Linden Rue

Linden Rue

Temp Art by Iro Pagis

Languages	Common, Elvish, Draconic, Sylvan
Place of Birth	Feywild
Species	Harengon
Gender	Female
Height	3ft (counting my ears)
Weight	30lbs
Eye Color	Sapphire blue

Linden Rue is a Harengon of a rather curious nature. She follows where the will of the divine lights her travels, wherever that may be. Her spiritual wanderings have revealed that the divine celestial world is far more connected than it is separate. Seeing these connections, she finds herself wondering how the gods have influenced different times, peoples, and places and spends her free time often studying different peoples and their practices. She is always prepared to help those in need but as a wanderer she rarely plants herself in one spot too long.

Physical Appearance

Piercing bright sapphire blue eyes peer out from pure snow white fur which covers her form with just the tips of her ears dipped in deep obsidian black. She may be small coming in just at around 3ft (counting her ears) but she makes up for it in her fiercely joyful indomitable spirit.

Personality

Linden is an excitable rather happy harengon, who is often one foot in her own world with her musings and pondering. She has survived much in her short time but her faith has kept her spirit shining bright. She is fascinated and perhaps bit overly excited by new peoples and experiences for her, even ones others may NOT be so excited about. As she always says, "Fear and fascination both start with an 'f' so it can be a bit confusing." She is a bit easily distracted and finds herself drawn in by odd items, strange beings, and shiny items sooome times to her determent (it's a good thing she's tanky). She is loyal to her companions and will do all that she can to avoid ever leaving one of them in trouble. As a staunch lover of life, Linden, will do all she can to stop those inflicting needless cruel suffering upon others.

Powers and Abilities

God: Dysian (Feywild God) Domain: Life & Curiosity

I am the Life (cleric) of the party, here to bestow much anti-damage to my companions. Many see my diminutive stature and assume me to be fearful, but I am actually quite the opposite. When in danger, I spend a lot of my time keeping an eye on those near me and doing my best to ensure they're alright as battle rages. What can I say? I'm a lover not a fighter but, make no mistake I will be the shield to defend those I care for and any innocents in need to the utmost!

On a side note, I have been told I have two lucky rabbits feet from past companions, seeming to bring some of them an extra edge in their battles...so long as my feet remain attached to my body, that is.

History

They say curiosity killed the cat, it's no worry, I'm a harengon. I'm not from this plane, originally, you see I found myself curious and followed a group of strangers I had been quietly studying through a portal and found myself in this place. I feel like the divine put my paws on this path as I was following the light. Sometimes it's golden and shining and other times it sparkles (this time it was the latter). I must say I do rather like it here, the creatures are all much more direct with their concerns and desires. At times I miss my fae friends and family but I've always been rather independent anyway.

Hopping right along I've spent my time studying many peoples and places of this land but what I am most excited about are the DRAGONS!! It took me some time, some books, and some spying (without becoming a crispy dragon snack) to get the nuances just right but I was able to learn to fluently speak the Draconic language and it's certainly been enlightening in this current climate. I've been asked why I'm not more afraid of the giant beastly dragons for "a rabbit" (I'll excuse them for not understanding my people are not exactly the same as the tiny creatures they call rabbits) but when EVERYTHING tries, or wants to eat you (including most of the peoples I've met) I suppose size becomes irrelevant after some point. I'm not unafraid, I'm just not MORE afraid...

I am also so enamored with life that anytime I have been able to aid those who cross my path and seem to have good intent I have done my best to bestow healing and blessings upon them with the the powers granted by my divine. I have always followed wherever my divine lights my path and it has led me to some very curious locations and experiences but, I have the firm belief that I am always exactly where I am supposed to be at exactly the right time.

Linden's Adventures

Seglock West Gate (7/15/22) Isonhound -

I was enjoying the Gala eating a really particularly delicious slice of carrot cake. It was perfectly spiced, a lovely aroma of nutmeg and cinnamon, with just a hint of sweetness from the icing. Then a beautiful moment of carroty bliss was ruined as loud crashing and screaming from Seglock University crashed our lovely Gala. No time to waste I set off in the direction of the noise, I was closest to the West Gate and so headed that way and found myself with a small group of other adventurers also heading into the chaos. We banded together and waded through the terrified staff and students pouring out of the cafeteria halls. Just as I was thinking that this kind of stampede is no place for a short Harengon a kindly Goliath, Vadath offered me a spot atop his 8ft tall form, and I gladly let him plop me right on his shoulder. The view was AMAZING! I've never been so tall!

We get inside to find these crazy modified goblins with poison bites and a very grey looking orc. My Goliath mount informs us that these are creations of Cheshire a disgraced alchemist that was kicked out of the university. The goblins were closing in on a group of students and a professor with some scrolls of research. So I rode my brave Goliath barbarian into battle and with the the help of Tristram an Eladrin bard of some mighty eloquence holding the orc with his magic, Vadath cleaved it down quickly. I tried to help take down one of the goblins with a Dragonborn bard named Delphi but we were unable to take it down before it slew one of the young students. What was deeply disturbing to me was how the student perished with a single bite wound, and wailed in agony as he crumpled to the ground. No normal goblin could inflict that kind of pain from a simple bite, this was some foul tampering with the natural order of things for sure. With the help of a Sorceress named Omen, paladin named Zen, and a Ranger named Patches we were all able to save rest of the students and the professor, though the professor did receive some injuries during the attack but was able to leave and head out for the infirmary after we gave him some minor healing. We did notice that the goblins seemed awfully interested in the research notes the professor was trying to protect (he had his arms full of scrolls of his notes) which to me seemed a very odd thing for goblins to care for. We questioned the professor and he was very shaken up and didn't seem to know what was going on other than these bests were murdering everyone and creating chaos. He said they seem to be wanting his research but he wasn't going to give it up, he claimed his research was on ointments and such, nothing too impressive. We did not get his name or look at his notes ourselves before we sent him on his way to find safety and healing.

As we continued on fighting our way through the student's quarters in route towards the professor's quarters Omen our Tiefling Sorceress noticed a loud noise coming up behind us in the hall and was the first to see, and warn us of a HUGE golem trudging our way. When I say huge I mean H-U-G-E, it's arms were scraping against the walls of the hall, it barely fit!!! When it reached us it started attacking unprovoked and nearly knocked Patches our ranger flat. Tristham suggested hiding in the rooms and letting it pass by to see if it would kill the orcs (and then following it). Omen used her magic to appear behind it and we could hear her off and on having an argument with someone behind the golem. Vadath, already fully succumbed to his battle rage, after seeing his party member struck by the giant golem could see nothing but red. So in we went my angry Goliath mount and I to defend the stunned ranger and stop the golem. I must say this thing was IMPRESSIVE and it swung these giant chains with huge iron balls at the ends of them ready to smash us to pieces. As it tried to strike Vadath he deftly moved us out of the way, however, this brute literally broke through the floor beneath us! So we began to fall but, the powerful Vadath easily caught himself. I, with all the grace that a Harengon clad in heavy armor can muster, slipped off Vadath entirely and plummeted 10ft into a dark pit...alone. Once my eyes adjusted to the dark I realized I was in a root cellar, normally I would be pretty excited to nose around but, my friends were in danger! So I hopped up out of the hole in one glorious hop back up top standing next to the hole on my own two rabbit feet. I returned just in time to witness the destruction of the golem by Vadath with a little bit of fiery help from Omen our Sorceress.

Once the golem was defeated, and the rest of the hallway cleared of orcs, we all gathered around the professor. I found it very strange that this golem was not harming the professor who Omen had said was following it yet when it saw us it started attacking right away before we did anything at all. I also found it suspicious that the professor was following the golem deeper INTO the fray instead of leaving out the doors we had just cleared and trying to get to safety. He too had research notes, and he also had reagents. When questioned he was being short and defensive, which seeing how Vadath kind of manhandled him because he was trying to sneak off after the golem fell it's hard to tell with absolute certainty if it was because he was guilty or just offended. Since everyone was trying to question him I felt it might be good to ensure he tells us the truth and I cast zone of truth upon him. Even then he was very evasive talking around the answers to the questions he was trying to avoid. He flat out refused to answer if he was going to join Cheshire and when asked about if he was delivering the notes to Cheshire he was evasive saying he was not "a delivery boy." He did say he is NOT working for him (at least not currently we can assume). He did seem very afraid before the golem fell according to Omen so his lack of confidence makes me wonder if Cheshire knew of this professors desire to join him or if he was trying to make this play on his own. We have no idea who made the golem if it was this professor or if it was part of the attack, we did not ask. Vadath decided that the situation was too volatile in the university to keep questioning him there but, did not trust letting him go, he thought of confiscating his research but instead decided to just confiscate the entire professor research and all... an interesting tactic to be sure. Since I had the zone of truth ability and Vadath was planning on further interrogation of the professor I was invited to join him and Dephi back at the Iron Eyrie their guild hall and assist them further. I told them as long as I didn't have to walk I would happily try to help sort things out. After watching that innocent student painfully die to the poisonous bite of the altered goblin, I will do what I can to help put a stop to further cruel abominable creations.

After we got back to the Iron Eyrie and got the professor settled into his "quarters" to await interrogation; Vadath, my strong, brave, barbarian Goliath mount, offered me membership to his guild telling me they seek to aid not only their fellow members but also the people of Isonhound. He also stated they were in need of more help at the field hospital. Seeing that, for now, they seem to be doing good works and are in need of more hands to help those injured in the attack, how could a Life Cleric say no? So I now have begun my newest journey as a member of the Band of the Iron Hawk. You know, I've never been in a guild before, there shall be many notes...