D&D Character: Talisker Sexton
"Please don't treat the book like that, do you know how long it took to find?"
Uncertain about what to do, she applied for a job in the university library, working her way up from a lowly assistant responsible for finding and returning books to their correct place on the shelves. While more dangerous than it sounds, if only because of the magical nature of the place and the frequent attempts to rob the place, she knew it was a stopgap and not what she wanted to do with her life. Plus, the pay sucked, and she had to take up other work in the evenings to make ends meet. That's how she ended up working in a local inn, the Red Dragon, where she befriended a group of adventurers, who called themselves the Bright Blades.
She loved listening to their tales of adventure, thrilled at the highs and lows they'd experienced during their travels. In addition, she developed a crush on the group's rogue Fidelity Carson, though she never dared broach the subject - assuming Fidelity would laugh in her face. Despite this, she never quite shook the feeling that the young Rogue liked her back.
Looking back she's not sure what stopped her asking to go on the road with the Blades, but until the library was robbed, she never did. One morning, in the Autumn, the library's staff found that someone had broken in and trashed the place. Bookcases had been toppled and tomes ripped apart. It was only later that the actual theft - of some very dangerous books - was discovered. It became clear that a group of people had broken in, stolen the books, and then created so much chaos in the hope that nobody would realise what had happened for a long enough period they could make their getaway. Talisker suggested the Head Librarian reach out to the Blades for help, and he agreed but only on the condition she accompanied the adventurers to make sure the books weren't damaged during the retrieval process.
The adventurers agreed to take the job and they started to investigate the situation, digging into who'd arrived in Gallanburgh over the past few days. Talisker found herself working with Fidelity as they approached the local Thieves Guild to ask them if the robbery had been sanctioned (which of course it wasn't - the precise words used by the guild's leader being, "If we'd done it, you'd never have known").
In time, the adventurers discovered that one of the university's alumni had been in town recently, in the company of some dubious characters and had been overheard discussing their plans by a young barmaid at their lodgings. The group had skipped town without paying the bill, apparently vanishing without a trace (though it was later discovered they'd used an unauthorised entrance run by a university student who charged a couple of pennies per person to scale down the city wall on a rope thrown out from their room). Helpfully, the student also knew the leader of the group - Simon Tanarind, one of Talisker's old classmates.
The Blades pursued the thieves north to Appleton, and Talisker found her attraction to Fidelity growing as they travelled. She began to look forward to the times when they could be alone, volunteering to stand watch with the Rogue and help her collect firewood and water when it was her turn. The young human woman seemed oblivious to the situation, however, and simply welcomed Talisker's company.
In Appleton, the group stopped at an inn, where they were set upon by a group of hired thugs during the night, and Talisker was abducted (discovering the indignity of being bound and gagged). The thugs took her to the edge of a nearby forest and transferred her into the care of a large Half-Orc and a Dragonborn who seemed to know who she was. They, in turn, took her to a ruin deep in the forest, which Talisker recognised as one of her family's lost holdings - mostly because of the presence of the family crest. Simon greeted her and revealed part of her family history she'd been unaware of - that in the past her family had been guardians against the denizens of the Underdark and that they had sealed a particular gate that a 'friend' of his wanted opened. She, he said, was going to assist in the process, or else.
Consequently, she spent a week under guard, being interrogated about what she knew of her family's past - unable to answer most of the questions the other wizard asked her. She began to realise how much her family had either forgotten or had kept from her. At the same time, she worked to undermine Simon's plans, praying that the Blades would find her before anything terrible happened.
It took a week for the adventuring party to find her and they burst into the ruins, joining in battle with the thieves, defeating them. When she was freed from her shackles, Talisker threw herself at Fidelity, catching her in a big hug and was shocked when the Rogue returned it and kissed her fiercely. Afterwards, the group returned them to the university library. Talisker knew that she wanted to stay close to Fidelity, but at the same time, she wanted to support her friends at the library. She decided to join the Blades but promised to keep close to Gallanburgh and help the library whenever she could.
Appearance: Tall and willowy, with long blonde hair and green eyes. Talisker dresses in dark blue and green robes and wears minimal jewellery. She's a decent seamstress and has adapted her robes to allow her familiar to ride her shoulders without causing too much damage. She carries a quarterstaff and wears a few pieces of jewellery as well.
You can find Talisker's character sheet here if you'd like to play her yourself or use her as an NPC. I hope you like her and can find a use for her in your game.
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