As of 5/24/99





Created by

Mike Smith



In an attempt to ease relations between the races of the Independent State of Western Glashia, leaders of each of the friendly races got together to discuss what they could do. After much thought, it was decided that every ten years, or as was necessary, all of the good races - the Fpathen, Pseithen, Havanathe, Dervatear, and the humans - would select a representative, and they would form a party. The party is called many things, but in the King's Tongue they are simply called "The Chosen."

The Choosing, as the process of selecting members of the group is called, works in this fashion: Young (though not novice) adventurers present themselves to their respective community leaders willingly, as it is considered a very great honor to be a member of the Chosen. The community leaders pick the most qualified applicants and send them on to stand before the Council of Choosing. This Council is comprised of one human, Dervatear, Havanathe, Fpathen, and Pseithen. They choose on of each race to represent their people in the battle against evil. The group is expected to remain together for at least ten years. At this time each living member of the Chosen is granted a parcel of land and wealth to sustain him or her for the remainder of his or her life.

The reason for establishing the Chosen is for the different races of the independent State to come together and work out their differences. The only friendly race that does not take part in the Choosing is the Mnoethen, since they feel themselves to be superior to all others.

The Chosen travel across the Independent State for as long as they are together, traveling from the northern coast to the southern hump of the massive State, fighting evil in whatever form they find it. They find that much of their time is spent rectifying the damage caused by the forces of evil - the humanoids, pirates, raiders, and the like. They are honored in the towns and villages they come across, often receiving free room and board by local inn and tavern owners. The Chosen are a respected band of adventurers, fighting not only for the side of the just and righteous, but for the unity of the friendly races of the Independent State as well.


Alleesha Stargazier
Alleesha Stargazer is an extraordinary woman. Standing 5' 2" tall and weighing 110 pounds, she is perhaps the most beautiful woman within the Independent State. She wears her dark red hair long, sometimes braided into a single thick rope that reaches down to her waist; sometimes she doesn't do anything at all with it. Off-setting her hair are her deep green eyes which have tiny red flecks in them. She wears a floor-length, bright blue hooded robe, most often with the hood down. In her right hand she carries a quarterstaff, but she does not lean on it for support. She mostly uses it as a walking stick.

Alleesha was born in Swordhaven to parents who were fairly well-to-do. At an early age she showed signs of having powers in the arcane arts, so her parents decided to encourage her ability by sending her to study with the Mages at the University of Scholars. Although considered too young by most at Oesch-Onarga, Alleesha was nevertheless taken in by a kindly Arch-Mage. Between the ages of 12 and 17, she studied the Art. She oftentimes surprised her teacher with her ability, learning spells that were supposed to be beyond her capability to even understand, especially for such a young child.

After completing her studies at the University of Scholars, Alleesha traveled from place to place, helping those in need as best she could. In one town, where the citizens were agonizing over the disappearance of their children, she spent a week studying the stars and talking to the people before having a hunch and solving the puzzle. It seems that the children were being drawn down into the sewers by some unseen force. When Alleesha entered the cavern the children were in, she encountered her greatest enemy. All of the children were in a state of endless sleep, and the cause was standing nearby. A Tsuthen female was magically luring the children to her and experimenting on them. She was working on a way to permanently charm the children and then use them as her own personal army of thieves and assassins. She was planning on softening the area for a supposed invasion by the Dark Witch-Queen Claudenium.

When Alleesha entered the cavern, she caught the Tsuthen by surprise and was able to hit her with the most powerful spell in her arsenal, a lightning bolt. Though it was actually beyond her ability, the spell was on a scroll that she had gotten from her teacher at the University of Scholars. With the evil Tsuthen dead, all of the children came out of the spell-induced sleep they were in and appeared to suffer no ill-effects of their ordeal.

With that accomplishment the townspeople nominated her to be the city's representative at the upcoming Choosing ceremony. After being Chosen, she plans on traveling the Independent State, helping those in need and destroying evil wherever she finds it. But she will always hate the evil Tsuthen and will actively seek them out.


Talanos of the Forest Glade
Talanos is of average height and weight for his race. He has long, straight silvery-blue hair, always neatly pulled back into a ponytail which hangs down to the middle of his back, and strange looking whitish-crystal eyes that appear to look right through whoever he is looking at. He is dressed in a brown cloak with the hood off of his head and is wearing a leather tunic and breeches, both dyed just a shade or two lighter than his cloak. Protruding from under his cloak is the pommel of a sword, and held at his right hip there is a dirk. Slung across his back is a long bow, lovingly crafted and wrapped in another piece of deer hide. Beneath the bow, a quiver, filled nearly to overflowing with arrows and arrow-stock, can be seen.

Talanos was born in the eastern part of the Independent States, nearly on the Langington border, just a short distance from Lake Do-eschan, to a family that was barely making a living. Growing up poor, his family oftentimes had to resort to foraging in the forest, hunting deer and trapping rabbits to get enough to eat. It did not matter that it was against the law to shoot one of the Lords deer, especially when it was that or go hungry. At the age of 80, Talanos left his home and village, reasoning that his family would miss him, but since they were realists, there would also be one less mouth to feed.

He traveled for several years before coming across a human that everyone in the area thought to be a deranged hermit. It turned out that the 'hermit' was a ranger, and that he didn't mind what the locals thought of him. In fact, he encouraged the belief, so as to keep meddlers out of 'his' forest. Devan (the old hermit) took the young Fpathen in and taught him the ways of the woodsman and instilled in him a great love of nature. He was taught the use of the long sword and long bow exclusively, being told by Devan to "stick with what you're good at."

Five years after meeting Devan, at the age of 95, Devan died quietly in his sleep at the advanced age of 77. Talanos stayed in the old man's cabin in the forest for the another 3 years. On a supply trip to purchase arrowheads in the nearby village, he met a band of adventurers that were passing through to the lands to the south. While talking to the motley band of Dervatear, humans and a couple of his own kind, Talanos felt the wanderlust stir within him once again. Extracting a promise from the leader of the band to remain until he returned in the morning, he rushed to his cabin, threw all of his belongings together, and made it back in time for a few hours sleep before the party moved out.

The band was going toward the Shortec Range to rid the area of its orcish infestation. They easily found the orcs, but what they didn't expect and weren't ready for was the sheer number of the vermin. They were able to successfully attacked and exterminated several small bands of orcs and goblins, and were getting cocky, when the hammer fell.

They had followed the trail of a small band of goblins for two days, finally catching up with them in a small clearing. They got their gear together, and at first light, attacked the goblins. Expecting a quick fight, they were shocked when they realized they were trapped between the goblins and a large force of orcs. The party's leader did the right thing by ordering a charge on the goblins, figuring it would be easier to fight through them and then to order a retreat. However, most of the party didn't make it through. The few that did scattered, but all (as far as Talanos knows) were hunted down and slaughtered. Talanos ran into a stand of trees and then climbed to the top of one, hoping to ride out the storm. Several hours crept by before he dared to come back down. As far as he could tell, he was the only survivor. Not only had the creatures killed his comrades, they had gone so far as to mutilate the corpses. He was horrified to see that, in some cases, it appeared as though the humanoids had eaten some of his friends.

Traveling at night, Talanos slowly made his way back north. When he finally made it back into civilized lands, he was nursing a tired and battered body, as well as a burning hatred for orcs. He feels that the more intelligent orcs planned and executed the ambush that killed his friends, and that reason alone could explain his hatred, but there was another. One of the bodies that he found, that of Dervatear warrior named Strolic, was a close friend killed by orcish hands. The horde of monsters had somehow caught the burly Dervatear alive and staked him out upon the ground, then proceeded to pierce Stolics' body with arrows until he died from blood-loss and shock.

During the journey back north, Talanos had a vision. In it, the goddess Kallissa told him to continue north and to present himself to the Council of Choosing, where he would meet others like him with an axe to grind against invading hordes, as well as enemies from within the Independent State. He has decided that, if the vision was true and he is Chosen, he will try to persuade the others to go south.


Botak of the Third Warren
Botak is tall for a Dervatear, standing 4' 6", and weighing about 170 pounds. He has dark brown hair, mustache, and beard, which hangs down to his belt. To keep his beard out of his way, he has fixed it into a double-braid. He wears a gray cloak over his splint armor and carries a shield on his left arm. He is a walking arsenal, with his weapons placed so as not to catch on each other when he reaches for them: a crossbow is slung over one shoulder and he has a drawstring bag filled with quarrels strapped to the calf of one leg, a flail hangs from his belt beneath his cloak, the pommel of a dagger is visible poking up out of his boot, and he carries a well-used battleaxe in his right hand.

Botak was born in the northeast portion of the Independent State. His father, when not working in The Pit, as the crater containing the tow-hak is called by those that work there, was part of the Dervatear force charged with protecting the precious stone. Botak's family was close, as most Dervatear families are. His mother worked as a cook for the hard working miners, as did his two sisters. When he became of age, Botak worked alongside his father and two bothers in The Pit. But he also dabbled in crafting stone into beautiful, eye-pleasing shapes. A Lord, who lived several days from The Pit, saw his work and commissioned young Botak to come to his home and craft a sculpture for him. He spent several tendays getting the bust of the Lord right before returning to his home. When he arrived there, he found his whole world torn apart.

In his absence, a horde of goblins had swung down out of the mountains and attacked one of the outlying warrens. Due to the lack of warning, the entire warren was annihilated. Botak's whole family were among those that perished. The Dervatear rallied together and sent all its able-bodied warriors out to hunt the monsters down, and Botak was among them. He personally slew 10 of the vile creatures before he was overwhelmed.

The next thing he remembers is waking up after the battle, in a tent not far from where he went down. A Dervatear WarPriest had come upon his broken and battered body and had spoken the words that healed him enough that he was brought back to the land of the living. A few more days passed before the triumphant force of Dervatear started their journey home.

Once they got home, life was normal for Botak, for a while. He mined, but did not enjoy is as he once had. Working the stone no longer held its attraction (in fact, he has not sculpted since the day he found out his family was dead). He found himself thinking of nothing but his new found enemy. So one day, a year after the battle, he packed up his belongings, picked up his father's axe, and headed into the mountains to take vengeance on the monsters that lived there.

He found others of a like mind and for the past three years they had been roaming, killing all of the orcs and goblins they could. Eventually, the fire that burned within him grew dimmer, but didn't go out completely. He heard of the group called the Chosen, and since he is technically a citizen of the Independent State, having been born there, he decided to present himself to the council. Once chosen, be assured that he intends to continue hunting the bane of his family, swinging his father's axe, parting soft flesh with cold steel.


Caletta Dobbins (a.k.a. "Dobber")
Standing just 3' 6" tall and weighing just 64 pounds, Caletta Dobbins doesn't look like a hero. She has waist-length, curly brown hair, which she wears in a ponytail, and large brown eyes. Her clothing is functional, consisting of a green tunic and tan breeches. She also wears a black leather vest with many pockets over her tunic. She carries all manner of items in these pockets, from a small whetstone to her thieves' picks. All of these she wears over her suit of leather armor. Since she is left handed she carries her short sword on her right side and a dagger on her left hip. Another dagger is strapped to her calf, and she keeps her sling tied around her head like a headband. Her ammunition for the sling is kept in a small pouch hanging from her belt.

Caletta was born in a small hamlet in the western part of the Independent State near the Cannovan border. Nearly everyone in the area was of Havanathe descent, while the few that weren't were mostly human. Her people were known to be peaceful, never getting into feuds with neighboring states. So it was a great shock when a fair-sized force of Tassarak came into the state from Kinashae, originating from the Swamp of Derras Knog. The Tassarak started and ended the takeover in a single day, losing few, if any, of their number.

Once the Tassarak moved in, life changed for the Havanathe. Few were killed when the Tassarak invaded, and the reason soon became apparent. The Havanathe were kicked out of their homes, rounded up, and forced to live in large holdings together. Every few days, their captors would show up and take a couple of Havanathe away, never to be seen again. Rumors started to go around that they were being released, but deep down, no one believed it. Eventually, it was common knowledge that they were being kept as a food source for their captors.

At this point, the Havanathe did something that was unthinkable just a short time before; they became violent! Early one morning, when the Tassarak came to collect their meal, the meal bit back! Stones flew, striking the creatures, who had become too accustomed to the Havanathe's passivity. When the Tassarak were all dead, they were relieved of their weapons which were then used to acquire more.

Caletta was among the group that started the initial fight for their freedom. She had made a sling out of a piece of clothing and showed others how to do the same. On Freedom Day, as the Havanathe called it, she led a band of her fellow Havanathe into the nest of the creatures, and with quiet efficiency, slit the throats of every Tassarak that they found. Seeing the Havanathe rise up, the Tassarak that still lived fled back to Derras Knog. One human, who lived with the Havanathe, said of them, "It was as if the Tassarak thought they were holding a sleeping pet kitten, until it woke up spitting and scratching!"

Caletta remembers the horrors of that month of occupation, and hates the Tassarak for it. Not being much of a warrior, she relies on her stealth to get near her enemy before she strikes, sure and deep. Once Chosen, she will argue to seek out and destroy any infestations of Tassarak that should show up.


Jheranal the Wanderer
Jheranal is a little taller than most pseithen, standing 5' 6" in height, and weighing 125 pounds. He is also fairly muscular for one. He wears his honey blonde hair long, as is the normal for his race, and it is held back out of his face with a leather thong so that it does not get in the way of his light brown eyes. He wears a light brown robe, cinched at the waist with a belt, though when he moves, armor can be heard clinking beneath. Finally, he wears a shield on his left arm. From the right hand side of his belt there hangs a morning star and a sling that has been carefully doubled over twice and tucked beneath the belt on the same side. When walking, he keeps his quarterstaff in his right hand and uses it as a walking stick.

Jheranal was born in the southern part of the Independent State. Always serious-minded as a child, circumstances required him to become even more serious at an early age, for an elf. When he was 55, raiders from the neighboring state came into his home, killed his parents and older brother, then capturing him and his sister. Outside their home, they joined a growing chain of slaves that were marched off to the auction block. During the mid-winter trip, many of the people in chains died from exposure, hunger, and severe beatings. One of those to die was Jheranal's sister. He loved his sister dearly and vowed to get revenge for her death.

Late one night, the slave next to him, also a Pseithen and who somehow had gotten a twisted piece of wire, used it to pick the locks on several of the slaves. Once he had a good number unchained, they all made a break for it, Jheranal being among them. Enough of the slaves ran that it proved nearly impossible for the human raiders to round them all up, so a few got away. Fortunately for Jheranal, he was one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately, he had no where to go, since his entire family and village were burned out during the raid. And, since he had no close friends outside the village, he had no one else to turn to for aid. So he traveled the Independent State aimlessly from town to town, just seeing the sights and doing odd jobs for the next 27 years.

One night while he slept near the road somewhere, he had a vision of a woman who beckoned to him. For several weeks in a row he "followed" her in his dreams. The visions led him to a temple dedicated to the goddess Nivina. Entering the temple he was overcome by a feeling of peace. A man approached him and asked, "What may I do for you?" Jheranal told the man of his visions, and the man, looking excited, replied, "It would seem that you have received a Calling! It does not happen often with Pseithen, but it does happen. Come, if you wish to follow the Calling." Jheranal, not knowing what else to do, followed the man. He was given a small room to call his own. The man, Dervant, explained to Jheranal about the goddess Nivina and offered to teach him about the religion. Jheranal accepted the offer, more for a place to stay than for anything else.

He stayed at the temple for 20 years, learning about the goddess who had called to him, before Nivina granted him some clerical powers. At that point he left and once again began traveling, but this time he had a mission: to punish those that committed wrongful acts on others. He especially dislikes slavers and wishes to "teach" them the error of their ways. He looks at being Chosen as a way to spread the word of Nivina and to seek out evildoers across the land, as well as letting him wander some more, hence his name.



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