Halsin

Halsin was the wood elf archdruid of the Emerald Grove on the Sword Coast during the late 15^th century DR. He led his people in service to the Oak Father, Silvanus.^[1]

“

Grace is bestowed by nature, not me.

”

— Grand Druid Halsin.^[1]

Description[]

He had an imposing figure as a male wood elf, and was described as a "bear of an elf". He suspected his "bearish" figure was due to a half-orc ancestral link or some other species. He shared a face similar to his father, abeit unscarred. He received the scar on his face during an incident while he was shapeshifted as a bear—a she-bear in mating season had mistaken him and was offended by his discouragement.^[1]

Personality[]

Despite his tenacity in combat, Halsin was a gentle, honest elf, and treasured the sanctity and beauty of nature. Though a powerful healer with a lofty title, Halsin was humble and patient, but willing to act with force if the need arisen. He was a strong leader who was highly respected among his fellow druids. He was polyamorous and he viewed carnal pleasures as a natural calling; one of Halsin's core beliefs was that desire should flourish wherever it found purchase.^[1]

Abilities[]

As an experienced druid, Halsin was a skilled shapeshifter of the Circle of the Moon. He was capable of transforming himself into a mighty cave bear.^[1]

He was skilled in herbalism and potions as a healer. He also had skills in woodcarving.^[1]

Relationships[]

“

My Dear Nettie, I entrust you with the circlet to open the library. Wear it always. If you need to enter the vault, talk to Rath. He has the rune, but won't give it to anyone, so be sure you have good reason to ask. Protect my research while I'm gone and take care of the animals. Don't give fish to Tuffet, she's getting lazy.

”

— Master Halsin.^[1]

Halsin was served well by his fellow druid Rath, and several others. While the senior Kagha served as archdruid in his stead, she hardly shared Halsin's outlook on leadership. He had an apprentice named Nettie.^[1]

“

I had a friend when I was young, long ago. He played with me in the forests where I grew up... but eventually, I realized no one else had heard of him. It was Thaniel, of course. Nature was my very first friend. I get older, but he hasn't changed a day.

”

— Halsin.^[1]

As a child, he became strongly bonded and a playmate with a nature spirit, Thaniel of the Western Heartlands. He realized his belief after age 110, coming-of-age, to be a serious protector of nature for his friend.^[1]

He was the last of his line, with the rest buried in the High Forest under the Grandfather Tree. From then on, he dedicated himself to the Emerald Grove as his family and to Silvanus as his teacher.^[1]

History[]

In his youth as a druid, Halsin foolhardily visited the Underdark to experience its otherworldly fauna's beauty, but was captured by a drow matron mother and stayed in her House for three years as her imprisoned consort.^[1]

In the Year of the Unstrung Harp, 1371 DR, on Uktar 6, Halsin sent two newer recruited druids north to help a village blighted with two years of failed crops. On Uktar 9, Halsin decided to pay a visit to a sudden Baldur's Gate group camping nearby the next day for harming nature that killed the cubs of a fox. Two bears and the fox already came to the Emerald Grove to alert the druid. On Uktar 10, Halsin tried to reason with the pioneering group, but they did not valued nature and wanted to 'farm the land and make a new city of their own' so the druid had to make a creative move. By Uktar 12, Halsin secretly instigated a mudslide to bury half their farming equipment and made the rest useless. He also received reports of a Red Wizard to a village south, therefore, sent three rangers to investigate. If the target was true, he would contact the House of Silvanus for aid.^[1]

Sometime around the Year of Rogue Dragons, 1373 DR,^{[note 1]} Halsin came into conflict with Ketheric Thorm and the army of Dark Justiciars he had formed in the Underdark. While Halsin's Emerald Grove and the allied Harpers commanded by Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun emerged victorious, the great druid could not prevent them bringing shadow upon the lands around the Moonrise Towers. His Archdruid was lost to the curse, and Halsin succeeded by leading the survivors away. His friend Thaniel, a nature spirit connected to the Western Heartlands' wilderness near the Moonrise Towers, was also cursed by Ketheric.^[1]

In the Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 DR, Halsin opened up his grove to a group of tieflings that had fled west from the city of Elturel as of Eleint 14.^[1]

That same year, accompanied by his apprentice healer Nettie, Halsin encountered a drow who had been infected with a mind flayer tadpole, but had yet to undergo the process of ceremorphosis. The pair returned to the Emerald Grove to conduct an examination of the non-ceremorphed drow's corpse. Intrigued and worried about this, he began traveling west to the Moonrise Towers alone, meeting up with Aradin and his adventuring mercenary party along the way since Marpenoth 2. Unfortunately, by Uktar, Halsin was captured by the goblinoid members of the Cult of the Absolute, and imprisoned as a bear by goblins within the ruined Selûnite temple referred to as the Shattered Sanctum.^[1]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

↑ In Baldur's Gate III, the timeline of Ketheric Thorm's story and Ketheric Thorm's war is unclear; however, it can be narrowed down through other canon sources. 986 DR is stated (Reithwin Necrology) as the year when a battle took place between Dark Justiciars and druids & Selûnites. The note only mentions Malus Thorm, not Ketheric. This suggests that the date could be an editorial oversight or simply mean that Reithwin had a cult of Shar active as early as 986 DR with Malus Thorm, an elf, as one of its members. The presence of the cult and a family member being a part of it would help explain Ketheric's quick fall from grace. Ketheric's family's deaths and his subsequent conversion to Shar would have taken place sometime around 1367 DR, as the Moonrise Towers was used by the High Heralds and Naernythra Thaloudyn as late as that year. With the High Heralds present, Ketheric's enforcement of Sharran religion and inquisition would not be possible, so this must happen after the Heralds leave; presumably, Ketheric ordered them out first. The destruction of Moonhaven is dated to 1371 DR (or possibly the following year)—this means Ketheric's fall and leading an army took place between these two dates. Lastly, Ketheric Thorm's war and its conclusion involved Khelben Arunsun, meaning the war took place before 1374 DR (the date of Khelben's death in Blackstaff (novel)). Notably, Khelben left the Harpers in 1370 DR, but his presence could be explained by the war's severity, forcing his involvement. All of these points indicate that Ketheric Thorm's war, his death, and the creation of the shadow-cursed lands took place circa 1372-1373 DR.