Charlotte

The town of Bowhurst is known for two things. First is their dislike for visitors to their town, second is their dislike for visitors to their town. As some sort of small courtesy, there is at least a tavern on the outskirts of their town where travellers may rest while journeying by the town. Entering the town is out of the question however, as they have erected a twenty foot high wall around the city, and the gate is almost always barred. No one knows why they adopted this policy, but since then, the town interior has been considered its own protectorate and completely separate from the government of the realm of Ere-Stade.

The town's wayfarers inn keeper happens to be a yellow dragonborn, fierce and seemingly far more friendly than the town's name would suggest. If you pay her well enough and get her in the right mood, you might be able to coax out of her the story of Charlotte.

The poor girl has a grave outside of the town, although she is far from at peace. One night a group of adventurers staying at the wayfarers inn heard screams from the town and entered to find the spirit of the girl and a rabble of ghostly guardians. They managed to chase the girl away, but as anyone who knows anything about the town could have guessed, they were not thanked for their trouble. Hounded out of town, they turned their backs on the haunting and travelled on.

The story of the girl is one of blind ignorance.

At an early age, the girl seemed to begin developing psionic powers. Her parents tried best to contain her, but found no one within the town who could help her. Their letters to those that could have helped remained unanswered, others that did reply found that their letters were returned to them as the gatekeepers of the town turned the delivery people away.

Charlotte, the girl, grew without many problems, protected from prying eyes by her parents. However in her eighth year, she had the misfortune to display some of her ability to a woman within the town who spread the rumour of a strange devil-child with evil powers. Her parents weathered the following storm, until the day their child was kidnapped and found dead a few days later.

Her parents left the town following this, finding their search for justice cut short. They planted a grave outside the town, with a simple inscription.

“HERE LIES CHARLOTTE. SHAME ON YOU ALL.”

The girl sought revenge firstly. The hauntings continued long past her death, until she finally killed those who killed her; A bright shining angel under her control acting on her behalf. It had been hoped that the girl was now at peace, but it was not so. Charlotte took to the roads, looking for her parents. Hauntings around the realm by this girl and her summoned guardians continue.

A Brief History of Lady Diala and her Escorts.

There is not a state politician in the realm of Ere-Stade that has not heard of Lady Diala.

An incredibly private woman, who has seen the realm through some of its most deadly trials and tribulations.

Originally an adventurer with a band of mortals, she defended the realm from the elemental invasion of the First King of the Young Ages. Stories of her exploits persist in books within the great library, and also in folklore.

As is the way with mortals, her companions aged and died, and she entered the direct servitude of Erathis, while praying on the holy mountain for a new mission to dedicate herself to. She became a wandering advisor to the state, travelling between cities and towns to further encourage the spirits of mortals to continue to work together for the benefit of the land and of civilisation.

It has been several hundred years since that time, and her journey has continued endlessly around the realm. Some would say that the way of life most cities enjoy would be down to her involvement, however there has been times when enemies of that goal, malign forces seeking to protect the realm using more forceful and brutal methods, have tried to take her life. After she successfully defended herself from a heavily armed ambush, she has taken to hiring a bodyguard or a small group of adventurers to accompany her in the wilderness.

When the temples of Erathis realised that she needed these protections, they immediately pooled resources to set up a centre to train bodyguards for her. People both strong and wise, able to negotiate less important matters on her behalf, as well as save her from the need to fight off would be assassins.

Since the implementation of this scheme, she has chosen one bodyguard for a period of 20 years, who has driven her carriage, allowing her to spend more time communing with the agents of Erathis, and maintaining correspondence with people throughout the realm of Ere-Stade.

Currently she travels with an Elf by the name of Tryst Allweather. He is eighteen years in her service, soon to be released. He is an elegant Elf-kin, skilled in diplomacy and skilled in combat.

Rumours at the moment abound with news of a group of adventurers who also travel with her, those given to gossip also hear that Tryst and one of their number may be developing a romantic connection.