Aeron Dunkrild

*"Picture a great galley, with new sails, the finest captain and a hardy crew. Now envisage it rudderless, without purpose or direction, drifting in the ocean that is life. That is Aeron." - Leyawin Millwaters, Priest of the Church of Selûne.*

**Aeron Dunkrild** is a Tethyrian human cleric, a Novice of the Church of Selûne who seeks to host a festival of the 'Night That Lasts a Week'.

## Backstory

### Early Life

Aeron was born to the Dunkrild merchant family in Amn. His father Tybus Dunkrild is an entrepreneur specialising in spices, rare gems and silks. Aeron's mother, Chryslet Wustral, heiress to the Wustral fortune, was married to Tybus in a strategic move by both families to undermine and hopefully usurp the title of **Pommarch** from the Cyrist Nashivaar family on Amn's Council of Five.

The youngest of three brothers. Aeron grew up in Esmeltaran sharing none of his brothers' ambition or wishes to take over the family business. His oldest brother, Davith, and Julios, the middle child, have taken on roles within the Dunkrild trading company, with Davith managing contracts and Julios captaining many trade missions.

When it became apparent to Tybus that Aeron was unlikely to take up a post in his business, he arranged for tutelage in the ways of a Cleric and had Aeron committed to the Church of Selûne. His intention was to curry favour with the Church to secure safe navigation during trade routes, however this did not prevent him from losing a sizable portion of his fortunes when his holdings were seized in Chult.

### Twilight of his training

Aeron's lackluster attitude towards his training did not prohibit him from passing his inductions and trials. On the contrary, his natural skills in spellcasting him afforded him high marks, much to the ire of his mentor, Leyawin Millwaters and his peers.

The main tenets of equality, compassion and female empowerment were taken on by Aeron, even if he lacked the vigilance typically expected of Novices.

It was eventually decided, either because Aeron had learned all he could, thrown one too many 'Night-Ceremonies', or because he had bedded on too many of his female peers, that the best option for his future training was practical. He therefore set out to wander the Sword Coast offering aid where he could.

### A Foray into the Feywild

On his travels, while collecting herbs and medicines to be used in alchemical supplies, Aeron was drawn to an apparent warp in time. He saw a butterfly, flapping its wings at a fraction of it's usual pace, yet still remaining aloft. Unfamiliar with such a phenomenon, he followed it and in doing so, passed unintentionally through an unchecked barrier into the Feywild.

Before he could register traversing the plane, Aeron found himself surrounded by the bizarre and colourful lands guarded by the Seelie court.

Fortunately for Aeron, he was chanced upon by Verenestra, daughter of Titania and Inner member of the Seelie court. Aeron's relaxed nature caught the attention of the Fey and he was permitted to reside with Verenestra in her domain for a month, before she grew tired of him.

Before sending him back to the gate where she found him, Verenestra gave him a parting gift by imbuing Aeron with a small blessing of the Feywild.

Aeron arrived back at his camp, the fire he had started over a month ago, merely burned down to dried embers and his provisions still fresh. To his surprise, by inspecting the night sky and the foliage around his camp, it became apparent that just over a day had passed in the material plane since his misadventure.

## Adventures

### Rescue at Hickory Hollow

As Aeron was passing time in Avylania on route to the temple of Whiterock, he was approached by George and Sodden the Junior who beseeched him to aid in the rescue of Seazkale Kruvah, who had been taken prisoner by Wereboars at Hickory Hollow. The trio were able to defeat the Wereboars, capturing their leader Goretusk and freeing the guards who had been imprisoned. Kruvah was not found and it was revealed he had convinced Goretusk to release him, leaving the other prisoners stranded.

Aeron then successfully travelled to the monastery of Whiterock, where he spent his time researching instances of lunar eclipses, events of time warps and creatures or spells with the capacity to extend or alter the natural flow of time. He spent his non research hours brewing up antitoxins to donate to suitable temples around Faerûn, but his stay was cut short when he criticised the monks of Whiterock for their practices of celibacy. He was asked never to return.

### Carousing - Post Hickory Hollow

Aeron spent the majority of his earned wealth frittering away on cheap thrills, gambling, drinking and rubbing shoulders with nobility. He managed to procure a star map from a less academic aquaintance and make connections in the city of Ormath with the names of Ida Reed (human female noble) and Aluk Bryel (elf male sea captain). Though his time in and out of the gutter and jail for disturbing the peace left him with lighter pockets than usual, not to mention his agreement to take on the debts of one Oscous Bayhuth, owner of a construction company.

### The Grim Harvest of Brisbyrg

After spending his hard earned coin and after one too many sore nights at the gamblers den, Aeron hears rumours in the City of Ormath that a necromancer who typically preys upon towns in the Deepwing Mountains is due to extract his toll once again. Seeing his placement as a chance of divine intervention, he makes his way to the town of Brisbyrg to ascertain what can be done to help the people there.

Upon arriving at Brisbyrg, Aeron encounters the mushroom addled Kurk of the Lastfingers and the verbose Veil of a Mask. They hear the plea of the townspeople to help defend themselves against Lord Alvernus Winterthorn, the necromancer who adds to his hoard of undead using the populous of the Deepwing Mountains. The town's meeting is interrupted by a representative of Winterhorn, who is defeated by the bolstered forces of the town.

After a debate on whether to use a home turf advantage or take the fight to Winterthorn before he could replenish his forces, the trio of Aeron, Kurk and Veil elected to search the mountainside for Lord Winterthorn's hideout. Finding it on their second day, the group utilised their superior numbers to overwhelm the abandoned mine, with Aeron taking the Spectral Serpent Scythe from the necromancer's corpse.

The town rejoiced to know they would no longer be forced to give sacrifices to their previous overlord and now celebrate the Festival of the Fleet Scalemoon to mark the anniversary of their liberation.

### The Song of Lady Olynda

Tasked by his father to seek out business opportunities in the new free city of Thollos, Aeron joins Kurk and Veil in meeting with a member of the town guard Jayne Matillion. While unable to provide connections to the trading companies of the city, she expressed concern about individuals experiencing headaches around the Market Square.

It was determined that music appeared to be coming from the pits of Thollos, attempting to draw people under the surface. After successfully negotiating past a pack of Wererats, the trio managed to locate the source of the melody, the spirit of Lady Olynda, a once noble woman of Thollos was seeking revenge for the slaughter of her family long ago.

The trio barely manage to resist her song and laid her spirit to rest proper, stopping the song and freeing Thollos of a potential threat.

Aeron was in turn introduced to the de facto ruler of Thollos, Duke Roon Magoon, who sent him, Veil and Zirilia Windsinger on a quest for riches in Calimshan.

### The Tomb of Tierra

Accompanying Veil of a Mask and Zirilia Windsinger, Aeron travelled to an archeological dig site in Calimshan purported to be the grave of the god Tierra who was slain during the Dawn War. Aeron immediately argued with the leader of the dig site, leading to a surprise ambush from the Moles bandit gang, resulting in the deaths of two apprentice archeologists.

Upon gaining entry to the tomb, Zirilia was able to read a celestial inscription which indicated the altar was indeed a shrine to Tierra. She thanked the group for not forgetting her and enquired what we would ask of her, Veil was blessed with the power to create light from his form and Aeron asked for the light of life to be restored to the innocent researchers who had been slain by the bandits. Unfortunately, the remaining archeologist revealed his greed by asking for Tierra's ring of sunlight, causing her to fly into a rage and smite him as he fled.

The remaining group carefully retreated so not as to draw the god's ire further.

### Fineas Floop's Funhouse

While travelling around Cosarchia City, the trio of Aeron, Veil and Kurk stumbled upon a house many shunned. Called "Fineas Floop's Funhouse", the property revealed itself to be more sinister than its exterior initially let on. With flooding rooms, mazes to navigate, and creatures to defeat, the three found themselves trapped in an endless cycle of a shifting labyrinth. It was only when the throne in the third room of the funhouse was moved to face a beholder that the puzzles end was met and the three were able to escape with a small sum of gold in tact.

### Carousing - Post Fineas Floop's Funhouse

Aeron once again fell into his expensive habits of spending his recently earned coin. He enjoyed making acquaintances with many of the elite of Corsarchia, though it was a humble shop alchemist named Koeth Mellerelel who caught Aeron's eye. The two met a second time at a mercantile soiree and had a fleeting romance, Aeron was drawn to his smooth talking, experience, and mischievous edge despite his age, maybe because he embodied the bizarre urges of the Feywild. Regardless, Aeron was disheartened to hear this wild side of Koeth had led to the unintentional death of a human who owned a competing alchemical shop. While he was convinced by Koeth it was indeed an accident, Aeron broke things off and encouraged his ex-paramore to make things right by confessing or making restitution.

Leaving Corsarchia with a bitter feeling about his association to Koeth, Aeron found welcome distraction in receiving a message from his father, Tybus Dunkrild, demanding he take sail to Port Nyanzaru in order to establish whether the Dunkrild Trading Company could once again find a foothold in Chult.