Keeper (Erah 9-3)

For other versions of the character, see Keeper (Disambiguation)

Keeper riding his Hound, Huar

## Appearance

Keeper is inhumanly tall and strangely thin, clad in leathers and furs which cloak most of his body. Since his transformation into an archfey his features have become more wild, growing claws and fangs as his features took on a rugged canine cast.

## Personality

Keeper was always highly militant, a supporter of the rapid expansion of the Hunting Grounds and fearless fighter of the endless crusade. He enjoys the visceral nature of combat and has a particular affinity for the use of fire magic. Since his transformation, and as part of his ongoing competition with the hero deity Thyra, Keeper has become more and more obsessed with various forms of nature magic, wards in particular, and enjoys seeing demonstrations of such from visitors to his domain.

## Powers

Keeper is a hero deity and an archfey, as well as an archdruid of considerable ability. With assistance from a variety of allies he has formed a number of signature epic spells to utilise for a variety of offensive and defensive purposes. In combat he commonly assumes his Arbiter Form, transforming into pure planar energy with supernatural durability. As an Archfey Keeper possesses several nebulous abilities related to his domain as well as a natural talent in curses. His most notable power is the Simulacra however, which allows him to create magical duplicates of himself and others at will.

## History

Keeper has been a member of the Wild Hunt for centuries, fighting in the armies of Draeg and earning considerable acclaim as the Huntmaster's Oracle. Keeper had little interest in the politics of leadership however and spent his time as a general, leading the battles of the Hunt from the frontlines while he left governance of the people to his grandfather Elder and the Houndmaster. Keeper often came into conflict with the forces of Gigaheim, particularly the Princess Thyra, who would also become a hero deity in time as they both achieved increasingly grand feats of martial prowess in the eternal crusade. Eventually the two would put aside their differences to temporarily to join forces with a band of adventurers in concluding the war of the Kolshet and Lung Empires, razing the palace and capital and defeating the god shard of an entity known as the Void Dragon. His actions in slaying the god shard, which died to the hand of Keeper personally, earned him ascension to the rank of Archfey, a Master of the Wild Hunt in service to Lord Draeg. Keeper would subsequently return to Vafheim and create a series of spells designed to seal extraplanar influences off from the mortal realm, as well as attempting to heal the continental devastation caused by the Kolshet war. After some debate with Keisara however Keeper was persuaded to limit the use of his warding spells to his realm of Galathirmár in order to avoid the wrath of the Nictic Pantheon. After this he went on a long journey with his friend Huar to find the Great Dog, a powerful spirit who could aid them in healing the lands of the great wars wrath. Keeper completed seven tasks on the Great Dogs behalf in order to secure this alliance and together they began the work of restoring the wilds to their former glory. Keeper and Thyra would continue to battle across the aeons, having developed a respect which burgeoned into a form of competitive friendship.

## Domain

As a Master of the Wild Hunt, Keeper was granted a domain of his own in Vafheim. The domain is known as Galathirmár and takes the form of an enormous gnarled tree filled with passages, staircases and great cavernous chambers. The interior dimensions of the tree do not exactly match the exterior, though the branches of Galathirmár extend into the clouds. The interior of Galathirmár is hostile to outsiders, with plants sometimes swiping at heads, flowers whispering behind their backs and the native inhabitants being generally grumpy and uncooperative unless Keeper has given them the right of passage. Entering Galathirmár is difficult as the branches will thicken to bar trespassers and the location is warded heavily by Keeper against intruders. Those who carry a leaf or acorn of Galathirmár given to them freely by a native of the land are free to enter and the branches will move aside to show passageways twisting into the tree's interior for those who bear such a mark. While within Galathirmár anyone can find the Grove of the Keeper, a place where Keeper sometimes resides to receive visitors, by staring into a fire and singing a song of prophecy. The domain is inhabited by a number of fey, predominantly packs of blink dogs, treants and dryads. In addition the Hounds of the Wild Hunt fly among the upper branches of Galathirmár and rest within some of the inner passages and chambers. The wise leave them well alone.