Bio

OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY

Upbringing
The Aasimar sorcerer and dragon disciple, Aremakh (Vittari Maxelar) Tal-Raand, was born in the Mulhorani port-metropolis of Gheldaneth to his father, Ahmen, an upper-middle-class coster, and his mother, Neris. He has two older brothers, Mentep and Barakh, and a younger sister, Saronis.

Ahmen runs a very successful trade-escort, or “costing,” business, protecting trading fleets in their routes between the various nations of the Alamber Sea. However, his dislike for most trading conglomerates’ tactics in acquiring dominance over the routes led him to primarily work for smaller independent traders. Ahmen is considered a very upstanding citizen of Gheldaneth and, while not a bureaucrat, he has gained enough status to be generally welcomed into the homes of most upper-class families.

Growing up, Aremakh spent most of his time either at sea with his father and brothers or studying, either at home with his sister and mother or at the vast libraries and universities in Gheldaneth. His interest in knowledge was sparked when at the age of seven or so, he began to display significant characteristics of a celestial heritage. While this heritage was not unheard of in Mulhorand, true aasimars were still rather rare, given that the traits and abilities did not reveal themselves in most children. He was fascinated by his slightly pale skin and lanky appearance and began to trace his ancestry in an attempt to learn who his celestial father was.

Aremakh became an adept student of genealogy over the next six years, tracing his roots more than 2000 years back, almost to the time of the Thayan Rebellion. Although he couldn’t discover the actual celestial being that had infused his family’s line, he uncovered enough evidence to confirm he was a true aasimar and not some freak of nature. Even more interesting, however, was the possibility of a union between an ancient ancestor and a dragon in humanoid form!
Aremakh always felt in his blood that he was very special. In the years before puberty, he grew to be quite confident and charming, assured by his heritage that a great life awaited him when he was ready. As puberty hit, his thoughts were confirmed even more, as it appeared that he had an innate ability in magic. He automatically assumed the old theory that sorcerers possessed Draconic blood was true for him as well. He doubled his efforts to acquire more knowledge about his heritage, and now began to research information on sorcery as well. He progressed slowly but surely in his studies and would grow to be an accomplished young sorcerer, as well as a disciple of the brass dragons that inhabit the deserts of Mulhorand.

Religion
Growing up in Gheldaneth, Aremakh and his family worshipped Thoth, the god of the Mulhorani Pantheon that represents knowledge, education, and to some extent, magic. It is only fitting that Aremakh attributes everything he has learned to his deep respect and reverence to this deity. He prays to Thoth a minimum of four times a day, as is Mulhorani custom. In addition, he devotes himself to always learning more things about himself and his world around him. Only now, he does it outside the libraries and universities of his homeland.

Alignment
Aremakh’s family lived in a situation where their business and at times their very existence were endangered by the ruthless tactics of shipping conglomerates and pirates on the eastern parts of the Alamber Sea. Aremakh’s father despised the manner in which these large business and their greedy mercenaries intimidated and attacked smaller traders to control the trade routes. He hired noble fighters, sailors, and adventurers who were willing to work for passage or for little pay to escort small fleets of trading ships and protect their cargoes in port. The law enforcers of Gheldaneth, Skuld, and other Mulhorani and Untheric seaports and cities tended to look the other way when it came to the valuable imports the conglomerates brought into the region. Ahmen never took advantage of this situation and employed non-lethal force to defend the ships he was hired to protect, unless he had no alternatives. The few times he had to unsheathe his khopesh, he wielded it with such skill and ferocity, that any witnesses soon spread word that he was not to be trifled with.

Aremakh learned from his father’s business dealings that to do what was right sometimes was not always within the law and to follow the law blindly is not always the best path. His aasimar blood and his confidence in his abilities compel him to protect others and do good deeds, without needing to offer allegiance to any powers-that-be. For this reason, Aremakh has chosen the path of the benefactor, neutral good.

Appearance
By his late teens, Aremakh had grown into his celestial form. He stood an impressive six feet, three inches high and had an athletic musculature that brought his weight to 225 pounds. His hair had turned a brilliant silver color and he let it grow long and tied it at the back near his neck. His skin was also paler than most of the humans that inhabited the ancient kingdoms. In his deep blue eyes, one could see an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. His charm, intelligence, positive outlook, and winning smile made more than a few women in Gheldaneth look twice in his direction.

Attitude and Demeanor
Aremakh’s confidence and self-assuredness comes through in all that he does. He trusts in his intelligence and skills almost to a fault, often charging into situations where he feels he is needed without a second thought. He makes it quite clear to others that he is proud of his heritage and completely sure of his abilities, but his ability to admit his mistakes and his unwillingness to influence others’ decisions through persuasion or argument rarely cause people to consider him arrogant or a braggart. He is often the first to spring to action in a fight, and only retreats when he has assured himself that his companions are safe.

Travels
Aremakh, while always studious and hungry for information, grew tired of spending his time in the halls of Gheldaneth and yearned for real-world knowledge and longed to increase his powers in a real setting. His future in Gheldaneth was uncertain anyway, since his oldest brother would inherit two-thirds of the costing business and his next oldest the other third, in accordance with Mulhorani custom. His brothers, while they loved him, felt inferior in his presence and were always uneasy around him. Aremakh did not believe that he would always have work in the family business, but felt no ill will; after all, his father’s ships rarely sailed to the western edge of the sea on which he lived! And his sister would certainly find a suitable husband and would be well looked after by their parents and brothers.
With his father’s blessing and a generous purse of monies and other supplies, Aremakh set out from the region of Gheldaneth, exploring the area south and east along the Sword River that separated Mulhorand from the occupied regions of Unther. In his encounters with various inhabitants of the region, he introduced himself as Vittari Maxelar, a name he chose for himself to reflect his aasimar heritage.

Along the banks of the river he befriended a weasel, which he named Colyn, after a noble but rather mousy-looking fighter Ahmen had once hired to help protect a shipment of ale. After gaining the animal’s trust, Vittari made Colyn his familiar and continued his adventures and improved his abilities slowly but steadily over the following years.

After traveling to The Shaar in the southwest, Vittari decided to return to Mulhorand and eventually the Alamber Sea he spent so much time on as a child. He came to headwaters of the Sword River and followed the north bank, much as he had when he began his trek. As he traveled along the river, his course eventually veered north and he found himself in the desert, hopelessly lost, but unwavering in his attempts to find his way back to the river. As he neared collapse, a brass dragon, feeling the presence of an intelligent traveler, approached him for a lengthy conversation. Vittari’s parched throat would not allow him to speak easily, and the frustrated dragon eventually carried him to the water to refresh himself.

The dragon’s name was Phlanivemsdinox, and he had ventured south as the youngest in a party of several other brass dragons that had set out to defeat a rather nasty blue dragon who had recently surprised, attacked, and killed a female brass dragon and her two wyrmlings, and had stolen their hoard. After their victory, Phlanivemsdinox had to admit he had gotten separated in his return to the northern desert and ran into another blue dragon. Alone this time, he fled south for quite a long while and had found himself far from home. By the end of this story, Vittari had rejuvenated himself and entered conversation with the dragon. Phlanivemsdinox was quite pleased with all the knowledge that Vittari had gained in his studies and was impressed with his eagerness to improved his skills.

Vittari found that he very much enjoyed the dragon’s company and offered to accompany him on his journey to the northern borders of Mulhorand. He offered him a hundred gold pieces for his horde and, even more valuable to Phlanivemsdinox, constant conversation along their entire journey. The dragon agreed and they journeyed across the vast deserts to the north. They spoke in Mulhorani or common occasionally, when Vittari couldn’t quite get his intentions across. They mostly spoke Draconic, for Vittari had taught himself the language from several dust-covered tomes in the university. At other times, Phlanivemsdinox spoke with him in Celestial. Vittari treasured these conversations, as he had never heard what he truly considered his native tongue spoken aloud by another, especially a beast as wise and noble as the brass dragon. When Vittari’s stories or recitals bored the dragon, Phlanivemsdinox would sometimes speak to Colyn, but found the weasel could not offer much in response and would eventually return to speaking with the aasimar.

Vittari learned much from the dragon about Draconic history and heritage and his own abilities in sorcery over the weeks that they traveled north. He learned much from the dragon’s respect for nature and the organic attributes of the world around them. He also learned basic magical abilities involving the planes on which Celestials lived and how to summon creatures from these places to assist him in his travels. Vittari considers these weeks some of the happiest times of his life.

However, the occasion would soon turn to indescribable tragedy as they neared the mountain hoard of Phlanivemsdinox, an east-facing cave in the far north of Mulhorand, almost to the border of the Hordelands. As the dragon led the way into his hoard so Vittari could add his promised payment, they discovered a party of Thayans that had managed to slip into Mulhorand by way of the Thazar Pass. There were at least two dozen fierce orcs and gnolls, controlled by three Red Wizards of Thay. While the evil mages were quite satisfied to loot the hoard, the treasure of dragon scales enticed them even more. Phlanivemsdinox entered the fray barely after the wizards uttered their guards to attack. He fought the wizards with his claws and teeth, occasionally breathing a line of fire as the soldiers lined up with the wizards in their attacks. With his wings and tail, he scattered the orcs and gnolls about the room, but wasn’t causing concentrating on finishing them off, as his focus was tied to the three wizards, who consistently attacked him with icy missiles and magical showers of freezing rain.

Vittari summoned small creatures and fired magic projectiles into the battle but soon found himself overwhelmed by the superior numbers. Several stiff blows dazed him and he sunk to his knees. Colyn tried to bite at the heels and ankles of the attackers to defend his master, but a vicious orc sunk his spiked club into the weasel’s skull. With a desperate lunge Vittari plunged his dagger deep into the orc’s heart, but it was too late for the familiar. Another blow slammed into Vittari’s chest while a swift kick connected with the base of his skull.
As he slumped forward, he barely felt the rush of air as Phlanivemsdinox’s tail slammed the attacking orcs against the walls of the cave, then pummeled then into the ground. The dragon had managed to eventually defeat most of the soldiers over the drawn-out battle, but the wizards were well-prepared and managed to use the time bought by the guards’ attacks to weaken the dragon considerably. The act of focusing his attention on saving his new friend from certain destruction had left him vulnerable to a focused onslaught from the injured but able wizards and the few remaining battle-weary orcs defending them. As they struck, Phlanivemsdinox reeled in pain and rage. The blows plunged deep into his vital organs. There was little left the dragon could do, save for a mighty inhalation followed by a forceful breath of fire which caught the remaining attackers by surprise. The orcs turned to ash almost immediately and the brilliant red robes of the wizards burst into flames about their tattooed heads, which soon charred and smoked in the heat. Vittari raised his head with extreme effort and saw the villains collapse, followed by the collapse of the dragon’s head. He reached out for the dragon but his own collapse was inevitable and his hand landed on the still-warm body of his familiar as the acrid smoke filled his nose and mouth. His eyes soon knew only darkness.

Vittari awoke several hours later, head pounding, and limbs on fire from exertion. His eyes, watery from the smoke, soon gushed tears down his cheeks and his heart wrenched as he looked down on Colyn’s crushed form. He wept for what seemed like an eternity until he heard the dragon speak his name softly. He stumbled over to Phlanivemsdinox’s head and lifted it gently. The dragon knew the end was at hand, and he asked that Vittari pledge to learn as much as he could about dragons and their magic and use that knowledge to help the world. Vittari agreed and Phlanivemsdinox offered his hoard to Vittari to assist him in his quest. The aasimar agreed to keep the hoard, but after the dragon’s passing—for no magic Vittari possessed could heal the beast’s wounds—he took only a few weapons and items to help him in his travels and enough gold to get him to the coast and arrange for passage on a ship that would carry him away from this tragedy. He lit Phlanivemsdinox’s body with a magical flame hoard and sealed the entrance to the cave while the pyre raged inside. He climbed down the mountain the next morning and began his long march to the sea.

Vittari, feeling himself in a vengeful state, traveled northwest along the coast into Thay, bribing an official to receive a traveler’s pass. He quickly discovered that the Red Wizards were quite adept at divining arcane magic users, and the hunter soon become the hunted. Vittari knew he did not possess the abilities to confront a single experienced wizard, let alone a region full of them. His rage gave way to reason after several narrow escapes and, in the city of Bazantur, he booked passage on a ship that was destined for the Dragon Coast.

Aremakh Vittari Maxelar Tal-Raand had learned a great deal about humility and his own limitations in his trek across the wastes, but he vowed to himself and to Thoth that he would arise from his challenges stronger and wiser. He devoted himself to studying the dragons further and eventually became a dragon disciple. He traveled west into the Heartlands and north to the city of Waterdeep, where he heard rumors of a great war on a distant continent and tales of relics and artifacts of unspeakable power. He learned that the very fate of the world rested in the outcome of this conflict. Putting his sea legs on again, he set sail across the great ocean, ready to prove his worth and righteousness.