Breadán Casta

—Breadán Casta

**Breadán Casta** (brah-DAWN CAS-tuh) is a Sylven warrior who was until recently travelling with Queen Adalhard's Caravan, noted as a founder and two-time Commander of the Wyldwood Company. He was formerly human, and came from the Salt Isles.

## Life

Breadán grew up in Buncarrig, on Poddle, one of the Salt Isles to the East of Archaeus. His parents, Tarv and Giorra lived on Soot Street, where they ran a mercantile business. Soot Street was a warren of ex-industrial buildings, abandoned workshops and boarded up warehouses, and Breadán and his older brother Pock spent a great deal of time running riot through the narrow streets.

Both brothers received an education from a Scrivener, and as they grew older Breadán began to work closely with his father in the family business. Pock was called off to war, conscripted under the Viscountess Sutcliffe (the 18th War of Tariffs), and was killed. Years went by, and when war loomed on the horizon again, Breadán slipped out in the night, making for the mainland.

Once arrived, he signed up as a clerk with Piotr Kozov’s Catclaw Mountain Trading Company. Casta proved invaluable to the company, and after a period of friendly hazing (involving a crate and a particularly aggressive cockerel), he was warmly accepted by the others.

On his fortieth journey with the Catclaws, the group was ambushed by the forces of The Bear, infamous elven bandit. Previous encounters had been simple toll extortion, or brief skirmishes, but on this occasion the attack was swift and lethal. Casta was injured, and only survived by hiding under bodies of fallen companions.

He wandered through unfamiliar forest for several days, starving and dehydrated, until he found the camp of the Sylvens in the mercenary caravan, on their way to answer the call from Lady Adalhard.

When the caravan arrived in Etalaan he volunteered to take part in a ritual to attempt extracting information from a cursed tome. While the ritual proved successful, Casta was imprisoned in a gem for the duration, and the experience proved traumatic. For some time after he was insensate, and raved about seeing the Necromancer during his captivity.

After the Battle of Etelaan, he co-operated with Emma Jumpen, a Sylven from the caravan, to found the Wyldwood Company.

During the Siege of Adalhard Manor, Casta was adopted by the Sylvens of the caravan. Instead of the traditional signing of papers, this was to be a ritual, involving most of the ritualists that travelled with the group. His form was bound, and blessed, before his throat was torn out, and renewed. He took the form of a Sylven, a fox, and this ritual would go on to be refined into the Spirit Wash.

Casta would go on to lead the Wyldwood Company in an official capacity during the Arbeth-Tegerron conflict, and in an unofficial one during the hunt for the Journal of Jack Ketch.

During the Invasion of the Pale Elves, Casta recruited new members to the Wyldwood Company, published the first edition of his newspaper Fox News, and fought with a Pale Elf and Jack Ketch before being captured by the Pale Elves during a scouting expedition alongside fellow Company member Valeria. Casta was taken to the Elves' camps, starved until he resorted to cannibalism, and forced to fight other captives as part of the Pale Elves' conscription process. Based on information gleaned from captives, the likely end result, if Casta survived, would be that the Elves would attempt to use a Spirit Wash ritual to change him physically into one of their own.

## Personality and Traits

Breadán is fiercely loyal and protective of not just his Sylven family, but all of those who travel with the caravan. He has shown little regard for his own safety in combat. He is intelligent, and cautious in his approach to unknown objects, or magical matters. He frequently liaises with other factions and groups in the caravan, sharing information and resources.

His exposure to the barbarism and despair of the Pale Elf slave camps has traumatised Casta, changing him in as yet unclear ways.

## Abilities

Casta is a polyglot, speaking all modern languages of Archaeus’ denizens. He is also literate in all languages, and a mathematician and valuer. Martially, he favours sword and shield, and light armour. He also has a (seldom used) knack for subduing troublesome individuals. He is also an amateur bard, often joining in with songs, or telling stories around the fire.

## Paraphernalia

Breadán usually carries a bag containing a water flask, tankard, mess tin, badges and documents for the Wyldwood Company, and his bag of wooden sigils, which he offers freely to the members of the caravan. On his person he carries his blade Geall, a buckler or shield, a sounding horn, and can usually be found wearing the capelet embroidered by the hobbit Rua.