Din

Gatshadow

### Cause(s) of Death

1. (Physical death) Stabbed through the chest by Riza using S'gail which trapped her soul in Tharizdun's prison.(Soul death) Sacrificed her soul to send Hindsight to Elysium and away from Tharizdun

Din was an aasimaar paladin that was descended from Pelor. She was a member of the party that originally overthrew Strahd von Zarovich in Barovia and was also a close friend to Williner Farnell.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Din was tall and had long red hair, this hair would flare with golden light when she activated her aasimaar heritage. She had golden yellow eyes that gave a strong clue as to her heritage from Pelor. She was a great beauty yet didn't flaunt it, instead letting her deeds speak for her. Din wore ornate plate armour that was designed to emulate that of Pelor himself.

### **Personality**

Din dedicated herself to fighting for those who could not fight for themselves, particularly upholding peace and justice. She believed everyone should get at least one chance to redeem themselves for past evils, but she wasn't one to give second chances if people returned to evil after their first chance.

During her adventures in Barovia, Din seemed very naive, mostly due to her youth, lack of real world experience and her lack of understanding of her true aasimaar heritage. However, in the years following her leaving Barovia she developed a strong understanding and relationship with Pelor as well as deepening her knowledge of the world.

Din often fought to protect the people of Tal'Dorei as her god's vessel and developed a reputation for a fair yet firm hand. Theodore Balmhand thought highly of Din and said as much to Williner Farnell.

Following her death, Din proved even more reslient and powerful than at first thought. She resisted the madenning powers and tortures of Tharizdun for over 2 years, even protecting other souls that were consigned to the prison. She proved herself even more selfless when she sacrificed her soul so that her friend, Williner and his allies, could escape Tharizdun in the Gatshadow.

## **Biography**

### **Early Life**

Din was born in the city of Vasselheim, the oldest and holiest city in the world. She was raised in the temple of Pelor there and before long she began to show a level of martial prowess and underwent training as a paladin. The temple's priests hid her true heritage as an aasimaar from her, believing that she would gain an inflated sense of her own importance if she knew of it. Once her training was complete she swore an oath of devotion to Pelor before setting out to serve as a paladin spreading his teachings.

### **Curse of Strahd**

Din had spent several years on the road when one night a series of visions of a glowing bladed sword in a swirling snowstorm guided her to a deep valley, as she entered the valley, a thick mist formed around her and she briefly lost her way. She soon discovered that the mist had drawn her into the valley realm of Barovia in the Shadowfell and she came across a tower. There she met three other adventurers, who were finishing up a funeral for one of their own. Din introduced herself and joined with these adventurers, finding an aarakocra monk named Pikkik, a half-orc barbarian named Korg and a tiefling warlock named Riza as her new travelling companions. They explained to her their mission to destroy the vampire lord of the valley, Strahd von Zarovich and that they needed to find a sword of pure sunlight. Knowing that this was the same sword from her visions, Din happily provided her services, although she quickly came to mistrust Riza, seeing that the warlock was rapidly falling to evil deeds and madness.

After a series of adventures in the valley, the group came across a pair of tall towers that Din recognised from her visions and there they found the *Sunsword*, the blade she had seen. Soon after, the group were ambushed by Strahd and Riza sacrificed herself to kill grab the vampire and throw herself over a cliff. Following this, the group met Portia, a halfling sorcerer who agreed to help them.

Eventually the group cornered Strahd in his lair and Din struck down his physical form using the *Sunsword* after she was empowered by her aasimaar form, exposing her true heritage. Korg then finished off the vampire in his coffin, freeing Barovia. With the realm free, Din left Barovia to explore her relationship with Pelor.

### **Back in Exandria**

Din found her way to Westruun in Tal'Dorei and began to research Pelor at his temple there. She also formed an extremely close relationship with a student at the church of Sarenrae named Williner Farnell. After a while, Din wrote down her experiences in an account named *The Count of Barovia.* At least once, Din helped Theodore Balmhand's Golden Grin forces in a mission in the Dividing Plains.

### **The Dawndaughter and the Child of Oblivion**

Five years after her return to Exandria, Din recieved word of a lavender coloured tiefling named Riza Whispercreek that was running the newly formed Whispercreek winery from an estate north-east of Kraghammer. Knowing this was the same Riza as she had seen die in Barovia, Din set out to meet with her. Upon meeting her however, Din discovered that the madness and evil she had seen in Riza in Barovia had overtaken her mind and that she was leading a dark mission to free Tharizdun, the mad god that her ancestor, Pelor had worked to chain during the Calamity. Din discovered that Riza was descended from Tharizdun in the same way as Din herself was descended from Pelor and attempted to appeal to the tiefling. Riza refused however and the two engaged in a heated duel.

The duel carried them out of the estates manor to an ancient ruined tower on the western side and the two both pulled all of their power in an attempt to overcome the other. The sheer expendature of power that occured shattered the tower and made it begin to levitate. Din and Riza both activated abilities that allowed them to fly, taking the battle to the ruined tower. Exhausted, Din summoned a huge amount of Pelor's strength into her soul to allow her to strike one final blow. However, she was outsmarted, as at the last possible second Riza twisted, avoiding Din's strike and driving *S'gail,* the blade of Tharizdun, into Din's heart through a weak point in her armour. The blow killed Din but rather than her soul ascending to Elysium as it should, Din found her soul was imprisoned in the prison of Tharizdun by the magics of *S'gail*.

Din and Riza battle one another

### **Final Death**

For two years after this event, Din's soul was tortured by Tharizdun within his prison. However, much to his surprise, she resisted and instead fought back, protecting the other souls sent to the prison by Riza as much as she could. After two years, Tharizdun was freed by the Council of Echoes and with him, all of the souls imprisoned alongside him. Din's soul was one of the last to leave, still glowing with golden light. However, unlike the other souls who fled in fear of Tharizdun, Din's soul recognised that amongst the band of heroes facing him was her old friend, Williner Farnell. Knowing that Hindsight could not stand against Tharizdun and would have nowhere to flee, Din created a shield between his dark magics and the adventurers, before summoning the last of her strength to send the party to the plane of Elysium and safety. She gave to Williner a final goodbye, saying she was proud of what he had accomplished, before turning and charging at Tharizdun. While it was not seen, Pelor confirmed to Hindsight that this act had cost Din her soul and that she was truly dead, with no hope of revival.

### **Legacy**

Following her physical death, Din left a large legacy that was felt by many in Tal'Dorei. Her *Sunsword* was taken and corrupted by Kulos, overloaded and used as a bomb during his attack on Westruun. The destroyed hilt was found by Pseuda, who then passed it to Williner. Eventually, Sarenrae repaired the crystal in the blade for Williner and Felix Bishop fully repaired the hilt, building the blade into a new arm for Williner, who had lost his during his time facing the Council of Echoes. Hindsight also possessed a copy of Din's book *The Count of Barovia* which Argos used to further his understanding of the Shadowfell. Riza was proud of her defeat of Din and used blood magic upon her skull to allow whoever touched the skull to view a vision of Din's final moments in their duel. Din's skull was used to taunt Williner when he was a prisoner of the Council of Echoes and he later saw the vision firsthand when he picked up her skull during Hindsight's assault on Whispercreek Estate.

Lydia Starguard spoke of a bright spirit that protected her and others during her time in Tharizdun's prison, this was Din's spirit. Her spirit saving Hindsight from Tharizdun allowed the party time to rest and recuperate before facing him again, eventually allowing them to defeat him. While in Elysium, Williner Farnell also took up the wielding of the Staff of Pelor in honour of his fallen friend and her sacrifice.

## **Relationships**

### **Pelor**

Pelor, the Dawnfather, was Din's ancestor and the source of her power. She worked hard to uphold his teachings and fought in his name. She was able to channel his power enough to send Hindsight to his realm of Elysium, even when she was only a spirit and did not possess a physical form.

### **Riza Whispercreek**

Riza was one of Din's travelling companions in Barovia. Even then, neither fully trusted the other, due to Riza's deepening madness and evil deeds. When Din got word of Riza's survival she opted to give the woman one final chance to surrender but the warlock refused. The duel that resulted was the most heated and deadly battle of Din's life and it eventually claimed her life as she was outsmarted by Riza.

### **Williner Farnell**

Williner was a good friend to Din and the two both separately had a romantic interest in the other. However, they remained unaware of the other's feelings and as such never acted on it. Williner fought Tharizdun and the Council of Echoes in Din's name after discovering her fate.

## **Equipment**

Din possessed several notable pieces of equipment, but two stood out amongst the others.

* The *Sunsword* - Originally a blade found by Din in Barovia, Din took up the weapon against Strahd von Zarovich and eventually struck him down with it. She later used it in a duel against Riza before she was struck down by the warlock.
* Armour of Pelor - While not the armour of the god himself, Din possessed an enchanted set of plate armour that was designed to emulate the look of the Dawnfather. This armour was taken from Whispercreek Estate by Portia and currently resides with the Prime Battalions of Westruun.

## **Trivia**

* Din's design and weapon were intended to emulate the Jedi from the Star Wars Saga.
* Lydia Starguard felt like her month spent in Tharizdun's prison felt like a decade, by which logic it can be assumed that Din's soul resisted Tharizdun for what must have seemed to be around 240 years.