Taro

*"I'll be honest, there is no place I'd rather be than whittling by a warm fire. But peace and tranquility feels so much better when you've fought tooth and claw to protect it"*

*"Well, we uh...* encountered *a dragon. It would be a shame for what's left of it to go to waste"*

**Taro** is a member of the Adventurer's Guild, played by @Græfox.

## **Appearance**

Taro stands about 6'1, and is fairly skinny at around 140lbs. His black fur and pointy feline ears make his catfolk heritage clear. He has yellow-green eyes. Taro wears a dark gray woolen robe, buttoned with small leaf pins he carved from dragonbone. In descending order the leaves are *Hop Hornbeam, Ash, Red Oak, Sugar Maple,* and *Hemlock.* He is often seen wearing a thick gray traveling cloak and hood over his robes, especially on rainy or snowy days. This cloak is trimmed with platinum embroidery of iris flowers and ferns, and 4-pointed stars of various sizes across the fabric. These stars seem to illuminate the cloak in varying colors, shifting the appearance to better blend in wherever he goes.

Always by his side is his bow, a thin black shortbow carved from ebony. The tips of the limbs have silver loops that hold the string, which seems to be made from threads of moonlight or possibly platinum. The handle is engraved with patterns of ferns and stars, inlaid with silver. These patterns glow slightly under the light of the moon. When an arrow is nocked to this bow, the tips seems to resemble a glowing point of starlight.

Taro's quiver is formed from thick gray leather, the top ringed with black fur. The leather is engraved with patterns of the sun and moon. The quiver seems to be capable of holding more than just arrows, as he is often seen storing his bow, quarterstaff, and a sword in it. All arrows drawn from the quiver seem to appear as obsidian-tipped arrows with black feathers or dragonbone broadheads fletched with silver feathers, despite the appearance they have when they are placed within.

Taro often carries a thin black staff with him. It is around 4.5ft long, closer to a Bo staff than a quarterstaff, and carved from Hop Hornbeam. Burned black by flame, it is covered in intricate engravings of vines, ferns, flowers, and paisley patterns, with druidic runes interspersed throughout. These runes symbolize moonlight and shadow. Under the light of the moon, the vines seem to shift on their own, as if being blown by the wind. Their ability to bend and shift but never break has inspired Taro's particular style of unarmed fighting.

## Personality

*"Sorry, I'm still learning how to people"*

Taro is, in fact, still learning how to people. Those he has met in the AG are some of the first people he's spoken to other than his parents. He is usually hesitant to initiate conversations with anyone he doesn't know well, especially if he perceives them as more capable or wiser than he is. Once he does start talking with someone, he is fairly quick to trust them and will fight to protect them however he can. He also tries to share little bits of wisdom with those he feels more comfortable around, but is still learning to organize his thoughts in a coherent and understandable way.

Taro is always working on *something*. Usually a smaller whittling project, he enjoys the process of the craft more than the final result. His pockets are often full of little things he has made, which he happily gives out to those he meets. He also like to make things for others, hoping to convey his appreciation for them with the time spent on their gifts. He is always on the lookout for new materials to work with, and new ideas. His mindset towards items has not changed since he left home, still thinking that if he needs something, he must make it himself. Taro crafts most of his gear, and in the rare case he trades or buys things from others, he heavily overpays in gold and often throws in a crafted trinket or two. He considers the exchange or purchase a favor, which he wants to pay back.

When he is not crafting or sleeping, Taro can usually be found at the training grounds by the pool. He enjoys practicing and improving his skills, and wants to be able to protect those he fights alongside should he need to. He usually practices his archery, but will occasionally spar with his friends. He does not feel comfortable doing full contact sparring, so he will either use padded arrows/training weapons or pull his blows before they land.

## History

### **Backstory**

Taro grew up in the jungles of Chult. He lived with his parents in a small cabin, isolated from civilization. He learned much about the homesteading life, including carpentry, archery, farming and hunting practices, and textile work. His mother also taught him to harness the magic in his blood, using bloodfire to protect himself and to unleash his feline side in times of need. These abilities came from her father, though what the connection is Taro does not know.

A few years back, A messenger arrived at their homestead, bringing news of the return of Mezro. His mother was summoned, and his father went with her. Taro, being only 17, opted to stay back at the cabin. Several years passed without their return, and Taro was beginning to wonder about the rest of the world. From his grandfather's journal he found in an old box in the cabin, he learned small bits about the history of Mezro and the outside world.

He left the cabin around the time he turned 21, hoping to come back but knowing well it may be a while. He wandered through the jungles on his own, surviving both wild and civilized dangers, before eventually arriving at the mainland and traveling north. He accidentally walked into a cult, where he unintentionally freed a brainwashed devotee and fled with them. This devotee, Verian, became Taro's traveling companion on the road north. A month or two later, they arrived in Phandalin and both joined the AG.

### AG History

*"And you have my bow"*

His thoughts on some of his more memorable missions:

"Some of the sailors in Waterdeep were having trouble with the fishfolk. we sorted out the issue and also tied a huge shark to the front of our boat."

"We travelled to the high forest to sort out a hill giant problem. Turns out the giant was several goblins in a giant suit. There was also a magic dragon that apparently wasn't real?"

"We went to help some dwarven folk clear out their mines, as they were having an insect problem. Something was wrong with their blood, it was... worms? Either way, a slime creature didn't take too kindly to us dispatching their 'children' and we had to deal with them too. I'm surprised we made it out alive."

"I went with a potion seller named Amisra to help her stop a cult. We went to the Shadowfell, a place I would never like to see again."

"A rather nasty green dragon had their body switched with a brass dragon.. It took me a while to figure out who was right. Chasing down a dragon on the back of another dragon is probably one of more unique experiences I'll ever have."

"Ghouls and Ghasts... that was close. Too close."

## Relationships

### Lyra

Sample Name is a friend/enemy/ally/acquaintance of your character

### Verity

Verity is a close friend and trusted companion of Taro. They met on Taro's first mission in the guild, and have become good friends and training partners. Taro has promised to help Verity with whatever he can after Verity promised to come with him on his journey into Anauroch.

### Vanitas

Vanitas is one of Taro's close friends, training partner, and adventuring companion. Taro and Vanitas met on one of their earlier guild missions and have gone adventuring together quite a few times.

### Verian

Unlinked Sample Name is a friend/enemy/ally/acquaintance of your character

## Housing

Taro has built a small cabin in the woods north of Phandalin.

The cabin is built in a large grove of hemlock trees, set back from civilization by a long winding stone path. The cabin itself has a stone foundation, though much of it is made of timbered logs. Taro harvested trees from farther away and brought them to preserve the forest atmosphere around his home. The main building of the house is roughly L-shaped, with a wrap around deck that extends halfway around the house. A set of stairs leads up to this deck on either side, and the deck is built around several large hemlock trees. A large stone fire pit is built into the southern part of the deck for evening meals. The high roof and engraved eves are all covered in darkened wood shingles, with planter boxes full of ivy and hanging mosses that droop down off the roof towards the ground below.

Connected to the house by a large arching trellis is the woodshop and storage shed, where Taro keeps most of his materials for future projects. This large room has a stone fire pit in the floor, several tables and chopping blocks, and no wall space due to the amount of shelves and random projects leaned against them. Along the back wall of the shed is a long table holding many chisels and small knives, perfect for any sort of woodcarving project. The large trellis canopy that arches over the path between the shed and the house is covered in ivy, wisteria, and more hanging moss, providing cover in the winter and a beautiful flowering display throughout the summer. Behind the cabin is a small clearing bordered by somewhat wild ferns. Taro has a small herb garden in this clearing, along with several archery targets and yet another fire pit.

The main room of the house is open and neat, with a stone floor and a partial wall separating it from the kitchen and soon to be alchemy workstation. A door opens out to the northern facing deck, and the kitchen fireplace is tucked into a corner. As this is the only room with large windows, dozens of plants in pots and jars line the window and every available surface. Off to the right is a small door leading to a storage room, along with a tinkerer's workbench full of all sorts of crafting tools. This room has a small stairway that leads to an underground basement, the walls lined with smooth stone and bordered with planks of dark wood that also line the ceiling. The cooler temperature in this room is ideal for mixing up potions, and Taro has a small alchemical laboratory set up for this reason.

Through a wide, open doorway is the chill room. This room is darker and cozy, with a large fireplace and stone mantle tucked against the north wall and a set of stairs leading to the attic against the east wall. To the south, a small window and door lead out to the deck. in the center of the room, the dark wooden floorboards are covered by a large fur rug, with couches and chairs around it for lounging or sleeping by the fire. On the mantle above the fireplace a bow is hung, along with a deer skull, several small wooden carved statues, and some low-light plants. This room is also Taro's bedroom. In the southeast corner of the room, just before the stairs begin, there is a low wooden table with a dragon skull on it. This is the skull of Vortax, a fowl wyrm Taro helped slay on a past adventure. The skull is bleached white, with a small hole cut in the top, and filled with soil. Ivy grows out of it and wraps along the horns, climbing along the walls and staircase. Underneath the staircase is a large loom and spinning wheel, along with shelves holding weaving materials. Several candles are mounted on the stair banister, in carved wooden holders. The room always smells faintly of burning cedar wood.

The attic of Taro's house is mostly empty, used as a storage room. The western half is partitioned off, used to keep dried goods and unused items. The eastern half has a small skylight and several plants, along with a couch and small rug. This room can be converted into a bedroom if needed.

## Magic Items

#### Attuned:

Scroll of the Master, Ioun Stone - Mastery, Robe of Stars

#### Unattuned:

Quiver of Ehlonna, Weapon +3 (Shortbow), Weapon +3 (Handwraps), Carpet of Flying, Ring of the Infiltrator, Boots of Elvenkind, Ring of Spacial Storage.

## Trivia/Facts/Whatever Else You Want

* Taro is heavily inspired by Gray's love for woodcarving, archery, and cats
* Taro does not consider himself a lycanthrope despite being able to transform, as his hybrid form is very similar to his normal form and he was never told where the power comes from.
* Taro is likely somewhere on the Ace spectrum

## Art

Because of copyright laws, **do not post art that you do not have permission to use** in this field. If you do have permission, make sure to **link the artist's credits**.