Zael Tellor

Will rewrite later, most of this is now obsolete

Zael is a character played by Will. He is a human Cleric, worshiping a god of Heroism and Liberation.

Personality

Zael understands that sometimes the best option truly is stab someone in the face and Speak with Dead later, but that other times more subtly is required. Despite his faith encouraging courageously charging into battle and letting the Gods of War decide who lives, he understands that in cases where you're attempting to overthrow an empire that is marauding throughout the continent, blindly charging isn't always the best option. However, he can only restrain himself so long. He is not a cunning man, and can't hold back forever. This peculiar understanding that Zael has arose due to seeing the horrors of what the Sa'Enkadian army did to Cantur.

He prides utility, and to that end has learned how to make magical weapons and items to help him in his endeavors.

He's a charming man, and has learned how to deal with people efficiently from his time delivering weapons to purchasers. When being charming can make the difference between a free meal before the return trip or not, it pays to know a few tricks.

He values a hard work ethic.

Early life

Zael was born into a family of handimen in the village of Kelnon, along the border of Awn Tellan. His father was a blacksmith who specialized in making tools, and his mother was a handweaver. At the age of 9, he became interested in the work of his father, and started to train under him, learning the fundamentals of the blacksmithing trade. Around this time, the Sa'Enkadian empire launched its war to conquer the continent, and his father thought it prudent to send Zael to a blacksmith who could teach him the way of making weapons. Zael was sent to the city of Cantur, a place well known for its quality weapons.

Life in Cantur

In Cantur, Zael apprenticed under a weaponsmith who taught him how to make weapons and armor. During his third year of apprenticeship, Zael was sent on a routine delivery of crossbows to a neighboring town that had ordered crossbows in case the Sa'Enkadians or bandits attacked, and it was Zael's job to deliver them. Since there was a good road between the towns, all he took was the cart full of crossbows and a horse to pull the cart. However, halfway between the towns he and his horse were attacked my ravenous wolves. Zael quickly jumped into the cart while watching the wolves tear the horse to shreds. Cursing his master for forgetting to supply crossbow bolts, Zael cowered behind the wooden railing of the cart, hoping beyond hope that a wolf wouldn't find its way up. And since being eaten alive by ravenous wolves wouldn't make for a very interesting (or workable) character backstory, as luck would have it, a cleric of the temple at Cantur was out in the area gathering herbs for the temple apothecary. This cleric had with him a machete to cut apart the thick underbrush of the forests near the road, and when he saw the scene unfold before him, he rushed in and slew the wolves. Following this, he healed the horse, and escorted the goods to their destination and back. Along the way, he and Zael talked about the cleric's god and views. The cleric invited Zael to come see what the order was about, and he accepted this invitation, promising that he'd visit the next time he had free time. Entranced by the ideals of the order, Zael made sure to make regular visits there for the next two years. Following the end of his apprenticeship, Zael joined the order of clerics.

Life as a Cleric

Zael looks back at the day when the wolves attacked as a source of inspiration. He recalls the cowardice he showed by hiding in the cart, and the bravery of the cleric who charged into the pack of wolves. He draws strength from this, vowing to never show such cowardice again. While at the order, Zael started to establish magical powers, and with this, soon started to infuse his creations with magic. Noticing this, the elders of the order appointed him to be in charge of supplying the clerics with whatever sort of weaponry and armor they needed. This was a time of war, and the clerics of this order were often at the frontline of defending the surrounding area. During this time, he also started to branch out with the creation of other items to help the order out, such as a self-sweeping broom, and floating candles. Zael was not without combat prowess himself. He was particularly noted for his ability to channel his convictions through his weapon, causing it a ashen flame to burst from the weapon, smiting his foes. While he was learning the arts of healing, it was discovered that instead of healing those around him when he channeled his deity's power, he instead hurt and slowed those around him. This was found out when he drained almost all the life energy from the High Cleric of the order.

Recognizing this in Zael, the clerics tasked with teaching how to fight taught him how to avoid hitting his allies, but still hit those he was facing. This had a devastating effect on the bandits that would attack Cantur.

Sa'Enkadian raid

Over the years which Zael lived in Cantur, the town's reputation of quality arms spread even further, reaching Sa'Enkad. Recognizing the strategic importance of having a good smith for their armies, they decided that Cantur would be their next target in Awn Tellan. The Sa'Enkadian army sent a few thousand men to burn the town and to capture the smiths and all backstock they had. Due to the uncoordinated nature of the area, Cantur only had two day's notice to prepare for the battle, and despite the best efforts of the order, the town was razed to the ground, destroying the order's building, as well as all the houses of the town. Only a fourth of the order survived, wisely realizing they could do infinitely more against the Sa'Enkadians alive than if they were dead. Zael was one of these survivors. He realized that despite saving the lives of many Canturians, and killing many Sa'Enkadians, fighting the Sa'Enkadians with head-on force was suicide.

After the Storm

Over the next few months, he wandered Awn Tellan pondering what, if anything, he could do to help his country out. He eventually found himself in a grand library, reading about the falls of great empires in by-gone ages. It was here that he realized the best way to bring about a change would be from within Sa'Enkad. He created a plan for what to do, and set off to Sa'Enkad to learn about the people, and the ways in which he could take down the empire from within.

Sa'Enkadian travels

He ended up in Unnamed Town, and was promptly arrested for tax evasion. Shortly before his jail sentence was up, he was set free by Darvin. Once free, he gathered up his equipment, and fled with the other escapees to the city of Pradhan to lay low for a while.

Viva La Revolucion!

<Insert Revolution Here>

OOC plans for the revolution

• Craft weapons for followers to use. Most likely some basic medium armor, and crossbows.
• Take Leadership feat to gain a Gnomish Demagogue, and followers. Followers will be usually be level 1 Fighters, trained with Rapid Reload, Weapon Focus (light crossbow), Point Blank Shot. Some will be trained for specific missions.
• Take Craft Construct to build a workshop of Homunculi that will craft for me, using the rules from Eberron.
• Take levels in Demiurge.
• Create golems to make a base out in the desert, as a place where I can plan from. Have golems guard as well.
• Have many small constructs that'll supplement the ranks of revolutionaries.
• Create a way to teleport from my house in Pradhan to my base.
• Create fake currency to destabilize the economy of the region.