Myharl (prime): Difference between revisions

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==Part VI: Endless Winter: Shadows & Talons (5122-Current Modern Era)==
==Part VI: Endless Winter: Shadows & Talons (5122-Current Modern Era)==
In progress...
In progress...

== OOC Questions & Answers ==

These Q&A originated on the [https://discord.gg/KF9Wr8u: Official Gemstone IV Discord], in the [https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329: #roleplaying] channel. Conversations that I felt relevant enough to catalog are archived in this section. I've created this section in relation to the character because I think it will be interesting to see the gradual progression of Myharl as the character develops and his story continues since each answer is relative to the perspective present on the date in which it was prompted.


<pre{{log2}}>
'''(12/07/2022) What are you looking for when it comes to roleplay in Gemstone?'''
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Lots of different kinds of RP add to the experience as a whole. Sometimes it's just in-character banter in the envrions, sometimes long-running character-driven story arcs, sometime's it's self-driven building purpose and intent for a character, and then there's world-wide RP driven primarily by GM/NPC interaction. I think I'm a fan of all those styles, but what I'm "looking for" depends on a lot of factors like: my RL workload, my current mood, and what level of engagement I can dedicate currently to GS. There are times when I'm "in the groove" and then there are times I'm fairly detached beyond anything superficial.

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1050244138488053810: Discord Link — 12/07/2022])
|}</pre>

<pre{{log2}}>
'''(12/08/2022) What information do you put on your character's wiki page and what information, if any, do you deliberately avoid putting on there?'''
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I'm a big fan of the character wiki pages. I literally just discovered these like 5 days ago; no clue how I overlooked them all this time (apparently since 2018). Already created Myharl's a few days ago, and getting it completed is like my big non-work-related project RSN. It's been fun seeing how different people have been utilizing the tool in different ways. Even if most of it becomes "information overload", it's handy to know that if someone wants to know more about the character (''particularly folks he's known for years''), there will be a place to go to with all the info organized.

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1050600627950063706: Discord Link — 12/08/2022])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(12/10/2022) Without getting into basic vs premium or prime vs plat -- do you feel like your roleplay support/opportunities are a good value compared to what you pay? Do you think roleplay offers a fairly equitable experience despite the increased monetization of Gemstone?'''
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Honestly? No, I don't think it's a good value at all, but that's not why I pay for GS to begin with. The reason I continue to pay for GS is it to support its continued longevity. The sustained game world, shared experience as a whole, and the opportunity to advance my character's story over decades. It's a terrible nonsensical investment from a logical perspective, and I love it for that. That's not to say I don't very much appreciate the support/opportunities, and that they absolutely greatly enrich the experience—but that wasn't the question.

Fundamentally, the way people enjoy GS is going to depend on the person. Its worth to me goes beyond its value. Those are two different things.

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1051223537769263194: Discord Link #1 — 12/10/2022])
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1051225327029977228: Discord Link #2 — 12/10/2022])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/06/2023) We've discussed the tragic background story trope here a few times, so let's make that our next topic. Do your PCs adhere to or buck the trope? How so, and why did you make those choices? Did you start off with that story, or did it evolve over time?'''
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Tragic backgrounds get a bad wrap. Tragedy is quintessential to the human experience and creates relatability. I certainly leaned into it for Myharl's backstory.

When I created the character years ago, I started with the concept that I wanted to shatter the cringy stereotype of Highmen being analog for über-Scottish. I wanted the character to not only look and act different, but to establish a persona that would be foreign to Elanthian norms. This was back in the day when every-other kindred, "was'a nae all tha easy ta unner'stand, iff'n ya be know'n." I also wanted to adhere to established lore and create a plausible theme within the setting.

I turned to archaic lore with elements that still exist beneath the layers (or are underpinning the framework) of "modern" Elanthia. I utilized the forgotten/lost Highman kingdom as a source: the modern site of the ruins in Stoneharrow Swale. Beyond the fact that it was destroyed in a prehistoric era by a great war against a dark magic from another realm, little-to-no lore expands upon that history. It seemed the perfect place to insert an unnamed nomadic tribe of giantkin; exiled deep to the Southron Wastes in antiquity, who are the descendants of some of those who survived that war. I figure perhaps this is also how the progenitors of the established Kindred clans may have originated as well.

Other than, "Oh, he just got curious and decided to go adventuring!" as a premise for the character's endeavors, I felt it would take something tragic to uproot him from his home (his family dying and being exiled from his tribe—a sort of backshadowing of their own origins) and send him unprepared into the word at large.

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1072088871808012378: Discord Link — 02/06/2023])
|}</pre>

<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/06/2023) What's your PC's/NPC's relationship status? Single, divorced, never married, throuple, it's complicated? None of my business? And as always, why?'''
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Until very recently, Myharl's marriage to his wives played a huge role in continued character development. However, as happens sometimes, players transition away from the game for a myriad of reasons. Days between appearances become weeks, and eventually weeks become months. Having invested almost a decade and half of steady and in-depth RP into into an in-character relationship with his wives, I found recent growing distance over the long-term to be stifling to storytelling and not an enjoyable experience.

When a year passed with less than a handful of awkward brief moments shared with the characters involved, I finally decided to move his story in a different direction. No bad vibes about it, and it was a wonderfully enjoyable to experience through Myharl's unfolding story. It saddened him, but after a long wait... he's no longer married. He has shifted his priority to the other major aspects of his character backstory... primarily hunting wyrms. An ironic twist of fate considering how carefully I had to tread around dragons "''existing, but not existing''" in the game when they have always played a huge role in his backstory. I was stupidly excited the first time I saw one actually land in the Hinterwilds. I knew I was about to move to Cold River!

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1072224010978480159: Discord Link — 02/06/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/07/2023) Tell us about your PC's immediate family. Are they close with their mother, father, and siblings? How many of the latter do they have? Are they an eldest, middle or baby in the family? Where are they now, relative to your character?'''
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Myharl's family is all dead as far as he knows. His parents, elder sister, and most of his extended family were killed in an attack on his tribe's camp when he was in his teens. His eldest sister was presumed dead after being lost as a child in a sandstorm before his birth — an ambiguous window left open in case I ever decide I want to do something with that part of the story in the future.

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1072565951335243796: Discord Link — 02/07/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/09/2023) Has your PC ever been accused, arrested, and/or convicted of a crime? Through the justice system, in their background history, or during a story? What were the charges, and were they innocent or guilty? As always: why?'''
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Mechanically, once via the justice system. Was unintentional, but was having an in-character conversation with a character whose name began with "Pend" and was about reply to a question they had so I went to TAP them on the shoulder. Like half a second before that, they stepped out of the room and I instead tapped my pendant, which was embedded with an AOE spell, and triggered the justice system.

In-character, Myharl hasn't been arrested, but was detained by Khylon as a suspect in the disappearance of Rinhale Hurrst back in 5114. He wasn't guilty of the crime, but was honest and told the captain that he wished he were—which didn't help his case. I don't remember why he became a suspect, but I vaguely recall using WT SPIT LEFT EYE on Hurrst when he was interrogating Myharl.

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1073261049857454182: Discord Link — 02/09/2023])
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<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/10/2023) What questions does your character avoid answering? Why? Are they forthcoming, trusting, trustworthy, or introverted? *OR UP TO SOMETHING?* As always, why?'''
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Myharl doesn't necessarily avoid questions about himself or his past. His past experiences serve to drive his life goals, but he does very much knowingly play into the general perception of "big dumb warrior", and has found leaning into that earns him more allies than enemies. So, usually, any answer you get out of him is going to be intentionally shaded with a hint of that perception in mind. :: ''hoots like a big dumb warrior'' ::

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1073671241073954926: Discord Link — 02/10/2023])
|}
</pre><pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/13/2023) Are there elements of your character's nature, temperament and history that you have made changes to since you started playing them? Why did you make the change, and how painful and/or fun was it to do so?'''
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For like the first three or four months after Myharl was created I did some fine tuning, but the general backstory has been consistent since creation. It was the first time I had returned to the game in many years; and I had a lot of new lore to catch-up on.

I found/made a few items early on that helped me to solidify the concepts. For instance, he has this really ridiculously never-should-have-been-made altered sphere that I only recalled ever seeing once back in the mid-90's. By dumb luck I acquired it about a month after creating the character. So, it immediately became a pivotal part of his backstory. I've left the lore of whatever it actually is ambiguous, but in-character he's convinced it's the eye of the Great Drake and believes it has guided him through every chapter of his life.

That being said, his character development is a constant, and I adjust his personality and motives accordingly. He's certainly not the same persona that existed a decade and a half past, but the core remains the same.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1074777979965673622: Discord Link — 02/13/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/14/2023) What is your character *passionate* about?'''
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Now? Hunting wyrms! Before that was viable, it was researching drakes/dragons/wyrms to understand their role in history as well as discovering how they factored into his established backstory. It was the appearance of the shadow dragon that prompted him to make the Landing his home. And, while it's not a mechanically viable "city", with the appearance of the cold wyrms in the Hinterwilds, Cold River has become his new home (''away from home'').

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1075087177983209482: Discord Link — 02/14/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/17/2023) How did you come up with your character's name? Does it have a source in other fiction or the real world? Or was it just a collection of syllables that worked for you? Was it part of a family tradition? Do they have any nicknames?'''
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It's ironic, considering how often I hear the "hurl" joke, but the name literally is syllable-vomit. As a long-time "forever DM" in tabletop gaming, and working in a profession where I'm constantly having to come up with fantasy/sci-fi names, I rarely hesitate to just type one out and go with it. I knew I wanted something with either one or two syllables.

I did apply in-character meaning for it though: "His name is an amalgamous play on multiple giantkin words which can be roughly understood as "gift of the feast" and was bestowed upon him in celebration of the massive white sandworm the tribe hunters, including his father, fell on the day before his birth."

For the family name Gryphonwind, I wrote the following: "Family names are not a tradition practiced by his tribe, yet are often necessary for business matters in the Empire and its holdings and frontier outposts. Gryphonwind is the name of a long-ago friend who sacrificed her own life to save his. The name was adopted by Myharl as his surname to honor her memory. " (The later name being influenced by my childhood crush on the character Goldmoon from the Dragonlance series, and applying the Qué-Shu affinity for names consisting of compound nouns.)

Myharl's knickname is "The Dark Tower" which I had made into a post name title he wears. Backstory: His moniker, "The Dark Tower" originated as a nickname from his years training at the Warrior Guild. The name began as a playful jest about his unusual height (10' 5"), but later—through trials and tribulations with his brethren—became a title of honor and respect.

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1076204045737414876: Discord Link — 02/17/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/17/2023) Have we had a question about how many times your characters have been married?'''
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Myharl had four wives, technically one marriage, all Faendryl sisters. Was married to them for 13 years, but recently divorced due to player infrequently getting in the game (''No bad vibes there that I'm aware of; I think they have just quit playing GS now''). It was weird having such a big part of Myharl's story essentially inactive for so long, so finally decided to change directions. Not sure he'll ever consider remarrying as he's pretty preoccupied with seeking out his destiny and hunting wyrms now.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1076233018081030194: Discord Link — 02/17/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/20/2023) Does your PC have any leaders that they look up to? Or hold as an example of what to be, or not to be? Are they from your PC's culture, nationality, guild, circle of friends, MHO, etc?'''
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Myharl acquiesces that there are tiers of leadership in society and respects those to the extent that it maintains order. However, he would never pledge servitude to any empire, province, or order. If he follows someone, it's an active choice to do so. Training at the Warrior Guild did instill an understanding of the importance of positions of command, and he admires those who embody their charge (even those in direct opposition) but feels such titles lend no significance beyond their purpose. He's found that he holds as much respect for many common folk as he ever has for powerful leaders.

Myharl bears fealty for only one: Lord Koar.

He believes Koar, for unknown reasons, has directly guided and led him to various moments in his life. He is not clergy, or particularly religious—just a simple warrior and wanderer. He suspects there have been and perhaps are currently other wanders across the lands who Koar has influenced in similar ways.

His interpretation of Koar as the Great Drake, the last left standing of those great beings, lends a very different perspective from those who consider him to be one of the Arkati. While Myharl has a healthy respect for the power of the Arkati and often feels aligned with the agendas of the pantheon of Liabo, to say that he worships any of them would be a vast overreach. However, Myharl readily bends a knee and is willing to serve the Great Drake. As far as embracing the concept of “gods” or “sovereign”, he finds no other being other than Koar worthy of such designation. If asked who he follows, his answer will always be “The Great Drake” both in a sense of religious devotion as well as in the practical. There are a few partial exceptions to this (Lumnis, Lorminstra, Phoen, Ronan, Voln, and Kor'thriss), but their higher significance is in relation to the Great Drake.

This tilted perspective of lore is how I play 'reality' for Myharl. It's up to everyone else's interpretation as to whether or not he's delusional.

([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1077316893058273321: Discord Link — 02/20/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/23/2023) Tell me about something your character wants. It could be a title, a weapon, a skill, or a possession- even a goal- that's up to you. Tell me about what they want for their future and how they'll go about getting it!'''
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Mechanically: Undead Bane for my blade. I might be able to pull it off one of these Duskruins, but not this one. Reach-for-the-stars dream would be a greater transmute for the blade to white alloy. Not even really mechanically relevant, just an RP facet and character theme thing I'd enjoy.

Title: Wyrmslayer. Maybe one day! Until then, I'll keep working towards being deserving of such a title.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1078388200671817759: Discord Link — 02/23/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/24/2023) Another fun and oft-discussed topic: What pet peeves or biases does your PC have? Are they minor irritants like people chewing, or are they full-blown phobias about spiders? Was this a conscious decision you made about your character, or did it come up because of an "incident"?'''
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Myharl regards zealots with disdain. Whether their agenda aligns with his or not, the general inability to consider alternate perspectives and lack of empathy he sees as a weakness and a willful character flaw. It has put him at odds with people he cares about at times. He clearly understands being devout, loyal, or steadfast, but zealotry he sees as being akin to a power-trip more in service to one's self than one's beliefs or promulgated ideals.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1078804019755094016: Discord Link — 02/24/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(02/25/2023) Do you have a song that makes you think of your character or the current state of your character?'''
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With the chapter in his life that Myharl is transitioning into, my theme for him would definitely Helvegen by Wardruna and Aurora. He's slowly shifting from the "positive fun-loving" persona he's been for many years to a much darker and grimmer side. The change is metered, but there and growing.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnkTuHP9q3o Wardruna and Aurora - Helvegen (Live) on YouTube]
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1079160153632411758: Discord Link — 02/25/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/04/2023) What kind of season or weather do your characters prefer? What do they not like? Is it a preference or was there a specific incident or event that caused it?'''
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Myharl is drawn to the cold, despite his aversion to it. He despises it in a way, but it's also where he feels at home. He much prefers warmth (it reminds him of his youth), but his soul always pulls him away, yearning for the frigid winter.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1081723658986336287: Discord Link — 03/04/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/06/2023) If you found out today that your character is resigning/getting kicked out of their profession, what would they choose to do instead? Or, if you could multi-class, what would you like to add to your character's abilities? As always, why?'''
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Probably rogue, but just because it's another square class. I enjoy being immersed in a world filled with magic—even a "high-magic" setting, but from the perspective of someone with limited influence over that. I always vibe better off of a character who feels the influence of magic around them, but has little-to-no ability to interact with magic directly. I fall into the same tendency when I'm a player in TTRPG as well; and find myself relating more to characters in books/movies that lean into that perspective.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1082321960110919710: Discord Link — 03/06/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/07/2023) How old is your character, both chronologically, and culturally/racially? Why did you choose the lifespan/birthday/age you did?'''
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Myharl's date of birth (and even the hour of his birth) are exactly the same as mine—relative to the Elanthian calendar. It's perhaps a less than creative approach, but the idea was to keep the character somewhat relevant in perspective over the years. As the I have grown with time, that often gets reflected in aspects of Myharl's persona.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1082728074526859325: Discord Link — 03/07/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/08/2023) Explain to me your character's sense of style with examples.'''
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Myharl's style has shifted as I've moved his character story along over the years. For instance, at one point he was this bright, golden-clad, champion of Koar. However, it's always been an intent to in some way have the "harshness" of the world begin to mitigate that light. When the Hinterwilds showed up, along with all of its currently known lore aspects that couldn't have better fit his story, I knew it was time. Since I find the place is so amazing I've leaned heavy into it. As part of that, Myharl's appearance has begun to shift with his 'darkening' as the ancient tainted magic of the place wears away at his soul. He's shifted from veil iron to black alloy, his palette has darkened, and almost all of his gear is now notably crafted from elements of the place and his experiences there.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1083071245467275304: Discord Link — 03/08/2023])
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<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/09/2023) Is there any possession, quality or ability that your character has *lost* that you still regret or miss? Was it a choice you made, or out of your control? Or, if you don't regret it, why not?'''
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I think this question pretty much entirely sums up the current chapter in Myharl's story as it unfolds. Poor guy is in the middle of an existential crisis, is losing/has lost his faith, has discovered most everything he thought to true about his destiny/fate was a falsehood, and has realized that he's literally cursed to boot. He feels rather naive and mostly alone.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1083501246821974147: Discord Link — 03/09/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/10/2023) How do people RP the aging aspects of youth and maturity for elves in Gemstone, what are some of everyones thoughts.'''
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Myharl, as a kindred, has had a lot of close Elven friends and loved ones; he was even married to elves. The way he's always viewed it is essentially how I think I would view that dynamic projected on a RL perspective. He understands that his part of their story is perceived as a passing moment in their lives. He cognitively grasps that they've likely had relative lifetimes of experiences before him (in many cases) and will live many lifetimes after he has passed from their story. He has a sense of gratitude for being a part of those stories, and focuses on the present. Since he's going to be such a relatively short part of their lives, he wants to make sure he leaves an impression so they always remember he cared about them and they mattered to him.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1083788799601021078: Discord Link — 03/10/2023])
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<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/15/2023) With so many new additions lately, where else would you like to be able to go? And why?'''
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The deserts of the Southron Wastes (once accessible via the Wavedancer, so technically already partially exists... somewhere). It's where Myharl is from and where his backstory is rooted. It would be interesting to have him return to visit his birthplace at some point later in his story, and it would be neat to actually be able to do it in-game rather than just a narrative aspect.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1085637685214969928: Discord Link — 03/15/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/15/2023) Tell me about your character's pets! '''
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A nival white arctic lemming with glowing azure eyes. Her name is Aurora. Myharl found her lost and wandering (Hinterwilds spoiler incoming) In the River of Color. He's not sure how she got there, but he thinks her strange glowing eyes are a result of her maybe eating the glowing motes from the nebula.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1085783606594646127: Discord Link — 03/15/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/21/2023) If someone was asked about one of your PCs, what do you think they would say to describe them? What would you hope for?'''
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Myharl's core persona and my own are somewhat analogous; perhaps a bit more than I'd like, actually. The character is significantly different from me, but the roots dig into the same soil. I think how I'd wish for him to be perceived isn't unlike how I hope to be. Whether or not someone enjoys his company, I hope they perceive him as genuine. That being said, I tend to lean into the stories I've created (and continue creating) for him along with others, giving little regard, in-character, to how he's generally perceived.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1087765338814419157: Discord Link — 03/21/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/24/2023) Which society is your PC in and why did you choose it? If it was purely mechanical, what ways have you adapted it to fit your background?'''
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Originally, eons ago, it was a mechanical decision. But eventually got worked into Myharl's story when he was once overrun by Nediem Verrieri when the blessing faded from his sword. The spirit of one of the sisters he had just released saw his peril and chose to refuse entry through the Ebon Gate, and in an act of penance/self-sacrifice "possessed" his blade, making it holy (explaining its permabless). Afterwards the two of them made a pact, she would assure his blade would never fail him again and he swore that he would release any other bound souls he came across (which led him to the Order of Voln). It became a whole thing and led to the creation of his primary weapon "Forlorn Maiden"; custom flares are designed to be the maiden attacking his foes, and I have a custom Spirit Beast of her that often manifests to hunt alongside him.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1088821977067835432: Discord Link — 03/21/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/25/2023) How involved is your character in his or her guild? Is it mostly mechanical or do you incorporate guild work/status into your RP somehow?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Myharl is a registered Master-at-Arms at the Wehnimer's Landing Warrior Guild, his name appears on the building's plaque outside. It's more difficult now days to be available to be active with training assistance with the time he spends beyond the Long Snow, but he still stops by whenever he's in town. If he hears a call for guild masters to be present to confirm a new master, he'll make a special trip for that. I tend to drop off stuff (like guild voucher packs) on or behind the fountain for general use whenever I have them. For a while years ago, when Myharl was younger, I used to RP that he had a crush on Klidel, and was always trying to get her to go on a date with him when she finished her tasks.

His time training at the warrior guild (a part of his backstory) is where he got his moniker "The Dark Tower" (also a postname title he wears) -- it began as a jovial jab at his unsual height, but eventually became a nickname he respected and accepted though the years of difficult training and fighting along side fellow frontier folk while defending the city from invasions and other threats.

I think of guild speak more along the lines "technical jargon" than an actual language. It just means he's drawing from a lexicon that would be familiar to other warriors in a given conversation.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1089287383058501703: Discord Link — 03/25/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(03/28/2023) Is there something unexpected your character came across that you never would have thought of for them yourself, but ended up being a PERFECT FIT? This could be an item, location, or event (or series of events).'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Myharl (and through him, myself) have a few friends that this criteria pretty much sums up perfectly. As far as places go, it would be the Hinterwilds. Wasn't always expected, but his story went from one edge of Elanith to the other, and it's been incredibly fun to experience.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1090290985503817788: Discord Link — 03/28/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(04/04/2023) What idiosyncrasies or minute details about your character manifested as part of your presentation of their persona or appearance?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Myharl stands 10’ 5” (319.5cm) tall (described in-game as ‘an extraordinary height, even for a giant’), but the number wasn’t arbitrarily selected, instead it was intentionally calculated. The percent of increase between average human height (180cm) and the tallest recorded human (271cm) is 50.5%. Taking what was described at the time as a reasonable height of giantmen (213cm) and increasing it by 50.5% resulted in value for his height (319.5cm, or 10’ 5.7”, then rounded down). Or, another example is how Myharl has always wielded a bastard sword, not as a specific mechanical choice, but because my original character concept was that his weapons were actually massive twohanded swords that—relative to his size—he wielded in one hand.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1092745475263823922: Discord Link — 04/04/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(04/16/2023) Where is your character's ideal vacation spot? Why?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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I think probably up around Pinefar. There's just something... quiet about it. The whole rustic seclusion feel of the place is calming in all the right ways for Myharl. Occasionally rent out a cabin near a local lodge in RL, and Pinefar always kind of reminded me of that place; especially in the winter.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1097039569322512495: Discord Link — 04/16/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(05/04/2023) What makes your character so angry they lose control of their better sense? So happy they forget a bit of their dignity? So tired they ignore their obligations?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Angry—Tyranny and exploitation, particularly against those unable to defend themselves. And, wyrms (rooted in his backstory), but he's driven to destroy them and does so in a fury of wrath. Happy—Very little; he has brief moments of happiness. Seeing the happiness of those he cares most about always warms his spirit and brightens his general demeanor. Tired—(insert a lot of backstory) the weight and wear upon his soul from his curse; the same that has driven him to the edge of the world beyond the Long Snow and called him to become a wyrmslayer.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1103813564994703440: Discord Link — 05/04/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(05/08/2023) This is a new project of Alosaka’s, asking as many people as he can what they believe the most important virtue is. '''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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If he were asked, Myharl would reply, "Empathy. Whether friend, stranger, or foe, being able to better understand the perspectives and emotions of others is a measure by which every decision should be weighed."
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1105012503357960242: Discord Link — 05/08/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(05/09/2023) Why does your character live where they currently live?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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I'm not sure Myharl lives anywhere anymore. He's a citizen of Wehnimer's; has an old homestead there on the frontier he's been to maybe half a dozen times in the past decade, and his shop, Gryphonwind Ventures, is located there, though he hired a young bard to maintain it and recently partnered with friend who shares the building, so he only makes occasional stops there for business. He used to live in the private suite at the Raging Thrak Inn with his wives before they divorced awhile back, but never returned to the place afterward. Developing player-driven RP (character storyline) has him more frequently drawn beyond the Long Snow—his curse beckoning him to the frigid cold of the long night and feeding his growing wrath and rage (which translates into his becoming a wyrmslayer). So most of his time is spent in the Hinterwilds. He does consider Cold River a home of sorts, I suppose. Honestly, though, I think the closest place he has to a home is Luna Rest Tavern in Mist Harbor. He often retreats there to visit a table frequented by a great group of friends where he finds the warmth and sense of himself that the icy gale of the Angargreft (and the "darkening" of his soul) steal from him. I guess he's a wanderer or sorts now—or maybe he just feels like "home" is a moment spent with friends rather than a place. No clue where he'll end up going forward, but it's fun experiencing his story as it progresses.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1105516086130114561: Discord Link — 05/09/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(05/15/2023) What festival does your character wish were celebrated in their town? What would they like to see people spend a week relaxing, hustling, celebrating or fighting to honor?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Assuming Cold River is "Myharl's town"... a Rite of Redemption. They know why.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1107535922922270831: Discord Link — 05/15/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(05/21/2023) Does your character have any animal or non-people friends - be it a pet, a specific familiar, an animal companion, a recurring spirit servant, a favorite mount, or a preferred demon? What are they and what are their names? Why did did your character (or you) pick that type specifically? Is there a type that you really want but are missing?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Myharl discovered a stray nival arctic lemming trapped in the nebulous void of the River of Color. She had apparently been there quite some time, weak, unmoving, and unable to escape. She managed to subsist as long as she had by consuming the motes floating among the spilling brume of color. Eating the particles of essence caused her eyes to glow with swirling hues of azure; a feature that seems to be permanent. He rescued her, returning her to the Boreal Forest, but the little creature refused to leave his side. So, he instead named her Aurora as her lucent eyes reminded him of the shifting hues of the aurora in the Hinterwilds. She's quite the nuisance, but her presence has grown on him.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1110042201976733696: Discord Link — 05/21/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(06/27/2023) What do you enjoy about / what keeps bringing you back to the character(s) you play?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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The same reason I'm one of those folks who only plays one character. Over the years I've come to care about the character and his story. As much as I'm a part of him as a player, his experiences become a part of who I am. They enrich my life and my perspectives in ways that are often unique and unexpected. It's like having a favorite character in a series of books, but walking by their side through the entire journey. Myharl is more than just some character I play in a game, he's a friend whose story I genuinely care about. Someone who taught me a lot about myself over the years.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1110042201976733696: Discord Link — 06/27/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(08/22/2023) What deadly sin best represents your character and why? (Lust, Glutton, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride)'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Wrath. His wrath is a central theme to the character's backstory, persona, and current ongoing roleplaying. He's a cursed kindred berserker whose potential for unbridled wrath piqued the interest of a shadowy entity that has been manipulating him since youth to stoke the pyres of his rage while also driving him ever northward (now to the edge of the world) for some unknown dark purpose.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1143687992523890799: Discord Link — 08/22/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(09/14/2023) What would you consider the biggest difference between yourself and your character(s)? Feel free to answer for as many of your toons as you wish- and outside of the obvious, none of us (I think) are elves or dwarves or wizards. Are you lawful, and they're chaotic? Are you a follower and they're a leader?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Appearances aside, I think it's our experiences. Myharl, for all intents and purposes, is mostly just me if I were him with his life's experiences. I don't think I've ever made a choice for him in-character that would be outside of those parameters. It was a cognitive decision about the character when I created him, sort of the way he and I are exactly the same age down to the hour. I wanted the character to grow as I grew as a person. It still requires a substantial amount of RP as his life and mine have been very different, but his behavior and persona are very much who I believe I would be in his shoes. When I'm playing TTRPGs, I tend to lean heavy into varied RP (I'm all over the board with my characters), but the amount of time invested into characters in GS, for me who only plays one character at a time for... decades, the best bet to keep the character enjoyable is to keep them relevant to who I am in the now.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1152074745798467685: Discord Link — 09/14/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(10/12/2023) What does your character think about death - and final death? Are they surprised when they're able to be resurrected, or are they content in the knowledge that they know how to acquire a deed from Lorminstra? What do they believe will happen to them when they run out of deeds? How do they reconcile any of this with entering Naidem?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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All journeys eventually come to an end. Until Myharl's story concludes, every moment is but a step traversing unknown paths. Each stride unique and unrepeatable—a moment cherished or despised—one in a finite collection memories that make him who he is. As long as the moment exists, he'll continue forward with each new experience becoming a landmark charting his course. For those in Naidem, their journey has not completed, it's simply a continuation, albeit a different road. He leans very heavily into the belief that every moment should be respected as one that will never happen ever again.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1162142238357327882: Discord Link — 10/12/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(11/13/2023) Out of all the areas described in Elanthia (or outside of Elanthia, for that matter), which would your characters and you be most excited about, if it were to suddenly become accessible, to live in, or at least visit?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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While the Hinterwilds are my favorite locale in the game (very closely followed by Naidem), Atan Irith, would be first on my wishlist hands down. If/when it opens Myharl intends to go on a walkabout there. It's a culture with many traditions and aesthetics he's always been drawn to, but potential exposure was so severely limited in-game that I never explored it much with the character. I feel like actually experiencing it in-character is the best way to introduce those aspects organically. I kind of love the idea of taking a chapter of his story, as an established warrior and weaponsmith, towards meeting and maybe becoming an apprentice under an Erithian swordfather.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1173630758829686894: Discord Link — 11/13/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(11/21/2023) In a world where the wiki and old logs are at every player's fingertips, are there times where you intentionally make the decision that your character wouldn't know or remember something? How do you approach situations like this when they come up? Do you ever have difficulty reining in yourself when your interests or background doesn't actually align with your character's?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Myharl can read, and has access to a library, as well as a small personal library in his office. My assumption is most information that is on the wiki in a historical context would be written about in books in Elanthia. If I recall something I read on the wiki, I assume Myharl read about it in a book. Likewise, if I need to research something, Myharl can make a stop by the library to read up while I search the wiki. Of course, there are times that I legit forget about something or mis-remember an event; that just carries through to the character.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1176694734392152204: Discord Link — 11/21/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(11/23/2023) What is something (or a few somethings) your character is thankful for? (Feel free to be serious or silly.)'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Might seem like a corny answer, but it's the honeset one. Myharl (and his player) are thankful for the friends he's made over the many years—all of them, but especially those he is or has been close to. They are his family. Many of those people no longer roam Elanthia for various reasons. Some followed different paths for a time then returned, others have been away for a long while, a few have been forever lost, but the impact each had upon him remains and is a part of his story. Those he is closest to tend to become central to his story in many ways, and though he tends to keep a very tight social circle of those he considers his closest comrades, there are many folks who he views as people who he would stand by if need arises. Despite his darker/darkening demeanor, if Myharl has ever randomly initiated friendly banter with a character, that's most likely someone he admires in some way or thinks of fondly for one reason or the other. He's always grateful for those who lend a bit of light to his existence.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1177269256547750029: Discord Link — 11/21/2023])
|}</pre>
<pre{{log2}}>
'''(01/12/2024) Do your characters nap? How long do they sleep? DO THEY SLEEP?'''
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
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Myharl grew up as a shepherd and nomad in the Southron Wastes, he adapted to being able to sleep anywhere when its convenient. Its one of the habits he maintained as an adult. So, he tends to take short rests wherever he may be whenever opportunity presents itself... at a table, under an outcropping, beneath a tree, etc. When he was married and had a home, the concept of a bed never suited him. More times than not he would wake in the middle of the night to wander around the dark alleys and back streets of Wehnimer's, usually ending up in his office at his desk by sunrise.
([https://discord.com/channels/226045346399256576/541653031691747329/1195539170974765106: Discord Link — 01/12/2024])
|}</pre>



</pre>


==Behind the Scenes==
==Behind the Scenes==

Revision as of 12:49, 13 January 2024

Myharl the Dark Tower
MYHARL-2023-WIKI-PROFILE-IMAGE.JPG
(Formerly Myharl Gryphonwind)
Commissioned artwork by Mates Laurentiu
Race Giantman
Culture Maeramil Wind Runner Clan
Firewalker Tribe
Hometown Wehnimer's Landing / Cold River (adulthood), Southron Wastes Nomad (childhood)
Class Merchant / Former Morganatic Noble
Profession Warrior (Wyrmslayer)
Religion None / Previously: Koar (The Great Drake), Kor'thriss (Guardian of the World), and the Champion Voln
Affiliation(s) Master at Arms of the Warrior Guild, Master in the Order of Voln, Member of House of the Rising Phoenix
In-a-Word Large
Disposition Once friendly and warm, more recently distant and grim
Alignment Equivalent: Neutral Good ]
Demeanor Bloodthirsty (particularly towards wyrms)
Primary Trait Exceptionally tall (10' 5"), Kroderine Soul
Secondary Trait His towering height and hulking frame cause him to get in the way a lot
Flaw Propensity to be a loner that is growing more prevalent
Greatest Strength Berserking
Greatest Weakness Berserking
Habits Frequent whiskey and pipe-weed, occasionally opium.
Hobbies Master crafter, master forger (all weapon types), sheath maker, shop owner [Gryphonwind Ventures], and avid wyrm hunter
Soft Spots Dark Elven Women
Likes Testing his mettle
Dislikes Zealots, dishonesty, and crowded rooms
Fears Dishonor to himself, Disappointing loved ones
Loyalties Spirit of the Forlorn Maiden / Previously: Lumnis, Lorminstra, Phoen, and Ronan (By association to Koar)
Best Friend Lunaryna, Dallinn
Spouse None / Divorced; Married 5109-5122 to Ladies Aurla, Psyryn, Yterria, and Yieshia
Loved One Lunaryna
(Beloved Friend/Past Lover)
Children None
CHE and MHO Membership
CHE House of the Rising Phoenix
House of the rising phoenix.jpg
CHE Rank Former Functional Officer
CHE Position Event Runner
MHO Affiliations House Daingneach Onoir — Former Lord Sage, Guildmaster of the Order of the Quill, Former Head Squire appointed by the Lady Paladin, and Bearer of the Oriflamme
(Resigned 5111)
Greater Elanthian Merchant Society
(MHO Defunct)

Clan Snar
(MHO Defunct)

Pictured: Crest of the Dark Tower. The personal seal/crest of Myharl the Dark Tower. Graphic design by the player of Myharl.
Pictured: Shadow Cursed Kindred, Myharl the Dark Tower (photo-realistic render). Graphic generated using AI by the player of Myharl.

Shadow-wreathed, cursed, and exiled Maeramil Firewalker kindred, bearer of the Eye of the Drake, wyrmslayer of the Hinterwilds. He tries to be a good man, yet struggles against his own darkness.


Shrouded in tendrils of swirling umber and twisting shadows and accompanied by an unnaturally frigid aura, Myharl is a cursed kindred who was long ago exiled from his desert homelands in the Southron Wastes. He is a berserker and famed wyrmslayer who now hails from Cold River, a hibernal village settled beyond the Long Snow, deep in the nival heart of the Hinterwilds.

His extraordinary height and a battle-forged mettle have earned him the moniker Dark Tower. He bears loyalty to no kingdom or empire, bends a knee to no ruler or sovereign, and lends no sworn faith to the divine. His allegiances are to his friends and those he considers family, and to them his dedication is unwavering.

His soul is bound to the Eye of the Drake, an ancient and mysterious artifact in his possession. Dating back to the era of the thousand years war between the Great Drakes and Ur-Daemons, the Eye is the domain of a mysterious dark shadow entity who has secretly manipulated pivotal moments in Myharl's life, honing his wrath and rage and driving him ever northward.

Though oblivious to his curse and misled about the nature of the Eye for most his life, the truth was recently discovered by his closest friend, a learned scholar, who had a direct confrontation with the dark entity when researching the artifact. It was learned that it has spent a lifetime grooming the giantkin to become its Destroyer.

Despite now having knowledge of this deception and his intended fate, the his curse continues to compel Myharl to dwell at the wintry edge of the world and to hunt and destroy its most dangerous creatures, ever seeking stronger and more deadly wyrms to fell. With every passing day the dark magic wears upon his spirit, pushing him further into a grim darkness.

Current Appearance

Combat Appearance

You see Myharl the Dark Tower.
He appears to be a Giantman of the Maeramil Clan.
He is of an extraordinary height, even for a giant.  He appears to be an adult.  He has darkly rimmed, piercing black eyes and deeply coffee-hued skin.  He has a bald head.  He has a well-defined face, a broad and strong nose and a sloe black silver-touched beard pinioned into a single elaborate braid by a dark wyrm's-eye aetherstone.  His features have a firm, statue-like quality to them.  The feral, snarling visage of a wyrm glares from the black alloy battle mask he wears.
He has a set of five lustrous onyx rings in his left eyebrow, a silvered ebon tattoo depicting a wyrm's talon descending from beneath his left eye, a small dark shard-shaped mark on his neck, a pair of knotwork wyrm tattoos unfurling from over his shoulders to lock gazes on his chest, a caliginous shadowy drake tattoo on his arm, and a sinuously coiled abyran'sa tattoo on his arm.
Dark shadows twist and swirl around him.
He gives off a fierce demeanor.
He is in good shape.
An imposing fuliginous raven alights upon his shoulder, extending its tapered wings to frame him in shadows.
He is wearing a slit-visored black alloy greathelm crested with shining disir feathers, a mesh black alloy aventail, a black alloy neckchain suspending a shard of rime-shrouded everfrost, a petite nacre moonflower, a deeply hooded ebon shadowsilk robe mantled in lightless valravn quills, a full suit of black alloy platemail with a mesh black alloy arming coat underneath, a pair of black alloy vambraces, a pair of scaled black alloy gauntlets, a krodera-bound black alloy tower shield slung over his shoulder, an ancient wyrm talon bound in arabesqued balenite, a wide stygian leather belt draping a pair of trio-tiered black alloy chains, a frostworn hinterboar hide satchel, a kilt of shadowy valravn quills cinched by a silver-shot wyrm's talon sporran, a pair of black alloy leg greaves, and a pair of segmented black alloy boots.

Casual Appearance

You see Myharl the Dark Tower.
He appears to be a Giantman of the Maeramil Clan.
He is of an extraordinary height, even for a giant.  He appears to be an adult.  He has darkly rimmed, piercing black eyes and deeply coffee-hued skin.  He has a bald head.  He has a well-defined face, a broad and strong nose and a sloe black silver-touched beard pinioned into a single elaborate braid by a dark wyrm's-eye aetherstone.  His features have a firm, statue-like quality to them.
He has a set of five lustrous onyx rings in his left eyebrow, a silvered ebon tattoo depicting a wyrm's talon descending from beneath his left eye, a small dark shard-shaped mark on his neck, a pulsating blue sunstone ring in the upper ridge of his left ear.
He gives off a fierce demeanor.
Dark shadows twist and swirl around him.
He is in good shape.
An imposing fuliginous raven alights upon his shoulder, extending its tapered wings to frame him in shadows.
He is holding a chaya of warm sake in his left hand.
He is wearing a black alloy neckchain suspending a shard of rime-shrouded everfrost, a petite nacre moonflower, a deeply hooded ebon shadowsilk robe mantled in lightless valravn quills, a half-buttoned umbral silk shirt with rolled sleeves, an ancient wyrm talon bound in arabesqued balenite, a tower-ensigiled onyx signet ring worn on the right middle finger, a sturdy ko'nag case, a wide stygian leather belt draping a pair of trio-tiered black alloy chains, a kilt of shadowy valravn quills cinched by a silver-shot wyrm's talon sporran, and a pair of sable leather boots bound in numerous buckled straps.

Current Sate of Roleplay

Currently, Myharl is experiencing a major shift in his story line—a new, darker chapter.

New visions, prompted by the Eye of the Drake, set his path to the edge of the world, beyond the Long Snow and into the Hinterwilds. Soon upon arriving, merit was given to his foresight as a fierce dragonic figure soared overhead beneath the dark skies and glowing aurora. This was the place of wyrms in the long-ago dreams which led him from the desert wastes. It goes unquestioned that his fate has led him into the endless winter, a place tainted by dark magic. Ancient magic. A force that relentlessly wears away at his soul. Day-by-day he grows distant, darker—more grim. The once joyful, fun-loving giant has grown starkly cold and notably more bloodthirsty (even for the berserker that he is). However, something draws him back from the edge of darkness after each trek into the long night. A distant warmth, a whisper, a mysterious anchor to light...

Myharl closes his eyes briefly as he gently places his right hand over his heart. His fingers brush against a petite nacre moonflower there donned and the tendrils of shadow writhing around his figure sway listlessly about the token as if drawn by some unseen force. A peaceful silence washes over his visage for a moment as he draws a deep breath. The shadows return to wreath him as his dark eyes flash open. He steels his nerves, readies his warsword and shield, and marches resolutely into the frigid gale-thrown night.

Important Shifts in Narrative with this Chapter

  • Dark shadows have manifested and constantly swirl around Myharl. He has discovered that he can somewhat control the umbral maelstrom; a skill he continues to hone as the effects of his curse intensify. They have become a sort of physical representation of his grim state and the darkening of his soul.
  • Having spent most of his adult life as a devout servant of Koar, the discovery that the Eye of the Drake is the source of a curse he bears, rather than a divine artifact of the Great Drake, has driven him to forsake all Arkati. Now understanding the nature of his visions and unyielding pull to the North, he feels the deception he has been ignorantly living for decades reflects on the dismissive and apathetic nature of the divine. He's just another pawn in their game.
  • Since the time of exile from his tribe in the Southron Wastes, Myharl had taken the surname Gryphonwind to pay homage to the woman who sacrificed herself to save his life during the wyrm attack on his encampment the night the Eye of the Drake came into his possession. He has distanced himself from the name after uncovering the truth that Gryphonwind was actually a manifestation of the dark entity bound within the Eye, made material by the powers of two corrupt Ishan from Kilanirij, who had intentionally delivered the artifact to bind his soul in curse. The motives of the dark entity remain a mystery to him beyond the being's desire to hone his Wrath and bend his will to become its Destroyer.

An OOC Glance at Myharl

There are several underlying concepts that create the framework of the character Myharl and his progressing story. These details that aren't necessarily known by anyone (including the character himself), and most will likely never be directly approached "in-character", but they are pivotal to ongoing development of the character and understanding who he is and the general demeanor and direction of the character's story. Many aspects push the shared setting concept to its limit, but I try to keep things in the margins of (or at the very least not to directly conflict with) official lore. These details are embraced as a framework for understanding the character more than definitive character details.

Wyrm Slaying

First wyrm slain on Restday the 30th of Jastatos, 5122
Most recent wyrm slain by Myharl on Feastday the 13th of Lormesta, 5124
Myharl slayed his 100th wyrm on Tilamaires the 27th of Lumnea, 5123 at the Gigas Runestone on the outskirts of Fjallarhaart in the Hinterwilds; Under the Drake constellation


An umbral nightwillow pipe carved in the shape of a wyrm (Magic Pipe)

A gift from Myharl's dearest friend, Lunaryna, it has become a ritual for him to smoke the pipe after slaying a wyrm. If you ever see the kindred smoking his nightwillow pipe, it signifies his recent return from a successful wyrm hunt.

Unexpected and incredibly thoughtful commemoration from the TownCrier Team


A gleaming gold medal illuminated with a giantman standing over a slain wyrm
A deckle-edged gilded ivory certificate
The page, written in Common, reads as follows:
CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION
Awarded to
Myharl
27th Lumnea 5123
at his Momentous Milestone
100 Wyrms Slain
Signed, The TownCrier Team

Wild and Free


Leafiara's song about Cold River and the Hinterwilds with mention of Myharl as a wyrmslayer, a Revelia Carnivale 5123 performance.

Song Lyrics

Visual Vignette: The Hinterwilds is an animated visual vignette created in Lormesta 5124 by the player of Jaysehn introducing the Hinterwilds in which Myharl, the wyrmslayer, is recognized. 

Notable Achievements

Historical Encounters

The Encounter (Restday the 2nd of Lormesta, 5111)


Battles


Victories



Big Game Hunter

  • Silver-Scaled Cold Wyrm Kills: 96
  • Azure-Scaled Cold Wyrm Kills: 33
  • Snowy Warg Packmother Kills: 77
  • Cinereous Chthonian Sybil Kills: 3
  • Total Big Game Kills: 204

Politics


Guilds, Societies & Trained Skills

Adventurer's Guild Information (as of Leyan the 16th of Phoenatos, 5123)

Awarded Unique Titles

Pictured: Wyrmslayer Myharl the Dark Tower posed standing before the Gigas runestone on the outskirts of Fjallarhaart in the Hinterwilds in 5123 of the Modern Era. Commissioned artwork by Mates Laurentiu to commemorate the 100th wyrm slain by Myharl.
Pictured: Lord Myharl Gryphonwind (before his 'darkening') in 5110 of the Modern Era, then decked in golvern platemail, locked in battle with an invading demon as Wehnimer's Landing is engulfed in flames around him. Commissioned artwork by Mates Laurentiu to commemorate Myharl's single-handed victory in battle against four vathors at once.

Pictured: Grand Lord Myharl Gryphonwind (before his 'darkening') in 5119 of the Modern Era standing tandem with Forlorn Maiden, the released nedum vereri spirit he formed a pact with who haunts his sacred warsword. Posed standing before Mount Aenatumgana, wearing what was his typical light travel outfit before his travels beyond the Long Snow into the Hinterwilds. Pictured leaning on a keg of his personal home-brew cinnamon whiskey, Gryphonwind Special. Commissioned artwork by Mates Laurentiu to commemorate Myharl's achievement of '3x Capped'.

Pets & Animal Companions

Myrkr - an imposing fuliginous raven

The unusual shadowy raven was acquired by Lunaryna Talviel during her research into Myharl's curse, selected due to its similarities with the shadows that writhe around the kindred's figure. The giant and the avian took an immediate liking to one another when they first met in her laboratory. When her research utilizing the raven was completed, she bestowed its safekeeping to Myharl, and he named him Myrkr, which is the Gigas word for 'Darkness'.

An imposing fuliginous raven alights upon his shoulder, extending its tapered wings to frame him in shadows.


Aurora — a nival white arctic lemming with glowing azure eye

Myharl discovered the nival arctic lemming trapped in the nebulous void of the River of Color. She had apparently been there quite some time, weak, unmoving, and unable to escape. She managed to subsist as long as she had by consuming the motes floating among the spilling brume of color. Eating the particles of essence caused her eyes to glow with swirling hues of azure; a feature that seems to be permanent. He rescued her, returning her to the Boreal Forest, but the little creature refused to leave his side. So, he instead named her Aurora as her lucent eyes reminded him of the shifting hues of the aurora in the Hinterwilds. She's quite the nuisance, but her presence has grown on him.

Gryphonwind Ventures & Myharl's Office

Gryphonwind Ventures is Myharl's shop.

The shop is titled for the surname "Gryphonwind" that he had once taken as his own, but has since dropped when it was uncovered the namesake had betrayed him, and was in fact a manifestation of a dark entity that has cursed him in his youth. The shop is located in Wehnimer's Landing at the first block of Ebonwood Way (Lich# L337) inside the hexagonal stone building with a pair of large golden gryphon statues flanking the doorway. The shop title is maintained due to the slow-moving bureaucratic nature of the merchant guild, but plans are to rename it when the opportunity arises.

The shop was established by Myharl in 5109 and the business began as a quaint single-room antiquities shop specializing in veil iron rarities and relics from ages long past. This early venture was highly profitable and the selection of wares quickly expanded as did the storefront. In 5110 "Gryphonwind Ventures" was founded.

In 5112 the shop was officially registered with the Wehnimer's Landing merchant guild, and Myharl founded his personal office in the west wing of the establishment. The location is as much a base of operations as a functional storefront, and when he's in town, Myharl can most frequently be found loitering within.

In 5113, Dallin Proudmire, a professional bard and scribe, was hired to verify new wares to be displayed and tend to the shop while Myharl was away on his adventures. He has since become a silent partner in the venture.

In 5123 Myharl officially partnered Gryphonwind Ventures with Lunaryna Talviel with his office occupying the west wing of the building, her gallery in the east wing, and a shared storefront foyer.

Gryphonwind Special Cinnamon Whiskey

Gryphonwind Special is a home-branded whiskey distilled by Myharl. The grains he uses are flavored with a hefty amount of fiery cinnamon and sweet amaranth greens, and lightly infused with hints of ground bitter delphinuris (delphira) leaves and sweet salorisa (saloryss) flower petals.

He distills a new barrel every year, and ages the spirits for five years in sephwir kegs which he keeps stowed in the back room of his shop, Gryphonwind Ventures in Wehnimer's Landing. In the shop Foyer, he usually keeps a small stock available to purchase at a cost of 1 silver. He sometimes will provide a keg and free drinks for a special event he is attending if such offering is appropriate for the event protocol. The drink is served in wooden flagons, which he insists is integral to drawing out the the true flavor of the whiskey.

A Veniom-Bound Silvery Sephwir Keg (an oversized carved wooden flagon of Gryphonwind Special)

The Frigid Argent Wanderlust

The Frigid Argent Wanderlust is a sloop Myharl purchased to assist with importing various wares to sell in his shop, Gryphonwind Ventures. It can usually be found docked in Wehnimer's Landing when not pressed into service. He doesn't regularly participate in Open Sea Adventures because his goals and interests are focused elsewhere.

Primary Weapons & Armaments

Myharl invests primarily into a single set of gear that includes his glowing white sacred warsword "Forlorn Maiden" and His black alloy armor set. While he does purchase other non-combat equipment from time-to-time, the bulk of his fortune is spent on improvements for this, his 'end-game' set of combat gear. The following list will be maintained and updated as improvements are made to the items.


A Glowing White Sacred Warsword — 10x (+50), T5 Ensorcell, S6 Sancitfy with Holy Fire, GEF + Unique Custom Fire Flares, Heavy Critical Weighting (10 CER), Heavy Damage Weighting (10 CER), Unlocked Lore, Perfect-forged, 5 lbs. (Max Light), Holy Bastard Sword crafted of white alloy w/ Non-corporeal Undead Bane (+6 CER Damage Weighting), Legacy Permabless +5 against undead, Lesser Moods (Fire and Holy) named "Forlorn Maiden" [1,077 difficulty] Includes matching 'Incorporeal Forlorn Woman' legendary spirit beast. Wielded with Weapon Bonding and Tainted Bond.


Full Suit of Black Alloy Platemail — 7x (+33), T5 Ensorcell, S6 Sanctify with Holy Fire, Unbalance Flares, Spiked, Very Heavy Critical Padding (11 CER), Very Heavy Damage Padding (11 CER), Unlocked Lore, 38 lbs. (Max Light), Holy Full Plate crafted of Black Alloy w/ 5% Resistances against Crush/Slash/Puncture, +4 Stamina Recovery Enhancive (25 Charges Max) [863 difficulty]


Krodera-Bound Black Alloy Tower Shield — 10x (+50), T5 Ensorcell, S6 Sanctify with Holy Fire, Fire Flares, Spiked, Fully Unlocked T2 Shield Harness, Unlocked Lore, Max Light, Holy Tower Shield crafted of Black Alloy [756 difficulty]


Black Alloy Vambraces — Fully Unlocked T4 Brutal/Cunning Fancy Greaves (Switchable Lightning Flares/Fire Flares/Plasma Flares) with Ghost Flare Messaging, Spiked, S6 Sanctify with Holy Fire, Very Heavy Critical Padding (10 CER), Very Heavy Damage Padding (10 CER), Unlocked Lore, Max Light, Holy Arm Greaves crafted of black alloy w/ +10 Constitution (base) enhancive with Upgraded Charges (105 Charges Max). [391 difficulty] This armament can hold/equip/sheath two daggers.


Slit-Visored Black Alloy Greathelm Crested with Shining Disir FeathersAnfelt Armor Zested, Acid Flares, Spiked, HDP/HCP, Unlocked Lore, Maxlight Greathelm (head/neck) crafted of black alloy w/ +8 STR enhancive (19 charges max). [61 difficulty]


Mesh Black Alloy AventailAcid Flares, Spiked, LDP/LCP, Unlocked Lore, Maxlight Aventail crafted of black alloy w/ +6 AGL/+7 Max Stamina enhancives (53 charges max). [14 difficulty]


Pair of Black Alloy Leg GreavesAcid Flares, Spiked, LDP/LCP, Unlocked Lore, Maxlight Leg Greaves crafted of black alloy w/ +11 DEX/+8 Harness Power Bonus enhancives (17 charges max). [18 difficulty]


Other Notable Items & Gear

Winter's Embrace
a black alloy neckchain suspending a shard of rime-shrouded everfrost
Suspended by a thick black alloy neckchain traced with faint verglas, the everfrost is pale and clear, but fingers of frost clinging to its surface suggest that it is no mere diamond, but a chunk of crystallized rhimar.  The jewel radiates intense cold, causing the air around it to puff into faint wisps of mist.  A blizzard of frigid blue and glacial green glints wink across its jagged facets.

Ambient: A frigid helical miasma of wintry mist coalesces around a black alloy neckchain suspending a shard of rime-shrouded everfrost worn by Myharl before condensing into hoary frost particulates that embrace its deep glacial facets.
Ancient Wyrm Talon Bound in Arabesqued Balenite 
   Shadow themed premium teleportation device (Worn as a pin, functional)
Softly Lucent Pearlescent Scale Gilded in Starveil 
   +10 Edged Weapons, +5 Stamina Recovery, +4 Physical Fitness, +1 Mana Recovery enhancive (Worn anywhere, functional)
a deeply hooded ebon shadowsilk robe mantled in lightless valravn quills 
   Feature Concealing Hooded Cloak, Closes, Epic Deepened to Hold Gigantic Amount, 20% Weight Reduction (Worn over the shoulders, functional)

Kilt of Shadowy Valravn Quills Cinched by a Silver-shot Wyrm's Talon Sporran
   Kilt/Greatkilt zested, Holds Slightly Large Amount (Worn over the legs, functional)
Twisted Widowwood Band Grasping A Glowing Madstone — +6 CON, +1 Thrown Weapons enhancive, persists, huge number of charges (Worn on fingers, functional)
Sparkling Balenite Ring Crowned With A Wintry Everfrost Shard — +7 DEX enhancive, persists, huge number of charges (Worn on fingers, functional)
Radiant Phoenix Down Mantle Clasped by a Jacinthe-Flamed Arathiel Jewel — Holds Very Large Amount, Can be Tucked, Closes, Ethereal Flames Illusion Prop (Worn as a pin)

Tattoos & Visible Markings

  • a silvered ebon tattoo depicting a wyrm's talon descending from beneath his left eye

  • a small dark shard-shaped mark on his neck (Branded by the hand of The Exiled Nexur)

  • a pair of knotwork wyrm tattoos unfurling from over his shoulders to lock gazes on his chest

  • a sinuously coiled abyran'sa tattoo
Depicted inward-stationed upon his right forearm in graceful repose, the feminine abyran'sa has been inked in detailed shadowy umbral linework.  She bears striking dark elven features scarcely concealed by a clinging shroud of moonflowers that spills down over her curvy body.  Her complexion is shaded in pallid hues accented by fair hair that falls riotously from a sharp widow's peak to frame her aristocratic features.  Her serpentine tail coils tightly around his arm, terminating just above his wrist.

  • a caliginous shadowy drake tattoo on his arm
Inked in dark ebon hues, the fierce drake is depicted inward-stationed upon his left forearm, its wings extend behind its fierce, scaled figure in partial horaltic pose to appear as if about to take to the skies.  The draconic creature's fierce visage gazes upwards, bearing what seems to be a longing gaze, its eyes fixed upon a selenic crescent suspended above the backdrop of a dark tower.

  • a pair of flaming drake's wings tattooed on his back
Stretching from shoulder-blade to waist on either side of his spine, the tattoo is an excellent rendering of a pair of inferno-wreathed drake's wings that lay furled and quiescent.  Ebon inks create the delicate boning, while sanguine hues limned in plum create tiny veins.

About the Dark Tower: General Information & Life Story [Quick Summary FAQ]

Myharl is a berserker and noted wyrmslayer who frequently hunts beyond the Long Snow in the Hinterwilds near Cold River village, a place he considers a second home. When not braving the wintry wilds, he can usually be found either warming himself by the hearthfire in Rawknuckle's Pipe Den or taking refuge from the frigid galewinds beneath the ancient pine tree in the village center. He is frequently in the company of Kestrel, the village lookout, as the two share many late night watches together. When outdoors in the Hinterwilds, his eyes are often scanning the aurora-illuminated skies as he awaits sighting a wyrm aloft over the Angargreft or Boreal Forest locales.

He is also a citizen of Wehnimer’s Landing where he is known as a bounty hunter for hire and long-time merchant. He is the proprietor of Gryphonwind Ventures (established in 5110 of the Modern Era) [External link: Shop Listing ] which is located at the entrance to the Wehnimer’s Landing shopping district. He is a registered guild master and Master-at-Arms of the Wehnimer’s Landing Warrior Guild, a master in the Order of Voln, and member of the House of the Rising Phoenix. His moniker, "The Dark Tower" originated as a nickname from his years training at the Warrior Guild. The name began as a playful jest about his unusual height, but later—through trials and tribulations with his brethren—became a title of honor and respect.

He was born in the hour of Ronan on Tilamaires, Eorgaen 18th in the year 5079 of the Modern Era, under the sign of the Paladin. He is the youngest of three children and the only son of giantman nomads Lokran (father) and Maeralea (mother). His eldest sister disappeared before his birth (lost in a sandstorm and presumed dead). His other sister and parents were all killed in 5097 when his tribe's encampment was attacked by wyrms. His name is an amalgamous play on multiple giantkin words which can be roughly understood as "gift of the feast" and was bestowed upon him in celebration of the massive white sandworm the tribe hunters, including his father, fell on the day before his birth.

Family names are not a tradition practiced by his tribe, yet are often necessary for business matters in the Empire and its holdings and frontier outposts. Gryphonwind is the name of a long-ago friend who sacrificed her own life to save his. The name was adopted by Myharl as his surname to honor her memory. However the surname was later forsaken upon his early adventures into the Hinterwilds when, through a vision and spirit journey, Myharl learned that Gryphonwind had actually been a manifestation of an ancient evil entity bound within the Eye of the Drake. An entity who placed a powerful curse upon him in his youth as it carefully guided his life's path northward to "hone the wrath" and "awaken the drake" within him. He now simply goes by his name and moniker, Myharl the Dark Tower, though many have taken to simply calling him Wyrmslayer.

Myharl’s appearance is noticeably different from most other giantkin whose clans and tribes have been long-established in the regions surrounding the northern reaches of the Dragonspine Mountains. He is unusually tall (towering well over ten feet) and bears deeply ebon-hued skin. This appearance, while atypical for highmen in Northern Elanith, is common among members of his tribe.

He migrated to the northern frontiers during the third decade of his life, but hails originally from deep within the desolate barrens of the Southron Wastes. Nomadic like most giantkin tribes, his family was one of many comprising a wandering desert tribe of highmen that have traversed the wastelands for countless generations. His journey as an adventurer began when he was exiled from his tribe after inadvertently activating an ancient and mysterious artifact he refers to as the Eye of the Drake.

The clanless tribe bears no name, but the elders profess that they are the descendants of survivors from a once magnificent giantkin kingdom far to the north. A nation that fell in ancient times during a war against a great evil. Their predecessors, forced from their homeland and driven south, adopted the practice of unending migration in lieu of founding another homestead. Though unsure whether the story of the tribe's ancestral origin has merit or is nothing more than fanciful folklore, later in life Myharl did find what appears to be the remnants of just such an ancient highman kingdom. Located deep in Stoneharrow Swale between the port city of Solhaven and the frontier surrounding Wehnimer’s Landing, within the ruins is even the visage of crowned giantkin king worked into stone. He sometimes wonders if this place could be the forgotten lands mentioned in the myths of his former kin.

In his early twenties, during the years immediately proceeding exile from his tribe, Myharl found work with an Issimr merchant caravan which plied their trade by transporting goods across the wastes between the Grot'karesh fortress city of Kilanirij and the Turamzzyrian Empire. Frequent visits to Elstreth and Idolone, as well as the occasional long haul to the grand city Tamzyrr, slowly introduced him to the common cultures of North-Western Elanith. His interest and curiosity about those cultures would grow until he eventually parted ways with his Issimr friends to explore the northern bounds of the Empire for himself.

Relationships & Marriages

Pictured: High Lord Myharl Gryphonwind (before his 'darkening') in the company of his four former wives at his Wehnimer's Landing shop, Gryphonwind Ventures, in 5115 of the Modern Era. From left to right: Grand Lady Psyryn, Myharl, Grand Lady Yterria (seated), Lady Yieshia (kneeling), and Renowned Lady Aurla. Commissioned artwork by Mates Laurentiu to commemorate Yieshia joining her three sisters in union to Myharl.

At intervals throughout his adult life Myharl has courted various women. He discusses few, but always spoke fondly of Lunaryna with whom he shared a brief—though fiery—relationship soon after his arrival to the frontier. However, his travels across the Empire and northern wilds frequently interfered with establishing long-lasting intimate relationships, and the two would eventually amicably part to walk different paths.

Upon the fourth decade of his life, after deciding to make Wehnimer’s Landing his home and base of operations, he discovered the opportunity to establish more permanent companionship. He was married to a quartet of dark elf sisters who bear estranged, rarely discussed, ties to Faendryl nobility. Of the four, the eldest sister is Renowned Lady Aurla (Magess of the Flame), followed by Grand Lady Psyryn (Master Healer), then Grand Lady Yterria (High Priestess of Koar), and lastly the youngest of the four, Lady Yieshia, who Myharl affectionately refered to as his "little magess".

Myharl and his former wives made their home at the private suite on the second floor of the Raging Thrak Inn in the town square of Wehnimer's Landing. In the summer months they could frequently be found relaxing in the suite's private bath and in the winter, warming themselves by the massive hearth in the living room. They spent many happy years together involved in local politics, helping to defend the town in times of need, and working for the Adventurers Guild to mitigate bandit activity in the surrounding regions.

However, after nearly a decade and half, the sisters suddenly received a missive summoning them for business back in their homeland. Afterwards, much of their time was spent away tending to family matters. Meanwhile, Myharl's treks beyond the Long Snow became more frequent and sustained in pursuit of hunting wyrms. Over time, the sisters and Myharl grew apart and rarely spoke. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months between seeing one another. Finally, at the end of their waning days together, the sisters departed a final time, cordially with narry fanfare. After months without word, Myharl accepted their companionship had faded away. In the winter of 5122, after having requested and receiving word of their welfare, Myharl dissolved the marriage, finalizing the divorce with town officials.

Upon marrying into dark elf nobility and becoming a morganatic noble, he had donned the title Grand Lord, which he maintained until their divorce.

By pure happenstance in early 5123, Myharl and Lunaryna's paths crossed once more, nearly two decades after their long-ago brief romance. In the following weeks they quickly rekindled their friendship after realizing that over the many years they both had retained a quiet and mostly unspoken admiration for one another. Their two souls, so altered during their time apart, reforged a connection, though one that is vastly different than what they once shared. The two can often be found sitting side-by-side, but they wouldn't be mistaken for more than close friends. However, any who know Myharl well would take note of an instant warming of his demeanor whenever he is in her presence.

Part I: Acquisition of the Eye & The Journey Begins (5097 Modern Era) [Backstory]

Pictured: The Eye of the Drake (so named by Myharl), an ancient artifact from the era of the Drake and Ur-Deamon war. In possession of Myharl who has been bound by curse to the artifact as well as the shadowy entity that resides within. Commissioned artwork by Mates Laurentiu.
Eye of the Drake

a shadowy crystal ball containing a mysteriously shifting eye blazing with an unknown power

Myharl's tribe were not the only highmen who made the wasteslands their home. Another, more ancient group of giantkin migrants were those who the tribe elders called, "the cursed." They had arrived in the Southron Wastes likely thousands of years earlier. The tribe's migration routes always steered clear of the mountain stronghold of their clan. A dark place called Kilanirij. For the most part the cursed had likewise avoided the tribe, seeming more interested in maintaining their fortress city than the activities of nomadic goat-herding peoples eking out a living from the harsh lands. That was until one day, a cafila of three cursed approached the tribe's encampment at sundown.

The three strangers spoke in a strange mesh of the Gaintkin language and another tongue foreign but very similar-sounding to Elvish. They referred to themselves as Ishan; travelers on a quest seeking to solve some ancient mystery. The Ishan called their paths crossing with the tribe's caravan, "a destiny".

The tribe elders were wary of the Ishan, but believing that all giantkin share an ancient lineage, they still cautiously invited them to rest by the evening fires and offered them hospitality of food and water. Of the three, one was an older man with deep scars indicative of many battles, another a younger man who seemed more learned than his company, and the last a young woman with an otherworldly air about her. It was the third who piqued the interest of young Myharl. She was several years his elder, yet still the youngest of the three. He found her form appealing and her forbidden moniker intoxicatingly unique. The interest of youth appealed for him to get closer to her, and so as the three Ishan sat around the warmth of the fires speaking to the elders, he lingered.

The eldest recovered an object securely wrapped in layers of canvas from their belongings as the younger man regaled the elders with a tale about ancient evils from the past reawakening. They were seeking a way to unlock an ancient puzzle. The old man unwrapped the object to reveal a veil iron ark crowned by a pair ornamental gold dragons, and the younger of the two pointed to six golden seals around the ark's lid explaining how no method or magic had been able to penetrate the box or remove its locks. They believed that within was a powerful artifact that could be used to fight a coming evil, and their quest was to find a way to free it from its prison.

As the two men continued engaging the elders with stories about ancient wars and forgotten times, the female Ishan took notice of Myharl's presence and seemed to immediately recognize his interest in her. She smiled softly, motioning him closer. He complied, and the two began a friendly conversation. She introduced herself as Gryphonwind, and explained she was a seer and diviner of the future sent to aid her fellow travelers. As Myharl and Gryphonwind shared food and drink, the legends and myths she told him summoned an even greater curiosity from within. Devoid of awkward banter, the demeanor of the conversation seemed as if the two were longtime friends.

As the evening grew late, just as Myharl had worked up enough courage to invite her to spend the night with him, she abruptly interrupted to ask if she could divine his future. Tilted by the offer, he drew closer to sit at her side and agreed. She reached for a small woven basket worn at her hip and pulled out and handful of polished dark stones. Each was carved with a strange rune. She cast stones upon the sand at their feet. As the stones landed, Gryphonwind gasped before her breaths became near silent. Eight of the nine stones had landed with their runes facing downward in the sand, the ninth and solely visible rune bore a symbol that vaguely resembled a landslide.

As she stared at the stone, it began to violently twitch as if taking on a life of its own. Suddenly, it began to draw a line in the sand as it danced its way towards Myharl. Glancing up to notice the look of abject horror marring Gryphonwinds visage, he leapt to his feet. The stone continued towards him across the sand, and he began stepping backwards. As he withdraw the stone gave chase wobbling frantically across the sand. Now frightened as well as startled, Myharl quickened his pace in reverse until accidentally stumbling into the older Ishan. The obstacle sending Myharl sprawling backwards as he fell over the seated man. In a bid to right himself, Myharl grasped for leverage. The stone stopped moving the moment his hand landed squarely on the ark. Quickly removing his hand from the artifact, its seals loudly popped open one after the other.

The stars seemd to vanish from the night sky as an unnatural shadowy black fog sped across the landscape to envelope the encampment. Tendrils of shadow seemed to grope and caress every surface accompanied by the sound of incoherent whispering voices. Then came an ear-ringing bestial roar so loud it seemed to shake the ground itself. Several massive winged draconic figures soared low overhead, their forms discernable only as their metallic scales reflected the carmine firelight below. A contrasting moment of silence followed until overpowered by a growing cacophony of anguished screams. Seized by terror and unable to move Myharl watched as the beasts plowed through the gathered crowd of his tribesmen. Their massive razor talons shredding flesh and stripping bone as they belched caustic fluids that washed away skin and flesh in an instant. Many of the giantkin drew their weapons, fighting back against the beasts, but others seemed statuesquely motionless, as if frozen in time.

Gryphonwind cried out Myharl's name, which seemed to shake him from the unnatural paralysis binding him. She shouted, instructing him to open the ark. As he moved towards the artifact, one of the beasts shifted its stride and charged toward him. Rearing back to raise its fierce talons before striking, Myharl helplessly stared at the wyrm sure that those were to be his final moments. They would have been, but with jarring impact, Gryphonwind's body slammed into his as she threw herself atop him like a shield. Pulling her weight away from him and rising again to her feet, she desperately pointed at the ark. In response, Myharl quickly crawled across the sand until his hands rest on each side of the unsealed vessel.

He strained to pry open the tightly closed lid, and his eyes shifted again to Gryphonwind just as a silvery talon violently burst through her abdomen from behind. The beast roared again, masking the words she screamed as blood erupted from her lips. The lid gave way and the ark was opened. A blinding flash of light from within the artifact pierced through the darkness. The beasts roars suddenly became high-pitched screeches as they withdrew back towards the shadowy fog. As the light spread across the encampment Myharl's last sight of Gryphonwind was life's light fleeting form her eyes as her impaled corpse was wrent into the evaporating darkness.
Instinctively reaching into the ark, Myharl pulled forth the fiery glowing orb from within. An otherworldly flame-filled eye gazed out from within the crystalline sphere. Clutching the ball tightly, Myharl raised it high as he screamed out her name.

The sensation of a thousand infernos wracked across his body as the beasts continued to shriek. Seeing dozens of bodies littering the blood soaked sands around him, Myharl turned his eyes to the orb. His gaze locked involuntarily with the fiery eye within and the violence around him faded into absolute darkness and silence. There was only the eye. It seemed to gaze into his very soul as an overwhelming rage welled within. A feeling of anger and righteousness. He was aware of nothing else except the fiery red glow of the eye. However, soon he realized that he was not alone, and as the eye shifted, it illuminated the massive golden figure that bore it. A great gold dragon, much like the beasts from the shadows, but enormous and surrounded by a glow in a hue of gold Myharl had never before seen.

For what simultaneously felt like an instant and like eons, the golden figure observed Myharl. Then it commandingly uttered a single word. A word beyond comprehension. Reality returned in an instant to Myharl's awareness just as an explosion of luminous golden thunder pulsed from the orb, the distortions of light eradicating both the shadows and the vicious wyrms.

Myharl fell unconscious. When he awoke, he found himself still holding the eye, but surrounding by the warm glow of the campfire and the deep indigo of the star-filled night sky. The threat was gone, but the roars and shrieks had been replaced with the sounds of crying and pain-filled moans. He placed the eye back in to the ark, and weakly slid its heavy lid securely back on top. Among the dead nearby were the two male Ishan and a dozen of his tribe. Many more were grievously wounded. Gryphonwind's body was nowhere to be seen.

As the sun's light kissed the eastern skies and the last of the wounded had been tended to, those that had seen the events that transpired kept a wide birth from Myharl. He was confused by the look of fear in the eyes of his kin. Fear of him. They formed a circle around him, as if guarding a prisoner. Hushed whispers crawled through the crowd. The last of the slain were being wrapped in shrouds when the tribe elders finally approached. They were grim and hesitant.

Proceeding a long silence, they finally elaborated... After discussing it with the tribe, they had all agreed that whatever evil curse was lain upon the people of the Ishans had now been cast upon him. It was no longer safe for him to be among his kin. He was a danger to them. With hurtful disdain they exiled Myharl, demandeding he return the artifact to Kilanirij and never again return to the tribe.

He protested, he demanded, and finally he begged the elders to reconsider. However, realizing there was no way to convince them otherwise, Myharl beseeched the elders to at least be allowed to bid his family farwell. Enclosed by a circle of warriors, he was escorted to the blood-soaked mass of shroud-wrapped bodies. As his tear-filled gaze wandered across the pile, someone in the crowd angrily quipped, "You no longer have family here. Take your curse and be gone!"

Part II: Visions at Kilanirij & Travels to the North (5097-5104 Modern Era) [Backstory]

Myharl was allowed to attend the funeral pyres, and afterwards he accepted the small clay jars in which the ashes of his family had been gathered, along with two more holding the cremated remains of the Ishans. The contingent of armed hunters ushered him to his family’s tent and—with watchful eyes—they observed closely as he prepared to depart. Though he had not cognitively reckoned with the death of his sister and parents, he still felt a maelstrom of rage and sorrow swelling within, prompted by the detached indifference towards him suddenly bestowed by those who had always been in his memories. He felt betrayed. Abandoned. He was alone.

Entering the beit al-sha'r, he gathered the sparse belongings from within. Among them, his father’s jambiya which he secured at his side next to his own. Also, an assortment of travel gear, preserved goat’s cheese, and several waterskins filled by his mother the day before from the shallow sandstone well at the encampment. After dismantling the tent and neatly folding its black fabric into a parcel, he harnessed his father’s ebony wastesdrgon and laden it with the hefty pile.

Snugly tucking the funerary jars and veil iron ark within the goat fleece fabric, he then briskly mounted the lizard and yanked the reins, yawing the beast so its scaly tail dramatically feinted those gathered. Without words, recognizing it would be the last time he was among his former kin, he slowly and deliberately rode through the breadth of the encampment, searing his eyes into the elders as he passed. He rode away from his home, and into the darkness enveloping the setting desert sun—he road towards Kilanirij.

Still in progress...

Part III: The Great Empire & Finding the Drake (5104-5109 Modern Era) [Backstory]

In progress...

Part IV: New Home In The Frontier (5109-5122 Modern Era)

In progress...

Part V: The Vixen & the Maiden — The Acquisition of Forlorn Maiden (5111 Modern Era)

Pictured: Forlorn Maiden, the haunted "sacred glowing white warsword" of Myharl Gryphonwind. Commissioned artwork by Mates Laurentiu.


Item Profile for Forlorn Maiden.

In progress...

Part VI: Endless Winter: Shadows & Talons (5122-Current Modern Era)

In progress...

Behind the Scenes

The player of the character Myharl first discovered GemStone III in June of 1996 during summer vacation from his sophomore year of high school. He played regularly for the next eight years and was active as the game world transitioned from GSIII into GSIV. He played only one character (name intentionally redacted) before going on hiatus in 2004. After a five year absence, he returned in 2009 and began his Elanthian experience anew with the creation of Myharl whom he has played exclusively since.

Myharl's date of birth (and even the hour of his birth) are exactly the same as the player's—relative to the Elanthian calendar. Perhaps a less than creative approach, but the idea was to keep the character somewhat relevant in perspective over the years. As the player has grown with time, that often gets reflected in aspects of Myharl's persona.


Year-End Progress Reports (2009-2022)

This section includes the year-end data for Myharl's character progression as recorded on the night of December 31st for every year since the character's creation. This report will be udpated at the end of each new year. It's not particularly useful data, but it is a fun reflection of progress made over time. 


OOC Contacts

I don't publicly share my contact info, and don't normally share it directly with others in GS. However, if you need to get a hold of me OOC and cannot contact me in game, I have created a stand-alone Discord account @Myharl that is only used for the Official GemStone IV Discord and for direct messages regarding GemStone IV. Feel free to DM me there or send a friend request if it's regarding the game and I'll follow up when I have time.

Requiem Request

While it’s certainly not a part of the plan, being involved as a part of an ongoing fantasy world that spans decades and includes multiple generations, it is inevitable that sometimes players pass away. Their characters too pass on, often leaving in their wake legends and legacies as well as heartbroken friends and loved ones. It is a morbid topic to be sure, thus my inclusion of this section at the very end of this character entry.

Over the years I’ve lost more than my fair share of old friends and great allies in the world of Elanthia. Some prepared the closure of their character’s story—others were taken unexpectedly. This section is to reflect on the potential that I, the player of Myharl, could one day meet my end before the grand stories of GemStone reach conclusion. I despise unfinished stories. And so, this section presents how I would want to envision Myharl’s stage-exit from an in-character perspective should the unfortunate unexpectedly happen.

If his story dramatically shifts, this section is maintained to express how I would desire closure to the character’s story in the present.