PC: Alaric Banebridge

Alaric's father was a minor knight assigned to guard a bridge on a valuable trade route, and Alaric was raised to be his successor. When he was 15, plague hit the area, killing the rest of Alaric's family and leaving him severely weakened. The lord of the area gave responsibility for the bridge to another knight, leaving Alaric adrift and alone. He found a home with the priest of the Raven Queen who buried his family, finding solace in the idea that death was a natural part of life and that it came to all eventually. Alaric traveled with the priest to a temple of the Raven Queen, where he slowly recovered his strength and learned her tenets. He made peace with his grief, coming to the conclusion that life must be lived to the fullest, with every day enjoyed, because nobody knows when the Raven Queen will come calling. Even so, a life lived without purpose is a life wasted, and in gratitude to his newfound realizations Alaric decided to dedicate his to the Raven Queen.

He began training as a priest, but when the temple was attacked by cultists of Orcus he found his true calling. Imbued with strength by his goddess he took up his old weapons and armor and fought the demon-worshippers off. It was this experience that showed Alaric the way of the paladin, and for the first time he truly felt at peace with himself. He has begun traveling to see the world and observe how others live their lives; finding life in a temple stifling and boring. His first real companion, a scoundrel named Finjaq, has certainly made things exciting, and life in an adventuring group looks to be even moreso.

Alaric is a fairly happy-go-lucky fellow, but he is quite dedicated to his goddess and has no issues with killing if he feels it is warranted. He's not a vicious murderer, however, and likes to spend time alone every once in a while, contemplating the mysteries of life. During this time he likes to occupy himself by sketching, as he is a somewhat accomplished artist, and carries around a sketchbook and pen for this purpose. Alaric rarely shares these sketches with others, but they are usually of simple daily events in villages or landscapes.