Dresvan Hanodel

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Dresvan Hanodel Background Story Role in Party Psychology Alignment Relationships Quotes

 

NOTE: Most if this information came from a previous campaign and thus requires translation into the current DnD world. There may be plot holes.

 

Background

Dresvan Hanodel is an elf from the glades in Shillmista Woods who since childhood dreamed of being a hero of legend. Spurned on by this, he had a great number of misadventures that showed him more of the world than he ever wanted to know. Matured but bitter, Dresvan now lives as a wandering adventurer with only his wolf Kylee as a companion.

• Age: 231 (approximate)
• Birthdate: July 27
• Sign: Leo
• Height: 5'4"
• Weight: 140 lbs
• Sex: Male
• Race: High Elf
• Hair: Black
• Eyes: Brown
• Alignment: True Neutral
• Deity: Obad Hai
• Primary Weapon(s): Oath Bow, Heavy Flail
• Other Weapons: Longsword (black), Longsword (silver)
• Armor: Mythril Elven Chain, Helmet, and Tabard all decorated with his name and symbol in elven
• Role in Party: Cavalier
• Outlook: "The Pantheon cares little for mortals save petty amusement and ballooning their egos. We're just pawns in the latest game."
• Family:
  • Marnan Hanodel (father, deceased at age 459)
  • Aralynn Hanodel (mother, deceased at age 423)
  • Aluella Hanodel (sister, younger by 34 yrs, deceased at age 87)

 

 

Story

From the early days of his childhood Dresvan heard tales of famous heroes of the forest. These heroes held advancing orc armies or defeated powerful wizards turning the tide of a battle that could have severely injured the forest and its inhabitants. Always dreaming of being one himself, he trained under his father in the ways of being a ranger and began patrolling the forest as soon as he was given a bow. It was during these jaunts that he encountered Aelira practicing her cantrips in a clearing. After a few good laughs at a botched light spell and zap of electricity in return, they became good friends. In later years they met up with a human named Grend who convinced them of the adventured that lie beyond the wood. Curious and confident they left for the rest of the world on an adventure that would change Dresvan's idea of what a hero really was.

 

This adventure was far from a peaceful one. Living off of odd jobs and scraps, the party waited in a small nowhere city named wheelgap for their chance at getting somewhere, anywhere else. One morning everyone had vanished, and all that remained was an army marching in on the very confused and suspicious party. All went downhill from there, as monsters, strange sacrifices, and enemies powerful beyond legend found their way to the unprepared party.

 

One would think that meeting a god would be the experience that would religiously enrich a person's life. An encounter with a strange Gnome and Dwarf couple was the party's first such run-ins with an 'enlightening' experience. After being drugged and abandoned in a doomed city, they were enlisted by the very deities that sought to kill them in a quest to stop an impending armaggeddon. That quest would take not only Aelira's life, but that of Grend, Dresvan's parents and all the goodly folk of the forest. Betrayed by the people who claimed to be his friends and companions during his travels, used by every person he came try and help, and tossed around like a toy in the games of gods, Dresvan came to be disillusioned with the concepts of good and evil.

 

Caring no longer for the fate of this world he once thought was worth protecting, Dresvan abandoned the quest for better or worse. Seeing as the world survived, either the quest succeeded or there was never a threat to begin with. Believing the latter to be more fitting of these gods he tried to serve, Dresvan abandoned the entire realm of what he once knew to be home. When endless travel wore on his wits, he enlisted himself as a knight where he knew at least that he would be used from the start.

 

It was in this new land that Dresvan met Gnaat, Olio, Searil, Aeleria, and the rest of the party that actually seemed to follow their own lead. Maybe there is hope for people yet. Still too bitter from his past experiences however, Dresvan rejects the idea of joining with these adventurers and taking up his old goals. What is the point he can’t help but wonder, to be a hero to people who don't even know that such a term is not synonymous with pawn?

 

 

Role in Party

Despite his abilities, Dresvan has no typical role in combat. If given the choice, he would be a one man army just to satiate his damaged pride. He fights a bowman, a cavalier, a fighter, even a berserker if he can get away with it. Often foolishly self-destructive, he well try and fill a role in a fight that he doesn't have the skills for. One story has him shooting down the leaders of a Kobold army with his bow in a stroke of luck before charging alone into their ranks swinging his flail. If it weren't for the support of the mages and fighters nearby that fight may have been his last.

 

As a bowman, Dresvan is deadly accurate and acute. Most of this isn't due to his own prowess however. Having acquired a legendary weapon called an Oath Bow, Dresvan nearly doubled his prowess simply by recklessly swearing oaths to take his enemy's lives. Lost of his trusty, near sentient bow he would find himself sorely unable to fight enemies he felled easily the day before. While heavily dependant on its abilities, he can still fight well using standard equipment. With his arrogance however, he could walk into a fight he can no longer win.

 

As a cavalier, Dresvan is as green as they come. Lacking any mount as a ranger, it is only during is time as a knight that he learned to control a steed. In the end, this may work to his advantage. Seeing his awkwardness on his mount could bring enemies to a false sense of security, only to find that rather than learn how to ride he spent his time learning how to charge.

 

As a fighter, Dresvan is more bark than bite. He wields a modified heavy flail with a long chain so he can hit enemies at a distance. The difficulty with this weapon is that it is useless up close and is very clumsy. Half of the time he will neglect his shield, preferring to charge in and strike the enemy first with all the strength he has. Any skilled fighter could make short work of Dresvan in close combat as a result of this. Nevertheless, to those unaware of the weaknesses in his methods he appears a very powerful opponent.

 

As a berserker, well Dresvan isn't a berserker. When seen laughing maniacally hacking apart a camp of kobolds however, one might begin to wonder.

 

 

Psychology

Very bitter from his past, Dresvan has a fragile psyche based entirely on his pride. He has little more to value in the world, and will do almost anything to further this pride. He covers this rather well however. He carries a light hearted and flippant attitude that throws most people off to his true thoughts.

 

On the surface, Dresvan has two goals: Kick some ass, Get some ass. Both are to further his pride, as are most of his actions. There is actually little to the act of sex that entices Dresvan in a physical way. Most often he seeks out Humans, finding them easier targets due to their open minds and love for a quick thrill. Sometimes he comes across an elf who will lend him an ear, but rarely has he had the luck or patience of finding one interested in him after just one night.

 

To top off this flippant attitude is a deeply engrained racism. To Dresvan, High Elves are superior. There need not be a reason or logic to it, because these present themselves as events unfold. If a human makes a blunder, it's because he just isn't as skilled as an elf. However should he make the same blunder, it was just a mistake and everyone makes them. This racism never results in any form of hate, unless it edges in on his ever fragile pride. A half-elven ranger for example, or half human as Dresvan would put it, is an affront on the elven ways. He would have to outperform that person and ridicule them at every turn just to reassure himself that someone who is inferior couldn't be better than him. It is indeed an irony that he often beds human women, possibly causing that which he holds such disdain for. Rather than face this conflict however, Dresvan ignores it so that his poor success rate with elven kind doesn't become his only success rate.

 

Should his pride ever be truly and completely shattered, Dresvan would be but a fragment of what he once was. Rather than take a quick escape of suicide, he would probably half heartedly seek out and try an impossible task in the bleak hope he succeeds and regains the confidence he lost. It wouldn't be the first time. Had he not had so much training in survival he might have died on the travel across the world like he secretly hoped he might when he found the journey gave him little satisfaction.

 

The bottom line is that Dresvan seems cool, collected, and arrogant until his pride is threatened. Then he becomes vengeful, angry, and bitter.

 

 

Alignment

Now true neutral, Dresvan was once chaotic good. Over the course of his adventures in his home land, he began to disapprove of precepts of good and evil and became chaotic neutral. During the later months that were his journey between realms, Dresvan came to realize his ambivalence in being someone else's pawn. So long as he knew who, what, why and how things were happening he could at least continue living among people. This change took what little of his chaotic lifestyle remained. He had no one to roam free with save Kylee, but he despised organizations for their manipulation. Stuck between a need for people and a hatred for culture he met in the middle to become true neutral.

 

Relationships

• To Dresvan, relationships are come and go things. If it is business, then it isn't personal. If it is personal, then it isn't predictable. His attitude towards the others of the campaign is as follows:

 

• Mydo Bandydo - He's a drunken, dirty, slobbish, fun loving hell of a man. While he may have the build and occasional intelligence of an orc, he cleans up suprisingly well and is rather resourceful. He's a lot of fun to be around, but imagine how great he could be if he was born an elf. Too bad really.

 

• Gnaat Uluchu - This disgusting, brutish woman was the sort of thing that made Dresvan wonder how humans live in civilizations. Her rough manners and unreal strength was more befitting an orc than a human woman. Oddly though, she has a suprisingly pleasant demeanor. If only she didnt feed into Searil's little rants she might be worth spending time with.

 

• Searil Gellantara - This stuck up human is too full of her own image of how the world should be. Being out of her precious little temple has made her a little stir crazy too. Who would have thought being in the fresh air would do that? I guess that is what you get for living for a god. She is pretty cute however. Maybe a little elven charm might get that stick out from her hind quarters. Better yet, maybe it will get her head out of the clouds and focused on something a little more meaningful. I guess such short lives make humans easy to manipulate. Maybe if I rule a kingdom I'll remember that. Religion could be a powerful tool.

 

• Raiden Nataku - Much more impulsive that Searil, and far less reliable, this fellow doesn't deserve the company of so many women. Half-humans are mere pretenders to elven ways, but he can't even do as well as the other humans. Preferring to lock himself behind his plate spiked armor, he provides a more effective barrier than fighter. Every once in a while he does something impressive, too bad its too infrequent to matter. The humans seem to support him however, apparently just can't see all of his deficiencies. Dresvan can't deny his usefulness as a shield however, so let him be thrown into battle so long as it keeps the enemies off those who know their heritage.

 

• Aeleria Ravenclaw - This is a ridiculous mockery of the ways of the elves. This half-human pretends to know the ways of nature when she barely even knows the way of the humans whence she came. For some reason however, the gods give her little fireworks to play with. That stupid order also has a pretender as its leader. That blasted Pantheon is probably just messing around with her and building up her hopes only to shatter them later. Regardless, her lack of true appreciation for nature will make her life as a druid a failure soon enough.

 

• Raevyn Darkblood - What a whiney little twat! She'll bark before a word can even be spoken. Dresvan doesn't think she even understands half of what she complains about. How can a little halfling understand the ways of civilization when all they do all day is grow fat off other people's work? Sure some of them are reasonable, but at least humans can understand the value of work. Thank god she is gone, maybe she picked the wrong pocket and ended up dead in a gutter somewhere.

 

• Olio Leigh'O - Ok, so maybe my first impression of her was a little off. She's quite the agressive girl, but unfortunately she's also quite foolish out of the bedroll. While she can play the lute like an angel, she uses is at the worst possible times. I don't know how anyone so gifted can make so many mistakes, but Dresvan just chalks it up to another human flaw.

 

• Arinae Galanodel - Another elf, thank the .... well fuck the gods, thank chance. She's got some ... kinky tastes too. Apparently she's so fond of chains she decided to fight with them. Mydo calls her bondage girl and Dresvan doesn't blame him. He wouldnt be suprised if he catches her with someone chained up in her room in his underware. Dresvan doesn't fancy himself there though, so if he can make sure she won't try and turn him into a spread eagle bed ornament he may make a move on her.

 

• Alistin Kittentouch - Finally another elf to instruct these people on the finer aspects of magic. She is awfully sweet and soft spoken, a good trait for someone as young and dainty as her. Given time Dresvan is sure she could be come a great mage, probably pulling that party's ass out of the fire on more than one occasion.

 

• Shifty McGee - Isn't he that scraggly fellow who was leading zombies around some southern village? He is quite a nuisance if he is, because of him that blasted thief was able to hide among the commotion.

 

• Duffe McWeighlyn - He's a nice guy, even gives me tips on people wise enough to know a proper elf when they see one.

 

• Dame Helga - This must be where Searil gets it. Fortunately Dresvan hasn't had many encounters with this wind up doll of Heironeous, and he hopes it stays that way. She's so bottled up in rules that whenever she speaks cannons fire the words from her mouth with the strength of a personality that might have been much nicer if it hadn't wound up belonging to some pretentious deity.

 

• Victor von Pthfonkenhausen - Fuck that lich and everything about him. If it wasn’t futile due to the phylactery Dresvan would put an arrow through that smug face. It is people like him that ruined his life and there is only one motto for those people: " Kill 'em or ignore 'em! "

 

Quotes

 

• "Ha ha!"