Rihl the Wanderer

Writer: M. Weltsch

E-mail: [email protected]

Race: Agspar (see below)

Age: 79

Appearance: 

Rihl is 6'3", weighing 195 pounds.  He has a lean adventurer's build.  His hair is cut very short and is a sandy brown color, his eyes a bright, emerald green, with no pupils.  His apparel usually consists of simple traveler's clothing, i.e., a brown, long-sleeved tunic and pants, gloves, and hiking boots.

Equipment: 

Rihl's favorite piece of equipment is his walking staff, which doubles as a magical weapon.  Rihl has placed some simple enchantments on the staff to increase its speed, accuracy, and durability.  

Boltbite - Boltbite is Rihl's magical, sentient longsword, which he wears hanging from his left hip.  He inherited the blade from his father when Rihl left home to become an adventurer.  Boltbite maintains a telepathic link with Rihl, though its personality is very sharp and sometimes even sarcastic.  Upon striking a target, Boltbite delivers an electric charge up the length of the blade and into whatever it hits.  Boltbite has magic to increase the speed at which Rihl can wield it and can discharge a bolt of lightning, which flies in a straight line until it hits a nonliving obstacle, once per day.

Magical Pouch - This pouch hangs at Rihl's right hip and is magically warded to prevent thieves from breaking into it or stealing it.  The pouch appears to be a typical-sized belt pouch that is always empty, somewhat larger than a pant pocket.  However, there is a special enchantment on the pouch that enables it to hold far more than it appears to be able contain.  The exact amount of space the pouch can store is unknown to Rihl, as he found the pouch on one of his many adventures.  So far, Rihl has found many intriguing and, sometimes, embarrassing items in the pouch.

Abilities:

Rihl is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of one.  He is capable of doing just about everything, though he's not extremely proficient in any of his abilities.  He has average-level magical power, is a decent thief and an adequate fighter without his magical weapons.  What he is good at, however, is fitting in.  Rihl, partially from his adventuring, partially from instinct, is able to make himself fit in just about anywhere he is, whether he's in a hostile city of Lower Ileun, a goblin camp, or a bustling trading town. 

Personality:

Rihl, like most of his race, wants to take what's thrown at him and make the most of it.  His personal philosophy is, "Whatever happens, happens.  I just want to see the world."  He is always jovial and seemingly carefree, even in the most pressing and stressful matters and situations.  He makes friends easily, though he rarely stays in one place long enough to build any serious friendships.

History:

Rihl was born in the city of Caergath, Region of Earth, to two wealthy agspar merchants.  His father, when Rihl became old enough to read, enrolled the boy in a school of magic.  Rihl stayed with the school until he turned 18, at which point he became overcome with wanderlust.  He spoke with his parents about his desire to leave Caergath and explore the world.  His parents, albeit reluctantly, agreed to let him leave, since he made it clear he would go whether they agreed or not.  His father, in a gesture of farewell, presented the young agspar with the family sword, Boltbite.  

While he traveled the realms of Ileun, Rihl kept notes of everything he saw in a journal.  When he returned to Caergath at age 21, after having traveled the bulk of the Regions of Air, Fire, and Earth, he compiled all that he had witnessed and observed into a series of books, called "The Wanderer's Guides to Ileun."  The books became very successful throughout Ileun, prompting the young adventurer to travel to areas he had yet to see and write books on those lands as well.  Using Caergath as a home base, he set out to do just that.

Rihl is well-known in all three layers of Ileun for his guides, but his fame is by reputation only.  Few people know what he looks like, therefore, he is not recognized while walking down the street in any given town.  His travels, however, have enabled him to obtain many contacts, informants, and friends over most of Ileun.  No matter where he is, he speaks with authority on the ways and customs of other countries and the sights and dangers of other lands, whether the people he is speaking to know who he really is or not.

The Agspar:

The agspar are a race native to Ileun.  They do not originate in one particular region, rather, seeming to be as widespread as humans.  Agspar resemble humans in all ways but their pupil-less eyes.  Despite the lack of pupils, agspar have very keen, catlike vision.  Their eyes also reflect light, like a cat's eye, enabling them to see clearly in the dark, provided there is some faint light.  Agspar also have very keen hearing, well beyond that of a human.

Despite their human appearance, agspar live far longer than humans.  For the first twenty or so years of their lives, agspar age at the same rate as humans, but, after puberty, the agspar aging process seems to just stop.  Agspar lifespans have been known to go over the course of centuries, though nobody is quite sure exactly how long an agspar's average natural life is.