of large raiding parties that had passed through part of the Misty Forest and created havoc along the Sword Coast between Waterdeep and the Winding Water river.
He was taken into the Misty Forest and brought to the house of Vervain Halfeven. By 'house' this was a of collection dwellings fashioned into the trees. Vervain's children were thrilled and wanted to keep him. When the emergency from the incursions from the High Moor was over, Vervain caused enquires to be made about the fostered human lad but no one claimed him. He ended up spending his formative years in the Misty Forest.
When he was a teenager, he was allowed to join elven scouting parties. At first he was the butt of jokes about humans being congenitally incompetent in woodcraft and the arts of stealth, but overcame these when he showed an aptitude for these skills and outshone many of his elven peers.
Vervain Halfelven had connections with other communities along the Sword Coast, trading with different groups. Corwyn often travelled with groups from the Misty Forest to Waterdeep, Secomber and along the Delimbyr river to the High Forest. He had an ambition to explore and was trained in ranger skills.
He honed his skills working as a guard and scout for caravans along the Sword Coast. He would return to his adoptive home and was taught spellcasting. While there he also bought some reinforced leaf leather armour. Highly unusual for a human, but it was more durable than ordinary leather and assisted in camouflage.
Throughout his travels he was struck by how peaceful communities would be attacked by evil raiders and would be on the 'back foot' having to react. He was attracted to the idea of taking the battle to the evil-doers and striking first, neutralising them before they became a huge threat.
Opportunity presented itself when he encountered Leofric, a grim human ranger (a 'gloom stalker') who was on the trail of bandits operating out of the Cloakwood. Leofric had a stock phrase of: "Let's do it to them before they do it to us!" He allied himself to Leofric and with the aid of a number of other adventurers they rooted out the bandits and destroyed them. With his share of the treasure he was able to buy a masterwork sword and dagger from a smith - Crowlas. These lacked any ornamentation - Crowlas' view was that these were tools and not ornaments.
While with Leofric's party he also participated in a foray into Dragonspear Castle and the dungeons beneath, hunting various evil folk, some of whom were demonic. In that adventure he acquired an Eyestalk of a Beholder. The mage in the party - Hext, who had an eclectic knowledge of many things, not just arcane - explained how if placed on the head one could see through the eye and manipulate the eyestalk to extend out to 20 feet if desired. Leofric made a crack about Corwyn and his 'one-eyed snake'. After that adventure Leofric was able to train him in more skills.
Wanting to satisfy his wonderlust Corwyn joined a caravan destined for Boareskyr Bridge in Far Reach.
Corwyn is a large powerfully built man - 6ft 3" - who for all that is surprisingly light on his feet. He has a love and reverence for nature. He hates misuse of power by some in authority, but is not 'chaotic', accepting that some laws and structures are necessary to protect the common good. He has a desire to protect the weak. Remembering that day twenty years ago when the Hill Moor raiders struck he wants to continue the 'fight'.
Last edited January 19, 2021 12:49 am
