Name: Vaelor of the Greatwatch
Gender and Pronouns: Cisgender Male (He/him)
Class: Champion Fighter/Oath of Devotion Paladin
Sexuality: Never tells (Is keeping his options open though)
Romance: Non (Not now, at least…)
Best Friends: Halsin, Wyll, Karlach
Vaelor was one of the strongest Leonin warriors of the Greatwatch pride, a pride known for reveling in violent battles and conquest. Proving oneself through bloodshed was considered an honour among leonin in the pride, and questioning such a mindset was met with hostility. Leonin was respected as a formidable warrior, having fought in many battles in his pride’s name, helping conquering weaker Prides for the Matriarchs of the Pride. Not something he always enjoyed, but something he always knew.
When a young traveller from Baldur’s Gate, Rosalie, came to seek temporary shelter at the Pride, Vaelor was oddly intrigued by her presence, enough for him to volunteer to acquaint her with their customs. The two became surprisingly fast friends, and it did not take long before they fell in love. Vaelor felt his heart soften at the songs Rosalie sang, the way she would use her hands to mend instead of break and how she viewed the world with kindness and affection. Rosalie admired Vaelor’s willingness to learn, and his good intentions when he believed otherwise. The two would exchange knowledge in secret- for the customs and rites important to the Pride, she would exchange songs and stories from her land.
His affections towards Rosalie was a massive taboo. In the Greatwatch pride, relationships with people outside of Leonin kind was especially forbidden. When a scout discovered Vaelor’s love for Rosalie, he immediately reported it to the council, who gave Vaelor and ultimatum- Break his bond with the woman, which will guarantee a peaceful exile for her, or refuse and have them potentially risk death. Refusing, Vaelor made plans to flee with his beloved. On the night, however, tragedy fell. A scream- Rosalie’s scream- rang through the savannah. Vaelor acted, but when he arrived at the scene he saw members of his kin attacking Rosalie. He tried to fight them off, but by the time he managed to chase them away, Rosalie was dying from a mix of losing blood from the attack, and exhaustion. She handed him her shawl, and inside Vaelor found a wailing newborn, only a few hours old. He did not even know Rosalie was with child, let alone the name of the infant’s father. All that could leave Rosalie's lips was a name: Aria, and the last words of a lullaby as life slipped away. Grief stricken, he made a vow that night- Raise the child as his own, protect her, , keep the memory of her mother alive.
With the infant in his arms, Vaelor fled the territory of his pride, choosing to adopt her as his own. He shortly discovered a Caravan, and accepted a position as a guard in exchange for a place to sleep, eat and raise Aria. Over the next six years they remained with Caravan, where days were filled with patrols among caravans, and nights filled with campfire stories and songs between him and Aria. He taught her the songs that her mother once sang to him, braiding her hair, and allowing her to braid his mane, both using hair beads that belonged to Rosalie.
The caravan was facing a gnoll ambush when the Nautoloid came and took people in the chaos, with Vaelor being one of them receiving a nasty tadpole in his skull. He comes to find in his journey to remove this tadpole and reunite with his daughter, that the Pride he has tried to escape may have more ties with the Absolute Cult on the rise than he thought.
At first glance, a person may be intimidated upon first glance at Vaelor. On top of the lack of reports of Leonin in Faerun, he appears indifferent at best, cold at worst. Scars on his face and paws reflect years of battle, a voice reflects a person who had witnessed bloodshed, some by his claws.
But it is not hard to see the man he tries to be as he holds the child under his care, letting her braid his mane and call him ‘Papa’. A protector of the innocent, someone trying to move on from his past and seek a new, calmer future.
While he generally prefers to keep to himself around most people, when he trusts someone, he can be a warm, affectionate person. He kneels down to meet children at eye level, he never turns down someone when they ask to sit by the fire for the night, and when splitting a roll in half he always insists on taking the smaller. He uses his watchful, observant nature to his advantage, keeping an eye on the people he travels with, remembering small details about a person, or catching on to when someone may not be as trustful as him.
It can be hard to change his mind about something- while it means it’s harder to lose his trust, if you have betrayed him or proven unloyal, he remembers and holds that grudge for a while. It’s a habit he learned from his days at the pride- when someone’s claws are always unsheathed, you can’t be too wary about being scratched. He has a protective streak about him, which can sometimes lead to him making unfair conclusions or reckless situations, especially when he is reminded of the night he lost almost everything dear to him.
