Characters Valen Pyre

(Verse 1)
Come gather, good folk, let this tale ignite,
A fireball’s roar shook Trollskull at night.
A boy held beads of a deadly chain—
But who pulled the string? What mind, insane?

(Chorus)
So strum the lute, let the tale unfold,
Heroes of Trollskull, brazen and bold!
Eyeless shines with radiant flame,
Captain Mercer plays the shadows’ game.

(Verse 2)
To Gond’s great halls the party sped,
Where brass and cogs marked the path ahead.
Captain John scaled the temple wall,
Slipped not once—no fall at all!

(Bridge 1)
There Nim confessed with gears grown cold:
"I built him, yes—but he broke the mold."
A Nimblewright lost, with fire in hand—
We took the task, by Mirt’s demand.

(Verse 3)
Into the sewers, deep and vile,
The detector clicked—crept every mile.
They found a cult in serpent guise,
Rituals writ 'neath traitor skies!

(Bridge 2)
Eyeless stood where the torches failed,
Wreathed in light, his purpose unveiled.
Dren charged in, maul like thunder,
Struck down foes, tore spells asunder!

(Verse 4)
Captain John, in deadly dance,
Dodged through strikes like fate’s own chance.
Slim Jim mended wounds with grace,
A blur of bandage, charm, and mace.

(Verse 5)
Silas grinned—his boots now charred—
Two fireballs flew from his hand unmarred.
Scrolls we claimed in smoke and fear:
Flaming Sphere, Animate Dead, and more unclear!

(Final Chorus)
So raise your mugs, let echoes fly,
Varrick sings ‘neath Waterdeep’s sky!
Eyeless burns with righteous gleam,
Dren smites foes in every dream,
Slim Jim steadies, Silas schemes,
And Captain John haunts alley seams!

(Outro)
From gears to ghosts, from flame to blade,
The hunt begins, the path is laid.
Trollskull’s crew, in legend steeped—
By fire and fang, their oaths were deeped.

In Waterdeep where sparks did fly,
A fireball lit the morning sky.
Through temple halls and secrets sworn,
A Nimblewright was thusly born.

To sewers deep the brave did crawl,
Where snakes with spells began to brawl.
Steel did clash and spells did flare,
As Eyeless fell 'neath poisoned air.

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

But through it all, with spells alight,
One serpent’s bane stayed out of sight—
Oh Silas, bold, with magic mean...
Was untouched, yet cursed: his boots unclean!*

John struck true with blade so keen,
And Dren fought on with health so lean.
Slim Jim rose and then was floored,
While healing hands and faith restored.

🧙‍♂️ Portrait: Valen Pyre (Human Wizard)

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Valen Pyre

“Rules are for people who can’t improvise.”

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Race: Human

Class: Wizard (Evocation)

Level: 5

Background: Arcane Prodigy of Eldergleam

Player: Justin (Slitzer)

Campaign: Spelljammer: The Beginning Chapter

Status: Active

Current Location: Underdark, en route to Illithid War Den

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Appearance

A tall, sharp-eyed human wrapped in the scent of singed parchment and smoke. Valen is rarely seen without his signature crimson coat—charred at the cuffs—and a wide-brimmed hat that’s endured more fireballs than rain. A faint magical warmth clings to him like a second skin. His fingers are always in motion—tracing runes, fidgeting with components, or ready to spark flame at a moment’s notice. His face bears a half-day's stubble and a cocky tilt that implies he knows exactly what’s going on… even when he doesn’t.

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Personality

Valen is a paradox: disciplined but reckless, learned but defiant. He grew up under the watchful eye of the Spire Council, mastering spell theory and rune geometry—but it’s in the chaos of real life where he feels alive. To him, magic is art, not arithmetic.

He masks his concern with dry wit, often speaking only when he knows it will have the most impact. He’s cool in the face of danger—until something threatens his friends. Then the fire comes out, literally.

Emotional Note: Valen doesn't talk about Eldergleam unless pressed. There’s a sadness beneath the bravado—a flicker of guilt for leaving behind those who believed he could be more... or worse, feared what he already was.

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Backstory

Valen Pyre was born amid the crystalline towers of Eldergleam, a city where the streets hum with latent magic and the sky dances with aurorae at dusk. His mother, a gifted evoker, believed magic should dazzle and destroy in equal measure. His father, a Spire Council archivist, demanded rigor, tradition, and silence.

Valen brought neither.

As a child, he ignited a neighbor’s cart in a tantrum. As a teen, he was slipping past curfews and Council wards to take on “off-the-books” contracts for coin and thrill. While his peers practiced cantrips in marble halls, Valen helped smugglers hide enchantments and merchants protect their assets from magical theft. The people called him “The Ember Sleuth”—a rogue wizard with fire in his veins and secrets in his smile.

But there are whispers in Eldergleam—of consequences, of debts owed, of mistakes burned into alleyway walls. So when adventure called, Valen answered... and never looked back.

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Spellcasting Style

Valen doesn’t just cast spells—he performs them.

Fireballs curve around allies like dancers avoiding one another’s flames.

His Identify rituals are whispered poetry, spoken into the threads of magic.

Even a simple Mage Hand feels theatrical, like a sleight-of-hand trick mid-duel.

He’s a combat specialist—preferring evocation magic—but his use of utility spells like Comprehend Languages shows a strategic mind beneath the flash.

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Notable Equipment

Item Description

Wand of Translocation Taken from a Mind Flayer portal chamber. Still tingles with unstable planar energy.

Hat of Wizardry Arcane-charged headwear that boosts casting prowess. Stylish and smart.

Crimson Coat Fire-resistant (thanks to experience, not enchantment). Symbol of his Ember Sleuth past.

Unidentified Potion Taken from elven ruins; held in reserve… for now.

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Notable Moments

Session 2: Recovered the Wand of Translocation after preventing a child from being ported away by a Mind Flayer.

Session 3: Stepped up to apologize to the Green Witch, an ancient dragon, averting almost-certain death with reason and restraint.

Session 5: Knocked unconscious by Underdark spiders, revived by Laydrick—flames don’t burn forever, after all.

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Allies

Rigg: Distrusts rules like Valen, but far more blunt. They share a “watch-my-back-and-I’ll-watch-yours” bond.

High Jinks: Fellow arcane weirdo. Valen admires her flair and chaos—just not near his scrolls.

Dino: Tactical and grounded. Their shared interest in extraplanar logic keeps their conversations weird and wonderful.

Leydrick: The moral compass. They don’t talk much, but when they do, it’s meaningful.

Mono: The Modron. Valen used Comprehend Languages to speak to it—he may understand it better than any humanoid.

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Themes & Symbolism

Fire as Identity: Valen doesn’t just wield fire; he is fire—bright, dangerous, beautiful, and uncontrollable.

Duality: Council Scholar vs. Street Sleuth. Order vs. Chaos. Loyalty vs. Freedom.

Spelljammer Thread: His familiarity with planar and cosmic forces hints at a future far beyond the Material Plane.

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Quotes

> “Magic is like a fire—you either learn to control it, or get burned trying.”

“The Spire Council taught me discipline. The streets taught me how to survive.”

“I don't break the rules. I revise them.”

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