Riswynn

[Sollessa]

Profile

Full name: Riswynn Greydawn (she has abandoned her surname)
Age: 23
Race: Tiefling
Sex: Female
Date of birth: 30 Uktar 1338
Place of birth: Olostin’s Hold
Alignment: Neutral Good
Patron deity: Mielikki
Profession: Apothecary, Healer, Druid
Classes: Druid
Languages:
Common: Primary speaking languages, known since she was a child.
Abyssal: Knows some but not very fluent, she picked it up from her parents when she was young as they would sometimes use it to speak privately.
Druidic: Fluent, taught to her by her mentor when she went to learn the Druidic path.
Illuskan: Regional dialect that she picked up in her youth from the locals.
Elven: Somewhat fluent, knows some elvish, picked it up from visitors and her mentor taught her some as there is a large elvish population near the High Woods.
Gnomish: Knows very little, picked up some words and phrases from travelers and a few locals.
Sylvan: Mostly fluent, taught to her by her master as it is the language spoken by a number of creatures connected to the natural world.
Alzhedo: Very little knowledge but knows some basic phrases and terms that she picked up from travelers from the south.

Physical description: Riswynn is a bit on the shorter side, standing at about 5’4” and has a slender but relatively athletic build due to her active lifestyle. She has auburn hair that she keeps tied behind her head so that it doesn’t get in the way and red eyes. She has four small horns, two on each side, right above her brow with the larger top pair poking through her hair. Her skin is fair and tanned from being outside all the time.

She tends to dress in natural hides, leathers, and furs that she has made herself. They can look a bit rough as she is not a natural but knows enough to make something workable. She will often weave leaves or other pieces of natural environments into her clothes or even her hair.

Psychological description: She has taken much from her mother and so she favors trying to be understanding and compassionate in most interactions. She is a bit withdrawn and aloof at times due to her relatively solitary upbringing since she was driven from her home. She doesn't like to hurt people but is also willing to do what is needed to protect herself and her home as well as the natural order when needed.

She tends to avoid interactions with people that she doesn’t know, preferring to keep to herself and tend to her garden or other tasks that she might have given herself or catching fish for her friend Arnou.

Riswynn occasionally struggles with dark thoughts that urge her to dominate instead of nurture. It pushes her to take control of the natural world around her and bend it to her will for her own ill-gain. She has grown used to these urges that occasionally make themselves known and in calm and natural environments she has grown adept at controlling them. In chaotic or unexpected situations she might be more likely to succumb but she is aware of the urges and does her best to ignore them.

Religious views: Riswynn is a devoted follower of Mielikki but also has a large amount of respect for Silvanus. She believes that the best path forward is to find a way for the natural world and civilization to co-exist. She thinks that the best way to foster that relationship is for people like her to build good relations with the city-people and to build trust between the groups. She is also an advocate for teaching people the way to properly show respect for the natural world and to not take more and more from the natural order.

Balance is important to her and she has little respect for those that would destroy the natural world for their own power or greed and will do what she can to work against such. She does her best to shepherd those that she can along the path of respect and to protect the natural world from those that would seek to exploit it.

Ancestor: Her bloodline originates in the rise of Hellgate Keep in the northern High Forest. One of her family members was a demon worshipper and willingly gave themselves to a Marilith named Vozrelluth that had invaded the material plane and gave birth to the first of Riswynn’s ancestors. Since then, most of her bloodline served the creatures of Hellgate Keep for the following centuries, Vozrelluth’s blood becoming diluted over the years until Riswynn’s great-grandparents fled to the west and settled in a small home near what would become Olostin’s Hold in the late 12th century DR.

Biography

Family:
Father: Zorrias Greydawn
Mother: Velnarei Greydawn (Deceased)

History: Riswynn’s family lived on a small farm a few miles outside Olostin’s Hold on the edge of the High Forest. Their ancestors had settled in the area after fleeing from Hellgate Keep and made themselves a new home near the fertile forest. When Olostin’s Hold began to be rebuilt they were mostly ignored by the locals due to the fear of their heritage but they were left mostly alone. Due to stigma, her family was not allowed to live inside the more secure Hold itself but was tolerated somewhat to make occasional visits as long as they did not overstay their welcome. Zorrias and Velnarei had taken over the farm when Velnarei’s parents had passed away and Riswynn was born there in 1338. Her early years there were relatively quiet, just life with her parents on their meager farm as they struggled through each year. While they usually had food on the table they were relatively unwelcome in the nearby Hold due to fear of their dark heritage so they had to make do mostly on their own.

In the next decade Riswynn matured and learned the basics of working on the farm as she endeavored to help her parents. She also spent a lot of time with her mother who taught her about caring for plants and animals as well as shaping her early worldview. She taught her that the people in the Hold were not bad for fearing them and that she should try to be better and show them that they were not to be feared. Her father was more withdrawn, spending his meager spare time reading old tomes that had belonged to his father and scribbling in his journal as his frown seemed to get deeper every year.

In 1348 DR Valneri went to the market in Olostin’s Hold to buy some supplies they needed for the year that they were unable to acquire on their own. Despite being known at least in passing to most of the people of the Hold she was confronted by a traveling and misguided zealot of Tyr who saw only a hellspawn. While he was not a proper cleric or priest he knew the right words to work people into a frenzy and he roused up an angry mob against her and she was killed despite her cries for help and her protest of innocence. Her body was left hanging outside the gate by the zealot who then moved on, his duty supposedly done. Later that day, Zorrias went to check on what was keeping his wife and found her body hanging from a post outside the nearby Hold. He was gripped by despair at the death of his wife, retreating into himself as the farm fell to rot. He threw himself at the old tomes he had been given by his father.

Riswynn did what she could, not really understanding what had happened to her mother but still saddened by the loss. She did her best to comfort her father and take care of the neglected farm but her efforts were in vain as she could not manage on her own. About a month after her mother’s death her father asked her to come with him to the cellar. She had not been down there for some time as her father had withdrawn below and not allowed her to enter what had become his lab. When she entered she found that her father had drawn a strange symbol on the floor, the markings jagged and unfamiliar to her. He turned to her, a fervor in his eyes as the rune glowed and flames rose from the floor.

The flames gathered and a voice spoke from within, speaking a language that Riswynn did not know but Zorrias seemed to understand. Her father replied in the same tongue and a burning brand seared itself into his chest, the five points of an inverted Pentacle becoming clear. He turned to her and spoke, speaking abyssal now so that she would understand, and attempted to convince her to make the same bargain that he had. Fear filled her eyes, dreading the words that she did not understand as her gaze locked on to the hellfire burning in the circle as his words echoed in her head. Her thoughts swirled around the offer and in the back of her mind a voice whispered to her to take the deal, take the power for herself and never be vulnerable again. She stood there, petrified, as her thoughts swirled in her head before the sound of splintering wood split the air and it snapped her out of her stupor. She took a few steps back and then fled into the forest.

Riswynn ran into the High Forest, running as fast as she could as fear gripped her heart. She ran until she could not run anymore, finally stopping and collapsing on the ground in a mess of exhausted tears. She lay there for some time before she finally mustered the will to move, night having fallen. She then realized that she had no idea where she was, having run an unknown distance into the forest. She then spent some time hiding beneath the boughs, crying in fear and despair. She doesn't know how long she was there before she heard the soft voice of a woman nearby. She started and her head shot up to the newcomer, seeing a kind looking old woman looking at her with a concerned expression and asking if she was alright. The old woman introduced herself as Lyonette and after spending some time comforting her ended up taking her in.

After some initial adjustment period she began to see Lyonette as an adoptive parent and the old woman began to teach her the ways of the forest. She was a follower of Mielikki, a druid of the forest who had devoted her life to the defense and care of the natural realm. Riswynn discovered in Lyonette a kindred spirit who echoed the beliefs that had been instilled in her by her mother, now given a name in the teachings of Mielikki. Riswynn also slowly came to follow Lyonette in the teachings of the forest as she began the path of the druid. During her training with Lyonette she befriended a bear that she gave the name of Arnou. They traveled within Lyonette’s domain that she had come to call home, learning the names of the plants and animals of the forest and the proper way to care for them. Lyonette also taught her the basics of alchemy and preparing medicines from herbs that would grow within the forest. She also began to learn how to deal with the dark thoughts that sprung from within the taint in her soul, Lyonette teaching her meditation methods and ways to deal with those dark desires as they arose.

Riswynn spent the next 12 years living with Lyonette, learning all that she could and steeping herself in the knowledge of the forest. She would spend time meditating under the boughs and tending to the plant and animal life. When she was approaching her 23rd birthday she had a heart to heart with Lyonette as the older woman explained to her that she could not spend her entire life living someone else’s life, encouraging her to seek out her own path and expand her horizons. She spent some time mulling over her teacher’s words before she resolved on her own new path. She would travel to other places and attempt to bring balance to the people of the natural world and those that would live in cities. She began to travel to the west, passing through other towns and forests before she found herself traveling along the Sword Coast, Arnou her only companion. She eventually found her way to the outskirts of Baldur’s Gate, taking in the sights of the grand city and steeling herself as she made her way to the city.

Future: She wishes to try to encourage the people of Baldur’s Gate to be respectful of the natural order in a way that does not lead to needless destruction of the natural world. She also wishes to learn more of the world and seek out old secrets or lost druidic lore. She enjoys exploring new places and seeing the sights and constantly seeks out new places so that she can learn the ways of nature in places that she is unfamiliar with. She hopes to one day be able to redeem her bloodline and find out what happened to her father.

Heirloom item: During her travels with Lyonette they encountered a group of Treants that had made their home in the High Forest. They were able to offer their services to the Treants and did them a service, in return for which they were given an item that they shaped from the forest as a token of their gratitude. It would have been a staff, wooden trinket such as an amulet, or piece of clothing shaped from wood and leaves.


Plot hooks
Her father Zorrias Greydawn has devoted himself to the service of the Hells and become a Infernal Pact Warlock. Who knows what misdeeds or other aims his new masters would see him carry out and what place his daughter could have in them?
The person that she respects the most in the world now is her mentor Lyonette. She is a faithful steward and protector of the natural order that might need her student’s aid with some dire matters.