Erthaer Javilarhhsson

Baron Erthaer Javilarhhsson was a royal son of Delimbiyran who attempted to create a new barony in Starshadow Vale in the late 7 century DR. Though he died in the attempt, he became a ghost and attempted to continue his original goal at all costs.
==Description==
Erthaer was a tall man at over tall, and was quite fit and strong. He had fair skin, gray eyes, a large aquiline nose, and wore his hair long and loose under his helmet. He had a thick, gravelly voice that commanded attention and a quick, hearty laugh when warranted.
He resembled himself in life as a ghost, though with a certain misty transparency and a hint of madness in his face.
==Personality==
Erthaer loved to wander and explore, but proved an effective ruler of his own land when given the chance. He managed his holdings in a careful and thoughtful manner, planning well ahead for the future, and was known for his fairness and generosity towards his subjects. His devotion to Starshadow Vale was so strong that he returned as a ghost to attempt to hold it for one more winter, and came to a single-minded obsession regarding its fulfillment and his hatred of orcs.
==Abilities==
As an experienced ranger, Erthaer was an excellent fighter and tracker. He specialized in hunting down orcs, goblinoids, and magical beasts, and was an expert at stealthily sneaking up on a target and cutting them down while unaware. He knew a few spells that he used to support his martial skills, including entangle, plant growth, alarm, cat's grace, and protection from energy.
==Possessions==
Erthaer wore a suit of Eaerlanni +3 mithral full plate of fire resistance, invulnerability, and woodwalking. He wielded Tuskreaver, a +1 orc bane longsword, and Orcsloss, an orc blade formerly called Feyshot. He also had a +2 distance returning cold iron throwing axe, and a horn of blasting called Erthaer's Horn.
==History==
Erthaer grew up in the royal halls of the palace at Delimbiyran as the son of King Javilarhh Snowsword III, but quickly took to wandering the wilderness surrounding the realm. In these travels, he fought many orcs and other denizens of the wilds, rescuing Mhaelorin and capturing Orcsloss in one particular battle. When he found the isolated valley of Starshadow Vale in the , he fell in love with the place and returned home to ask his nephew King Davyd Snowsword for a noble title to the Vale. Winning the King's support, Erthaer was named Baron of Dauntylgar and was promised that the title to the Vale would be granted in full should he or his heir hold it for twelve winters.
Arriving in the Vale with a loyal cohort and Swordcaptain Mhaelorin at his side, Erthaer's company seized the valley from the local High Forest orcs and monsters. Over the following years, he built his new realm carefully, ruling it fairly and generously with an eye to the future. This state of affairs was upturned when King Davyd was assassinated in the , and Delimbiyran shattered into competing claimants. A civil war followed and Starshadow Vale quickly became overpopulated with desperate folk who sought shelter from the unfolding chaos. Despite his best efforts, over the next few years the nearby High Forest was hunted and logged with reckless abandon, and the increasingly desperate settlers began looting the orcish burial mounds that lined the valley. This proved too much to bear, and the nearby orc populations united into the Horned Horde and swept through Starshadow Vale in retribution. Erthaer was shot with an arrow and died a slow, lingering death as his nascent realm was destroyed by the vengeful orcs, and was buried in the corpses of his followers and the rubble of Starshadow Tower as it was assaulted. As he lay dying amidst the ruins of his ambition, he turned defiant against fate and swore to the gods that he would not be stopped. Though he and Starshadow Vale were destroyed, his ghost remained and haunted the site, obsessed with finding new hands that would allow him to hold it for one more winter.
The first new attempt was in the when he possessed the adventurer Heldack Ironclaw and compelled him to rebuild the settlement, only for Nimoar the Reaver to sack the Vale on his way to Bloodhand Hold. Once more in the , the possession of Tordath Ironfist led to a hopeful settlement of dwarves, only for the red dragon Imvaernarhro to arrive and destroy everything. Again, in the , Lord Ornigar Tchazzam of Waterdeep led a well-funded expedition that looted the old orcish burial mounds and provoked the Horned Lord and Tanglethorn tribes, causing them to form the Blackhorn Horde and destroy the Vale a second time. Finally in , Erthaed possessed Daela Swiftarrow and began a new attempt to hold the Vale through winter. As winter began, Daela and her settlers struggled to survive attacks by orcish wights and even the appearance of a dracolich that seemed fixated on destroying them.
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Humans
Category:Nobles
Category:Barons
Category:Royalty
Category:Rangers
Category:Ghosts
Category:Inhabitants of the Delimbiyr Vale
Category:Inhabitants of Delimbiyran
Category:Inhabitants of the Sword Coast North
Category:Inhabitants of the Sword Coast
Category:Inhabitants of Northwest Faerûn
Category:Inhabitants of Faerûn
Category:Inhabitants of Toril
Category:Inhabitants