Nanoc the Barbarian

      Nanoc is from the village of Hammstead south of Devarnish, where he was raised by a Priest of Kord named Justin Stronghand. Nanoc had a human mother and an orc father. His father was a member of an orc clan that kidnapped several women from Hammstead and he managed to have his way with one of the young women before she and the others were rescued by a band of adventurers that included Justin. When the young woman died during childbirth, Justin took it upon himself to raise the half-orc boy. Fortunately, Nanoc inherited his mother's good heart rather than his father's bad one, and he took to the teachings of Kord that Justin imparted.

      By the time he was ten years old, Nanoc was stronger than any man in the village, but he always combined his great strength with a basically good nature and concern for others. To this day he wears a bear skin from a grizzly bear he killed single handedly at the age of eleven when it attacked a group of villagers. Justin also ensured that Nanoc spent time with a (relatively) benign group of orcs in order to learn about the other side of his heritage.

      Nanoc found most elements of orcish culture to be repellent, but he did manage to learn the language well. Although good natured, Nanoc has little use for rules and codes of civilized conduct, save for the teachings of Kord. Now that he has come of age, he has left Hammstead to find his own way in the world.

Danton Verbrugge the Rogue

     Danton Verbrugge was born in Mitrik in Veluna into the family of a petty official.  Danton entered official service as an agent in the service of Veluna, where he served with brilliance, devotion and great prowess.  By all accounts (at least by Danton's account), he was destined for greatness -- an eventual seat on the councils of state. 

     Alas, it was not to be.  According to Danton, he fell in love with "Vanessa," an exceedingly beautiful daughter of a nobleman, ultimately incurring her father's wrath.  (When asked why the nobleman would have objected, Danton has always indicated that, "doubtlessly," the nobleman had betrothed his daughter to another man or was prepared to give her hand for a politically advantageous marriage.) 

     This led to Danton's ejection from Veluna, including the confiscation of his property.  Indeed, Danton has expressed concern that, should he be seen in Veluna, his own life could be in jeopardy.

Mauser Gregorus the Cleric

     Mauser Gregorus speaks little about his background, but he makes no secret that he hails from the great city of Greyhawk, and he appears to have seen more of the world than his years would suggest. Mauser has had a lifelong interest in magic, but he realized from an early age that he lacked the aptitude to manipulate it well enough to be more than a mage of middling skill. Certainly he would never have been able to rise to membership of the Circle of Eight, the standard to which any Greyhawk spellbinder worthy of the name must aspire.

     Instead, Mauser found himself drawn to the teachings of Boccob, the Lord of All Magic. Mauser knew that the gods were another source of magic and power and, having met many priests and scholars of Boccob at Greyhawk's Great Library, the young man felt a connection with Boccob that he sensed had the potential to take him to greater heights of magical power than he could ever have reached on his own.

     After completing his clerical studies at the main temple of Boccob in Greyhawk, Mauser struck out on his own. While the Flanaess can be a dangerous place for a lone traveler, Mauser has proven more than able to take care of himself and has gotten himself out of more than one tight situation. However, he has also come to realize that trustworthy companions could be useful as he seeks power and influence in the world. Mauser is a driven man determined to find that which is secret and hidden, and he seeks like-minded allies ready to join forces for mutual benefit and advancement.

Telemachos Rhavelle the Fighter

     Telemachos Rhavelle hails from the town of Libernen in the Kingdom of Furdyondy.  His family is a member of the lesser Furyondian nobility and has a long record of distinguished service in the Furyondian military. Telemachos' father served as a Captain in the Furyondian navy until disappearing, along with his ship and crew, while on patrol in the western Nyr Dyv nearly two years ago.

     Telemachos was trained by a tutor in all of the arts of Furyondy, including rhetoric, oratory, poetry, philosophy, history, and art.  He also began training in the arts of warfare at the Royal Furyondian military academy in Chendl. However, when his father's ship disappeared with all hands lost, Telemachos refused to believe that his father was dead. At his mother's urging, he agreed to stay in Chendel long enough to finish his basic military training, but upon graduation from the academy in the spring of 592, he immediately returned to Libernen to console and protect his mother from aggressive suitors seeking to take possession of her and the family lands.

     However, upon arriving in Libernen, Telemachos soon realized that only his father's return could truly solve the family's problems. Leaving a note behind for his mother, Telemachos thus departed Libernen after a short stay, carrying little more than his armor, sword, shield, and a few rations. Heading south and west around the Gnarley Forest, Telemachos reached the river Velverdyva in just over a week. With little in the way of a plan and his food and money already running low, Telemachos caught the first river barge to pass by, and rode it as far south and west as Verbobonc.  Since arriving in the port city, Telemachos has struggled to formulate a plan to continue his search, even as the last of his money runs out.

Luger Gregorus (a.k.a Luger Borchardt) the Cleric

     Luger Gregorus was born in Greyhawk in the spring of 570 along with his twin brother, Mauser.  While Mauser embraced all things magical and was obsessed with arcane knowledge and magical devices, Luger took a more pragmatic view of life. While Mauser spent much of his time in the library, Luger spent his time on the streets or in the back room of his father's gem shop learning how business in Greyhawk was really conducted. Later, when Luger was to be accepted into a prominent thieves guild in Greyhawk, Mauser announced his plans to leave the city to find adventure wherever his curiosity would lead.

     Months after Mauser's departure, assassins of the Scarlet Brotherhood assaulted the Gregorus home. Luger came home one day to find his father murdered and his mother gone. Sensing his own life was in danger, Luger sought help from the only person in Greyhawk he trusted: Adam Grantham. Grantham was the Captain of the Guard, though Luger knew him to be Sir Grantham, Knight of the Shield and head of the Shield Lands' information
network in Greyhawk. Luger had met Adam through his father’s network of contacts.

     Adam informed Luger that the Brotherhood had offered a heavy price to anyone who could produce Luger or his brother, Mauser. Most of the thieves and assassins guilds were on the streets looking for Luger and agents had been
dispatched to Furyondy in search of Mauser. Adam impressed upon Luger the need for him to hide himself thoroughly and to that end, took him to the temple of Heironeus for sanctuary. After months in refuge at the temple, Luger came to appreciate the teachings of Heironeus and was soon trained to be a man of the cloth. Under the priests' and Adam's tutelage, Luger gained in skill and wisdom and would never be mistaken as the promising young apprentice thief he had once been.

     Equipped by the church and the Knights of the Shield, Luger tithed a great deal of the small fortune he recovered from his father and donated much of what remained to the effort to reclaim the Shield Lands from Iuz. With the blessings of Heironeus, Luger left Greyhawk in search of his brother, to warn him of the danger and persuade Mauser to join him in the search for their missing mother.  Within the church he is known as Luger Borchardt. Only Adam and a few priests of Heironeus know his true identity.

Karzak Dragonslayer the Dwarf

Karzak learned the trades of all dwarves – mining, stonework, metalwork, gemcutting – from his father. He was a quick study and became adept at his work. Like all dwarves, he was also trained in combat to battle the hordes of orcs and goblins that routinely left the underground depths and raided the dwarven holds. As Karzak matured, he began to wonder about the wider world beyond the mountain. His parents and teachers had told stories about the other races and how they discriminated against dwarves and wanted only to steal dwarven treasure. In short, Karzak was taught that the world outside had poor craftsmanship, wretched races, brilliant sunlight, and a displeasing appearance. He dreamed about it nonetheless. Ironically it would be an attack from the outside that would finally give Karzak the opportunity to realize his dream of seeing the outside world.

In 591, a great red dragon assaulted the dwarven hold, scattered most of the inhabitants and took up residence in the mountain, assembling a hoard stolen from the dwarves. The frightened residents marshaled their resources to protect themselves and their treasures. After much planning a dwarven strike team was assembled, comprised of some of its
bravest warriors and masses of younger dwarves, the latter of which included Karzak. The dwarves gave battle mightily and fought the dragon for days in a running battle under the mountain. In the end, the sheer numbers and tenacity of the
dwarven warriors drove off the dragon, but not before the wyrm had killed almost all of the warriors. Karzak was horribly
disfigured in the battle, suffering ghastly burns over much of his body. He survived only because of his incredible constitution. Reinforcements who arrived after the dragon withdrew found Karzak lying unconscious and near death. He was slowly brought back to health and rewarded with whatever duty he wanted.

With his wanderlust, Karzak chose to be a captain of the clan’s merchant bodyguard—the group of elite warriors that protected trade caravans bound for lands both distant and near. It was on his fourth trip outside the clan hold that events brought Karzak into contact with the party.

Sir Peter Sparhawk the Paladin

Sir Peter Sparhawk was raised by his father, Sir Stephen Sparhawk at Monteblanc Castle in Furyondy. He served as page and then squire to his father. He was tutored in history, diplomacy, religion, and other liberal arts subjects by the local sage Aristophen. He is an uncommonly pious young man, devout in his studies, strong in swordplay, and charitable to a fault.

At nineteen, he left home with his father’s blessing, seeking to rid the world of evil, one brigand or evil
creative at a time. He is filled with an uncompromising sense that the world is broken into the
forces of good and evil and can only be repaired by the complete and utter destruction of evil. With such an idealistic vision in mind, he fervently hopes that when he departs the Oerth, his noble deeds and pious heart will be rewarded by Heironeous. To aid him in this quest, he carries his father’s heirloom, the masterwork greatsword, Justice, on his back.

While on his travels, he has engaged many forces of evil, occasionally aligning himself with similar-minded adventurers. Several months ago, he learned about a strange temple in the northern Lortmil Mountains when he killed several evil travelers from the temple. Determined to root out the place, he recently arrived in the vicinity of Rastor, where he
has begun to scout out the nearby temple to gather intelligence.

Sylfaen Trebuchet (Syll) the Sorcerer

Sylfaen Trebuchet, or Syll to his friends, originally hails from Celene, but he left at a young age for reasons he has not explained.

After leaving Celene, Syll made a living for a time protecting traders’ caravans traveling
through the Kron Hills and throughout Verbobonc in the days before the Kron Hills gnomes sealed the region off from the outside world. He learned the roads, the people, and the markets, both legal and illegal, of the region and became adept at finding and acquiring esoteric items and information—for
a price.

He was in Woodstock to wrap up loose ends on several business deals when he met the party and agreed to take the group through the Hills to Rastor. Syll is adept with a blade and also seems to have some innate magical ability that does not require study or spellbooks.