Characters for Shards of Krynn

She is known as Keatara Ulengard, a traveler and warrior. At twenty-two moons old, she is lithe and toned with light green eyes and long dark hair. Her high cheekbones and delicate bone structure indicate possible elven heritage somewhere in her past as well as her ability with the bow.

Keatara or Tara to her friends had a good childhood growing up in the northern territories. Her da taught her how to fight and hunt as did her four older brothers. She grew up a tomboy, wearing pants instead of skirts and usually dirtier than her brothers. She'd shot her first bow at three years old and started learning sword-play at five and was hunting with her brothers when she was nine. Life was good on the farmstead. There was much laughter and love and Tara's green eyes were usually bright and shining with laughter and mischief.

While they didn't worship one deity alone, instead they worshiped most but one. That one is Tahkisis, Goddess of Chaos. That deity they didn't even speak about as they felt she was not worth their breath. This family was built on strong love, a sense of family and loyalty and as such they felt they owed their lives to more than just one deity, although each usually chose the one that they felt closest to or called to them the most. Keatara was different in this as she felt close to all of them and yet, none of them. She never questioned it though, her da always telling her that there was something special about her and the Gods were simply waiting for her to find that part of herself.

Her mother was dainty, like her and soft spoken, but a force to be reckoned with when made angry. Even her brothers, who towered over their mother, didn't dare risk her ire. Her father, Stan Ulengard, was a large man with gentle hands and very rarely did he strike his children. Tara, being the only girl, was naturally his pride and joy and constantly watched by him and her brothers. Every male in the village knew not to approach the budding beauty without their consent first. At five foot two inches and one hundred twenty pounds, she was small but that didn't stop her from taking on her much larger brothers whenever the need arose.

At nineteen, everything changed. Her home was attacked by Draconians, her parents killed. All but one of her brothers was dead as well and Tynen, the younges brother was missing. Keatara had been left for dead and if not for the kindness of a passing peddler woman, she would have been dead.

Old Madge had been passing by three days later, her old mare pulling her ragshag of a wagon with her goods when she came upon the horrible scene. Her own family had been taken from her many moons ago in a similar fashion and when she saw that the young girl was still alive, barely, she couldn't leave her. Over the next few months, Madge took care of her young charge, making camp not far from the farm. She nursed Keatara through a fever, tending her many wounds and broken bones. When Tara finally woke, it was Madge who's arms wrapped around her slim shoulders while she cried out her grief over her family.

As her strength returned, Tara began practicing her bow and sword again, intent on vengeance for the deaths of her family and the search for her missing brother, Tynen. He was only 2 years older than her and they were close. She knew he was still alive and would find him.

She stayed with Madge for two years, traveling with the older woman who had become the grandmother she'd never known. When Madge died in her sleep two weeks after Tara's twenty-first birthday, Keatara buried her, chanting to the Goddess to protect her soul and accept her into her loving arms. Madge had been loving enough to guide Keatara on the mannerisms of traveling. How to stay safe and stay ahead of bandits. What to look for and where to camp. She also taught Keatara what she knew about healing...what plants to use, how to make poultices, how to set broken bones. She wasn't a healer, but she knew enough that Tara would survive. She also had convinced Keatara that her need to avenge her family would only bring her pain and turn her good soul as black as spades. Instead, she lovingly and gently convinced her to turn her need of revenge into one of protecting the innocent and helping those that had been affected like she'd been. The two years of gentle guidance before Madge died had worked and Keatara, even though she wanted to avenge her family, she knew Madge had been right and chose the path of aiding those in need. She would still get to destroy followers of Tahkisis, just for more than just revenge and keep the purity of her soul in tact.

As the light remained shining in her green eyes and her ability to laugh and enjoy what life had to offer remained intact, Keatara found herself thanking Old Madge every day for showing her that vengeance alone was not the way to go. She didn't laugh as much as she once did and a deep sadness could be seen behind the light in her eyes, but her soul was whole and pure.

Her weaknesses are that she's human. Her left leg pains her if she travels too long or battles too long. This is from an injury that she incurred during the attack all those years ago. A long scar runs her left hip down to her knee. She also has a long scar that runs from under her right breast and around her rib cage. A smaller scar adorns her left cheekbone in the shape of an inch long crescent moon and there is a scar that runs above and below her right eye. She also has a weakness for children, animals and the elderly, quick to come to their defense and ask questions later.

Her strengths are her abilities with the bow, short sword and dagger. She is quick with both and lethal. She is smart, quiet and watchful. She has never forgotten the love and laughter she had with her family and hopes that one day she will have the same for herself. Until then, she travels the land, searching for the last of her brothers, Tynen. She usually travels alone and on occasion takes the job of protector for a family trying to move from one territory to another or village to village, asking for very little in return.

She has heard of the great Knights but has yet to meet one. She has also heard rumors of a pair of twins with extraordinary abilities, but again, has never seen or met them. As her story begins, she is close to the great city Heartlund and with coin running low, she must find short term work in order to replenish what she has used in her search for Tynen.

I say Good to Go SinTara.

So it looks like she is a "Ranger" class which is great, and I would have her come to Heartlund sooner than later


s

Welcome aboard, Sin!!!

Great to have you with us.

Thank you, both. I will read up on Heartlund before I have her enter the city. Will try to get her in there this weekend. Daughter is leaving tomorrow for California for her 6 week visit with her dad and then hubby and I are....well.....enjoying some alone time. but, I will also have lots of time, I think, lol to get on here. I am so glad to be back in here again. I've missed all of you.

SinTara wrote:

Thank you, both. I will read up on Heartlund before I have her enter the city. Will try to get her in there this weekend. Daughter is leaving tomorrow for California for her 6 week visit with her dad and then hubby and I are....well.....enjoying some alone time. but, I will also have lots of time, I think, lol to get on here. I am so glad to be back in here again. I've missed all of you.

Sounds good.

Heartlund in a nutshell was established as a Military Fort that was situated "In the Heart of the Land" so it's fairly central in Solamnia. It is a massive keep that a city grew around so as such there are very high walls around the central keep and then two other sets of walls extending out into a high spot above the landscape. There are no trees within 400 meters of any wall and currently is crammed full of refugees and around 14,000 soldiers and knights.

Tynen Ulengard, Keatara's brother was no longer the man he once was. Even before the attack on his family, he had begun to turn to the darkness and it's power, sacrificing his own family for his own gain. The day of the attack he'd slipped into the woods to stand with the leader of the Draconian raiding party, only to leave with them once all was finished. He felt some remorse over the loss of his little sister, but that soon was gone. His once generous, loving heart had turned black and he welcomed the power he received from the dark Goddess. Little did he know at that time, but Keatara had survived.

He traveled the land, learning even more from Tahkisis' followers. The rush he received from torturing and killing was amazing to him as was the delivering of souls to his Goddess. At twenty-four years of age, he was becoming a foe to be reckoned with and didn't care about whom he killed or their age or gender.

His most valuable asset was that he'd been able to keep his innocent look...appearing a normal man when in fact he was dark as spades inside. It was how he was able to get into most of the villages with Draconian raiding parties waiting in the shadows of night to attack. At 6' 2" tall and 220 pounds of muscle with his startling blue eyes and long, brown hair he was quick to turn the heads of the ladies, only to lead them to their deaths. The men were usually in awe of him and only if there were those who could 'see' his aura, did his deceit not work to bring more souls to his Goddess.

The night of the anniversary of his family's slaughter he found out that his sister lived. He didn't know how it happened, only that he dreamed of her and knew she was living within the city of Heartlund. He could sense the guilt she carried within her for settling within the city and being with the children and quickly played upon it, not knowing that she'd been able to 'see' his dark aura. Her soul had always been pure and would be a great asset to his cause....if he could get to her. Perhaps even turn her as he'd been turned. He now knew where she was...it was only a matter of how to get to her. His little sister was alive and well.

Tynen had gained favor with Tahkisis from sacrificing his own family in her honor and had been repayed with great strength. He was stronger than the strongest of men, able to wield a two-handed battle sword with one arm. He could all but crush a man's head with his bare hands and he enjoyed everything that came with it. Soon....soon, he would be the strongest of all of Tahkisis' warriors if he wasn't all ready.

James Russell had grown up under the heavy hand of his drunkard of a father.  Ardel Russell had sworn that James was pure evil from the day he was born and perhaps he was right.  Either way, when James turned sixteen he killed his father in what most would say was self defense, but the damage had been done.  James grew up knowing nothing but fists and pain.  His mother had left when he was just six years old, after having been abused for the last time.  Her last words to James were that he was the spitting image of his father and would be just like him.  That was the last he ever saw of her.

At fourteen James met Tynen on the road home from the bakers one cool day and went home with him.  There he found out what it was like to have a true family and yet in Tynen he met a kindred soul.  Although Tynen's soul wasn't as dark as his, it was still tainted.   That was where he'd met the young Keatara breifly, but even then he recognized the beauty she would become and vowed to one day have her for himself.

After killing his father, he ran to Tynen's, getting Tynen to meet him in a grove of trees not far from his house.  He confided in his friend what he'd done and that he was running.  Tynen was already dabbling in the dark arts and knew that the two of them would meet up again.  


He spent the next 10 years wandering, stealing what he needed.....killing when he had to, and sometimes just because he could....and taking from women what he wanted.  When he was twenty-six Tynen found him, watching him take on four, large drunks in a bar brawl.  Seeing what James could do with just a small dagger against four adversaries impressed him and he recruited him for his army.  It was just as Tynen had said....they would meet up again.  And as James knew, the darkness in Tynen had grown.  Just two years after that, James was Tynen's right hand.  

James had been promised Keatara once she'd been found, with the understanding that if she did not turn to the Dark Lady she would be sacrificed at the appropriate time.