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| A man who was once driven by the absolute rightness of the the gods. [[people:Siguard of the Storm]], a childhood friend, was taken by a spirit and possessed by the winter storm. His goal for many years was to save him from what was done to him as a child. He refused to believe that Siguard did not consider himself lost, but in fact formed a bond with the storm spirit. | A man who was once driven by the absolute rightness of the the gods. [[people:Siguard of the Storm]], a childhood friend, was taken by a spirit and possessed by the winter storm. His goal for many years was to save him from what was done to him as a child. He refused to believe that Siguard did not consider himself lost, but in fact formed a bond with the storm spirit. | ||
| - | After his reconciliation with Siguard, Valten was a changed man. He still saw honor and duty in his work as a [[lore:Temple of Light#Witch-Hunter]], but now saw the evil that he must undertake to shield the others. He would look for a better way. Just a year later his faith would been shaken again, this time by [[people:Amer Terrente]]. He had created holy papers of confession which Amer was able to write an known lie upon. This should have been impossible. Maybe his friend was right and the gods were all frauds pushed by other men. | + | After his reconciliation with Siguard, Valten was a changed man. He still saw honor and duty in his work as a [[orgs:temple_of_light#Witch-Hunter]], but now saw the evil that he must undertake to shield the others. He would look for a better way. Just a year later his faith would been shaken again, this time by [[people:Amer Terrante]]. He had created holy papers of confession which Amer was able to write an known lie upon. This should have been impossible. Maybe his friend was right and the gods were all frauds pushed by other men. |
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| * **Mother**: Carlotta Scholz (F, 377 - 457) | * **Mother**: Carlotta Scholz (F, 377 - 457) | ||
| * **Lifespan**: Winter 408 - | * **Lifespan**: Winter 408 - | ||
| - | * **Religion**: [[lore:Temple of Light]] | + | * **Religion**: [[orgs:temple_of_light]] |
| - | * **Ethnicity**: [[creatures:Human]], [[atlas:Dakarians]] | + | * **Ethnicity**: [[creatures:Human]], [[orgs:dakarians]] |
| ===== History ===== | ===== History ===== | ||
| - | Valten spent most of his free time with Siguard, his best friend. They were touble makers to the core - often challenging each other to new and higher risks. Most people assumed that one or both would get themselves killed on day. They would push their luck too far. That day came where they were eleven (11) years old. It was a unusually cold winter and the boys dared each other to run to the old split tree and back again. First one back to the village was the champion. | + | Valten spent most of his free time with Siguard, his best friend. They were trouble makers to the core - often challenging each other to new and higher risks. Most people assumed that one or both would get themselves killed on day. They would push their luck too far. That day came where they were eleven (11) years old. It was a unusually cold winter and the boys dared each other to run to the old split tree and back again. First one back to the village was the champion. |
| Siguard was the faster of the boys, but Valten was stronger and did not tire as easily. Siguard was quickly ahead and within minutes Valten could no longer see him through the heavy snowfall. The snowfall picked up and soon Valten was not running through the snow, but trudging. He was getting tired and was not sure he was on the right path. He was near the tree when wind spirits attacked him. | Siguard was the faster of the boys, but Valten was stronger and did not tire as easily. Siguard was quickly ahead and within minutes Valten could no longer see him through the heavy snowfall. The snowfall picked up and soon Valten was not running through the snow, but trudging. He was getting tired and was not sure he was on the right path. He was near the tree when wind spirits attacked him. | ||
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| The next morning he awoke while being carried back to the village. In the days that followed everyone except his family avoided him. Nobody would tell him what happened or if Siguard survived. Later he discovered the truth, but by then there was nothing he could do to help his friend. He once sneaked out to the site where the body was supposed to lay and found it missing. Likely predators, but he never had a chance to say goodbye. | The next morning he awoke while being carried back to the village. In the days that followed everyone except his family avoided him. Nobody would tell him what happened or if Siguard survived. Later he discovered the truth, but by then there was nothing he could do to help his friend. He once sneaked out to the site where the body was supposed to lay and found it missing. Likely predators, but he never had a chance to say goodbye. | ||
| + | |||
| ==== Raiders ==== | ==== Raiders ==== | ||
| + | Seven years later (425 AH) the village a fierce winter again pummeled the village. Snowfall collapsed houses and the winds tore off shutters. For seven days Valten helped the other people of the village carrying supplies and clearing roofs. On the eighth day the wind and snow suddenly stopped. Valten came out of his house and saw his childhood friend standing in the center of the village. He was completely naked except for a tattered gray cloak that whipped in the wind that only it felt. | ||
| - | Seven years later (425 AH) the village a fierce winter again pummeled the village. Snowfall collapsed houses and the winds tore off shutters. For seven days the men of the village could only move quickly from house to house to help their neighbors. On the eighth day the wind and snow suddenly stopped. As people came out of their houses they found Siguard standing in the center of the village - clad only in that tattered gray cloak. | + | Many of the others were fearful that Siguard had returned as a Revenant to exact his revenge upon them for abandoning him in the woods. Valten was not afraid of his friend, but was fearful for him. He wrapped his arms around Siguard in a warm embrace welcoming him home. Siguard was nearly skeletal so he took his returned friend to his home and fed him. |
| - | The people of his village were fearful that he had returned as a Revenant to exact his revenge upon them for abandoning him in the woods. However Siguard was very much alive and Valten was the first to approach and warmly embrace his friend. Although Siguard had grow into manhood his body was thin, nearly skeletal, and cold to the touch. Valten welcomed him into his home as nobody else if the village would even look at him. | + | Siguard stayed with him for three years; although his wife complained about him at least once a week. In the spring of 428 the two men returned to the spot where they were boys. Valten remembered the fear and the smell of his impending death, while Siguard claimed to remember nothing of the incident. They were walking home chewing on the dried beef Patricia had made for him when the sounds of screams could be heard. |
| - | For three years Siguard stayed at Valten's house - much to the dismay of his friend's wife. The spring of 428 was the first time the men returned to the spot where it happened. Siguard remembered nothing after seeing the man watching over him until he was in the village center. It was the sounds of screams that broke off their reminiscing as both raced back to the village. | + | They rushed to the village to find pillagers dragging away anything they could carry and burning the rest. Valten rushed to his house and saw the scorched corpse of his wife hanging out of the window. His house was burning hotter than imaginable, such was the power of the wizard that lead the raiders. |
| - | The Awakening | + | |
| - | Raiders had stuck the village, killing any who stood against them - burning everything they could not carry away. The people of the village were hard and independent, skilled with axe and bow - but the raiders had a magician with them that hurled fire from his hands. Valten's house was already ablaze when both men reach the village, his wife's charred corpse hanging half out the window. Anger flushed through Siguard, not the white-hot anger of fire, but the deepest cold of inhumanity. | + | Valten looked up and through the arid smoke saw Siguard walking towards the retreating raiders clad only in that tattered cloak. Several times over the years Patricia had thrown the garment away or even tried to repair it. Each time within the week it would again be clasped around Siguard's neck. As Siguard lifted his voice torrential rains fell, eventually turning into sleet and hail. Valten watched, hot vengeance in his heart, as Siguard encased the the raiders and magician in a block of ice. |
| - | The spirit of the frozen north wind that had been bonded to him nine years ago rose up around him. The winds swirled around him whipping the fires into a blazing heat, then torrential rain dropped from the heavens. Those rains turned to sleet and then to hail the size of a baby's head. Many of the raiders died as hailstones struck them with enough force to crush their bones. Those few survivors rallied around their magician, whose fires kept the hail from harming them. | + | Valten then watches his friend leave the village and even he cannot rise to stop him. |
| - | Siguard's clothes were torn off his body and a tattered gray cloak flew upon the winds to wrap around him. Looking upon his friend as cradling the body of his wife, Siguard strode towards the magician the and raiders huddled around him. The man's fire was feeble, while Siguard's strength was immeasurable. When the hail and sleet stopped, everyone in the village could see the magician and him men encased in a large chunk of ice. | ||
| - | Only Valten tried to stop Siguard when he left the village, but Siguard simply wrapped the winds about him and flew into the sky. | + | ==== The Inquisitor ==== |
| - | The Inquisitor | + | |
| - | Nearly twenty years pass (446). Siguard was living in the Iron Mountains, protecting the local mining camps from storms and bandits in exchange for food. The people still feared him, but they understood they were better off because he lived nearby - as long as he did not come into the village too often. Siguard still only wore that tattered gray cloak and he still looked too thin. | + | In search of answers for what evil has possessed his friend, Valten eventually finds himself among the worshipers of [[lore:Rath]]. Those who worship the god of foreknowledge and magic are often treated as outsiders inside the [[orgs:temple_of_light]]. In addition those among its adherents tend towards scholars, something at which Valten struggled. |
| - | That was the year that he had to leave those mountains. His childhood friend, Valten, had tracked him down. This time he was not a husband, but an Inquisitor for the Temple of Light. Accompanied by four holy nights he arrived to save his friend from the evil spirit that possessed him. Instead Siguard saved him from the wyvern that lived nearby. | + | For fifteen years Valten struggled and worked to find those answers he was missing. Although he found the use of [[lore:Rath#Witch-Hunters]] to be disgusting he forced himself to master one so he could become an [[lore:Rath#Inquisitor]]. When he was finally allowed to join their ranks he left the temple in search of Siguard. |
| - | Siguard had befriended the creatures years before - or at least came to some kind of understanding. Each respected the territory of the other. Unfortunately the knights that accompanied Valten were heedless to the signs of the predator. The wyvern attacked, killing two of the knights before the even knew what stuck them. Inquisitor Valten called upon the foreknowledge of Rath to read the creature's intentions and rally the surviving knights to his defense. | + | For six years he followed any rumors he could find. Along the way he converted or dispatched many magicians that threatened the land. In the year 446 he was following the rumor of a Storm Wizard that lived in the [[atlas:Iron Mountains]] near some mining camps. On the way there he was attacked by a [[creatures:wyvern]]. Two of his knights fell in the first few moments of the attack. |
| - | The winds whispered to Siguard of the battle and so carried him to see who would attack the wyvern. Seeing his friend down there brought up memories that overruled his own mind. As much as he tried to shut people out he could not let his friend die. The late harvest day turned was gripped by winter's cold as Siguard descended to do battle with the wyvern. | + | With his magic and the strength of his knights they drove back the creature, but it was the arrival of Siguard that truly won the day. His friend swooped out of the sky and try to drive the creature off. In the end Siguard was forced to kill the wyvern, something that Inquisitor Valten believes he did not wish to do. Without so much as a word Siguard flew off. He had done so much to save his friend from the darkness, but in the end he failed. |
| - | It was a fierce battle as both man and beast were evenly matched. The creature was hunting in its territory, but Siguard was fighting to defend the only person that meant anything to him. Like the day in the village he was once again part of a community and that gave him strength to match the power of the north wind. The wyvern died and Siguard mourned its passing. | + | The rumors turned cold and Valten gave up ever saving his friend. |
| - | Valten tried to speak with his friend - to save his soul from the darkness and evil that gripped him. But Siguard argued back that if the spirit was evil then he was evil as they were now one. That small moment change the lives of both men. Siguard knew what drove the “Ice Man” all those years ago. He needed another - he could not live in isolation from others or risk losing himself. Valten's armor of absolute belief in the gods as the shield and sword against the darkness cracked. | + | ==== Ulrichstein ==== |
| - | Ulrichstein | + | |
| - | After years of searching Siguard settled into a stone laccolith that rose up in the woods bordering the Elfenwald. Avoided by both elves and men, it was the perfect place to commune with the winds. Nearby was the town of Ulrichstein, where he could visit and connect with a community. He hated wearing clothes as they damped the feeling of the wind, but he did so for the townsfolk. He tried to fit in, but the sharp tongue and sarcastic tone made him no friends. | + | Fifteen (15) more years pass. Valten has gained the respect of his peers and opened his mind to the deeper secrets of the church. The self-absurdness of youth has given way to the world-weariness of an adult. No longer does he perceive magic a font of evil. Rather it is like a sword - a person can do great evil with it, but also protect others. It was in the hands of the holder, not the tool itself. Magic simply made evil men stronger and deadlier. He swore an oath to stand as the shield against such men. |
| - | In the year 461 something changed. The storms and winds spoke to him as they had to the “Ice Man” decades earlier. The spirits of the winds knew when another was near an awakening for the winds touched all things. More mercurial than patient, he was not willing to wait for this child to stumble away from the town into a storm. Instead he went into town and took Isabella from her home. | + | Word of an attack by demonic or undead creatures brought him to [[atlas:Ulrichstein]] in the year 461. The wisdom of Rath is far beyond anyone's comprehension, but it was in that border town that he found Siguard lived. He had taken a village girl and Valten feared the darkness had finally overcome him. With representatives from the town he found Siguard atop a stone [[wp>laccolith]] in a forest clearing. |
| - | The townsfolk sent a group of mercenaries to return Isabella to her home, but Siguard was not willing to give her up. The sight of his friend Inquisitor Valten among them reminds him that he cannot just ignore his own hummanity. Siguard grants their leader, Sofiya, access to his home so that she can speak with Isabella. Siguard has stripped her naked and tied her to a gnarled tree - her body under constant assault by creatures of the storm. | + | [[people:Isabella]] was clearly not held against her will, in fact, if his friend was to be believed she possessed a magic much like his own. Should she not master it, the magic would overwhelm her and everyone would be in danger. Valten finally understood the isolation Siguard felt over those years - the accusation from his only friend had deeply cut the Storm Mage. It was Valten who apologized and reconciled for those years lost. |
| - | Sofiya is enraged for Siguard treating a child like this, but Isabella stops her. She can hear the storm, has always heard the storm. She knows this is right although it looks so cruel and wrong. Her storm is coming but she must be worthy of its strength. Sofiya leaves with an agreement that Siguard will bring Isabella to the town and speak with Father Balder in the morning. | + | Valten left the girl in the hands of Siguard, but extracted from him his oath that she would live at home until she was an adult. He could train her as long as she wanted to study under him. |
| - | In the morning an agreement is reached. Isabella will return to her home and live with her parents, but Siguard will be allowed to train her. Her storm is coming and if she is not prepared the entire town will be destroyed. | + | The two friends spoke for several hours. Not just loudly debating the merits of the gods or magic, but actually speak to one another as friends once more. Both men leave the conversation feeling better about the other. They may not like what has happened to the other, but they have made peace with the choices of their friend. |
| - | Siguard and Valten speak for several hours. Not just loudly debating the merits of the gods or magic, but actually speak to one another as friends. Both men leave the conversation feeling better about the other. They may not like what has happened to the other, but they have made peace with the choices of their friend. | + | ==== Bornheim ==== |
| + | The following year Siguard brought him a message. The Witches who lived in the [[atlas:Fuldelf Ridge]] had been awakened. An early and deep winter would descend upon the valley and many would die. Dark magic had stirred the witches, the hand of [[lore:Danshi]] was involved. Valten left the following morning, arriving in Bornheim by the summer before the winds could close the pass over the mountains. | ||
| + | |||
| + | He was called upon by the church to oversee the confessions of [[people:Amer Terrante]], [[people:Brizanthimus]], and [[people:Xarth]] - whom he knew from his time in Ulrichstein. He knew they had committed blasphemy against the teachings of the church, but the same could be said of Siguard. He offered to destroy the holy writs; guaranteeing their freedom, but costing him his position. Instead Amer lied before the gods and church with absolute conviction. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The ability of Amer to lie before the gods without punishment shook his faith to its core. He stepped away from his position as Inquisitor; although he was soon forced to preside over the trial of Amer as he was finally caught dealing with demons. The death of Amer for his previous duplicity did little to restore Valten's faith in the holy church. | ||
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| | 427 | Marries Patricia | | | 427 | Marries Patricia | | ||
| | 428 | Wife killed by raiders, home burned | | | 428 | Wife killed by raiders, home burned | | ||
| - | + | | 443 | Raised to the rank of Inquisitor within the [[orgs:temple_of_light]] | | |
| + | | 461 | Reunited with Siguard in [[atlas:Ulrichstein]] | | ||
| + | | 462 | Arrived in [[atlas:Bornheim]], oversaw trial of Amer Terrante | | ||
| {{tag>human dakarian priest temple_of_light}} | {{tag>human dakarian priest temple_of_light}} | ||
