by _zal•
Updated about 1 year ago
Meta faction for the groups that live in Zarvelis's Lair.
Over the course of several long months escaping the blight, certain individuals have emerged as trusted leaders. Whether through skill, conviction, or sheer necessity, these figures now guide the settlement's fragile beginning.
Zarvelis
Vornik Ironvault (Duergar Architect)
Durgra Hollowforge (Priestess of Dumathoin)
Karvek, the Red Mantle (Hobgoblin General and Legendary Strategist)
Grizzik “Goldfang” (Goblin Trader)
J.J. (John Junior) (Half-Orc Scout)
Ryoshin
Garmuk (Orc Warchief)
Orbbis (Spectator, Beholderkin)
Skink (Kobold Artificer)
Known by Reputation:
He’s everywhere and hears everything. Known to be fair, if a bit slippery. People trust him for trade, grudgingly or not - he gets results, and he never forgets a debt.
Visual Description:
Lean, sharp-eyed goblin in a black hat with a single red gemstone. His wooden lockbox never leaves his side. Grins often, and not always kindly.
Likely Priorities:
Managing trade, supply chains, and outside contacts - legal or not.
Known by Reputation:
Grizzik’s best friend and right hand. Seen leading supply runs and rescue parties. People say he’s better than he looks, and twice as sharp - despite pretending otherwise.
Visual Description:
Broad-shouldered half-orc with a well-worn coat, fingerless gloves, and quick hands. Keeps his gear perfectly maintained. Eyes always scanning the horizon.
Likely Priorities:
Mapping the area, leading caravans, and protecting incoming families.
Known by Reputation:
An outsider even among monsters. Ryoshin keeps to himself but has a reputation for solving problems no one wants to admit exist. People speak of him with caution, but those he’s helped speak of him with loyalty.
Visual Description:
Crimson-skinned and robed, with short, twisted horns and glowing blue eyes. Scarred, clean-shaven, with calm features and a calculating gaze.
Likely Priorities:
Mediating unseen tensions and keeping dangerous disputes from tearing the camp apart.
Known by Reputation:
A warrior through and through. His group is often away from camp, patrolling the wilds and guarding the approaches. Fiercely loyal to Zarvelis, but restless in stillness. He speaks openly of honoring her vision — while also dreaming of a life lived on the move, by orcish codes. Respect him — or fight him.
Visual Description:
Slate-gray skin and ceremonial iron piercings. A wolf-fur cloak hangs over well-worn bone-and-hide armor. His craggy features are marked by old scars and a chipped tusk. Carries a brutal cleaver-axe and laughs like he’s daring the world to stop him.
Likely Priorities:
Keeping danger far from the settlement, maintaining orcish traditions of movement and might, and forging a new path without breaking loyalty.
Known by Reputation:
Rumored to have once guarded Zarvelis’ monstrous horde in the Underdark. Some say it still does. Usually silent, but if someone - anyone - asks a question (especially a dumb one), it might launch into a long, rambling answer.
Visual Description:
A floating, veiny orb with four eyestalks, a massive central eye, and two magical rings looped on its stalks. It watches. Sometimes that’s all.
Likely Priorities:
Drifting in thought unless engaged. Then, a flood of unsolicited expertise.
Known by Reputation:
Keeps to herself, muttering to gears and glowing stones. Children follow her around to watch things explode - sometimes on purpose. Believed to be favored by Zarvelis, though she denies it with nervous laughter.
Visual Description:
Small even for a kobold, with rust-red scales and oversized goggles. Wears a soot-stained apron full of strange tools. Smells faintly of copper, oil, and ozone.
Likely Priorities:
Tinkering with reclaimed tech, fixing things no one understands, and occasionally inventing something dangerous but useful.
Leader
Zarvelis
