Graven was once part of a special force of warforged soldiers, designed to infiltrate behind enemy lines. When he was severely damaged during a mission, his masters left him behind. He was, to them, replaceable. Decades passed, and the battles his forge-mates fought were near-forgotten by the time he was found, laying in a heap near a long-abandoned camp site.
His Savior took him in as a curiosity. His physical shell had long since stopped functioning and his consciousness had slipped away into stasis. His new keeper, a worker of runes, paid little notice to the glimmers of light reflected in his ruby eyes when she practiced her magics. The power of the runes called out to him, stirring energies that had been present in his forging, until he finally reawakened.
In the years that had passed, all but the most basic memories had fled his artificial mind. With his Savior’s help, he repaired his body. In return, he learned to use his skills to help her in small ways, such as repairing things around her house. After a time, his curiosity in her work grew and he proved to have a knack for harnessing her runic magic in ways she could not.
On a clear summer day, his Savior left to visit Hammerfast, leaving him to watch the house and study his runes. She never returned. A long forgotten memory stirred as he began to wonder at her absence. He recalled forge-mates disappearing from his unit, along with a word: “retired”. Surely, that must be what happened to his Savior. She was gone, now. Returned to the Maker’s Forge.
He had no need for the house, so after a time, he took what was needed, turned the animals loose, and set out upon the world to seek the runes that now defined his purpose.
What the PCs know:
Graven is generally quiet about his past. He is honest about not remembering much about it, and will freely talk about his goal of seeking runic knowledge.
He is a bit awkward, not fully grasping the purpose of social customs, though he will occasionally show a rare spark of intuition. He is happy to offer his talents and to anyone who will ask. Literally. This may prove problematic at some point. He was built to serve.
Rather than learn names, he tends to address people using titles. He will use a person’s profession or some other obvious feature about them until he learns more about them to give them a more personal title. For now, Lyaevel is “the Swordelf”, Jarveth is “the Fierce Dwarf”, and Hellion is “the Pale One”.
Level 2: A return to battle has sparked some of Graven’s dormant memories of warfare, but they are shaped by his recent experiences. As a result, he has remembered how to spur on comrades to fight through adversity. This resurgence has also quickened his practice of a skill his Savior attempted to teach him but which he was never able to master: the mundane healing arts.
