Greta Von Reese – at the base of the Black Mist Mountains, just outside the courts of the Pillar of Hope settlement located in the
Early Life, Family, and Training
Born to a wood-elf mother and a human adventurer father, Greta was raised between two worlds. Throughout her life, she found herself yearning to belong in both at times and yet never feeling like she fully belonged in either. Greta’s father, Tobias Von Reese the II was a studious wizard and raised in moderate wealth. Her grandparents (Jothaad & Korette) on her father Tobias’ side were nobility and members of the ruling council in Feirrimor. Greta’s mother, the Elvin Bard N’imda, was an adventurer herself and met Tobias at the “Purple Pixie” tavern whilst he was lounging at an “Adventurer’s Table.” N’imda and Tobias, along with four other brave adventurers, formed “The Gilded Six”, an adventuring company in their generation that would become renowned for their exploits from Daphene Bay to the deserts of Zym Abah’dhi.
It is during these exploits that Greta’s parents, Tobias and N’imda, would come to trust each other deeply and unquestioningly, frequently relying on each other during the most harrowing moments of their adventures. It is this foundation that built a partnership, then a friendship, and then a love that would easily last a lifetime – even the lifetime of an elf. Wood elves are a proud people, and as such, N’imda’s family were not as accepting of Tobias and their marriage was not opposed, but seen as a meaningless tryst to N’imda’s long-lived kinsmen. Nevertheless, they “played-along” and were rarely openly critical, but N’imda could sense the apprehension and so opted to rarely visit after their wedding. As a gift, they were given a beautiful villa in the hills southwest of Feirrimor by Tobias’ well-to-do parents, (Jothaad & Korette).
Greta’s mother would be responsible for teaching her music, art, poetry and the elvish tongue. Her father would teach her history and the arcane. Greta met her grandparents on her mother N’imda’s side a couple of times as a young child, and so had little connection to them. However, her mother N’imda would share many stories about the grace and beauty of her former home in the forests of Silvertail Falls, near the shores of the Great Gray Lakes, far to the east of Daphene Bay. This put a nostalgic yearning in Greta’s heart to see her beloved mother’s homeland. Greta’s paternal grandparents lavished on her many gifts, and paid for her higher educational pursuits ensuring she had some of the best tutors the lands around Feirrimor could offer.
Tragedy of Feirrimor’s Fall
In Greta’s 18th year, tragedy struck the Von Reeses. Initially, there was a poor return on the grains and vegetable crops. This would have been a manageable situation for the nobility, however coupled with this shortfall was a series of vicious pirate raids which resulted in 8 out of the 10 merchant vessels shipping food supplies being sunk and/or looted. The famine and panic was a ripe situation for external forces to create internal division. There was a coup d’etat, and the nobility were all targeted during this civil unrest. The Von Reese villa was raided, looted, and burned to the ground. Jothaad & Korette, Greta’s paternal grandparents, fled on their boat into the city as they were chased by the rioters. Tobias followed his parents into the city while N’imda, his wife and Greta, their daughter, fled to the Great Gray Lakes.
While in Feirrimor, Tobias sought out the two members of “The Gilded Six” who he knew had retired from adventuring just as he had and stayed in the city. After rejoining his comrades, they fended off rioters using as little “lethal” force as possible to minimize civilian casualties. Tobias’ suspicions were confirmed when they found the rest of the ruling council in their hidden meeting room under the city, slain by beast, blade, and magic. It was clear that someone on the ruling council was in league with a new foreign power and that these series of events were a part of a lengthy plot coming together to collapse Feirrimor. Sadly, Tobias and the two members of the Gilded Six met their end in this secret meeting chamber as well. It is not known who exactly the treacherous council members were nor the exact forces which performed the murders of the Feirrimor council. However, what is known is that shortly after this coup d’etat the Northern Iron Kingdom sent envoys and their high ambassador, establishing trade and security with the new government.
Greta and her mother escaped successfully and lived with her maternal grandparents in the Silver Falls Forest. Greta felt the deep apprehension and even hint of shame attached to her mother because of her mother’s choice to “marry” a short-lived human man. Greta soon learned that her grandparents thought her mother’s decision was a mistake. Although they would say “the right things”, Greta would always sense the disdain from them as well as from the other elves in the homestead. Due to this miserable pressure, Greta decided to leave her mother’s home, choosing the life of an adventurer, as her father did and her mother once did.
Cheating Death, Returning To Feirrimor, & Establishing A Local Thieves Guild
After many years of dangerous adventuring, Greta opted to retire. Her last adventuring company had been wiped out by a Death Slaad in the desert known as “The Gray Sands of Karnaka.” The Slaad had posed as a party member for several adventures and had been very helpful as a powerful fighter in a couple of their exploits. The Slaad claimed to have a map, a family heirloom, which led to an ancient wizard’s tower hidden in the “Gray Sands of Karnaka.” The Slaad waited for an opportune moment during the quest for the staff to turn on them, gating in several Red Slaad, who slaughtered the party and “gated” back to limbo. Greta was seriously wounded, and lost consciousness as one of the Slaad landed a near-fatal blow to her midsection and then across the top of her head. Her father Tobias, long ago, had cast “Contingency” on her, which would teleport to her his “Ring of Regeneration” via an “Instant Summons” spell. As she lay there unconscious, two Iron Golems guarding the staff animated and attacked the Slaad, distracting them from her. Deciding that “one more dead half-elf” was “not worth the trouble” the Slaad gated back to limbo from the ancient tower with the ancient staff and the now-limp and shredded remains of the rest of her companions. The Iron Golem’s de-animated as the staff’s proximity was their raison d’etre. She was left there near death, with the ring keeping her alive as she made the trek back to civilization through the harsh lands of the “Gray Sands.”
In mourning, and with an aching in her heart at the loss of her adventuring company, Greta went back to Feirrimor as the “Iron Kingdom” ties had been severed and the refurbished city was now the capital of the “The Free City States of The Felentri Plains and Daphene Bay.” This independence appealed to her and she used the wealth from her adventures to purchase a tavern on the West Docks. Her childhood friend, Ku’unan, reconnected with her and they established a local thieves guild. Ironically, the thieves guild served as a network of spies for the authorities as part of the arrangement that permitted their existence. Despite some of the thieves guild’s less-than-legal activities, they mostly stuck to their word of “no killings, ever” and “only rob someone with more than enough.” Because of this, the Feirrimor thieve’s guild was permitted to exist as they were perceived as useful and able to tip off the DPA (“Daphene Port Authority”) of pirate activity and the Free States Merchant’s guild of varying shipments, smuggling, and market/trade activity.
A Renewed Heart of Gold, Finding A New Love, & Guiding A New Life
During this time, Greta also used her profits from her Tavern (“The Gilded Griffon”) to offer support to many local humanitarian organizations. The most significant to her was the orphanage to the south, which was a repurposed barracks and military supply station. These barracks were built on the ashes of her grandparents’ villa after the coup d’etat years ago and used by a garrison of the Iron Kingdom for a time. All that remained of the villa she grew up in was the well and parts of the old wall which had been rebuilt and extended. Sometimes she’d come and entertain the children as a bard, and Greta got to know many of the clerics very well.
Greta and Ku’unan built a life as partners in the thieves guild and eventually married. As a matter of discretion (due to their affiliation with the thieves guild) they kept their original family names and their marriage was done in secret, only officially unbeknownst to the most trusted of the thieves guild. They were too old to have children of their own and considered for a time adopting from the orphanage. However, most of the children there were human, totally content, and perhaps would not take to the life of a cover thieves guild member. As such, Greta and Ku’unan wanted to “retire” completely from the guild life before even considering adopting a child. Greta “wrote it off” thinking that it simply must not be meant to be.
However, as fate would have it, a new-born half-elf was left at the doorstep of the orphanage. Greta was reluctant, but as the boy grew up at the orphanage, she could see the same forlorn and disjointed feelings she had as a youth in him. After much consternation, discussion with her husband Ku’unan, and reassurance to the clerics that the child would not be “raised as a thief, but as a bard” Greta adopted the child when the clerics realized he had grown embittered and had designs of running away anyway. The clerics named the boy “Jyn,” which sounds like the word for “hope” in the ancient tongue. It was in his 10th year that Greta and Ku’unan adopted him. Greta won him over almost instantly when she pulled her silvery short-cropped hair back and showed him her “half-elf” ears and said in a hushed tone, “see…I’m just like you!”
Passing The Torch To The Adopted Son, A New Life
Jyn Von Reese would grow into a powerful bard and even a skilled rogue. He spent several years journeying to the far Southern regions of Amalgus proper. Jyn would join with a troop of other bards, traveling and performing and gaining a name for himself and his eponymous group, “Von Reese.” While at the peak of his fame, certain events would lead to him falling in love with a cleric who was an acolyte serving a new and somewhat obscure order, “The Order of the god of Hope.” Jyn would not only be converted by this acolyte, but even learn from her the ways of the clergy – learning to pray and practice clerical magic for a time. Jyn persuaded his mother to move from her beloved Feirrimor to the temple complex and the surrounding village this order had built into the base of the beautiful Blackmyst mountains. More about the events of Greta Von Reese and her (adopted) son, Jyn, can be read about in the account of “The Four Pillars of Khazhadum.”
*Author’s note, this is a work of fiction based on the work of J. Ciaramella and in no way is intended to represent real people or events. However, as a work of art, it may have pastiche elements of certain Dungeons and Dragons themes and other cultural and artistic references.