Aldaris, Paladin of Torm

[Az]

Aldaris
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Class: Paladin
Level: 17

Stats:
STR 19
DEX 13
CON 16
INT 15
WIS 14
CHA 17 (19 with cloak)

Alignment: Lawful Good
Hitpoints: 151
Armour Class 25
Atk +23 base melee, +18 base ranged
Saves: Fortitude +18, Reflex +11, Will +12

Features:
Associates
Can never willingly associate with Evil Characters
Aura of Courage
Immune to fear, and nearby allies get +4 on checks vs Fear
Code of Conduct
Must follow the Paladin Code, so he has to punish evil, protect the innocent, and help the needy when he can.
Detect Evil
Detect Evil as per spell at will.
Divine Grace
Adds Charisma Mod to all saving throws
Divine Health
Immume to all Diseases, even magical ones
Lay on Hands
Aldaris may heal a number of hitpoints times the charisma modifier (In this case 17x4=68HP)
Remove Disease
He may remove any non-magical disease 5 times a week
Smite Evil
Aldaris may Smite Evil once per day, and thus adds his Charisma Mod to his attack roll, and level to damage
Special Mount
Aldaris has a heavy warhorse as a mount.
Turn undead
Aldaris may turn undead 8 times a day.

Weapons:
Greatsword +3; Beacon
A mighty sword in the hands of good, this enormous blade has seen many battles.
Aldaris got it from the legendary Paladin of Torm, Morgelen duSalda, who had fallen by Aldaris' side in the battle against marauding Fire Giants. Aldaris was still his squire at the time, but Morgelen said with his dying breath that he had full confidence in the young Paladin, and so passed the blade on to him.
Effect: +5 Holy Damage vs Evil, Double Damage vs powerful Evil (Level 15+)

Trident +1.
Effect: +1 to hit and damage, double damage when charging on mount.

Full plate of Mystra +2
Given to him by Clerics of Mystra, Aldaris owes his life to this sparkling silver armour many a time. After doing several tasks for the Church of Mystra with exceptionally good results, he was rewarded with this armour, which protects him from any spellcaster that should want to do him harm
Effects: Immune to all curses and hexes.

Magic Items:
Ring of Sustenance
No food or drinks needed, only 2 hours of sleep per night
Ring of Regeneration
Regenerate 1 HP per hour, regrow lost limbs
Amulet of undead turning
Turn Undead +4 levels
Boots of speed
Doubles movement speed at will
Bracers of armour (+3)
+3 armour class
Cloak of Charisma (+2)
Charisma +2
Helm of Defense
+1 AC and +1 to all saves
Light Bag of holding
Can hold up to 2500 pounds.

Skills:
Concentration +12
Craft (Armoursmithing) +6
Craft (Weaponsmithing) +6
Diplomacy +19
Handle Animal +19
Heal +19
Knowledge (religion) +18 (This also gives him a +2 check on turning Undead)
Ride +17
Sense Motive +6

Feats:
Cleave
Mounted Combat
Power Attack
Ride-by Attack
Trample
Weapon Focus: Greatsword
Weapon Focus: Trident.
Heavy Armour Proficiency
Light Armour Proficiency
Martial Weapon Proficiency (all)
Medium Armour Proficiency
Shield Proficiency
Simple Weapon Proficiency

Spells Known (Pal --/3/3/2/1):
1st - Bless, Bless Water, Bless Weapon, Create Water, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Poison, Detect Undead, Divine Favor, Endure Elements, Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, Read Magic, Resistance, Virtue;
2nd - Delay Poison, Remove Paralysis, Resist Elements, Shield Other, Undetectable Alignment;
3rd - Cure Moderate Wounds, Discern Lies, Dispel Magic, Greater Magic Weapon, Heal Mount, Magic Circle against Evil, Prayer, Remove Blindness/Deafness;
4th - Cure Serious Wounds, Death Ward, Dispel Evil, Freedom of Movement, Holy Sword, Neutralize Poison.

Spells Prepared (Pal --/3/3/2/1):
1st - Bless, Create Water, Detect Undead;
2nd - Delay Poison, Remove Paralysis, Shield Other;
3rd - Cure Moderate Wounds, Discern Lies;
4th - Cure Serious Wounds.

Appearance:
Aldaris is about 6'3 in height, and one block of muscle, partly due to intense training, partly due to swinging his huge sword so many times. He's got hair to his shoulders, beginning brown, but ending in a light blond. He's got a thin long braid on the left side of his face. Aldaris' face is almost always clean shaven, as he's a bit fussy about his appearance. As such, his armour is mostly always shining, and his clothing is almost free of stains. His armour is silver coloured, with a light blue tunic under it. The cloak is light white, and radiates a soft glow. His helm, which he only wears in combat, is openfaced with large wings on the sides.

Mannerisms:
Aldaris is mostly cheerful, and can almost always find a positive point in even the most grim situations. He severely dislikes any preconceptions of Paladins as holier-than-thou and stuck up gits, as they're Lawful Good, not Lawful British. While he respects all law and order, he knows that sometimes you must stray a tad from that path to get the best result for the greater good. As a follower of Torm, he believes in Duty above all, and will do his utmost to fulfil his. Aldaris also has great respect for Tempus, God of Battle, as he is used to defeating most evil through battle, and will never back away from a good challenge.
While a lover of a good fight, Aldaris is pretty fussy about filth. He doesn't mind blood on his armour and clothing, as long as it can be washed off at the earliest opportunity. Not that he's that vain, but simply because filth kinda freaks him out. When having to choose between stable cleaning, and investigating a bog, he always took the cleaning.
He has a close bond to his horse Maul (Named so for his affinity with mauling his enemies), who has served him for about ten years now. Blessed by Torm (and Aldaris suspects Tempus too) the enormous mount is always alert to danger, and will warn Aldaris at the first hint of it. When either one of the two is hurt you can expect the other to retaliate with full force.
Aldaris is direct (even blunt at times), usually quite polite though, but cannot stand idle chatter when time is pressing. He knows that his physique makes intimidation often successful with certain people, and will not hesitate to use it, should the need arise.
In addition, he's a charmer to women, but will not overstep his bounds once he knows where they are.

[Az]

Bio:
Aldaris is the son of an Athkatlan prostitute and an unknown man. In the short time his mother took care of him, she barely fed him, and beat him whenever he wouldn't listen. She died 5 years into Aldaris' life, at the hands of an displeased customer.. Aldaris thankfully wasn't at home at the time, and heard what had happened from a guardsman. Panicked, the five year old ran into the streets where he lived off trash for a few days, until he was discovered by the Thieves' Guild, who like to keep an eye on runaways. They provided him with a few scraps of food every day if he cooperated in several semi-legal acts, such as burglary and pick pocketing. Aldaris protested at first, refusing to cause harm to people who had done him no wrong, but the convincing arguments of the Thieves' Guild, as well as the convincing arguments from his hungry stomach caused him to give in.

For a few years, Aldaris worked for the thieves, though mostly as distraction and muscle work, as his strength lay more in the strength of his arms and his pretty face than in the fleetness of his feet or the quickness of his fingers. Though he was quite successful at the Guild, and even got ordered to train some new 5 years olds at the age of twelve, though this only strengthened his resolve against the Guild. He gathered some money from several of his colleagues, and bought himself a respectable outfit. He resigned from the Guild, knowing very well that people who resign get murdered at night. However, using the same skills he had learned from the thieves, he convinced his lieutenant that he knew practically nothing of the guild anyway, so he couldn't do any damage to them. His superior knew the boy had (surprisingly) never broken any promise he had made, and had taken a liking to him, so he made an exception and let Aldaris go.

Aldaris used what money he had gained from the guild to spend a few nights in the cheapest inns while he looked for a job. Now that he looked more like a normal lad, and less like a beggar, it shouldn't be too hard, as he had grown strong and cunning in the few years with the Guild. He took up a job as a smith's apprentice, and spent the next few years mending weapons and armour, until one day in his sixteenth year the paladin duSalda walked in his humble shop, asking for repairs on his horse's armour. Aldaris had seen the paladins go about town, helping the needy and protecting them from the robbers that frequented the city's slums. While his master was working on the horse's barding, Aldaris shamelessly bombarded the knight with every question about the order he could imagine, but instead of annoying the much older man to death, he impressed him with his enthusiasm and pure mind. Over following months, duSalda came by the smith more often, telling the young man about his latest adventures, describing in details the monsters he fought.

One day however, the older Paladin came with sad, yet good news. His squire had died in battle against the orcs in the north, and he was looking for another one. Aldaris soon quit his job at the smith, and joined the Order of the Radiant Heart, proud to be at his teacher's side.
For years they travelled the realms, fighting evil and protecting the weak where they went. Sometimes, in times of war Aldaris would not accompany his Lord, as the large-scale battles with countless enemies would surely mean his death. Instead, he stayed behind in the camp to learn more about the various Gods and their assumed agendas. They travelled all over the world by command of the Order, fighting orcs in the north, battling hobgoblin marauders in the west, helping assaulted villages in the east and stopping nomadic raiders in the south, and everywhere they went Aldaris was awed by his newfound father figure. Not only at duSalda's fighting prowess, but also his keen mind, and rock solid common sense.

After being duSalda's Squire for 7 years, he was charged with the task of protecting a diplomat's daughter, roughly the same age as he, who was destined to follow in her father’s footsteps. There had been several assassination attempts made on the father though, and the Order thought it prudent that both he and his family had constant protection until their attackers were found. After escorting the young woman everywhere she went for 34 days and nights, disaster struck. His protégé was attacked in the middle of the night, and never had a chance to repel them. According to Aldaris' confused and panicked story, he had awoken in the dark, to find himself surrounded by no less than 10 assassins in black. He had attacked them immediately, even though he was unarmoured and unarmed. He had knocked down two assassins, and their victim was attacking a third when the door was kicked open by what appeared to be a half giant, an ogre at least. He smacked Aldaris across the room with a large metal gauntlet, rendering him useless in one blow and then proceeded to do the same to the girl, who proved less resilient to the metal punch.
Aldaris was shocked that he had failed his duty for the first time in his life, and saddened by her death, as he had gotten rather close with her. He had nearly forsaken his path, had his master not slapped him in the face and set him straight. Aldaris vowed revenge, though even now, no one knows who the monster was, or why they were after the girl.

In his eleventh year of Squirehood, duSalda and he got an assignment to investigate problems in the Marching Mountains, where many a fire giant dwells. Both the Paladins were thrilled to battle the huge monsters, and were off the next day, duSalda riding his horse, and Aldaris riding the one he had tamed a few years before. Here and there they met a lone fire giant whom they slew with little trouble, until they came to a large cavern filled with giant tracks. Both man and horse battled the large monsters, occasionally retreating back into the smaller caverns for some rest, until a dozen had been slain. Careful scouting of the caverns showed no remaining Fire Giants at that time, but the two knew better than that. They did their best to sneak through the cavern, but as that's quite difficult with heavy plating on, 4 giants soon ambushed them. Severely outnumbered, they started to retreat until duSalda was caught off his guard, and was subsequently thrown half ways across the cavern. Aldaris, shocked by the sight, and a second later, verily angered lopped off the giant's foot, and then his head. When he turned around and screamed at the other giants in anger, the large monsters thought the better of it, and backed off, confident that the paladin would be more interested in his companion anyway.
Aldaris was indeed more concerned about his mentor than the giants, and rushed to his side. duSalda lay dying, and with his last few breaths he told Aldaris that he had turned out way better than he had dared to dream of, and that he felt proud to be a part of his life. He then gave his blade to Aldaris and passed away. Aldaris said a silent prayer to Torm, and then hauled the body up his horse and left the cavern, thinking most of the giants were dead anyway, so they wouldn't be much of a problem anymore. After the funeral, back at the Order, Aldaris set out on his own, determined to make his old mentor proud.

In the five years after that, Aldaris travelled all over, fighting evil wherever he went and using the found treasure to help those who needed it most. Not relying on the several charitable institutions Athkatla has, Aldaris always took the money straight to its goal, making him a popular sight in the slums and docks areas. His large physique and even bigger horse kept most muggers away and the few who did try usually got a kick from Maul, who spotted robbers long before they struck. Aldaris supplied jobs, helped lonely children and protected the weak whenever he was in the city, even though some tried to swindle him out of money by pretending to be poor. Aldaris had formed good senses about that though, and he usually saw right through it. With the normal people though, his down to earth character struck a lot better than the other Paladins, who more often accused the poor of some kind of crime or misconduct than offer a helping hand. Aldaris knew the way the poor lived and knew that sometimes people have no choice, and that there is far less evil than some Paladins seem to believe. However, he has kept his promise to the Thieves Guild, not betraying the location of their base nor of most of their older members, though once it has been discovered by official means, Aldaris will be the first to root it out completely. He has most recently returned from a mission to stop some Red Wizards, and is waiting for his next assignment. To kill time, he generally wanders the streets of Atkathla, looking for people to help out, and evil to smite.

[Az]

Maul "Thunderhoof"
Aldaris' Warhorse
Hitpoints: 108
Speed 60
AC 24

Atk +14 base melee
Hoof Damage: 1d6+8
2 Hoof Damage: 2d4+5
Bite Damage: 1d4+6

STR 26
DEX 15
CON 17
INT 10,
WIS 13
CHA 12

Saving Throws: Fortitude +11, Reflex +9, Will +5

Skills: Listen+12, Spot+12.

Armour:
Full plate Barding

Abilities:
Improved Evasion (as per feat)
Share Spells (Spells with "Self" as target can also be cast on Maul, if he's within 5 feet)
Share Saving Throws (Highest saving throw of the pair is used)
Empathic Link (Can communicate telepathically up to 1 mile)
Command Horses (Concentration Check DC21 needed when ridden)
Spell Resistance: 22

Appearance:
Maul is about 7' in height with his head up, and incredibly muscular. He is always covered in his full plate mail barding, and the few parts that aren't covered show many scars of battle. He is red-brown in colour, and light brown eyes that show unnatural intelligence (For a horse anyway). His barding has many holds and straps for holding various items, but the two that are always in use are near the back of the horse, holding Aldaris' sword and trident on either side. Hanging from the back of his neck at the base is Aldaris' bag of Holding.

Mannerism:
Maul likes battle even more than his master, and will not hesitate to charge the enemy on sight. Using the telepathic link between the Paladin and his mount, the pair is a fearsome force, using instant communication to pick its targets and storm at them.
Maul is an assertive and intelligent beast, that will not hesitate to interfere with his masters business should he deem it necessary.

Bio:
Little is known about Maul before he teamed up with Aldaris. He was one of the horses who got sent to the front line in the Orcblood Wars, and returned on his own, without rider, but severely hurt. It is assumed his former master was slain in battle. The part below describes how Aldaris and Maul met.

In his ninth year as Squire, during the Orcblood wars, Aldaris was presented with a somewhat unconventional task. He had gained the right to have his own mount, but as all the horses were sent to the frontline at the time he had only one choice; a large red brown stallion with a mean streak of a mile wide. The beast was all that was left of one of the paladins serving in the war at the time, and had so far attacked everyone that tried anything but to feed him. Aldaris had a choice, tame it, or wait a few months for the army to return and things to settle back to normal. Aldaris was amazed at the animal’s strength and size, and decided to take the difficult way. He spent a ten-day feeding the horse, never leaving its side, and constantly talking to it, to see if he could form something of a bond with it. After all that time, the horse still hadn't changed its manner, and Aldaris' patience was wearing thin. He came up with a new plan.

The following day he took 2 men to the stables, to the side section where the horse was kept. Using ropes and knots, the two men placed themselves on the beams near the ceiling, with ropes in their hands, which led to the restraining ropes of the horse. When Aldaris signalled them, they gave the ropes a tug, and released the large steed, who looked around for a moment to see what was going on, realised it was free, and promptly assaulted Aldaris. However, this had been Aldaris' plan, and he came at the horse full force, avoiding its first attack, and then punched it in the side. As a return, he got a hoof smacked in his thigh. The fight went on for 2 hours, neither side gaining the upper hand, both sides taking heavy hits, until they both retreated to separate corners of the stable, where they collapsed. The two men on the beams had watched the battle intently, and quickly jumped down to help Aldaris get up, who then commanded them to help him to the horse. He laid his hands upon the horse, healing it as best he could, ignoring his own wounds. The proud beast got up, and looked at the beaten and broken man before him, and then went through its knees again to let Aldaris mount him. He then snorted at the two helpers, who quickly went out of his way, and carried his new master out of the stables.

The story had caused some rumours among the others at the order, as it wasn't customary to beat a horse to near death with one's bare hands. However, Aldaris had gained its respect, and so far none other had succeeded in that. Aldaris quickly named the horse Maul, because mauling its enemies was what it liked best. However, under the populous of Athkatla, he is more commonly known as Thunderhoof, due to the large beast's footsteps sounding more akin to a thunderbolt than a light horse's clack.

[Veshannatax]

"This sounds like a bold hero, one I'd be pleased to crush... Have any family I can abduct?"

[Taika of Narfell]

Morana lets out a sniff of disdain

"A waif and an orphan... Pffft. There's hardly any family to find. The best shot would probably be to go for the Brothers of his Order. It sounds like that's as close to a family as he gets"

[Veshannatax]

"Of course, there's that girl he was so fond of, but she's already dead... Perhaps we can lure him out by revealing the murderer..."

[Taika of Narfell]

"You may have a point...

I shall have to make inquiries as to where we may find the killer"