Old hermit

An old hermit was a monk from Kara-Tur lived outside Ravens Bluff in the Vast in the mid–14 century DR. "Attention to one's task at hand is more enlightening than the dreams of the Emperor."

- The old hermit

Home
He dwelled in a cave in a gorge in the hills near Ravens Bluff. The entrance was flanked with wooden totems carved to depicted lung dragons and blocked by a wooden portcullis, painted bright red. In the late 1350s DR, hunters seeking a golden cave bear placed bear traps along the gorge, making it difficult to reach. Inside, he had a only a shrine lit by candles, a straw sleeping math, and some food in bag.

His neighbors included giant scorpions, the ghosts of two bandits betrayed by one Bork, and the werebear Zarin Marblehead, who was the source of the golden cave bear sightings.

Personality
With not much in the way of social skills, the hermit was aloof and detached and spoke in a monotonous manner. However, if questioned, he would dispense a wide variety of religious precepts, wise aphorisms, and common sayings, usually in exchange for food.

Abilities
A highly trained monk, the old hermit was immune to all poisons; highly resistance to charm, hypnosis, and suggestion spells; and little harmed by injurious magic.

History
In the late 1350s DR, adventurers seeked to capture the golden cave bear for Jack Mooney for his circus may have met and questioned the old hermit for clues, if they could sift through his many sayings.

Background
The old hermit is unnamed and his suggested sayings are taken from a variety of real-world philosophers, including Buddha, Lao Tzu, Heraclitus, and Mark Twain. Based on these, in the Realms, he may be a follower of the Way or the Padhran religion.