Thava

Description
Race: Dragonborn

Class: Ranger / Rogue

Appearance: Black, tall and means business

Backstory
Thava was born in the Forest of Wyrm, in the Dragonborn clan of Delmiriv. The clan was very insular, and as such Thava had very little contact with the outside world as she grew up. Sadly, life became difficult for her when she was very young - a tribe of orcs called the Bonebreakers migrated into the forest and claimed it as their territory, thus declaring war on the Delmiriv clan. At age six, she lost her father in an orcish attack. This lit a fire in Thava’s heart, and as soon as she could wield a weapon, she pushed herself to become the best warrior of her clan.

Thava was both a skilled fighter and a masterful tactician. She quickly rose through the ranks to become captain of the clan guard, leading the military effort against the Bonebreakers. Despite the skill and courage of the clan’s warriors, and Thava’s superior leadership, the clan was badly outnumbered, and losing ground. It became clear to Thava that, unless they brought in allies to their aid, the war would be lost, and the clan slaughtered.

Thava made her case to the clan elders. She detailed the dire military situation they were in. She explained that they should send envoys to the nearby tribe of hill dwarves and propose a temporary alliance. The dwarves were beginning to be pressed and raided by the Bonebreakers as well, and would be eager to deal them a decisive defeat. She warned that the clan needs an ally, and should they choose to continue their strict isolation, it would lead to their total destruction.

The arguments fell upon deaf ears. The clan elders were too fixed in their ways, even in the face of annihilation, and absolutely forbade Thava from pursuing this course of action. Furious, Thava turned her back and left their presence. She would rather be damned by her people than allow them all to die.

She gathered a couple of her most trusted confidants, and explained her plan. They agreed, and went with Thava to beseech the hill dwarves for their aid. The leadership of the dwarves immediately saw the wisdom of making the alliance, and they coordinated with Thava on a plan of attack. The Bonebreakers, overconfident and increasingly careless, were caught completely by surprise by the dragonborn/dwarven coordinated strike. The orcs suffered terrible losses to their main force, and had to retreat in utter disarray. It was a major victory, and had the potential to completely turn the tide of the war.

For Thava, unfortunately, there was no celebration. Word of the victory, and thus of the dwarven alliance, spread quickly. As soon as she returned from the battlefield, Thava was called before the council of elders. Many spoke in her defence, including her mentor, Didrish. Their words held no sway over the elders. For her part, Thava would only say, “It has been made clear my words are meaningless here. I will let the results of my actions stand as my defense.” The elders sentenced her to exile.

Despite the urging of those most loyal to her, Thava declined to fight her sentence. She refused to foster further division within the clan. With a broken heart, she left her home, her clan, and the people she loved the most. For the next three years, she moved from forest to forest up and down the Sword Coast, hunting and foraging, mostly avoiding other people, and trying to piece herself back together. She fully expected to continue in this solitary way of life, until one day she received a bizarre summons to the funeral of a man she had never met, and it changed the course of her life.