Tau

Tau Greenleaf, also known as Tau the Unburnt, is a half-elf druid living in Lanthir. He is the primary warden of The Unburnt Grove, the First Reformed Grove of Pelor in Lanthir. His animal companion is a wolverine named Nunyae, but he is also friendly with an Awakened raven, Kagagi, who sometimes carries messages for him.

The Unburnt Grove is part of the Cult of Pelor.

## Appearance

Tau has a medium build, dark hair, pale skin, and a full beard. He is somewhat unique among the Elves and Half-Elves of Lanthir, in that most of them do not grow beards.

Tau has severe burn scars around his neck, where Emperor Altaris grappled and grabbed him during the Firebourn Nations' attack on Lanthir.

## History

Tau survived The Storm as many of the Lanthir elves did - by consuming large quantities of psychedelic mushrooms and generally not noticing that anything much was wrong with the world until they made contact with exploratory ships from Grimwalt.

Tau was one of the first elves to leave Lanthir, at around the same time that diplomats and caravans were dispatched to Grimwalt, Tumbleshanks (via the Airy Plains), and The Oasis. Tau and his companions traveled south, toward The Oasis, where he met Fiji Manzana.

Tau was impressed that Fiji and his family managed to produce a successful crop of apples in such an arid climate, and liked how much care the Manzana family took in cultivating their orchard. The pair became friends under the shade of Fiji's apple trees, and Tau returned to Lanthir as a devoted follower of Pelor.

However, he did not become a formal member of the Cult of Pelor until after the Battle of Lanthir. During the battle, Altaris attempted to raze Tau's grove. Tau fought him, but was defeated. Altaris lifted Tau by his neck and looked toward the Guru, asking: "Who is the Sun Father?" Calais didn't bother to answer, and instead tackled Altaris, saving Tau's life. Both Calais and Tau have burn scars from this encounter.

After the battle, Tau rebuilt a stronger, grander grove and vowed that he would never see his forest reduced to ash and soot again.

## Responsibilities

Tau's obligations lie primarily in Lanthir. However, he does occasionally travel when needed -- usually to visit the Sunkissed Field Farms or to bless the fields in Puerta Cosa -- but he is sometimes consulted when the greater branches of the Cult of Pelor run into a Druid-type problem.

Since nearly half of the population of Lanthir died in the battle with the Firebourn Nations, Tau has taken on a more noticeable role within the town. The Unburnt Grove provides food, resources, and healing for those in need, and they do not seek to isolate themselves in the deep forest.

It helps, of course, that every Elf living in Lanthir already practices some version of the Old Faith, and that they believe trees are sacred.

## Namesake

Tau took the name "Unburnt" to signify his survival of the powerful fires commanded by Emperor Altaris (among them, elemental fire culled from the Lanthir ley-line and the flame of the Light of Civilization). Though called "Unburnt," he still bear scars from the encounter.

During the fight, Tau survived to a burst of heat from Altaris that should have instantly reduced him to ash.