Bran Skorlsun

Bran Skorlsun was a well-respected High Harper, who dared to love an elven princess and was also the indirect cause for the creation of the Tel'Teukiira.

Description
Bran was a tall man beginning to visibly age at the time of Khelben's trial. He had a weathered but square-jawed, healthy-looking face.

Personality
Bran was known to be hot-headed, stubborn and unreasonable. His desire for a 'pure' Harper organization was supposedly formed during his forty years as a tracker of spies and turncloaks and was only strengthened by his enmity with Khelben. He generally had a grim outlook and preferred to be alone. He was a good man, with the best of intentions, but his difficulty in social situations and overzealousness led many to think the worst of him. Still, he was capable of influencing people with that selfsame stubbornness.

Bran disliked magic being used on him.

Combat/Tactics
Bran was a very strong warrior. He could hold a man aloft with only one hand but he also possessed the grace and stealth of a cat. He was highly skilled in the use of daggers, longswords, and longbows.

He was an exceptional tracker. His tracking skills were matched by few in the Harpers.

Possessions
Bran's arrows were all marked with ravens, his namesake.

History
In his youth, Bran was an adventurer with the Company of the Claw (whose members were later slain by Elaith Craulnober). He came to the attention of the Harpers as well and was still a very young man when he was given his Harper pin. For several decades, Bran tracked down false and renegade Harpers, proving himself one of the group's most skilled trackers. At some time during this period, Bran's efforts to keep the Harpers 'pure' led to Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun making an enemy of him. Khelben had done several things which Bran considered traitorous but he lacked the evidence to accuse a master Harper of such.

Bran met and fell in love with Princess Amnestria of Evermeet. The two had a half-elven daughter together, whom they named Arilyn Moonblade. When the elves found out, they were upset. Amnestria was the guardian of the elfgate power of her moonblade, which controlled a portal between Evermeet and mainland Faerûn. Her interracial relationship was seen as a threat to the security of the island. Amnestria was banished from her home and Bran was charged with keeping the moonstone from Amnestria's moonblade, which held the key to the elfgate, safe for the rest of his life. Bran had to accept that if he was to keep to his charge then he would never be able to see his beloved again.

Bran returned to his duties, eventually being reunited with his daughter in 1361 DR. Bran sponsored her as a Harper and gave both Arilyn and her protector Danilo Thann a Harper pin for their help in defeating the Harper Assassin.

The Trial of Khelben
In Tarsakh of 1370 DR, Bran finally saw the evidence that proved Khelben a traitor. Harpers had discovered that Khelben had been the one who had stolen the Scepter of the Sorcerer-Kings, a powerful netherese artefact thirteen years ago from the Catacombs of Ordulin. This artifact had since ended up in the hands of the Zhentarim.

Bran was among several senior harpers who were called to Twilight Hall to discuss the next course of action and there he presented all of his previous claims of Khelben's traitorous activity. Bran was one of three harpers chosen to preside over Khelben's trial along with Obslin Minstrelwish, seneschal of Twilight Hall and Belhuar Thantarth who ran the harper stronghold in the absence of Cylyria Dragonbreast, who was severely ill at the time. The Twilight Trio, as they came to be known, kept the proceedings from Cylyria at the urging of Obslin, who was in love with her and didn't want the stress to affect her recovery. Bran seized on every piece of evidence that showed Khelben to have acted inappropriately, while choosing to ignore most evidence that suggested otherwise. His single-mindedness spurred the Trio to accuse Khelben of corruption and conspiracy, charges which, when brought to trial, Khelben readily admitted to without remorse. Khelben and Laeral Silverhand both resigned from the Harpers, immediately returning to their home in Waterdeep.

The Harper Schism
Having been unable to punish Khelben for his admitted guilt, Bran (who had taken Khelben's place as a master harper after the trial) and Belhuar had the word spread that Khelben was a traitor to the Harpers. Within two months all Harper holds had been warded against entry by Khelben and Laeral while Obslin continued to keep the news from Cylyria. Twilight Hall became a centre for anti-traitor sentiment and investigations were made into all Harper activities. Bran's aim of keeping the Harpers 'pure' gained the support of a great many of Those Who Harp and a witch hunt began among the ranks for traitors. Cylyria, when she recovered from her illness, was powerless to stop events already in motion while Obslin and Belhuar, although having only the best intentions at heart, had been caught up in Bran's zeal like many others.

The Harpers were divided. Many Harpers who weren't caught up in Bran's witch hunt continued with their lives as if nothing had happened, while the rest trusted Khelben implicitly and either took no action against him or resigned too, joining the Tel'Teukiira.

Appearances

 * Elfshadow
 * Thornhold (mentioned)
 * Silver Shadows (mentioned)
 * Evermeet: Island of Elves (mentioned)