The Provaine Family

Origins

The Provaines were a simple family of farmers who lived in the Shield Lands, about 50 miles to the northeast of Critwall. They lived on a moderately-sized farm beside a river, with a forest nearby filled with game. They were not a rich family, but neither were they poor, and they were of the most common blood in the Flanaess -- mixed.

Alaric Provaine was our father. He was born a farmer and after serving briefly in the local militia as an archer he returned to his family home to continue his life as a farmer. Alaric married a local girl he knew, Alienne, and they had several children together: Rogr, Azur, Torele, and Kirella.

The family also employed a half-orc farmhand, Vorsk, who lived on the farm with the family. He was brighter than the usual half-orc and had earned Alaric's good will; he became a close friend to Rogr and Azur, often wrestling one-on-two with the older brothers when the day's work was done, or swimming the river in a race with the two energetic boys.

Alaric was a good father, teaching his older boys hunting and fishing and farming and archery. Rogr and Azur both learned something of archery. Rogr often helped his father and Vorsk with the more physical tasks, while Azur often handled the animals and augmented the family's table while improving his archery skills.

The young twins Torele and Kirella (brother and sister) were still too young to help out around the farm when war broke out.

War!

Life was good for the Provaines, until Iuz's minions descended upon the Shield Lands in 579CY. Alaric, Rogr, and Azur were called to augment the army sent to meet Iuz's army of orcs and other beings. Leaving Vorsk to watch over the family and help Alienne load the wagon for the long drive to safety, the father and two brothers went to face the overwhelming numbers of the invading army.

After the first part of the battle was over, Alaric sent Rogr and Azur back to the farm to provide some extra protection since he had heard rumors that raiding parties had flanked around the defending army. Rogr and Azur returned home to find their mother beset by orcs. They slew the orcs, but the foul beasts had already done their worst.

Alienne's Story

As soon as she saw the riders coming she knew they weren't friendly. They were riding hell bent towards the farm, weapons drawn. She shouted for Vorsk to get Kirella to the root cellar, then she hid Torele there with his favorite blanket to keep him quiet. While Vorsk was securing Kirella, Alienne heard the raiders outside and shut the trap door with a word to Vorsk to keep the children quiet, then covered it with a thick rug that would block any sound from below.

Alienne fled the house and headed for the banks of the river, certain that the raiders would follow her; she was right. They savaged themselves upon her without mercy. Only the arrival of Rogr and Azur saved her life.

The Flight

Rogr and Azur tended their mother and extracted Vorsk and the twins from the cellar, packing them into the wagon. Azur stood watch while Vorsk and Rogr hastily finished packing the family's prized possessions into the wagon. Once done, Rogr and Azur burned the barn and house, vowing that the orcs would find no shelter there. Vorsk tended to Alienne and the twins while Rogr drove the wagon south. The sounds of battle could be heard growing closer in the distance as the family drove south.

The family found other refugees heading south, along with wounded soldiers and deserters from the battle. More than once Rogr and Azur rallied the few able men with the band to fight off a group of orc raiders while the wagons escaped.

Two days after the battle, the refugees joined up with the remnants of the army for a while, but it soon became clear that the army would have to provide a shield for the refugees from the orcs that were hot on their heels. In the confusion that day, Rogr thought he saw Alaric still alive with a group of archers heading to join the delaying action; he tried to reach him, but he felt he had to stay with his mother. He left a quick note with an officer heading in the same direction, hoping that the small scrap of paper would reach his father, telling him that everyone was alive and that they were heading south.

None of the family ever saw Alaric again.

The Provaine Family Today

The Provaines kept heading south, through the County of Urnst and into the Duchy of Urnst. They settled about 20 miles east of the town of Leukish in that realm, reaching an agreement with a local lord to establish a new village on some of his unoccupied lands. Regensdorf quickly took shape as the refugees went about building new homes for themselves.

As Rogr, Azur, and Vorsk worked feverishly to make a new home for the family, it soon became clear that Alienne was with child. Alienne hoped that the child was Alaric's, but this was not to be. The midwife let out a scream when she saw the large baby boy with the features of an orc, and she uttered prayers as a large baby girl with similar features was delivered. Alienne died during the birth without having s een the children.

Rogr and Azur seethed with anger at what had been done to their mother and at the loss of their father. They set out again to fight the advancing army after the family was settled, each bearing the terrible images of what they had seen the orcs doing to their mother and the pains she suffered as she gave birth to their newest brother and sister, dying in the process. They slew many orcs together, but still their hatred for the orcs was not sated.

Vorsk "Provaine"

Player: None

Vorsk remained behind on the new farm with Torele and Kirella and the two new children, naming them Alienne and Alaric in honor of his close friends. He worked hard to tend the farm, and while he suffered some prejudices, he soon came to be a fairly respected farmer. Torele and Kirella loved him dearly and as they grew he taught them about their mother and father and taught them to help with young Alaric and Alienne.

Rogr

Player: Jonathan Ingram

Rogr stayed behind when Azur went south with the remnants of the army, his hatred burning a hole in his heart and growing each time he found more orcs to slay. He hid well and learned the ways of the orcs, picking up their language from their chatter around the fire, but always he was there in the darkness when one or two of them wandered out alone...

Rogr is now an experienced hunter of orcs, and he does it with a passion that frightens people at times. He fights orcs with every ounce of strength he has, never forgetting the wrongs done to his family. He is not capable of rational thought when there are orcs to be killed, focusing only on killing the beasts quickly.

When he is tired of battle, he returns home. Seeing the youngest children reminds Rogr of his mother's suffering; soon thereafter he always leaves again to wreak his vengeance on the orcs of the world, his hatred renewed again for a while.

Naturally, Rogr has mixed feelings about his youngest brother and sister and even about Vorsk, his longtime friend. Rogr respects Vorsk and trusts him, but at the same time is uncomfortable with his non-human side. At 27 Rogr burns with the hatred that only a young man can feel, but he bears the scars of a warrior at least twice his age. He is an experienced warrior and woodsman, and he shares his skills with a sword with his younger sister Kirella when he is home.

Azur

Player: Stuart Yeaton

When it was clear that the Shield Lands were lost, Azur returned to the Duchy and helped Vorsk with the farm for a while, occasionally serving the local lord in his militia to augment the family income. While Azur does not actively seek out orcs like Rogr, he shows no mercy when he encounters them.

Like Rogr, Azur now has mixed feelings about his youngest siblings and about Vorsk. Azur, however, is a bit more restrained than Rogr. He still slays orcs with the same hatred as his older brother, but in many ways his training as an archer serves to keep him calm and focused. Azur focuses his hatred of orcs into precise bowshots intended to kill the beast immediately. More than one orc has felt the bite of Azur's arrow piercing his eye...

Between Rogr and Azur, Azur is the more level-headed of the two. At age 25, Azur has developed into a fine young man and his skills as an archer are very strong. He never fails to share his knowledge with Kirella when she asks for it. Azur is engaged to marry Alienne, the daughter of Shel Morrl (whose life he saved during the trek from the Shield Lands) as soon as Rogr and Azur are able to locate their father.

Kirella

Player: Ada Kerman

The oldest twin, Kirella is 17 and a tom-boy; she has learned from Rogr and Azur the ways of the warrior. She knows a trick or two about killing orcs, but she does not share the hatred of orcs that her older two brothers possess. Her experience in the basement that fateful day has caused her to develop a strong determination to never have to hide again. Kirella is the mirror image of her mother (according to everyone who knew Alienne).

Kirella knows what orcs are and hates what they did to her mother, but she loves her younger brother and sister and can see beyond their orcish side.

Three families have inquired about the possibility of marrying a son to Kirella, but all three have been turned away by the rough-around-the-edges young lady.

Torele

Player: Herald Williams

At age 17, Torele's powers as a sorcerer have fully developed. Born of his intense fear that day in the root cellar, the boy began exhibiting strange powers during the drive south. Torele still carries his favorite blue blanket, the one that helped keep him quiet that day in the root cellar. Like Kirella, he knows what orcs are and hates what they did to his mother and he loves his younger brother and sister and can see beyond their orcish side.

Torele is thin and tall with wild brown hair and brown eyes; his appearance is always unkempt in some way, and he usually needs a bath. He immediately strikes observers as jumpy, nervous, and a bit whiny; the slightest sound causes him to startle.

Alaric the Younger

Player: Jay Farrell

The older of the half-orc twins of Alienne Provaine spent some two years studying under the tutelage of various creatures in the woods near Regensdorf. Recently, he has emerged from his self-enforced solitude and begun adventuring.

Alienne

Player: Pat Alston

Within the past year Alienne, like her brother, has begun traveling the Duchy in an effort to make her name.

The Family Honor

PCs in the Provaine family can award a number of certs to other PCs who prove to be helpful and trustworthy. Letters of introduction might be fairly common, but favors and debts are not awarded lightly.

Letter of Introduction to the Provaine Family

Members of the Provaine family can award a "Letter of Introduction to the Provaine Family" cert to PCs who prove themselves trustworthy and helpful. This letter, shown to another Provaine, is enough to win the trust of the other Provaine family members. Provaines trust each other implicitly, since they have had to rely on each other for years. (The letter is also useful as an introduction to the village council of Regensdorf while Vorsk Provaine sits on that council.)

This cert must be legibly signed and dated by the PC who awards it; it is never given to cowards or thieves. The cert will never be given to anyone who bears a "Disfavor of the Village of Regensdorf" cert.

Debt of the Provaine Family

The Provaines feel a strong sense of honor. Saving the life of a Provaine PC earns the hero a Debt of Honor from the rescued PC. The issuer of this debt is obligated to repay it if possible; other Provaine PCs may or may not choose to repay it.

This cert can be redeemed to have the issuer spend up to 50 gold or redeem an equivalent amount of influence points to help the bearer. To be valid, this cert must be signed and dated legibly by the Provaine PC who issued the cert; to be redeemed, the cert must be given back to a Provaine PC so that it can be voided.

The cert will never be given to anyone who bears a "Disfavor of the Village of Regensdorf" cert.