Nathan - "Derwin Traych" Pitch

Hey guys, what's up? So my character's name is Derwin Traych and he's a Human (Variant) Ranger that's neutral good. Here's some flavor text I came up with for his backstory: "While some may call him a loner at first glance, Derwin Traych in reality is a rather kind and caring person. He's never been fond of crowds, and growing up in a small cottage in the High Forest with naught but his teacher for company did little to help that. He spent his youth learning from a mysterious old elf whom he affectionately called Linyenwa. Linyenwa taught Derwin everything he knew, from hunting, to fighting, to surviving. Derwin came to know the High Forest like it was his own home, which it was. He learned how to deal with beasts of all kinds from Linyenwa, as well as blend into the shadows effortlessly. While he didn't have any friends his own age to play with and he sometimes wondered what life was like in the big cities like Waterdeep, he didn't really mind, as he had all he needed with Linyenwa and he was truly content. That is, until fate decided to wrench that all away from him. One cold morning, Linyenwa just suddenly disappeared without a trace. Thinking that he'd just gone out alone to hunt, Derwin payed it no mind. It wasn't until later that evening that he was given a reason for Linyenwa's disappearance. A large man clad solely in black armor broke into their home and challenged Derwin to a duel, saying that he would tell him where Linyenwa had disappeared to if he could defeat him. He beat Derwin within a inch of his life, leaving a scar along his left eyebrow to remember him by. 'Foolish child,' the black figure said to him, "you are still too weak." As he continued to talk, a ball of fire sprung from his hand and began to burn down Derwin's home. 'Evolution requires sacrifice,' he said as he began to leave, 'Evolve, and you may just find your master again.' Left with only what he could grab, Derwin set out from the High Forest and into the world to find the man that defeated him, as well as Linyenwa in the hope to figure out why he left, and what that man meant by 'evolution'." Gameplay-wise, Derwin is willing to help those that cannot help themselves. But due to his rather isolated upbringing, he's not very good at communicating with people. Normally, he tends to clam up when people he doesn't know talk to him (and don't get me started with women, as living alone with an old elf really skews one's views of normal people). Though it may take some time, he's able to open up to people and show them just how reliable of a person he can be. That's pretty much what I got, if there's anything else, just ask.

I'm interested as to how a human child came to live with the elves. But other than that, he sounds very rangerish.

Not elves plural, just elf. Derwin asked Linyenwa several times how he came to find him, and how Linyenwa knew so much about fencing and hunting and etc. The only answer he would ever get was "when you're older." Part of the reason Derwin wants to find Linyenwa is because he wants to find the truth of his past. The man in black seems to know who Derwin is as well.

Wow, okay. Who is the black-armored fiery dude? Hm... I'll have to think of a way to throw that into the story. Like I told Paula... she's playing a ranger, too. Maybe there is a connection between black armor and Nala's home town being burned down? Seems to make sense. Does Derwin and Nala know each other?

The reason Derwin is so shy is because up until a few months ago, he'd never seen or known ANYONE else besides Linyenwa. Linyenwa was prone to traveling on his own throughout the region for long periods of time, so Nala may known/met Linyenwa at some point. Also, here's my token: (might change it later on if I can get someone to commission one once we've played long enough)

And here's my photo/photos (Whichever you prefer):

Gotcha. So let's talk about Linyenwa. Is she a ranger, too? What's her story?

She's old, like even other elves think she's old. She spent her years before raising Derwin as a Huntsmaster teaching the Rangers of various lands of Faerun. She hand a different name before then, now she's changed her name to keep others from recognizing her. The last time she taught anyone the ways of the Ranger before Derwin was 200 years ago, so the chances of other Rangers recognizing her are rather slim as that would restrict them to Elves and other long-lived races. Something in her past caused her to exile herself from society (maybe something to do with finding Derwin and the Man in Black?) and she retreated to the High Forest to raise Derwin. She snarky, strict, and stuck with a soft-spot for Derwin's naive antics. I was hoping that we might be able to help better develop these characters, so if you want to add or change something, I'm all ears.

I don't see anything that needs to be changed, necessarily. I'm not currently sure what happened to Linwenya, but I'm sure I'll think of something. Where is Derwin originally from? And, if he's not from around here, what brings him to the area?

Derwin was born in Neverwinter, but through circumstances (aka: I don't know) he, as an infant, came into Linyenwa's possession. She took him with her to the High Forest, and the rest is history.

Refined Token:

You've received some information (how you came about this information is up to you) that the black knight you encountered lays his hat somewhere in the Dessarin Valley.