Foraste Lydan / Human, Erpheronian / Traveling Compendium Researcher

Name: Foraste Lydon

Gender: Male

Age: 22

Race: Human

Tribe: Erpheronian

Occupation: Traveling Researcher, guide

Title: Traveling Compendiumist

Overview: Foraste is a cautious but loyal man. He is a loyal friend but is stubborn and will not yield from his path easily. He is always looking for something new to explore.

Height: 1 ped 2 fores 1 palmspan

Weight: 1 pygge 4 hebs

Physical Appearance: Foraste has common Erpheronian traits. He has short adlemirene brown hair and piercing gnastheen green eyes. He has a slim muscular frame from traveling through the woods for most of his life. He as a narrow nose that does not protrude much. Light freckles dot his nose at the bridge. He has a large burn scar on his right forearm that he got when his house burned down at age 6. It resembles a splotch of charcoal grey with a reddish circle the size of a coin in the middle, when it hurts, it turns a sickly red.

Clothing: He wears brown leggings and a leather cuirass. The leggings are durable and scratched from years of use, bottom of the legs are patched from field repair. He wears a woven belt that has many loops and bags sewn into it, the bags contain money, rope, and objects he has found on his travels that require further study. Also on the belt is a leather sheath that contains a knife that Foraste uses for odd tasks like cooking, collecting plants, or carving wood. Over his left knee is a pouch where he stores his notepad quills and ink that he uses to get information for the compendium. The buckle of his belt is shaped like a fox's head and is made of silver. The weatherworn and beaten cuirass is nicked and patched, small pockets are spread across the armor and contain herbs, tinder and small necessities. Though the cuirass itself may be worn, the metal buckles and toggles shine with a glimmer that belies their age. On the chest is sewn a picture of a book, the Santharian compendium for which Foraste works. On his feet he wears durable leather boots that have tough soles that conceal a small crevice where Foraste stores small objects of high value. Over these he wears a long frayed cloak that he re-dyes to the color of where he is traveling through, usually the forest (shades of green and brown). When he is hunting or hiding, he will often use sap to stick leaves and branches to the cloak to hide his shape. He carries a large external frame backpack that carries food, tools, clothing and an old lute. He also carries a "lucky" coin around his neck on a string, it is half melted and he carries it wherever he goes.

Personality: Foraste has learned caution while living in the wild. He will wait to talk until he is sure he will say the right thing. While traveling he has had only had a few lasting friends, so he will guard the ones he has fiercely. He tends to be stubborn and once he has made up his mind it is very hard to change his decision. He is naturally inclined to travel, and can never stay in one place for more than a week. Being a scholar for the compendium has sometimes made people assume that he is a weak sniveling know-it-all and can sometimes be a target for people looking for a fight. Foraste also likes to read in his spare time and always carries a book on his trips.

Strengths and Weaknesses:
Strengths:
Wilderness Skills: Growing up traveling has taught Foraste how to survive for long periods only using what is available. This includes knowing edible plants, plants that can be used for medicine, and shelter building. He will knows how to forage for food and use herbs to cure disease. Also he does not have to carry a tent or poles because he can build himself a shelter.

Archery: Having to hunt for food has sharpened Foraste's skill with a bow. He can shoot distant moving targets with ease. He has had to practice his skills from the age of 7 and has been shooting ever since. He can shoot a bow expertly, and support his friends from afar.

Swordsmanship: Foraste learned swordsmanship from fending off goblins while traveling, but his skill is only rough. He is able to hold his own in a fight without having to rely on others to protect him while using a bow.

Knowledge: Foraste is a traveling researcher for the compendium and knows a lot about places and animals. This is a strength because he will know traits of creatures and animals and may have insight on beating them.

Thad: Foraste has a Ximax rat named Thad. Thad can see small things Foraste can not and can smell predators or people. He can forage for food in the wild and can tell if it is poisonous or edible.

Literate: Foraste can read and write, this gives him an advantage over less educated people and got him his job as a compendium researcher.

Weaknesses:
Stubborn: Foraste is stubborn when he has made up his mind and sometimes will offend people by being obstinate. Sometimes refusing to do something or other has gotten him into trouble and made him enemies. He can sometimes refuse to listen to the opinion of someone and get himself or others injured.

Burn Scar: The burn that Foraste got as a child spread across most of his inner forearm. Occasionally, it will itch severely or even feel like if is still on fire. The pain is distracting and can make him lose the ability to hold anything in the right hand for short periods of time. It makes him lose his focus and be unable to work with his right, this could be very bad in a fight.

Wanderer: Foraste is never content with living in one place for long, he will always want to move on after a week or two. If he is forced to stay in one place for too long he will get antsy and start to snap at little things like a bump or push. He will get irritated and cross after staying in one place for a short time.

Fear of Fire Magic: A fire mage burnt down his home when Foraste was young and the mage lost his temper with Foraste's father. Foraste is distrustful of anyone who uses fire magic and will usually go out of his way to avoid getting into close proximity with a fire mage. And if he is forced into proximity with one he may become violent.This is a weakness because if he is near a fire mage he will only think about getting the mage to leave, and will drop what he is doing because of anxiety.

Compendium Researcher: Some people hold a low view of the scholarly type and automatically make the inference that he is snobbish and rude. Also people may become mad when he tells them that they are wrong and because he is stubborn he will not defer no matter what type of person he is talking to.

Anti-Social: Foraste grew up without talking to many people. He is cautious around other people and usually is antisocial when surrounded by large groups of people. He can be hard to get to know and may be hesitant in speaking openly.

Starved: Foraste spent a year in a state of near starvation, because of it he occasionally has extreme pangs of hunger and stomach pain. He has a hard time gaining weight and is always thin.

History:

Foraste was born the son of Korash, a merchant in the city of Voldar, and Amadda a seamstress. His parents were well to do an Foraste had an idyllic first six years of his life. The bad luck started during the Armerenda when a fire mage wanted an elaborate clasp that Foraste's father was selling, the mage wanted a low price because he did not believe that the clasp was made of gold, Korash tried to compromise and named a middling price, the mage would accept no compromise and stormed to a jewelers store across the street and demanded that he declare the clasp fake, the jeweler declared the clasp fine gold and agreed with the original price. The mage screamed to the whole market "I shall not be swindled in my own town, by my own people, this will be a lesson to all, I shall not be lied to!" the mage cast a massive firestorm straight into Korash, the Jeweler and Foraste's house. Upstairs, Foraste heard a rushing crackling noise while he was playing with a coin he had found on his father's desk, suddenly he felt a burning all over his body as he was blasted out of a window onto the balcony of a neighbors house, the owners of the house heard the explosion and the crash on the deck and quickly ran to investigate, the owner first saw the injured boy clutching at his right arm, and the he saw the gaping hole where a house used to reside, the storm had obliterated all life in and around the house, the charred timbers had collapsed killing passerby's and Foraste's entire family.

The man who found Foraste treated his burns. He had to remove a half melted coin from his arm, Foraste, being six years old kept the coin as the only remnant of his family, and he still wears it today. The man who found Foraste was low on coin and left Foraste out on the street with some food and money.

Foraste had to scrounge for scraps in the trash heaps to survive after some other street orphans stole his food and money. He became half crazed only remembering bits of his life, he did not remember how to speak or how to walk upright. After almost a year of living off of trash he wandered out of the main gate, he came across a wagon sitting in front of a tavern and, not knowing any better, took an apple from the back of the wagon. In the blink of an eye a wizened old man rushed to the back of the wagon and knocked the apple out of Foraste's hand, Foraste ducked back, hiding near the wheels of the wagon, the old man Aerach of the Harps, saw that the boy was starving and filthy. He took pity on the lad and gave him the apple and a clean set of clothes.

Aerach left town in a couple of days and Foraste followed, Aerach was a bard and had never had a child so he decided to raise him as a son. Foraste relearned how to speak and soon learned to read and right. Aerach had a large supply of books and Foraste devoured them. When they would come to a town, Aerach would tell stories and play his harp while Foraste collected money and donations. Aerach had no real home and knew how to survive on the road he taught Foraste beneficial plants and the art of fire starting, the built shelters an slept under the moon.

Foraste loved animals and kept pets along the road. Aerach taught Foraste how to hunt and skin animals.After his eyesight began to wane, Aerach taught Foraste how to read and write so he could translate signs or papers for him. The travels were rough in some places, and attacks by goblins and wolves were common. Foraste matured quickly and learned how to make ends meet in life. Slowly though Aerach withered, he was old and did not have much time left on the the world when he took Foraste, now 20, aside and told him that his time was nigh. He told Foraste that he had once been a captain in Erpheronia and he had learned to fight and kill endlessly, the massacres of orc prisoners on the northern border had driven him over the edge and he had left the army, Aerach told Foraste "There are many paths to tread in this world and I leave you to tread your own, remember to follow what is right." Soon afterward Aerach caught a fever and despite Foraste's best efforts he died. The will he had written bequeathed everything in the wagon to Foraste including his sword,a magnificent herne blade. Foraste kept the sword, along with Aerach's harp, a few books, his bow, writing supplies, and some survival gear. He also kept Aerach's military uniform which fit Foraste perfectly. The rest he sold to a merchant. He then set out to New Santhala to find work.

When he arrived, he was approached by a recruiter that saw him writing. The recruiter told Foraste that the Santharian Compendium needed field researchers to chronicle the new things in Caelereth. Foraste agreed on the spot and was given a journal and identification papers and set out to start his job. He first traveled to learn about Ximax Cats and Rats. When he arrived he saw a Ximax cat about to kill a Ximaxian rat. Foraste liked animals of all kinds and saved the rat. The rat, grateful for being saved decided it would get plenty of food and attention from Foraste and stayed with him. Foraste learned from the rat that he had no name, so Foraste named him Thad, after a mage he met while in Ximax. Soon afterward Foraste left Ximax, wanting to travel and find rumors of anything new to study.

Weapons: Foraste carries a shortsword given to him by Aerach. The blade is made of tempered herne, the blade shines with the light of polished metal. The edges have been sharpened to razor thin blades. The hilt is made of pure aurium, an has been polished to shine like the sun. The pommel is shaped like a half moon and is inlaid with the word Avelán, or think, in tharian. The grip is cured leather, and was replaced recently by an armorer in New Santhala. The cross-guard is shaped like the heads of 2 dragons, the heads meet above the hilt in the sign of Erpheronia. Garnets rest inside the eyes of the dragons and the star of the Erpheronian symbol. Its scabbard is leather with the Erpheronian coat of arms sewn into it. The scabbard is slung over his back in times where there is a chance of trouble. When Foraste is traveling the sword is tied to the side of his backpack. Foraste also carries an oiled black birch bow that he uses for hunting and, when he has friends to fight at close quarters, fight with. The bow is 1 ped and 1 fore long and has a durable horsehair string. His quiver can carry the bow and at least 20 arrows. He does not put on the quiver when he has his sword slung across his back, if he has to fight with both he will stick his arrows in the ground and carry the bow with him. When he is on the road the quiver is slung on the opposite side as the sword.

Belongings: Foraste carries a journal that he writes observations in, the journal contain notes on animals places and people. He carries a set of quills and some ink so he can write at any time. He also carries a few keepsakes from his past, namely, the coin that he played with as a child just before the fire, it is melted and lumpy, but remains durable. He carries the harp that Aerach played on, it is still in good condition and can be played. He also carries a mortar and pestle to grind herbs. He also carries small bags and phials to carry interesting things that need further study.

Familiars: Foraste carries Thad the Ximaxian rat in his pocket or on his shoulder. Thad is a white hooded rat which means that he is whit with a black head and blotchy stripe down his back. He is impeccably clean and will eat any human food Foraste gives him provided it is not too greasy. He is uncomfortable around cats but will usually just hide in his owners pocket if threatened. If the cat is Ximaxian however, Thad will relentlessly try to get to a safe place, dashing to the safety of one of Foraste's bags or into his shirt. Foraste will make sure that the cat's owner prevents the cat from causing any harm until Thad is brave enough to venture back into sight.