Dayereth Eveningstar, the Warlord – Steal this Background

Dayereth Eveningstar is an Eladrin male in his early forties (42 years old). He has pale golden hair and pupiless green eyes with flecks of gold that catch the light in an enchanting manner. He is nearly 6 feet tall and weighs 170 lbs. For an Eladrin, he is broad-chested and bulging with muscle. He is well-toned and in shape, and spends a lot of his free time exercising and reading (a minimum of 3 hours a day).

Dayereth has lived in Cornerstone for much of his life. His mother, Mairya Eveningstar was sent by the Feydari Council of Elders to be a Watcher in the Seven Bridges Valley. As a Watcher, she was to be vigilant for threats to the Eladrin city of Cael Morynaris. Cael Morynaris rests entirely in the Feywild, but is otherwise located in the Seven Bridges Valley. Dayereth’s father, Haderai Quinlonest, is a respected wizard and adviser to the Feydari. He spends his time in the Eladrin city of Cael Morynaris and has little interest in the mortal realm, aside from a perceived threat to the Eladrin way of life. His marriage to Mairya is a typical arranged marriage, a practice not uncommon to the Eladrin.

Mairya quickly grew to respect the younger mortal races and their constant struggle against the tide of darkness that they were only dimly aware of. Thanks to her work in the city of Cornerstone and her love of the community, she is a member of the Cornerstone Council. She uses her position both to benefit her original duty and to work tirelessly on various public works projects. She has passed on her sense of civic duty and responsibility to her son. She is a busy woman who spends very little time and effort pursuing her own happiness.

Haderai spends a lot of time traveling the planes at the behest of the Feydari.  Mairya would not allow her son to grow up in this dangerous pursuit and brought Dayereth with her. Growing up with her example, when Dayereth came of age, he chose to stay in Cornerstone and serve the community rather than return to Cael Morynaris and study with his father. This created a rift between son and father that has never healed.

Dayereth grew up reading in the library and working around the community, apprenticing to a blacksmith one month, a fletcher the next, helping gather food and firewood and working for the money exchanger, Garm Erikson. Garm was a retired Valley Warden who sometimes helped the Sentinels train. Watching the guards train reminded Dayereth of his brother. He vowed to become one of the Cornerstone Sentinels and became more interested in his mother’s pet projects. Specifically, how they would help brighten and defend this growing point of light.

Dayereth joined the guard as soon as he was able and quickly rose to join the Sentinels.  He became fast friends with a fellow sentinel Valen Mair. The two constantly challenged each other to improve and excel. Valen became a sergeant first, Dayereth following at the age of 23 (19 years ago).

Around this time, one of Garm’s many business ventures came to fruition. He had been planning and organizing a group interested in re-settling the near-forgotten community of Shadowdale. The village had been settled in the past and some believed it to be cursed.  The last settlement happened in the year XXXX. No one knows what happened except that all of the villagers supposedly disappeared mysteriously one winter, never heard from or seen again. Even with this frightening old wives’ tale, Garm was able to interest several dozen families in joining the new effort. Although his “financial” services were vital to the community, he was able to leave that business in the hands of his longtime partner, Vennessio Von.

Garm approached Dayereth and asked him to come and help as the community would need someone to help keep order and to help defend the community while it grew. Dayereth saw this as a chance to distinguish himself and to help civilize the valley. Mairya tried to convince him not to go, there were some mysteries better left alone. She enlisted Valen’s aid in trying to change Dayereth’s mind. Valen tried to tell Dayereth that attending to the needs of Cornerstone was more important than a suicide quest for fame and glory. After a heated argument, they parted ways. Valen still has not forgiven Dayereth for abandoning the Sentinels and Cornerstone.

When they arrived in Shadowdale that spring, the new settlers found decrepit buildings, long since crumbled from disuse. An old teleportation circle was found in the town center, a large crack running through the stone it was etched in. The sigils that were carved in to the stone contained an inlaid purple metal that Dayereth had never seen before. As they explored the settlement, they found no signs of battle or struggle. It was as though the former inhabitants decided to drop whatever they were in the process of doing and walk out of town.

The new townsfolk busied themselves with collecting materials and repairing what structures they could. That summer, they began constructing a new town hall/jail and a market center.  Later that fall, kobolds attacked. Dayereth was able to rally some locals and repel the “invasion” (it was a raiding party of 5 starving kobolds). Garm sent word back to the Assembly of Advisors and petitioned for them to accept Dayereth as an Initiate. They accepted, and he was invited to the next initiation ceremony to be held on the solstice…

When the Solstice arrived, Garm took Dayereth back to Cornerstone. As Dayereth’s sponsor, it was expected that Garm would be there to speak on his behalf. The ceremony went much as ceremonies do, and much celebration there was. Garm and Dayereth returned to Shadowdale.

They approached town as dusk fell. No hails from any guards, no lights/fires seen through windows; the town was eerily silent. They reached Garm’s house and went inside. There was no sound from his wife or two kids, and a smoky, charcoal smell filled the air. They entered the kitchen to an odd sight; the table was set for five as on any night when Dayereth dined with Garm’s family.  The spices and condiments were out on the table and over the cooking hearth was a pot that clearly had been cooking a roast.  The water was all gone and wisps of smoke were still rising from the charred meat. The two men gathered their weapons and searched through the town. Not a soul, or body, was found. There was no sign of attack or struggle. Like the ghost stories, it was as though the whole town just decided to leave.

Garm broke down and starting running through the village, screaming for his family, hollering each name: “Belissa!! Marek!! Holly!!!”  Dayereth was concerned that if there was some evil present, it would hear Garm and hunt him down.  He tried to quiet the man who had been a mentor, almost a father to him.  Garm just became more hysterical, to the point where Dayereth had to knock him out for his own safety.  Dayereth dragged him to the watch tower and hid there, vigilant through the night for any sign of the townsfolk or intruders. He saw nothing.

When morning broke, Garm woke up and realized where he was.  He raced down the tower and to his house.  Dayereth followed him, tired from his lack of trance and for some reason unable to access the Feywild, which would have allowed him to catch up to his crazed friend. As he reached the house, Garm stumbled out sobbing, “This is your fault, Dayereth!!  If I’d been here instead of babysitting you, I could have done something!!”

“You can’t mean that!  If you had stayed, you would be gone, too. Can’t you see that?”

“You kept me from my family when they needed me!  You were supposed to protect this town, Sergeant!  And you kept me from finding them last night!  You’re a curse I wish I was never saddled with!” Garm ran into the forest calling his family’s names.  Dayereth has never seen him, but has recently heard tales of a crazy old hermit, about Garm’s age, that periodically visits the towns of the Valley…

Dayereth returned to Cornerstone, determined to solve the mystery of Shadowdale and try to bring resolution to his ailing friend. He has spent the 18 years since in search of answers, which has brought him to the attention of Quinn Thorlin, the Assembly’s Librarian.  Quinn has watched Dayereth continue to grow and has taken him under his wing.  He has helped the young Eladrin explore the Assembly’s library and introduced him to the worship of Ioun, goddess of knowledge, skill, and prophecy. In addition to his personal quest for understanding, he has served as a tactical advisor to the Assembly and the Cornerstone Guard.

With what Dayereth has learned, he knows that he needs to gain in skill, knowledge and wisdom if he hopes to solve the mystery of Shadowdale. Not only that, he will also need to assemble a capable team that will help him discover the answers he seeks.  It is to this end that he has agreed to take on the mantle of Shepherd and guide some of this year’s Initiates on their adventures.