Olwen Forest-Friend

Olwen Forest-Friend was a human ranger active in the mid–14 century DR. He was a hero and later duke of Damara who helped to defeat Zhengyi the Witch-King of Vaasa.

Appearance
He was a bear of a man with a muscular chest and bulging arms who often spoke with a booming voice. He usually wore a forest-green cloak.

Personality
Olwen was a man of strong emotions whose laughter could shake walls and whose anger could not be reasoned with.

Abilities
Olwen was an extremely adept and powerful ranger, and although he specialized in martial combat, he also knew several druidic spells.

For many years, his favorite weapon was his longbow of the forest, which he used to fire magical arrows that he crafted himself, including arrows of slaying. He was deadly at both long range and point-blank. By the late 1360s DR, Olwen's agility had decreased with his age, and instead of his bow, he discovered the thrill of close combat. His weapon of choice became his mighty enchanted axe, Treefeller. Despite his age and bulk, Olwen was an incredibly dangerous melee fighter.

Possessions
In addition to his enchanted longbow of the forest and Treefeller waraxe, Olwen possessed and made use of a pair of boots of speed, a cloak of elvenkind, a ring of free action, and bracers of archery.

Relationships
Olwen was close and trusted friends with King Gareth Dragonsbane of Damara, having adventured with him to save the land from Zhengyi alongside Celedon Kierney, Emelyn the Gray, Friar Dugald, Kane, and Riordan Parnell.

The famous ranger Mariabronne was his protégé for many years, being as a son to him. He held an unyielding hatred for Artemis Entreri, whom he incorrectly blamed for Mariabronne's death.

History
Olwen hailed originally from the woods of northern Damara, and first gained fame when he led a force of rangers to foil the plot of an evil wizard attempting to wipe out the treants of his home forest, a struggle which resulted in the deaths of all his followers. The grateful treants awarded him a longbow of the forest and the knowledge of how to craft magical arrows. Despite the victory, the loss of his followers weighed heavily on Olwen, and as the forces of Zhengyi the Witch-King claimed his homeland during the Vaasan War, he dejectedly made his way south. Ultimately, however, the call for help from the people of Bloodstone Village caused him to put his sorrows aside and join Gareth Dragonsbane's quest to save Bloodstone Pass from bandits in the.

Olwen trained and led a force of archers known as the Huntsmen Skirmishers within the Bloodstone army, and was knighted by Baron Tranth for his services. He soon became a hero to the people of Bloodstone Village, especially among the children. In addition to his role as a military commander, taking part in both the fight against the bandits as well as the Bloodstone Wars a year later, Olwen was an important member of Gareth Dragonsbane's expeditions to clear Bloodstone Mines, assault the Citadel of Assassins, and slay Zhengyi at Castle Perilous. During these exploits, he preferred to remain in the background, serving as his party's archer.

Following Zhengyi's defeat and the victory over his forces at the Ford of Goliad in the, Olwen was given charge of leading the forces of Damara to sweep the remainder of the Witch-King's armies from the Duchy of Soravia, an administrative district created by Zhengyi which spanned most of northeastern Damara. Olwen implemented a plan he called the "five S's," which called for squashing the Vaasan remnants, supplying the outlying Damaran villages, securing the region, seeding support for Gareth's claim to the throne of Damara, and scouting the borders with Vaasa and Narfell. After several skirmishes, Olwen drove off the last of Zhengyi's occupiers near Steppenhall before the end of the year, suffering serious personal injuries in the process. Olwen's efforts to liberate northern Damara were in part motivated by his desire to be granted the title of Duke of Soravia, a position which he was indeed granted sometime after 1359 DR. The seat of power and Olwen's home was at Kinbrace.

In the, Olwen returned to the battlefield alongside his king to put down the upstart Kingdom of D'aerthe, which had been proclaimed in northeastern Vaasa by the drow Jarlaxle and the assassin Artemmis Entreri. Although he served his king faithfully, Olwen revealed himself to be far more motivated to join this war by personal grief over the loss of his protege, Mariabronne. During the conflict, the aging duke demonstrated his battle prowess by matching the assassin Artemis Entreri in single combat. He was strongly opposed to King Gareth's ultimate decision to spare Entreri and Jarlaxle.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Bloodstone Pass &bull; The Mines of Bloodstone &bull; The Bloodstone Wars &bull; The Throne of Bloodstone
 * Novels
 * Road of the Patriarch