Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Name Vhaan de Luca Origin Illuskan – The City of Skilled Hands (Neverwinter) Race Human Gender Male Date of birth 4 Ches 1331 DR (30 years old) Alignment Lawful Good Profession Sword of Tyr (clergyman); former Itinerant Priest (Judge, jury, lawyer, and executioner in The Sword Coast) Patron Deity Tyr Classes Favored Soul, Warpriest Languages Common, Illuskan, Chondathan, Celestial, Dwarvish, Halfling Weapon of choice Longsword Height 6'6" Hair Colour Blonde Eye Colour Steely blue Accent Neverwinterian, formal and archaic Complexion Fair

The first thing one might notice about this human are his enormous wings; ivory-white feathers sprouting from his back. Is he some sort of angelic creature?

The man is handsome, tall, and muscular, with a mane of blonde hair, a moustache, and steel blue eyes. The Illuskan carries a stoic demeanour, and when he smiles, it is rather charming. A scent of lavender accompanies him.

Vhaan can always be seen wearing a shiny symbol that hangs at his chest from a chain draped around his neck - a silver medallion struck by the symbol of a just balance, perfectly weighted, on each side of a standing blade.

His full plate armour is tidy and well maintained, with a purple tabard emblazoned with the symbol of Tyr in gold and silver. His left glove is white, and his right is black. He often carries a shield with the Just God's symbol, and a longsword is sheathed at his side.

A majestic aura surrounds him; inspiring allies, and unnerving to foes. There is no doubt that he is a blessed man.

Vhaan is a charismatic, thoughtful, and polite man. At best, he is kind hearted, insightful, and valiant. At worst, he is sombre and indecisive, or a little impatient. There is a melancholy that permeates him at times. To some extent this is a result of the death of his lover, Ander. But it also reflects a growing weariness that others do not live up to what is Just.

He has become increasingly stern. The events of the Time of Troubles and Ander’s death left him with a sense of loneliness and a lack of clear purpose and support as an itinerant. While always pious, recent events in Baldur's Gate have led him to become even more zealous, especially mentorship through Lady Terragona, the Flame of the Just. Vhaan is quick to offer help to others - be it healing, defence, spiritual introspection, or moral lecturing. He is clear cut on matters of a Just life. Vhaan is a reliable and loyal friend, and kind-hearted. He is also firm in his belief in law, and will reliably encourage a friend or foe to turn themselves into authorities for breaking a law; accompany them to do so; or failing them doing so, he will write their name in his Book of Lawgiving and present it to authorities.

Vhaan has frequently been told that he is not fun. There is a truth to this; he is rarely spontaneous and in the pursuit of his faith and duties, he denies himself many pleasures that others engage in. For example, his diet is utilitarian, he most often wears his plate armour and carries his tower shield, and he does not gamble. During his time near Baldur's Gate, he took up painting and drawing, although he approaches this as an exercise in rendering truth onto canvas, and his art always looks hauntingly sombre. The truth to Vhaan is that in the course of enacting his duties, he rarely feels comfortable enough to be spontaneous or lighthearted with others. There are a few who have seen lighter sides to this stern Illuskan, and even so, this veil will return in the presence of larger groups. Vhaan's personal comforts include luxurious baths and pools of water, admiring city architecture, and reading literature about love, renewal, and joy.

He is not the most typical Illuskan, and yet he is underneath the surface. He enjoys physical competition, ale (in much more moderation than his kin), and a (private) discomfort with mages. Growing up in Neverwinter and in a temple has given him much more cosmopolitan views, accent, and manner of speaking than many of his Northern kin. He nonetheless feels a sense of pride as an Illuskan man; an indomitable spirit and a suspicion of the south. He imagines himself like his kin of the North, despite the fact that he would stick out like a sore thumb amongst them and likely find them too uncouth.

Vhaan is devout to Tyr, and sees the Just Good as a father figure. He aims to live in His image, to apply fairness to all aspects of his life and interactions with people, and be honest and Just. Despite being a Favored Soul, he tries to be very much like a cleric with his devotion to prayer and other rituals, but his natural affinity for the divine has sometimes put him slightly at odds with the ecclesiastical nature of his kin. Vhaan aims to embody Tyr's ideals through his persona, and he has an intellectual understanding of his faith, and one that reflects careful study and contemplation. However, matters of faith are not always intuitive for him, and he relies on the wisdom of his brethren. Outsiders likely see him like many other Tyrrans - rather black and white - but amongst Tyrrans or those of the Triad, his approach to matters of faith and jurisprudence are marked by a balance between curiosity and zeal.

Vhaan’s faith in Tyr’s dogma is absolutely zealous. He believes that punishment must be delivered to maintain order, and in doing so, that promotes the good. As an itinerant in lawless lands, he tended to treat minor transgressions for which there was ignorance, with mercy. Nonetheless, when punishment must be delivered, it is something that must be dutifully done, albeit with no malice or joy. Vhaan believes punishment has nothing to do with his personal relationships or feelings, and everything to do with the punishment being an inevitable outcome and consequence of the crime being committed. Others witnessing this generates a sense of deterrence and a restoration of order. Where laws are unfair, he seeks to improve them.

Vhaan also reveres the Triad, although his trust in the clergies of Ilmater and Torm are currently challenged after the events of the Vile Darkness. Vhaan appreciates the Ilmatari value of mercy, although he is somewhat suspicious that their focus on mercy may lead them to impede or undermine law. He is inspired by his Tormtar brethren's sense of duty, but finds their approaches to the spirit of law simplistic and inconsistent, and is vigilantly watching whether they live up to their penances in the wake of the Time of Troubles. He is respectful but cautious of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart, not only because it originates from Amn (the decadent south), but also because he personally finds the idea of an oath to an order as something that would diminish or distract from a singular focus on administering Tyr's Justice (this is partly why he has never felt a call to be a Paladin). Outside of the Triad, he has a deep respect for Lathanderites and their emphasis on renewal and light, and he in his spare time he had a private fascination with Sunite philosophy, as somewhat of a hopeless romantic and being prone to some vanity. He has an ongoing internal debate about whether the bonds of unity underpinning love could be a foundation for Order; but he sometimes dismisses love as being far too whimsical and at risk of prioritising feeling over duty (borne out in his experience when he met Ander).

He has a vague tolerance for the laws of nature; but dislikes that druids are unable or unwilling to codify any of their laws. He is likely to respect their approaches, although Tyr's maxim for frontier lands of an 'eye for an eye' is likely to take precedence where druids and other nature guardians are unable to properly communicate their rules.

Luth and Fran de Luca - Vhaan's parents are merchants often frequenting between Neverwinter and Luskan and areas inbetween. The two were fairly simple but enterprising. As travelling with them was too dangerous, he was left with the Halls of Justice in Neverwinter and primarily grew up there. As Vhaan's faith in Tyr increased, his distance with them increased, although he would see them when they were visiting Neverwinter. Vhaan has no siblings, and although he appears to be a pride and success to his parents, he has always kept them at a distance, and in many ways the Just God and clergy are more like family to him. He has recently visited them in Neverwinter, after not seeing them for many years since before the Time of Troubles.

Ander Greydawn - a Luskanite human mercenary warrior, who was Vhaan's lover for nearly a decade. The two struck up a friendship, and then a romance. Ander taught Vhaan how to fight and how to love. Ander was a confident leader, streetwise, and loyal. Although Ander had a gentle side that Vhaan nurtured, the Luskan was also prone to anger. During the Time of Troubles the two were escorting a merchant south of Neverwinter, and a bandit ambush left Ander with grave wounds that Vhaan could not heal, leaving Ander to die in his arms.

Vhaan was a quiet, but brilliant child, with a keen moral compass. As a child, he stayed at the Hall of Justice while his parents were travelling away as merchants. Observing the rites and rituals of Tyr, it was there that Vhaan's innate connection to the Even-Handed God manifested. He pursued the path of being a priest throughout his adolescence, despite his divine connection not necessitating this. As an acolyte, he was respected for his kindness and eagerness to learn, although there was some resentment and jealousy for his innate divinity. As he grew older, he found himself in more arguments with other priests about interpretations of justice. Vhaan was comparably much more lenient at this time.

Due to his growing frustrations with the temple, he began spending more time on the street; meeting people, hearing their stories, helping them, and preaching where he could. It was at this stage that he met Ander Greydawn, who made a half-hearted attempt to mug Vhaan. Vhaan appealed to his better nature - perhaps it was the fervor of his belief, or simply his charm, but Ander ceased the mugging, apologised, and the two quickly struck up a friendship, although on shaky grounds given their different moral standpoints. This friendship eventually gave way into romance, although this was initially conflicting.

Vhaan kept a connection to the Hall of Justice, but felt a call to be an itinerant, finding frustrations with the hierarchy of the temple. Ander worked as a mercenary, and the pair were intertwined for almost a decade. They grew together, with Ander becoming gentler and more law abiding, and Vhaan becoming more confident and worldly. Ander found faith in Ilmater, recognising the suffering experienced as a child and finding ways to repent and channel himself into helping alleviating others' suffering.

It was during the Time of Troubles that Vhaan's world was shattered. With his connection to the divine lost, Vhaan began feeling empty. And then one fateful day, as the two travelled with a merchant, they were ambushed by bandits. Ander suffered a grave wound, far beyond first aid. Powerless, Vhaan watched his lover die in his arms.

In despair, Vhaan began wandering south, ending up in Waterdeep for some time. He began drinking, and his grief permeates his long waking hours to this day. His connection to Tyr returned after the Time of Troubles. His faith did not falter, and he viewed the loss that the Blind God experienced in parallel to his own. However, for some time he has felt unsure of how to best serve Tyr and how to get on with himself, having been so co-dependent on Ander.

He eventually found himself in the Western Heartlands, spreading the word of Justice and processing his grief.

In 1360 DR, Lady Terragona, the Flame of the Just, a Justice Archon, appeared in the Temple of Tyr to destroy an evil water genasi, but the genasi escaped. Terragona ordained Vhaan as a Sword of Tyr, and warned him of a growing Vile Darkness that would threaten Baldur's Gate, giving him a quest to unite the Triadic faith and the Order of the Radiant Heart. Vhaan also recovered the paladin Halvard Stonevik's warmace, which had been designated a holy relic after Ser Stonevik's sacrifice against the Vile Darkness; and the relic was brought back to the temple. Vhaan and Lady Terragona had a sort of friendship (as much as a mortal and a celestial can have), and he was inspired by her zeal. Disagreements amongst the Triadic forces led to delays, and the quest to prevent the Vile Darkness failed, and Ulgoth's Beard was destroyed. This left Vhaan with a sense of guilt, and he has further retreated into the purity of Tyrran faith, keeping a little more distance from Triadic unity. He remains willing to work with Triadic brethren, but he is wary.

In 1361 DR, Vhaan had a dream within a dream in which he presided over a divine court. His decisions rendered, and contemplating his theological and moral beliefs, he awoke in a bed of feathers, with his wings. On the one hand, he has become even more of a living miracle as a Favoured Soul; standing as a symbol of Justice. On the other hand, he is frequently assumed to be an angel, has much less privacy, and is feeling increasingly alienated. Upon temple business, he travelled North, and was able to visit Neverwinter briefly, and this has provided him some relief from a growing uneasiness. Returning to Baldur's Gate, he remains dutiful and vigilant.

In being ordained as a Sword of Tyr by Terragona, the Flame of the Just, his charge is to "Strike against the Wicked. Right the Wrongs. Bring Law to the Lawless. Order to the Chaos. May your judgement be fair and your hand tempered with mercy."
Vhaan aims to serve the people of Baldur's Gate in the pursuit of Justice.

• Silver Periapt of The Just
  A medallion is struck by the symbol of a just balance, perfectly weighted, on each side of a standing blade. On the back of the silver symbol, engraved words worship justice in old Thorass: "Riht Eendeyouarrees" - "Justice Endures". This is likely a reference to the tale of the lost hand of Tyr. As a token of Faith passed down through generations, it is said to be blessing to those whose souls naturally favor the benevolent and protective aspect of Justice..