User:StarSword/Kalir Patten

"I know I can't save everyone, but if I can't at least protect my loved ones and those who depend on me, then what good am I?"

- Kalir Patten to Ammon Jerro, [|Silver Wolf]

Kalir Patten, possibly the greatest Paladin of the Lanceboard to ever live, Narra Patten's mother, and Szass Tam's arch-enemy. Under her leadership, the King of Shadows was destroyed. Under her command, the Third Crusade achieved victory over the forces of the Fugue Plane. And under the direction of Kalir and her friend Safiya (N human (Mulan) female Transmuter 20/Red Wizard 10), the Academy of Shapers and Binders has become Fort Lightreach, a quiet but increasingly powerful force for political change in Thay, and a bastion against the undead plaguing the rest of the country. Her hatred of necromancers, especially Szass Tam, is matched only by her love for her husband, Gannayev-of-Dreams, and for their three daughters.

The students at Fort Lightreach range from Red Wizards to Lancers, and the town that has grown up around it on the Thaymount has become a haven for escaped slaves and refugees from the current civil war in Thay.

Narra feels she has much to do to live up to her mother's legacy, though Kalir doesn't share the same view: in her mind, Narra needs solely to do what is right.

Kalir Patten received the moniker "Wolf" from the half-celestial Ilmateri cleric Kaelyn the Dove before launching the Third Crusade in mid-1374 DR, in memory of the telthor wolf Nakata whom she accidentally ate with the Spirit-eater power in Okku's barrow.

Physical Description
Kalir is a tall and slender woman of ethereal beauty, with blonde hair, violet eyes, and a clear, ringing voice that can be heard across the clamor of a battlefield. (Despite this latter trait being common among descendants of trumpet archons, she now suspects her bloodline is descendant from a solar due to the traits exhibited by Narra.)

In battle, Narra wears custom-enchanted adamantine full plate, carries a large shield, and wields the Silver Sword of Gith.

Birth and Childhood
Kalir Patten is not only a heroine, she was born of one: Esmerelle Patten (LG human (Illuskan) female Rogue 2/Paladin 23 of the Red Knight/Longsword Master) 7), the Hero of Waterdeep and nemesis of Mephistopheles.  Kalir is half-tiefling due to her biological father Valen Shadowbreath, and it is unknown why Kalir was born a deva rather than human or tiefling; she suspects her mother was from a dormant celestial bloodline.

In life, Esmerelle Patten was for two years the Grandmaster of the Order of the Lanceboard, but when her husband Valen died in combat a year and a half after Kalir's birth, Esmerelle was overcome with grief and left the Order to raise their child in her hometown of West Harbor. Her hope was for Kalir to live out her life as a simple village woman, but all that changed when the King of Shadows returned and Ammon Jerro led the armies of Neverwinter to the Mere of Dead Men to challenge him. In the fighting, the Silver Sword of Gith was broken. Esmerelle instinctively dove on top of the two-year-old Kalir to protect her from the blast; a shard passed through her body and embedded itself in Kalir's chest, killing her mother instantly.

Kalir was subsequently adopted by the ranger Daeghun Farlong. She grew up in the now-quiet village, helping rebuild destroyed homes, learning to use a bow, and horsing around with her friends Amie Fern and Bevil Starling. On one of their expeditions into the Mere, they became lost after dark, and thick clouds covered the moon. She inadvertently discovered she could see in the dark that night, and managed to drive off a goblin with a thick oak branch.

Entry into the Order
In Ches of 1370 DR, the twelve-year-old Kalir stole a sword and shield from the militia armory and ran away from home, intending to follow her mother's footsteps and enter the Order of the Lanceboard. The trip was hard, but Kalir took it in stride. She discovered the ability to conjure a globe of light when she concentrated, and learned a great deal about wilderness survival when a freak blizzard interrupted the journey and forced her to hide in a cave for a week.

When she reached Nehr'bak after a three-week trek on the High Road, she stumbled into a tavern. Upon discovering that she didn't have enough money to pay for a room, she tried to pawn her sword to a leather-clad man she took for a mercenary. She remembers the conversation vividly, as it would have lasting consequences for her:
 * "Feh! I wouldn't buy this sword with your money, little one.  The balance is off, and there are chips all along the edge.  Besides which, you need a weapon.  I wouldn't dare leave a young lady unarmed."
 * "Quite the charmer, aren't you. Dammit, I need the money!  I've traveled all the way from West Harbor to get here, and - "
 * "West Harbor? I once knew a Harborwoman - a fine lady, and a cunning warrior.  Do you know her?  Name of Esmerelle Patten."
 * "No, I never knew her. Mother died when I was two."
 * "Mother? What's your name, child?"
 * "I'm Kalir, Kalir Patten."
 * "Ah, you've grown."
 * "Huh?"
 * "I knew you when you were born, Miss Patten. My name is Saladin Dyferras.  I'm the Grandmaster of the Order of the Lanceboard."

Dyferras agreed to teach the young Kalir how to fight, and inducted her into the Order as a Novice. She quickly developed the abilities of a paladin, learning to channel divine energy into her hands and blade. When she offered to pay him for the training ("I'll get the money somehow"), he refused her, saying that he owed her mother. That was all he would ever say on the subject of Esmerelle, no matter how often Kalir asked.

Neverwinter and Glory
In Hammer of 1373 DR, Kalir graduated from novicehood to Soldier rank. She returned home that week. Now fifteen years old and growing into her adult beauty, she found herself the subject of several crushes among the village boys. She flirted with them, but never really got close to any of them.

At Highharvesttide that year, Kalir, Amie, and Bevil competed in the harvest festival, winning all four events. That night, her life took a wild turn when duergar and githyanki attacked the town. Using her tactical knowledge, she helped to coordinate the defense, though her friend Amie was slain by the gith sword stalker leading the attack. The rest is history, and was revealed in Neverwinter Nights 2 and Mask of the Betrayer. Some highlights:


 * She brokered a peace treaty between the town of Highcliff and a tribe of lizardfolk.
 * She joined the Greycloaks in order to gain access to Blacklake District, and broke the back of an organized crime ring in Neverwinter.
 * She made a fool out of Torio Claven and Luskan when they tried to frame her for slaughtering the village of Ember. Her judicial prowess went into the history books.
 * She took command of Crossroad Keep, rebuilt it, and successfully defended it against legions of undead.
 * She talked a King of Shadows-misled lizardfolk tribal shaman into releasing his refugee prisoners, and joining her in defending the keep.
 * She fell in love with Tyrran paladin Casavir, and made love to him after the victory banquet. Unknown to her, that night resulted in the conception of her daughter Narra.  (Casavir never saw their daughter, as he was killed in the collapse of the King of Shadows' fortress.)
 * At the King of Shadows' fortress, she convinced Neeshka to resist her diabolic heritage, letting her break free of the bindings placed upon her by Black Garius. She talked Bishop into leaving the side of Garius and the King of Shadows, kept all her companions but Qara from betraying her, then killed Qara and destroyed the King of Shadows.
 * She matched wits with spirit shaman Gannayev-of-Dreams, talking him into aiding her and Safiya against the telthor bear-king Okku, then overpowered the spirit-hunger to spare Okku's life.
 * She gained the confidence and friendship of Kaelyn the Dove by her devotion to justice, and her determination to resist the lure of the Spirit-eater's power.
 * She freed the trapped spirits of the victims of the Temple of Myrkul, letting them pass on to the afterlife.
 * She reversed the Spirit-eater's life drain to restore life to the Wood Man, using the power of death to grant life.
 * She restored Ammon Jerro to life in the Academy of Shapers and Binders by returning his soul to his body. He told her of the fates of their companions on the Sword Coast North:
 * Casavir: Dead, his back broken holding up an arch for the others.
 * The Construct: Presumably crushed beyond repair.
 * Elanee: Believed dead, crushed by rubble.
 * Grobnar Gnomehands: Dead, crushed by rubble on top of the Construct.
 * Khelgar Ironfist: Alive, but injured.
 * Neeshka: Escaped by the grace of Tymora.
 * Sand: Alive via iron body spell, but trapped.
 * Zhjaeve: Fate unknown, but believed alive.
 * She used Myrkul's own curse to finish off his husk in the Astral Plane, leaving the Crown of Horns as his only living legacy.
 * She spared the life of the Academy's Founder, earning Safiya's gratitude.
 * She led an army of sentient undead, dragonkin, celestials, and fiends through the Betrayer's Gate, resoundingly defeating the forces of Kelemvor in a battle that shook the planes.
 * She freed her trapped soul from the Wall of the Faithless, restored Akachi's name to him, and ended the Spirit-eater curse for all time.
 * Finally, she fell in love for the second time, this time with Gann.

With a little help from Kelemvor, who forgave her for her killing his servants due to her pure intent, Kalir was able to return to the Sword Coast North in mid-1374.

The Formation of Lightreach
On Midsummer of 1374 DR, Kalir married Gann in West Harbor, but returned to Thay soon after, having placed one of her lieutenants in permanent command of Crossroad Keep. Neeshka, and Ammon Jerro went with her to Thay, where they settled in the town below the Academy of Shapers and Binders. She quickly grew in popularity and was named Lady Mayor by its town council, whereupon she renamed the town Lightreach, and with Safiya's blessing, abolished slavery within its borders.

By late 1374 DR, Kalir was eight months pregnant with Narra by way of her single night with Casavir during the War of SHadows, but was no less active. The Lords' Alliance asked her to head up a diplomatic mission to Mulhorand to establish an embassy and trade relations, but the negotiations were interrupted by Narra's birth two weeks into the conference. (The pharaoh was reportedly ... annoyed, but his wife placated him.) Meanwhile, Lightreach expanded into a small city that grew to enclose the Academy on all sides. Kalir sent a communique to the Order's headquarters in Nehr'bak, asking permission to form an Order garrison there; Grandmaster Saladin Dyferras agreed, promoted Kalir to the rank of Commander, and dispatched a number of soldiers to help get the guildhouse started. The garrison took over the second and third floors of the Academy, had its defenses reinforced, and was dubbed Fort Lightreach.

In 1375 DR, Szass Tam made his first probing attacks against Lightreach, to judge the young paladin's intentions. He first sent an envoy ordering her to "submit voluntarily to the Thayan central government" (a contradiction in terms that Kalir laughed at, but more on that later) or be expelled from the country. Kalir replied that governments are responsible to and for their people, and since he and the Red Wizards had abused their power and neglected their responsibilities, she could not in good conscience accede to his "request" (her words). A furious Tam called up an undead army to crush the budding rebellion, but severely underestimated the resolve and expertise of the Order's forces, which Kalir and her lieutenants marshaled into a formidable fighting force. The enemy army was utterly demolished by a mixture of cavalry, infantry, wizards, clerics, and bound devils.

Word of Kalir's victory at Lightreach spread quickly, and runaway slaves, refugees, and even a few Red Wizards began flocking to Lightreach. (The Red Wizards were required to free any slaves in their possession, of course.)

Into the Abyss
In early 1376 DR, word reached Kalir that her friend, the half-celestial Kaelyn the Dove, had been betrayed by the demilich Rammaq. Kaelyn had bargained with him to gain his assistance in bringing down the Wall of the Faithless once and for all, but her idealism became her downfall, and the entire Menagerie save her (and Kalir, named "the Wolf" of the Menagerie by Kaelyn) was dragged into the Abyss by a demon horde. A broken-hearted Kaelyn returned to Celestia and swore never to speak again, lest her voice lead others into disaster.

Enraged, Kalir traveled into Cania, following clues in her mother's journals, and, with Ammon Jerro acting as a sort of infernal attorney, formed a pact with the archdevil Mephistopheles, gaining her access to the Knower of Names by playing on the Blood War and the devils' hatred of demons. She acquired the True Names of Rammaq and Kaelyn from the ancient being, the former to defeat him, the latter to let her friend forgive herself.

Kalir then led her friends back to the Fugue Plane through the Betrayer's Gate, giving the spirit essence of Myrkul (the result of her use of the spirit-eater upon his husk) to Kelemvor as payment for passage to the Abyss. An amused god of the dead placed Myrkul into the Wall of the Faithless.

Civil War
Thay plunged into chaos in 1375 DR with the assassination by Szass Tam of Zulkirs Druxus Rhym and Aznar Thrul, and his betrayal of tharchions Azhir Kren and Homen Odesseiron to Rashemi forces. Lightreach became an island of stability in the nation, attracting a mass migration of refugees. Tam raised an army of undead to destroy the defiant Kalir Patten and Fort Lightreach, still resisting his domination of the Thaymount. Her troops, drawn from the ranks of refugees, allied Red Wizards, former slaves, etc., did almost everything except attack him openly, covertly aiding Dimitra Flass against Tam with spies, tactical advice, etc.

In 1378 DR, Kalir, now twenty, became pregnant again, and in Alturiak of 1379 DR, gave birth to twin daughters, Sybille and Ressa.

When Narra turned eight in 1382 DR, Kalir began teaching her to fight. Narra quickly proved to have even more potential as a paladin than her mother.

Kalir was promoted to Knight-Commander in 1383 DR, following a decisive victory against Tam's Dread Legion on the northwest slope of the Thaymount.

Spellplague and Aftermath
When the Spellplague struck in 1385 DR, Kalir knew it immediately, for the portal connecting Fort Lightreach to Nehr'bak suddenly exploded in a blast of blue fire that blew out half the windows in the city. The Thaymount erupted, and lava flows surrounded the town. They were kept back only by the efforts of a cadre of Kossuthan clerics led by an elemental archon that happened to be in town. Lightreach's walls were badly damaged, but few injuries and even fewer deaths occurred. After re-securing Lightreach, Kalir helped design plans of attack for the allied zulkirs' naval forces, then led an army of sell-swords to victory over Banite allies of Szass Tam.

It took four years for magic to stabilize enough for Safiya and her students to rebuild the portal to Nehr'bak. The portal was still unstable, however, and when Kalir sent Narra, now fifteen and a full-fledged Novice Paladin of the Lanceboard, to the Sword Coast through it, she wound up south of Waterdeep, the opposite side of town from Nehr'bak.

Allies
Kalir Patten has a loving husband and partner in Gann, and maintains correspondence with her surviving friends on the Sword Coast North. Okku remains in Rashemen, but he remains a faithful ally. Safiya has become a master transmuter and is one of Kalir's closest friends. She sees Ammon Jerro as a teacher, as he is Lightreach's resident expert on the planes.

Political allies include the Simbul, from whom Kalir received a squadron of Aglarondan griffonriders to add to her army; they provide much-needed air support to complement Jerro's fiends. She also maintains cordial relations with the pharaoh of Mulhorand, and the wychlaran of Rashemen. If needed, she can count on aid from Neverwinter and the Lords' Alliance, despite the great city's decline in the wake of the Spellplague.

Enemies
Kalir's enemies (besides Szass Tam) include all the enemies of the Order of the Lanceboard. Thayan slavers also have reason to hate her, because Kalir is a staunch and violent opponent of the slave trade and regularly sends out patrols to ambush their caravans, appropriating supplies and freeing slaves. The slavers themselves, if unwilling to swear off returning to the business, face penalties based on the amount of time they've been trading in slaves. Needless to say, the slave traders quickly learned to give Lightreach a wide berth, and more than one slaver ring now avoids the Thaymount entirely.