Castigere

**Aeldric, the Watcher in the Woods:** ("Short" version, with some spoilers left out to keep it fun, I can send a private message to the DM on those). Adjusted to Forgotten Realms/Sword Coast due to starting with Ice Spire Peak

Aeldric grew up in Triel, a small village near the Reaching Woods and the Duskwood, east of the Fields of the Dead. His mother owns a bakery and his father is a retired militia captain who was an adventurer in his youth. Aeldric led a simple life and eventually married a lovely young girl from his town named Idalia.

They were happy for many years, until Idalia's father became ill. On the advice of the town Alderman, she sought the aid of an old woman who lived in the Duskwood. The woman made what seemed like an easy enough, innocent bargain, which Idalia accepted. Her father was cured... but died in a tragic incident just a week later.

When the time came for the old woman-- actually Ophelia Stitchwiggler, a hag in disguise-- to collect on their bargain, Idalia was horrified at the true cost of the deal she had made. She chose to fight, and the hag killed her... after taking what was due.

Aeldric came home to find his wife murdered, and the authorities seemed helpless to do anything about it. His father, Dramus, told him he needed to accept the tragedy and get on with his life. Finally, he sought advice from the Alderman, who suggested he talk to an old woman who lived in the Duskwood...

The hag told Aeldric his wife had been unjustly murdered and his only hope was to journey to the Shadowfell and petition the Raven Queen to return her to him. She gave him an amulet and instructions on how to pass to the Shadowfell by using the amulet and passing through a gnarled and twisted tree near her hut.

Aeldric made it to the Shadowfell-- but something was waiting for him on the other side. Ophelia had no intention of helping him, and had sent him over like livestock to the slaughter to settle a debt of her own. He managed to escape, but found himself stranded and alone in the bleak nightmare realm. Falling asleep from exhaustion, he dreamt of a dark figure, of shifting form and inscrutable motive, named Endrod. It told him about the Shadowfell and the Feywild, Yin and Yang shadow realms of the Prime Material Plane.  He explained how the Gods allowed them to visit Faerun, but they were not meant to stay there permanently, to exert influence, to prey upon the beings of Toril. Endrod offered to help Aeldric survive and achieve his quest, but in return, he must pledge himself to his cause... to remove "trespassers" who overstay their visits on the Prime Material Plane and cause trouble. Aeldric, having just lost his wife to a fey creature, immediately agreed. He woke to find a strange mark on the back of his right hand, and new abilities he did not possess the day before. He also had a guide and companion, a shapeshifting Fey Familiar named "Farthing" who preferred the form of a Raven.

In time, Aeldric made it to the tower of memories... to find that his beloved wife's soul had already departed to the higher planes. The Raven Queen herself offered him a boon: If he would allow her to experience both the heights of his deep love for Idalia and the crushing depths of her loss, she would grant him Idalia's last memory as a mortal. He did so, and the Raven Queen entered his mind, savoring the experience. She left behind Idalia's memory, revealing the hag's true nature, as well as Idalia's bargain and the terrible price she paid.

Making his way back to Triel, he tried to raise a lynch mob to attack Ophelia, but her influence ran far too deep in the community. Too many bargains had been made, too many people owed her something, were vulnerable because of their secrets Ophelia kept. His father offered to help, but the two of them were not enough.

Aeldric now hones his skills and abilities, hoping to one day have the strength to confront Ophelia and destroy her and her hold over the village of Triel. But in the meantime, Endrod has a mission for him...