Maryk Talon - Wandering Herbalist
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 3:03 pm
First Name: Maryk
Last Name: Talon
Appearance: Tall, very thin, face is covered with scars from the plague
Race: Human
Age: 23
Height 6'4
Weight: 170
Eyes: Grayish blue
Hair: Gray
Facial Hair Style: A patchy beard that fails to hide his scars
Personality Profile: Friendly, charming, and polite. Eager to heal people and show off his skills as an herbalist. Can quickly become negative at the mention of certain gods of light. Will not knowingly travel with any worshiper of Lathander.
General Health: Despite his appearance, his health is decent. He does have a bad hip that pains him, but does not limit his mobility.
Deity: Talona
Initial Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Profession: Herbalist, healer
Base Class & Proposed Development: Favored Soul, likely to take the Sacred Fist prestige class later.
Habits/Hobbies: Always says prayers in Sylvan. Avoids naming his goddess although he speaks proudly of his faith. Does not like, and will not carry weapons. Always gathers any herbal or alchemical components he finds.
Languages: Common, Sylvan
Weapon of Choice: Fists, he does not use or even carry other weapons.
Background: Maryk grew up on the outskirts of a small town. His mother, to him, was an herbalist who loved him dearly. To the rest of the village she was the crazy old witch who lived on the outskirts of town. He never met, and knows nothing about who his father was. His mother taught him all about biology as he grew up, especially about poisons and diseases and they they interacted with the body. She taught him how different herbs worked to poison or heal people.
When he was only 13 the village was hit with a terrible plague. Many died and he himself caught it too. His mother, originally seen as a crazy witch, worked hard to care for people in the town, making their deaths less painful. The only healer in town was a young priest of Lathander who did not trust Maryk's mother. Unable to cure the disease himself, he worked alongside her to care for people. Eventually Maryk's mother developed a cure for the disease, saving the village from becoming one mass grave. As she began curing the disease, she asked that people build a shrine to her goddess, Talona, the one responsible for healing them.
At first the people were eager to do this. Shortly after they started though, the priest of Lathander told them that it was all a trick. That Maryk's mother was not simply the one that cured them, but the one who made them sick in the first place and was responsible for everyone there who had died. Soon after a mob formed, dragged her from her home, and burned her at the stake as a witch. Maryk, being only a young boy, was unable to stop them or do anything to help his mother. As the people surrounded the fire in which she burned, Maryk took several vials containing remnants of the disease and dumped them into the town's water supply. He then took his belongings and left the town, never to return.
Since then he'd lived largely in the wilderness, fending for himself. He is not a capable hunters, but knows exactly which plants and mushrooms are safe to eat. When food was sparce he would often pray to Talona, the goddess that saved him, for sustenance. He has met a lot of people on roads and tradeways where he offered healing in exchange for food, clothing, and general supplies. Some travelers would react with hostility when he said that his healing came from Talona, leading him to keep the name quiet. At one point he met a caravan who was in need of a healer and offered him gold to travel with them. He didn't fully understand the value of currency, but accompanied them out of desire for more human interaction. The caravan was headed towards Baldur's Gate, which is where he's been ever since. Due to his background, he has lived almost entirely on a vegetarian diet throughout most of his life.
Goals: He genuinely believes that Talona is simply a goddess of healing. He has done very little research into other religions and only knows that followers of certain gods are hostile towards Talona. He wants to prove to people that Talona is a caring goddess and the reason he is alive today. Eventually he would like to see a church or shrine dedicated to her as his mother had wanted.
Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts: A survivor from his old town could come after him. He'll accompany any group to provide his healing skills. He would jump at the opportunity to help any town suffering from a plague or sickness. It's possible he could one day realize that Talona is NOT a healing goddess.
His mother really did infect the entire town, including Maryk, with the plague as Talona commanded.
Last Name: Talon
Appearance: Tall, very thin, face is covered with scars from the plague
Race: Human
Age: 23
Height 6'4
Weight: 170
Eyes: Grayish blue
Hair: Gray
Facial Hair Style: A patchy beard that fails to hide his scars
Personality Profile: Friendly, charming, and polite. Eager to heal people and show off his skills as an herbalist. Can quickly become negative at the mention of certain gods of light. Will not knowingly travel with any worshiper of Lathander.
General Health: Despite his appearance, his health is decent. He does have a bad hip that pains him, but does not limit his mobility.
Deity: Talona
Initial Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Profession: Herbalist, healer
Base Class & Proposed Development: Favored Soul, likely to take the Sacred Fist prestige class later.
Habits/Hobbies: Always says prayers in Sylvan. Avoids naming his goddess although he speaks proudly of his faith. Does not like, and will not carry weapons. Always gathers any herbal or alchemical components he finds.
Languages: Common, Sylvan
Weapon of Choice: Fists, he does not use or even carry other weapons.
Background: Maryk grew up on the outskirts of a small town. His mother, to him, was an herbalist who loved him dearly. To the rest of the village she was the crazy old witch who lived on the outskirts of town. He never met, and knows nothing about who his father was. His mother taught him all about biology as he grew up, especially about poisons and diseases and they they interacted with the body. She taught him how different herbs worked to poison or heal people.
When he was only 13 the village was hit with a terrible plague. Many died and he himself caught it too. His mother, originally seen as a crazy witch, worked hard to care for people in the town, making their deaths less painful. The only healer in town was a young priest of Lathander who did not trust Maryk's mother. Unable to cure the disease himself, he worked alongside her to care for people. Eventually Maryk's mother developed a cure for the disease, saving the village from becoming one mass grave. As she began curing the disease, she asked that people build a shrine to her goddess, Talona, the one responsible for healing them.
At first the people were eager to do this. Shortly after they started though, the priest of Lathander told them that it was all a trick. That Maryk's mother was not simply the one that cured them, but the one who made them sick in the first place and was responsible for everyone there who had died. Soon after a mob formed, dragged her from her home, and burned her at the stake as a witch. Maryk, being only a young boy, was unable to stop them or do anything to help his mother. As the people surrounded the fire in which she burned, Maryk took several vials containing remnants of the disease and dumped them into the town's water supply. He then took his belongings and left the town, never to return.
Since then he'd lived largely in the wilderness, fending for himself. He is not a capable hunters, but knows exactly which plants and mushrooms are safe to eat. When food was sparce he would often pray to Talona, the goddess that saved him, for sustenance. He has met a lot of people on roads and tradeways where he offered healing in exchange for food, clothing, and general supplies. Some travelers would react with hostility when he said that his healing came from Talona, leading him to keep the name quiet. At one point he met a caravan who was in need of a healer and offered him gold to travel with them. He didn't fully understand the value of currency, but accompanied them out of desire for more human interaction. The caravan was headed towards Baldur's Gate, which is where he's been ever since. Due to his background, he has lived almost entirely on a vegetarian diet throughout most of his life.
Goals: He genuinely believes that Talona is simply a goddess of healing. He has done very little research into other religions and only knows that followers of certain gods are hostile towards Talona. He wants to prove to people that Talona is a caring goddess and the reason he is alive today. Eventually he would like to see a church or shrine dedicated to her as his mother had wanted.
Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts: A survivor from his old town could come after him. He'll accompany any group to provide his healing skills. He would jump at the opportunity to help any town suffering from a plague or sickness. It's possible he could one day realize that Talona is NOT a healing goddess.
His mother really did infect the entire town, including Maryk, with the plague as Talona commanded.