Born in the town of Crying Leaf in the Mierani Forest, Lythar spent his childhood roaming the woods near his hometown. As a child he learned he had a certain affinity for the various animals in the forest, including a pack of wolves who accepted him as a pack-mate.As he grew up, Lythar's woodland activities allowed him to pick up a love of the wilds and the woods, and when he came of age, he decided he could best serve his people by assisting in the defense of the town and the forest.
Lythar is currently a Thysaer Kasol (a non-commissioned rank) in the Crying Leaf Militia, and has aspirations towards joining the elite Shin Rakorath.
A run-in with Drow and a wayward human named Vognar showed Lythar that the xenophobia of his people may actually be causing them more harm than good in a tactical sense, and he left the forest to escort Vognar back to his people. Subsequent events caused Vognar to flee an unjust sentence with Lythar's assistance, and the two have been traveling ever since.
Lythar had a fairly insular life, restricted to the Mierani Forest. As such, human ways and customs often mystify him, and he struggles to understand their motives at times. Lythar's wanderlust keeps him on the move, and he is fascinated by the world at large.
Lythar found Tylalaes fighting worgs in the Gladiatorial Arena of Tymon. Risking the ire of the town's aristocracy, Lythar intervened in the fight with help from Vognar and Thistle to save Tylalaes from certain death. Tyl reminds Lythar of his youth in the forest, and Lythar thinks of Tyl as a trusted sibling. The two will hopefully enjoy many adventures together.*****
Thistlebark Copperkettle & Tajzh
Gnome Druid and Velociraptor companion
While still very young, Thistlebark's baby sister Dez fell ill with a congestive cough. He was amazed at the simple herbal remedy his mother administered which soon had the child smiling brightly and restored her coloration. His interest began to grow regarding all things plant related. He learned the names of the various herbs and their purposes and pestered the local alchemist of Wispil to the extent he was eventually banned from the shop.
Upon making one of his many forays into the woods far from Wispil, Thistlebark's curiosity was drawn to the sound of clashing swords deep within the forest. A caravan of merchants from the town of Woodsedge in the north was traveling to Maheto along the World's Edge Mountains. South of Wispil, just before crossing the Verduran Fork, the caravan was ambushed by a tribe of gnolls. The caravan guard was decimated and the gnolls made off with the majority of trade goods and livestock. Seriously wounded, the guard captain was unable to resume the trip to Maheto. Arriving just after the melee, Thistlebark encouraged the survivors to follow him back to Wispil for help. He treated the injured with what little he could and then led them safely back to town.
Once recuperated, the caravan captain offered his thanks to Thistlebark and wrote a glowing recommendation to one of his oldest friends, the Chief Druid of Oppara. Flattered by his generosity, the Copperkettles were appreciative but thought little of the gesture. With the letter on its way and the caravan captain back to health, he made off to meet with his overseers in Maheto to tell them of the fate of the caravan. After a month, a reply was returned to Wispil from the Chief Druid.
A small halfling, Merriana arrived and presented the letter to the Copperkettles. The Chief Druid had sent his trusted ward to retrieve Thistlebark and offered him a place to study among the druid's conclave of Wildwood Lodge until he reached the age appropriate to attend the proper university in Oppara. Reluctant to let Thistlebark go at such a young age, his parents deliberated for several days. During the interim, Thistlebark gave Merriana a grand tour of the Verduran Wood near Wispil. She was amazed at his interest for woodland lore, particularly being a gnome and especially at such a young age. Over their time together, Thislebark became quite attached to Merriana.
When it came time for her to return, she assured the Copperkettles that Thistlebark was to be cared for in the highest manner and the druids would see to his every need. It would be the chance of a lifetime. Seeing this as the best chance for Thistlebark to avoid the Bleaching they made arrangements for him to leave with Merriana. The two set off for Isle of Arenway at once.
They shared much in the way of forest lore over the course of the journey and Merriana did what she could to prepare Thistlebark for his new life as a druid apprentice. As they made their way south along the Sellen River their boat was set upon by brigands. Slavers ambushed the small merchant vessel and Thislebark was knocked unconscious during the chaos of the attack. He fell below decks unnoticed into an open shipping crate and was overlooked by the pirates. He awoke two days later when the crewless vessel drifted into the patrol sweep of one of the River Guard ships. Thistlebark was questioned and then delivered to the Isle of Arenway.
His arrival at the Wildwood Lodge was bittersweet with the loss of his new friend but he was welcomed into the conclave as an acolyte to Master Devarr. Thislebark began his studies immediately with no fanfare nor accolade. His various tasks involved cataloging and identifying plants, copying scrolls, and keeping the various areas of the Lodge grounds tended. His work was hard with long hours and little time for carefree indulgence. Soon Master Devarr detected a sallow and pale coloration creeping into Thislebark's complexion. The small acolyte longed for the days of free discovery he had enjoyed on his own exploring the Verduran Wood.
After several years, Thistlebark consigned himself to his fate toiling on the island sanctuary and began to pale even further. While working late into the night copying potion recipes he dozed carelessly and knocked a lantern from his desk. The fire spread quickly until some of the senior druids arrived to conjure water. Damaging a large section of the archives and some of the structure was the final deciding factor Master Devarr had needed. He excused Thistlebark of his duties and encouraged him to travel to Cassomir to deliver a consignment of scrolls.
Once in the port city, Thislebark completed his task and then set off to see more of Golarion. With his coloration returning he soon found work to feed his appetite for experience. Thislebark hired himself out as a healer on a merchant ship for a while and traveled to several ports along the coast of the Inner Sea. Over the next few years, he made his way from Corentyn to Okeno and some of the largest cities of Golarion in between to study in their most respected archives.
While trading in the markets of Sothis, Thistlebark acquired an unusual batch of eggs from a Katapesh merchant. While preparing to experiment with a new omelette recipe, one of the eggs hatched unexpectedly. The tiny reptile imprinted immediately upon Thisltebark. Upon returning to the merchant and questioning him Thistlebark discovered the eggs originated somewhere in the Mwangi Expanse but the merchant could not identify the gangly little creature. It was clearly not draconic but was of similar decent.
Initially the creature was small enough to travel on Thistlebark's shoulder but soon became too large for such a perch. Thistlebark grew attached to his new little companion and discovered she was a cunning tracker with exceptional hunting skills and preferred fresh meat. Unable to identify her species from any other source he made his way to the local conclave and inquired of the druids there. They said she was a rare and exotic reptile from deep within the jungles to the south. In order to discern more, the druids cast a number of spells but gathered little information from her. Apparently since the creature was a found as a hatchling, she had no memory to relate of her origin. When inquired she simply replied she came from the egg.
Over the course of the coming weeks, the spell effects did not wear off. Thistlebark continued to share the ability to speak with her and understand her language and she in turn exhibited exceptional intelligence and skills. He began to call her Tajzh and trained her to hunt using similar practices as a falconer. He also managed to teach her to read a bit and explained many of the things he had learned on his previous journey throughout Golarion. Tajzh has proven herself to be a loyal and trusted companion as the two continue on their exploration of the lands of the Inner Sea.
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