Olenea Kulanathala

**Olenea Kulanathala**, or **Olenea Watchfailer Kulanathala**, was a goliath of the Kulanathala clan of the Spine of the World. Once known by the name 'Dawncaller' for her role of protecting her people and keeping watch throughout the night, she became known by the name 'Watchfailer' when she fell asleep during a quaggoth raid that saw many in her tribe dragged into the Underdark. During a self-imposed exile from her clan, Olenea took on the worship of the dragon god Bahamut as well as the task of becoming a Drakewarden for the silver dragon Clarionvaalystil, who supported her quest to find her missing tribe. Her quest eventually led to her capture in early 1486 DR by drow slavers led by the priestess Ilvara Mizzrym, Mistress of Velkynvelve. Olenea would go on to escape Velkynvelve with a group of escaped slaves, becoming one of the most integral members of a group calling themselves 'The Commandos'. During her time in the underdark she was inflicted with werebat lycantropy, losing her the blessings of Clarionvaalystil and gifting her the rage of a bestial barbarian.

Olenea was a character in the currently ongoing *Out of the Abyss* adventure, taking place in the Northdark.

## Description

Olenea was a female goliath. She stood tall at about 7 feet and 9 inches (2.3 meters) and weighing around 322 pounds (140 kilograms). When she first entered, Olenea appeared to be a goliath in her prime with silver irises and black hair. After both contracting werebat lycanthropy and being affected by a ghost's horrifying visage, Olenea resembled a far older pug-nosed goliath with prominent fangs, pointed ears, and light red eyes. After transitioning from a Ranger into a Barbarian, Olenea went without armor and without shoes, benefiting from both her tough goliath skin and the protections gifted to her by her curse. She was almost never seen without her cursed *Glaive of Vengeance*, which she took off a slain gnoll opponent.

## Personality

Olenea was very typical for a Goliath, being determined and fiercely devoted to those she viewed as her clan. Often she would speak bluntly, finding it to be a waste of time to dance around topics. She was also quite confident, and always strove to do her best, since to her, everything was a compitition in it's own way and she refused to sit around and lose. Her determination also contributed to her being quite stubborn, but this grew worse after she became afflicted with madness during her time in the underdark. This madness made it so she would rather destroy a friendship than admit to being wrong, so when Olenea made a decision she would stick to it no matter what.

Her personality was also impacted by her werebat lycanthropy. The curse made her more violent due to the blood thirst she now held, and she also became far more reckless, due to being emboldened by the resistance to harm it gave her. This often lead to her main strategy in battle being to throw herself at enemies without any regard for her safety, even throwing herself in the way of attacks on her allies. She was also much more volitile, even disregarding the curse of her glaive, Olenea would grow quite angered any time she dealt with a frustrating opponent.

## History

Olenea was born to Zathi Brightspeaker and Daavi Stonehand, members of the Kulanathala clan in the Year of Holy Thunder. Though she was not raised by her parents, instead being watched after by the tent-mothers as all young Goliaths tend to be. Despite this fact, Olenea maintained a close relationship with her father throughout her youth, since unlike her mother, Brightspeaker, named for his cheery attitude and charisma, had responsiblities that allowed him to stay with the main camp of the clan quite often. However, Olenea quickly grew to be independant, with a tent-mother determining her to be ready to contribute to the clan by the age of eight, almost two years earlier than most.

When she began to contribute to the clan, Olenea was found to be quite keen when it came to picking out small details, which earned her the name Trueseer, as well as for her ability to learn the ways of the land around her, and her affinity for the enviroment was impressive as well. Though, by far, her steadfast attitude stood out the most, and after a night where she sang songs with others of her clan, the Chief told her of the position for which she would be inspired to train. Dawncaller.

As Olenea grew, she eventually achieved this goal as well, and at the age of sixteen she achieved her goal, and shed the name she was given in her youth as the chief renamed her Dawncaller. Despite the competetive nature of this position, and all the other in her clan who competed for her place, Olenea remained Dawncaller for the next fifteen years, keeping watch over her clan, and rousing them in the morning by singing loud their stories.

Until one day, in 1481 DR, Olenea failed to take the proper rest in the day when she was meant to watch that night, and then spent the hours before the rest of her clan went to bed partying. Drunk and sleep deprived, Olenea fell asleep while the only one on watch. She only awoke when she heard the screams of young Goliaths. She tried to stop what was happening, but it was too late. By the time she got to the place where the screams had come from, a group of what she would later discover to be Quaggoths were already running away with many of the children and some other members of the clan in tow. Olenea had faltered on the night when they truly needed her, and due to her weakness, her people had been stolen away and those who took them disappeared into a cave leading deep below the mountains before they could be taken back.

Before the sun rose, Olenea gathered her things, knowing that she now deserved exile for her failures. As the Goliath was departing her clan, the current chieftan caught her, and spoke to Olenea one word: "Watchfailer". She understood that this was the new title she had earned.

Olenea spent considerable time wandering the Spine of the World alone. She spent time with Dwarves, descended for a few times from the slopes, though found the lands of humanity unappealing. During this time, she learned of the Dragon god, Bahamut. Finding his ideals to be honorable, Olenea began offering prayer to the god, and only a few months later, she stumbled across a den on one of the peaks of the mountains which she roamed, inside she met the Silver Dragon, Clarionvaalystil. She had learned that Silver Dragons could be quite benevolent, so she decided to take this chance, hoping to perhaps make up for her mistakes. She told the dragon her story, and pleaded with him to find her lost kin. Instead, the dragon gifted her with a small, silver egg, and told her that he would grant her some power so that she might find them herself.

With the Silver Dragon's blessing, Olenea sought out the cave to which her pursuit of the Quaggoths had ended, and descended far down, eventually reaching the underdark. however, she only was there a short time before she was kidnapped by Drow, and brought to Velkynvelve as a slave.

## Gallery

Olenea Kulanathala, after being infected with lycanthropy and aged by a ghost's curse. Art by @sheep\_shin.Sketch of Olenea, by @sheep\_shinOlenea's Token during *Out of the Abyss*.