Loman is a Native to the Duchy Norlahka, within the Barony of Matchalk. His parentage is nothing of note, neither beneficial nor heinous, and while he has moved beyond the roots of his birth, he still sends the occasional letter and package of aid to his parents and varying relatives within the Barony.
The consistent conflict with the orrish in the area has ensured even families of non martial traditions and trades spend some time learning the basics of self defense and survival. Lomans family was no exception, and unlike the farrier trade, Loman found sparring and combat to his liking. Even in childhood games of tag or hide and seek he would escalate things and start fights, frequently coming home bruised and bloodied. The onset of aggression and violence at an early age being no unfamiliar thing to the half elves this was not seen as anything other than something to be worked through by his elders. His peers however did feel some resentment about the intensity he would bring to any and every physical altercation.
Before long Loman was a mild outcaste amongst his peers. Few would engage with him long enough for him to get his fill of fighting. He took to seeking out fights with those who bullied or took advantage of others, especially if they were older or stronger. While some friendships were made because of this, many animosities were created. One in particular escalated beyond an acceptable level. The son of one of the Barons guardsmen had gotten into an altercation with Lomans friends, and had wound up breaking the youngsters arm. Loman took matters into his own hands and proceeded to terrorize the guardsman’s son over the next several weeks. Every where Lomans target went he would find himself struck from behind when turning a corner, or struck with a sling stone in the knee when trying to climb a ladder, or even finding that his girth strap had been cut nearly through after being flung from horseback. The final assault resulted in the son falling from a flight of stairs, breaking several bones.
Loman did not get away with his actions, and was put to work to aid in paying for the sons recovery. When his debt was paid and his final apologies offered to the family, he found that the sons dominant arm would never heal correctly. He spent several more months aiding where he could, even working with the father in efforts to train the sons off hand fighting. After it was clear that the sons martial prowess would never be what it once was, Loman approached the father. He asked what he could do to make this right, to ease this harm Loman had done to the Guardsmans family. The guardsman told Loman of his family’s tradition of the first born son serving in the Darklands, then returning to serve the Baron. “My son would never survive the darklands in his state, if you fulfill that end of our tradition, then all is forgiven.” Loman agreed, and with the guardsman’s (surprising) recommendation, he was soon training to be a Darkland Ranger.
Your druid mentor is a half elf druid named Nagel. His Numinous spirit of choice was Africa, the great elephant mother – the wise protector. His wyld range was the Black Fens – it is there that you worked with him to strike against the Orrish. The Black Fens is a natural barrier going in both directions – keeping Orrish both in the Dark Lands and out of the south lands of light. He was responsible for unearthing a relic in the Black Fens, long before he was your mentor. Many feared he has lost his ‘humanity’ in his venturing into the Dark Lands, but you trusted the mother-protector and never found a taint upon him or even the hint thereof. He finally passed in CY 9164. He told everyone that he had returned the relic of evil to the fens, sunk deep into them so that none would find it. You left the south at that point, with nothing more to hold you there and your time in the dark lands served.
Through his sense of guilt Loman found motive and drive that rapidly propelled him beyond training and into excursions into the Darklands. What tempering of his rashness and reckless desire to fight that his Mentor Nagel did not manage, the realities of the Darklands did. His innate brutality and savage nature shielded him from the worst horrors the Darkness, but his sense of duty and guilt compelled him to always return for another foray, refusing his normal days of relief or even medical leave. After several years Negal encouraged Loman to submit his request for his Duty to be considered served. All the extra expeditions and continuing the mission even when wounded would undoubtedly catch up to him, and even the most stalwart cannot remain untouched forever. Loman refused, and even cut contact with Nagel for a short time (He knew Nagel was right, but could not let go.) He relented immediately before setting out on what would be his last foray in the Darklands.
Loman spent months on his own among the servants of the unholy trinity. Sometimes he was scouting, other times sabotaging, even occasionally disguised as a fellow dark servant himself. After he had accomplished his tasks, and had inflicted what damage he could, Loman deliberately let himself be found out by a priest escorted by a small troop of goblins. He had thought to lead them on a merry chase for a couple weeks as he made his way home, killing off a few here and there, maybe even getting lucky and killing the priest of Everdark. After he had killed all but three of them, and was a mere two days away from his checkpoint, he saw an opportunity to lay an ambush and wipe the rest of them out before leaving the Darklands himself. When his pursuers fell into his kill zone he quickly dispatched the priest then set upon the remaining two, certain he could overwhelm two goblins. To his chagrin the two ‘goblins’ raised up, and grew taller, the shadows around them becoming less dense. The priest had used his unholy powers to have the darkness and shadows hide the true size and might of these two. Here were two half-orks, both clearly trained in the Shadow Tradition. Loman was nearly killed, only escaping through trickery and deception of the orrish darkvision granted to him by the lands bond.
Making it to his checkpoint Loman was recovered by his allies, who were forced to extract several pieces of Heartseeker Flint from him before they could get him to a medical tent. While recovering Loman went in and out of consciousness, later learning that he spoke while delirious, clearly wrestling with the things he had to do amidst his subterfuge. Later Negal would inform him that he had wrestled with the temptation and allure of the Dark Trinity, with the promise of a life free from his guilt. While it was clear to Negal that Loman would not succumb, he did arrange for Loman to be kept out of the Darklands until fully recovered.
Unable to defy the Baronial orders Negals interference had caused, Loman returned home until he was fully recovered. He visited his family, engaged in the expected pleasantries, and even paid a call to the Guardsman and his son. Still wounded he made for a sore sight, but the family welcomed him. The Guardsman asked about Lomans extended tour of duty and why he had not yet retired from the job. After many excuses Loman confessed to the guilt that he wrestled with, the grudge against himself that he could not let go of. The guardsman insisted that Loman had paid his debt and more. Loman could not accept, at which point the Son held up his crippled arm and said to him “I will never forgive what you’ve done to me until your service in the Darklands is over. Until then this wound will fester.”
Though your mentor died from natural causes, you definitely feel that the excess times spent in the darklands probably shortened his life span. It takes a while to find you since you travel so much, but the druids finally track you down to deliver a physical message he left behind for you. It is a moss covered hollowed log. A sacred capsule for those of the Wyld faith. “Loman… If you are reading this, I have not finished my work. I died with a secret. That secret is yours to track now, for it has been taken from me. It may carry you back into the Dark Lands. Perhaps I should have divulged its secrets, but its dark aura made it seem like my mouth was sutured shut when I tried to speak of it. The mystic compass enclosed will allow you to track it. You must unite the hemp cord of the compass with the object, tying it onto it and it and you will hear my voice again. The compass will lead you to the vile relic of a Pa-Ulsey Bell. Let this lead you to your last charge from your mentor. Think kindly of me.”
In fact, the compass points west, not east. The relic of evil is likely to be taken under the earth, though the Underlands, perhaps through The Deeping itself, to be used in the now-emerging Orrish. You set out, it leads you for months to Dunstrand…
Current Date: Common Year (CY) June 8th, 9169 @ Ancient Blood’s Due