Bran Hornraven

Halfbreed. Knife-ear. Spider-spawn. Bran Hornraven was almost more familiar with these names than his own. The "real" Hornraven children never let him forget that he was different, though he did not need them to remind him of this fact. One look in the mirror revealed just how out of place he was. His silver hair, pointed ears and ash grey skin certainly stuck out against the black hair, smooth ears and fair skin of his siblings. Bran was different from his siblings in more than just physical appearance. Most of the Hornraven children carried the innate magic abilities of a sorcerer. Those who did not were instead trained as powerful warriors. Bran possessed neither the natural gift for magic nor the physical stamina to be trained with sword and shield.

His mother, Lady Hornraven, had her own name for Bran: bastard. She made no effort to pretend to love him. To her Bran was a constant reminder of her husband’s infidelity, as well as a source of intense embarrassment for her when interacting with other noble families. If it was up to her she would have had the child thrown onto the streets the night that Drow whore showed up at her door. What spared Bran was the fact that he carried the family blood: Hornraven blood.

The house of Hornraven is as old as it is powerful. They traced their ancestry to a gifted sorcerer, Tyfus Hornraven, who was granted immense power from an ancient dragon. In return for this power Tyfus was tasked with destroying a Vampire lord that had been tormenting a nearby kingdom, a task which he succeeded in doing. Since then the family has carried on the tradition of monster hunting with its most capable members becoming slayers. Due to this ancestral history the Hornravens view their blood as sacred. Those who carried it would always have a place in Hornraven Hall. As such Lord Hornraven was compelled by duty to take the baby Bran in.

Bran spent most of his childhood reading in the library or climbing the keep walls to stare at the stars of the night sky. He knew all of the stars and constellations by name. He often found himself staring at the stars for hours on end, mesmerized by their beauty and mystery. It was almost as if the lights called to him, quietly demanding his attention and admiration. As a boy he often wished upon these ethereal lamps, asking for some magic to allow him to fit in more with his family.

When Bran reached 16 years of age Lord Hornraven, recognizing that Bran showed little promise as a slayer, sent him to Neverwinter Academy. Having a love of learning and being intensely curious about the secrets of the world, Bran was overjoyed at the prospect of attending. The following year he enrolled and excelled at his studies. His voracious need to learn all he could about history and the arcane lead him to quickly outpace his fellow students.

Bran supplemented his studies with his own research at the Neverwinter Academy's vast library. He turned, once again, to his childhood fascination: the cosmos. Bran devoured every astronomical text he could get his hands on. They were all rather mundane, most being of a mathematical nature, except for one: Heralds of the Heavens. This text discussed the idea that certain stars acted as heralds of coming events. What was most interesting was not the text but a small note written in the margin by a shaky hand under a section discussing the star Ulban, a star said to herald cataclysmic events. The note read: See Revelations of Melech. After seeing this Bran went to find the aforementioned text but, to his dismay, found it listed in the directory as destroyed. Now this really got Bran's mind turning. What could possibly be in a text about stars that would merit its destruction? He had never heard of any other text being destroyed, not even ones on necromancy. Most of the "dangerous" texts were kept in the restricted section of the library. Perhaps Revelations of Melech was located there? Being one who cared little for authority figures or the confines of rules Bran snuck into the restricted section the following night, an offense that carried with it the consequence of expulsion.

There, hidden away in the furthest part of the restricted section, he found a black obsidian cylinder with star constellation inscribed along its exterior. Opening it revealed a scroll written in spidery handwriting titled Revelations of Melech. The text was strange. It claimed that while most stars are benign lamps some stars have come under the influence of Far Realm entities. Such creatures use stars (some without conscious thought, but others with intention aforethought) as windows on the world. Sometimes when one looks upon these stars they can hear quite whispers. The text also claimed that some individuals have turned to such stars as a way to gain power by tapping into these ancient and unfathomable beings. The text warned vehemently against this with claims of madness, despair, and death. The text spoke of individual stars and the monsters they contained in great detail. Bran even recognized one of the stars, Caiphon, as one he was fond of gazing at. Its purple glow had been a sort of companion to him as a child. That was the moment the alarm went off. Bran felt his body seize up as he was hit by a powerful enchantment. He had been caught. The next morning he was expelled.

Bran wandered the streets of Neverwinter. He was angry with himself for getting caught and too ashamed to even consider returning to Hornraven Manor. Not that they would even want him back. He looked up to the sky for comfort and saw the faint purple glow of Caiphon. Strange atonal music filled his mind as he stared, though whether it was real or his imagination he could not tell. He shook his head breaking the trance and laughed at himself. Was he really letting those insane ramblings in that text get to him? They were nothing more than ghost stories written either by a lunatic or to simply scare the reader. But then why keep the text in the restricted section? Why go through the trouble of listing it destroyed? Curiosity once again took hold of Bran and he hurried out of the city to a nearby forest. There he laid down and stared up into the heavens. Stared at Caiphon. He wished under his breath for power. For knowledge. For something to allow him to live up to his family name. He would do anything, give anything.... he had nothing left.

As he whispered to the stars he grew tired and eventually fell into a deep sleep. He dreamed of a massive celestial body radiating purple flames. He walked its surface, eventually coming to a gaping pit covered in slime, the interior lined with frothing tendrils. Standing at the precipice he heard a whisper in a strange toneless voice, "What have you to offer?" In response Bran hurled himself into the pit and the purple flames washed over him. He fell into a green sea and a hundred tentacles wrapped around him pulling him down into the liquid. There he was digested over a thousand years, or perhaps just one night.

Bran awoke suddenly back in the forest. Caiphon’s purple light illuminated him from above. "It was just a dream", he told himself feeling relieved. He was about to get up and head back to the city when he heard it. Whispers. In the back of his mind. A dark realization swept over Bran: these were the whispers of Caiphon.

These whispers never stopped. It has been 5 years since that fateful night and Caiphons never ending instructions still fill every quite moment of Bran's existence. His nights are filled with terrible visions of horror. He knows that Toril and its many races, kings, and Gods are nothing compared to what lurks in the sky sleeping. Waiting.

Bran received the power he asked for as well as the knowledge he sought, although now he knows far too well that some secrets were never meant to be revealed. Today Bran does what he can to use the power granted to him. He has grown cynical in regards to the mortal races, knowing that they are utterly insignificant compared to the old and ancient ones above, though he does not actively seek to harm them or bring anyone suffering. His personal freedom and curiosity are the most important things to him and his greatest fear is that one day he will lose his free will to Caiphon. He tries to discern between his will and the will of Caiphon, a task that is becoming more difficult with time. He attempts to rationalize his current state by taking a utilitarian perspective. Being bound to an ancient star is not so different than being pacted to a devil or some other entity. They are all roads to power and they all carry their own risks. All adventurers face life and death daily and none are above being used, wittingly or unwittingly, to do the biding of a more powerful being. His current state is not really that different..... Is it?

If one thing is for sure it is that the stars are no longer the mesmerizing fiery bodies he once knew as a child. Now when he looks upon these lamps he sees them for what they truly are, a thousand eyes staring down. He does not look up anymore. One truth Bran now knows above all else: when you wish upon a star, sometimes, nightmares follow.

Ideals

 * I seek out knowledge for its own sake.
 * Knowledge is worth any price and ignorance is worse than death.
 * The mortal races and their Gods are ultimately insignificant compared to the Great Old Ones. I am insignificant. The only thing that matters is freedom, freedom to make your own path.
 * Life may be of little value in the grand scheme of things but I do not seek to actively harm it or quicken its inevitable end.
 * I still feel somewhat connected to the world around me and am willing to do my part to help others, so long as it does not compromise my personal freedom.

Bonds

 * I am pacted to the Great Old One Caiphon, the great purple star. His whispers grant me power. His whispers will likely drive me to madness.
 * I am the bastard son of Lord Trever Hornraven. I will do what I can to uphold the family name, though my very existence brings them constant shame.
 * I am friends with Ipaben Bilmorn who often helps me with the physical complications of being bonded to Caiphon. He sent me to the shield after I revealed to him visions I had of a strange Cube.

Flaws

 * I am often unable to feel empathy for my fellow mortals.
 * I feel my sanity slowly fading.
 * I care little for laws or rules and have no qualms about breaking them.