![[Pasted image 20251210151058.png]] - **Race/Class:** Human Paladin (*often living under the false name [[Ronan Blackfen]] during his years in [[Waterdeep]] in the late 1480s to early 1490s DR*) - **Born:** 1466 DR - **Status:** (Currently Alive) (*physically 27 in 1493 DR, 143 years of lived memory*) - **Oath:** ~~Devotion~~ Oathbreaker - **Height/Build:** 6’1”, lean, wiry muscle honed by years of combat and travel - **Origin:** Born in [[Silvercross]] in the summer of 1466 DR to [[Rowan Eldwynair]] and [[Therona Eldwynair]], raised in the shadow of the [[Order of the Lucky Blades]], sworn to [[Tymora]]. Brother in all but blood to [[Kaelen Droswynn]] and [[Lira Morningvale]]. - **Alignment:** CG - **Favorite Food(s):** *Ironpot Stew with a slice of carrot-honey Loaf from [[The Silver Flagon]]* - **Curse:** Upon death- or upon nearing his thirtieth year; Dio’s life resets to the moment of the battle at the [[Cathedral of Lathander]]. Each rebirth carries with it the full memory of every prior cycle, all anchored to the instant he took [[Olivia Halcrest]]’s life while she lay possessed. The curse is the work of [[Beshaba]], who denies him the release of death and instead returns him again and again, grinding him through loss and failure until he breaks and willingly accepts her as his patron and becomes her chosen- a purpose she has never explained, and one Dio himself does not understand. **His quest, is to break the chain that holds him within her domain, escaping her shadow and returning to his people- yet he does not know the right way...** ##### Appearance & Gear - **Hair:** Silver-white, once black before Olivia’s death, usually tied back - **Skin:** Pale - **Eyes:** Amber - **Clothing/Armor:** - A distinctive red wide-brimmed hat (_once [[Olivia's Hat]]) - Red tunic from his days in the Order of the Lucky Blades - Long-sleeved black undershirt - Armor worn beneath and over the tunic, layered rather than uniform - Common boots, trousers, and gloves- practical and unadorned - **Weapons/Items:** - [[Olivia's Sword]], carried across his back by bandolier, seldom drawn - A mundane utility dagger sheathed behind his belt - A battered kite shield bearing Tymora’s faded visage, slung beside the sword ##### Personality & Beliefs - Outwardly cocky and theatrical; inwardly bitter, exhausted, and scarred - Uses charm and dry wit to deflect pain and uncomfortable truths - Cynical toward the gods- especially [[Tymora]], whose silence he takes as abandonment - Harbors a quiet, enduring hatred for [[Beshaba]] and her [[Doommaster]]s - Fiercely loyal to companions, yet reluctant to burden them with his past - Suffers deep guilt over the blade he carries and rarely wields - Wanders without a fixed destination, seeking understanding, not redemption... and answers to what it will take to end his connection as Beshaba's chosen for good... ##### Relationships & Influence - **[[Olivia Halcrest]]:** - ***Before Olivia’s death***: Olivia was more than a mentor- she was the weight that kept Dio from drifting. She mocked his cocky grin, called his bluffs without cruelty, and demanded that his boldness mean something. In her presence, he never needed to perform. After drills, when the halls fell quiet, they lingered- trading stories, soft laughter echoing off stone, and silences heavy with things neither dared name. Dio loved her and never spoke it. Olivia loved him in return, folding it into guidance, trust, and the way her hand rested a moment longer on his shoulder. What they shared was real, and unfinished; a bond lived in glances and restraint, never given words. - ***After Olivia’s death***: Dio wears Olivia’s crimson hat and carries her sword, though he rarely draws the blade. Every death, every cycle of the curse drags him back to that instant- the blindness, the strike, the uncertainty of her final breath. To Kaelen, he is the betrayer who killed her. To Lira, the victim of fate’s cruelty. To himself, he is the man who survived the woman he loved, left with nothing but silence, a distant laugh, and the ghost of a whisper that may never have been real. - **[[Rowan Eldwynair]] (Father):** - ***Before Olivia’s death***: Dio admired his father's warmth and unshakable heart. [[The Silver Flagon]] was a place of laughter, stories, and faith worn lightly. - ***After Olivia’s death***: His pity became unbearable. What once comforted now reminded Dio of what he had lost. Leaving [[Silvercross]] meant fleeing that warmth before it turned fully into disappointment. - **[[Therona Eldwynair]] (Mother):** - ***Before Olivia’s death***: Dio respected his mother's discipline and strength, even as her expectations pressed heavily upon him. - ***After Olivia’s death***: Her silence cut deeper than anger. Her prayers for redemption felt like judgment already passed. He left without farewell, unable to face her faith turned inward upon him. - **[[Kaelen Droswynn]] (Brother in arms):** - ***Before Olivia’s death***: Kaelen was an older brother in all but blood, stern, exacting, and dependable. - ***After Olivia’s death***: Their bond shattered. Kaelen laid Olivia’s death at Dio’s feet, and Dio carries that condemnation like a scar that never fades. - **[[Lira Morningvale]] (Sister in arms):** - ***Before Olivia’s death***: A mischievous younger sister, forever daring both Dio and Kaelen into trouble and laughter. - ***After Olivia’s death***: Her loyalty became the only kindness Dio could still reach. She defended him when others turned away, though he believes her faith in him is misplaced- and himself unworthy of it. ##### Notable Incidents ###### **Cycles of Dio's Curse:** - **[[CYCLE 01 - The Alleyway]]** - **[[CYCLE 02 - The Cliffs of Cormyr]]** - **[[CYCLE 03 - The Apple]]** - **[[CYCLE 04 - The Howls]]** - **[[CYCLE 05 - The Festival of the Moon]]** - **[[CYCLE 06 - Rumors]]** - **[[CYCLE 07 - The Duel]]** - **[[CYCLE 08 - Dancing in the Dark]]** - **[[CYCLE 09 - The Peel of Destiny]]** - **[[CYCLE 10 - Happy Birthday to me]]** - **[[CYCLE 11 - Burning for Water]]** - **[[CYCLE 12 - A Brief Respite]]** - **[[CYCLE 13 - All along the Watchtower]]** - **[[CYCLE 14 - The Golden Bell]]** - **[[CYCLE 15 - The Horizon's Edge]]** - **[[CYCLE 16 - The Burning Building]]** - **[[CYCLE 17 - The Hollow Cloister]]** - **[[CYCLE 18 - The Lie That Held]]** ##### **1466 DR - Birth** - Dio is born in the village of [[Silvercross]], home to the [[Order of the Lucky Blades]], a militant faith dedicated to [[Tymora]]. ##### **1480 DR - Start of [[The Second Sundering]] (Age 14, Cycle 1)** - Divine upheaval shakes [[Faerûn]]. Earthquakes, storms, and wars erupt. Gods stir, their Chosen appear. Tymora is strangely quiet. - Dio begins formal training as a squire of the Lucky Blades. - [[Kaelen Droswynn]] (17): Already in training, stern and disciplined, becomes Dio’s sparring partner and older-brother figure. - [[Lira Morningvale]] (11): Joins as a squire, playful and mischievous, instantly looks up to Dio and teases him constantly. ##### **1484–1485 DR - War of the Sundering (Ages 18–19, Cycle 1)** - [[Kaelen Droswynn]] (21-22): Now a full knight, increasingly frustrated with Dio’s irreverence, though he respects his courage. - [[Lira Morningvale]] (15–16): Still in training, sneaks dice games with Dio during lunch, shares mischief and trust with him. - [[Olivia Halcrest]] (71-72): Mentor to Lira and Dio, a beacon of Tymora’s boldness. Her bond with Dio deepens- mentor, comrade, and something more, though unspoken. - [[Beshaba]]’s [[Doommaster]]s spread chaos, their laughter rising louder in this time of change ##### **1486 DR - The Battle at the [[Cathedral of Lathander]] (Age 20, Cycle 1)** - What began as little more than a quiet outing- an informal visit meant to learn more about the [[Cathedral of Lathander]] and its rites- was never intended to be a mission at all. [[Olivia Halcrest]] led the trip as captain of the Training & Discipline wing, bringing Dio and [[Lira Morningvale]] along to observe and listen, to speak with clergy and townsfolk and deepen their understanding of faith beyond drills and doctrine. [[Kaelen Droswynn]] was not assigned to go; he belonged to a different wing entirely. He came anyway, unwilling to let the others go without him; more brother than escort. They were still speaking with the gathered faithful when the storm outside broke, and with it came the cultists, pouring into the cathedral like rain through shattered doors and windows. In the space of a heartbeat, conversation became chaos. - Kaelen moved first and never gave ground. Trained among the Luckwardens; he met the cultists at the doors and held them there alone, steel rising and falling with practiced certainty, each strike measured and inevitable, as if this were no more remarkable than another duty long rehearsed. Lira broke off into the side aisles, moving fast, breath sharp, slipping between pillars and pews with frantic precision as she cut down attackers one by one. Near the altar, Dio fought back-to-back with Olivia, his commanding officer, protecting the clergy and townsfolk caught in the storm, holding sacred ground through discipline rather than dominance as thunder rolled overhead and stained glass burst across holy stone. - As the fighting near the altar began to thin, something else seized the moment. The press of cultists had lessened, bodies scattered across the fractured stone as the storm raged on. Olivia’s eyes turned black, her voice twisting into cruel, mocking tones as [[Beshaba]]’s influence wrapped around her, her hat blew from her head and was cast away while she turned her sorcerous powers on Dio. He dodged and sidestepped spell after spell, ducking and weaving through the wreckage in an attempt to talk her down, until his foot caught on a fallen body and he stumbled. A spell struck him square in the face, stealing his sight. Blind and panicked, he heard footsteps rushing toward him from the front of the cathedral and believing another cultist was closing in, he thrust his sword forward. It struck true. When he pulled back and his vision began to clear, Olivia stood before him, her eyes already fading from black to their natural color... Before she had even collapsed, Beshaba’s plan was set into motion... ##### **1487 DR - The Breaking of an Oath (Age 21, Cycle 1)** - The Second Sundering comes to its close. [[Mystra]] is restored, the [[The Tablets of Fate]] are rewritten, and the world begins to heal... except for Dio. - In fury and grief, he casts away [[Tymora]]’s coin (*his Divine Focus*) into the [[Immerflow River]] and breaks his oath, abandoning the [[Order of the Lucky Blades]], his family, and [[Silvercross]]. - That night, the curse laid upon him by [[Beshaba]] finally takes hold: - *His hair drains from black to white, a visible scar of his fall.* - *From that moment on, each time he reaches thirty- or dies before it... he is torn back to his twentieth year, body renewed, memory unbroken, fate unrelenting.* ##### **1493 DR - The 18th Cycle (Physically 27, Mentally 143)** - After years of deliberate anonymity in [[Waterdeep]], Dio’s self-imposed exile ended in spring of 1493 DR when [[Durnan]] quietly passed him a sealed letter addressed not to [[Ronan Blackfen]], but to Dio Eldwynair. A summons from [[Yang Pahlavan]] calling him to [[Dragon's Rest]] on [[Stormwreck Isle]], the first sign in over a century that someone had seen him through the curse he held as if they knew...