Baltius by Matt Lichtenwalner
Written by Shedrick Pittman-Hassett
Illustrated by Matt Lichtenwalner
Edited by Cassey Toi
Death to the Witch and Life to Rekoh!
Background
Few survived the onslaught of Neriave’s vengeance upon the hunting village of Rekoh. Tales of the Black Night are terse, the descriptions heavy with terror and loss. Some fled the forest and settled in Kepet. These survivors watched with growing dread as the Sleepless Drift made its way across Cogelos.
One of these survivors, Baltius, a descendant of the founders of Rekoh, gazed upon the ever-drifting winter with neither dread nor fear, but anger and hatred. On the Black Night, Baltius had been deep in the forest on a hunt. He noticed the changes in the air, the strange behavior of the creatures of the forest and made his way back to his home, fearing the worst. By the time he reached Rekoh, nothing was left but ice and devastation. He tracked a group of wandering survivors and led them to Kepet, fighting off the maddened beasts and strange ice-trapped souls that now wander the wilds of the forest.
Baltius made several forays into the forest to track the witch, but the land itself seemed to conspire against his efforts. Realizing that alone he would fail, he gathered to him a handful of survivors, expert huntsmen, to aid him in his hunt of Neirave, the Sleepless Drift. All are devoted to the destruction of the witch; the boiling heat of their wrath will melt Neirave’s endless winter ice. Once this is accomplished, the village of Rekoh will rise again.
The people of Kepet, where the band stays between expeditions into the wilderness, look upon the group with a mixture of awe and derision. They are fools for braving the forest and the wrath of Neirave, but noble in their dedication to their home. They have taken to calling the band Restorationists, though they generally refer to themselves as Baltius’ men.
Mission
The Restorationists are dedicated to eradicating the witch Neirave and restoring Rekoh to its former glory. Many of Baltius’ men (including Baltius himself) are probably more interested in the destruction of the Sleepless Drift than in the work of actually restoring and rebuilding their homes. However, once revenge is had and the land is made safe to hunt again, it is only natural that the village would spring to life once more.
Structure
Baltius is the clear and uncontested leader of this group. His grim hunters are completely devoted to him and his cause. He rules with quiet determination, often silencing idle chatter with a raised brow. He is not cruel to his followers, but when on the hunt, he moves the band forward with a single-minded purpose; a single-mindedness that becomes ruthlessness. Most of the huntsmen are from Rekoh, though some hail from nearby settlements and, in the ice of Rekoh, see the reflection of what is to come. There is no formal membership in the band; by displaying competence and loyalty to Baltius, anyone could join the hunt.
Benefits/Drawbacks
Baltius and his followers are fiercely loyal to each other and could be valuable allies to those they consider friendly to their cause. A band of hunters of their caliber is a valuable source of expert training. The people of Kepet, are cautious of such grim and ruthless adventurers and are often aloof. Baltius is driven by a deep-seated hatred for the witch and all she stands for; this hatred could drive him and the band to take extreme actions in pursuit of their prey.
Adventure Hooks
- The party happen upon an injured hunter on the outskirts of a frost-ravaged forest. He tells them of his band and enlists their aid against Neirave.
- A player seeks to gain membership into Baltius’ band. The initiate is charged with delving into the forest and felling one of the strange creatures that haunt the desolate drift.
- A priest in Kepet suspects that Baltius may be planning to employ a relic of dark sorcery to destroy the witch at the cost of his, and his followers, souls. She enlists the players to find out the truth and, if necessary, protect the Restorationists from themselves.
The Restorationists by Nevermet Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.nevermetpress.com/contact.
