[Abe Sargent]

Alzar and Vix will not be able to avoid seeing Kelter Zerben. It's easy to think of this tall, strapping man from Darokin as a fighter, because he carries a two*handed sword and practices with it every morning. But he also makes offerings and prayers to an Immortal at regular intervals and meditates for spells each morning as well, making it obvious that he's in fact a cleric.

Alzar asks about his faith, and he’ll volunteer the information that he's a cleric of Balthac. Alzar will have never heard of an Immortal named Balthac, which should set off alarm bells in their minds. Kelter will happily talk about Balthac and his philosophies, as well as about Kelter's own history and attitudes; see the boxed description of Kelter, below.


Alzar asks of Balthac.

The Story of Balthac

Locals in the army who are from Darokin or who are elves from Alfheim will have heard the story of Balthac at some point in their lives and can corroborate parts of the following tale.

According to legend, Balthac was a great hero of the region that was later to become Darokin, famed as a dragon-slayer. He lived in the time between the fall of Blackmoor and the rise of modern nations. He and his companion, Sinan (a fe*male elf), fought many great evils in the ancient world. His career ended when he and his companion went up against a gigantic red dragon called Calor, who was ravaging the area that is now north-central Darokin. Both Balthac and the dragon died in the battle that followed their meeting, but Sinan survived. She buried Balthac in a large cairn, leaving another over the bones of Calor whose skull still had Camb, Balthac's elvish sword, imbedded in it.

Sinan went on to become a great hero in her own right, eventually perishing centuries later defending Alfheim from an evil lich. Both she and Balthac are revered as great heroes who died defending their people.

That's the legend as most people know it. Balthac's battle with the dragon is a favorite folktale in Darokin which every child born there grows up knowing; elves of Alfheim keep Sinan's memory alive in honor of her sacrifice. But the cleric Kelter Zerben has additional details, details which the PCs have never heard before.

Kelter says that not long ago an adventurer found an artifact that enabled her to travel back in time. A great admirer of Balthac, she journeyed back to just after Balthac's fatal battle with the dragon, raised him from the dead, and brought him back to the future with her. Uneasy with the idea of being treated like a legend, Balthac changed his name and continued his dragon-hunting career. He recently gained Immortality as the patron of warriors who travel about de*fending those who cannot defend themselves; the adventurer who brought him back from the past, Lady Lillith, is now the head of his new clerical order. His symbol is a sword cleaving a dragon's skull.


It certainly is possible that Balthac is just a new immortal, with a new following, but that last bit (time travel) certainly happens here, but feels overly convenient.


Kelter Zerben, Cleric of "Balthac"

History: Kelter, who is in his mid-twenties, was born in Corunglain, a city of Darokin near the Broken Lands. When he was 18, he joined the army of Darokin and was assigned to Fort Nell, a dangerous fortress situated between Alfheim and the humanoid-inhabited Broken Lands.

On a mission to repel orcish raids into Darokin, Kelter was the sole survivor of a hard-fought clash between soldiers and ores. As he lay wounded, he heard the voice of Balthac commanding him to travel northeast into the mountains and hear Balthac's word.

Kelter travelled for weeks into the mountains, suffering near-starvation and continuous attacks from ores, before finally finding his way to the site from whence the voice beck*oned-Balthac's cairn. The voice told him to rejoice; that he had been found worthy and chosen to serve as one of Balthac's cler*ics; that he, Kelter Zerban, would be sent around the world to right wrongs beyond the concerns of the army of Darokin.

Weeks later, the starving Kelter found his way back to Fort Nell and made his report. His commander looked at his de*pleted physical condition and listened to his story of becoming a cleric of a figure out of old fairy tales-a story Kelter couldn't corroborate because, as a 1st level cleric, he didn't have any spells yet-and kindly gave him an honorable discharge.

Since that time, Kelter has wandered the world: fighting monsters, protecting the innocent, and promoting honorable conduct wherever he goes.

If Kelter is with the PCs as part of the caravan, he'll tell them that he has come here to find out what's happening to the peo*ple of this island; if they' re the victims of some monster, he in*tends to slay it.
If Kelter is following the caravan and discovers the PCs doing the same, he'll tell them the truth (as he knows it): Balthac com*manded that he come here and find out what strangeness is afoot, because if there is evil here, it must be destroyed.

Personality: Kelter is brave, strong, heroic, gallant, and naive. In some ways, he's probably the nicest person the PCs are ever likely to meet; it's a pity he and they are going to wind up on opposite sides. His goal is to making the world a better place for everyone. He takes pride in the fact that, though a cleric, he can wield swords, and seeks to learn swordsmanship from every fighter he meets. Though he has given no thought to romance, he is certainly not immune to it, and may be attracted to female adventurers who are courageous and resourceful.

Appearance: Just over 6' tall, clean-shaven, with black hair and brown eyes. He has a compact and muscular build and is tanned from being outdoors in all kinds of weather. He wears dark brown and black clothing; on the tabard he wears over his armor and on his belt buckle are the sword-shearing-a-dragon*head symbol of his order.

Combat Notes: 7th level Cleric; AC 1 (plate mail, shield, and Dexterity bonus); hp 25; MV 90' (30'); #AT 1 two-handed sword or by spell; Dmg 1d10 + 2 or by spell; Save C7; MLl0; AL N. Sl 7 113 W15 D14 Co12 Chl6.

Clerics of Balthac have the special ability that they can use swords and daggers; they receive a + 1 bonus to their attack rolls when using two-handed swords. However, they do not gain spells until they reach third level. Clerics of Balthac must be Neutral or Lawful.