Age: 24

Starting level: 4

Backstory:

Elias Holloway was born on the outskirts of Verdalis, though "born" was never quite the right word.

He emerged.

A strange, shapeless creature of living ooze hidden deep within the wilderness, far from civilization. For years, he survived alone, learning through observation. He watched animals hunt, watched forests grow and die, and eventually watched people.

Humans fascinated him.

They spoke endlessly of virtue, justice, and honor. They built kingdoms around laws and ideals. They claimed to stand for noble causes.

Yet whenever Elias observed them closely, he noticed something.

The people with power decided what was right.

The people without power suffered the consequences.

Again and again he witnessed good people starve while selfish men prospered. Honest leaders were overthrown by stronger rivals. Entire communities lived or died based on the whims of those capable of enforcing their will.

The lesson seemed obvious.

Power came first.

Everything else came second.

Over time, Elias learned to mimic human form perfectly. He adopted a name, integrated himself into settlements, and studied under druids who taught him the language of nature.

Unlike many druids, Elias never viewed nature as inherently good.

Nature was honest.

A wolf did not pretend to be merciful.

A storm did not claim to be fair.

The strong survived because they possessed the strength to survive.

There was no hypocrisy in that.

The more he studied the natural world, the more convinced he became that civilization's greatest flaw was its obsession with pretending weakness was a virtue.

For many years, Elias traveled throughout Altharion.

He witnessed corruption in prosperous cities.

He saw villages abandoned by rulers who swore to protect them.

He watched idealists die because they lacked the strength to enforce their beliefs.

Eventually, he reached a conclusion that would shape the rest of his life:

People deserved protection.

But they could not be trusted to govern themselves.

Not properly.

Not fairly.

And not consistently.

Elias does not see himself as evil.

In fact, he believes his goals are noble.

He genuinely wants stability.

He genuinely wants prosperity.

He genuinely wants a world where innocent people do not suffer because of the failures of weak leaders.

The difference is that he believes freedom is a small price to pay for security.

If a village requires intimidation to maintain order, so be it.

If dangerous political rivals must disappear for the greater good, so be it.

If fear creates peace more effectively than kindness, then fear is simply the superior tool.

To Elias, morality is not measured by methods.

It is measured by results.

And so Elias wander through towns, he comes off as polite and always has a smile one his face, but every single move is calculated, it’s another connection, another favor, another way to eventually achieve the dream he’s had for so long.

Background: Guide

"Origin" Feat: Skill Expert

Starting Grace: Kindred Spirit

How you rolled:

1. "rolled in ⁠character-rolls" 

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