Journal of Rollo Lavius 1

Introducing Rollo

Jaroll 'Rollo' Humber Godder-Saunders-Lavius of Kryptgarden

Human - Druid

Fourth son of a noble, but impoverished family. His father, Sir Humber

Hillary Godder-Saunders-Lavius was a mighty warrior in his hey-day and fought in many famous battles. However, like many heroes as they age he began to gamble and hunt more and more and fritter away his fortune on tourneys and pageants.

Rollo hated hunting as a child, although his brothers loved it and would ride out with their father at every opportunity. Rollo preferred to heal wounded animals rather than dispatch them and he was soon living a completely different life to his father and brothers. The only thing that bound them together was their mutual suffering over the loss of Rollo' mother who died ten years after his birth.

Sir Humber did not understand his son, but he was not a heartless man and sent him off to Waterdeep to study at a local lyceum, to be turned into an educated man. Here Rollo met who was to become his mentor, an ancient elven druid from the High Forest by the name of Tunare who was on a cultural exchange to the Lyceum. Rollo' fascination of all things natural lead him down the path of druidism and it was not long before he was initiated into their circle.

Tunare realised that although Rollo had a good nature he was more interested in the flora and fauna of the world less for their own sake and more to meet Rollo' desire to catalogue everything. Despite her small misgivings she took him to the High Forest as a potential drui priest initiate.

While studying for his druid initiation ceremonies he spent more time sketching in his many log books the unique wildlife of the region than pouring over the ancient texts he was meant to be studying.

Forever plucking leaves and flowers and carrying out experiments on them, the elven druids occasionally wondered why in heavens name Tunare had brought him amongst them?

And yet Rollo passed the initiation rites with ease, and became a chosen son of nature. He then travelled back to Waterdeep to continue his studies and to publish papers on the wildlife of the High Forest.

Two more years passed and on his graduation he decided that the dusty life of academia was not entirely for him. He preferred to be out in the world, communing with nature and expanding his knowledge. He had a great desire to not just study plants and animals, but the many races of the world and all the fabled creatures it held.

Sensing his sons wanderlust, at last something he could understand as Humber had wandered a great deal in his younger days while on campaign, he spend the last of his money buying a ticket on a ship bound for the jungle kingdoms of the south.

Rollo was to live his dream of exploring far away lands and bring back his findings to the academies in the north.

The passage would be long, but the adventure would be great

~~~

Rollo is basically a geek. He became a druid, but he is more interested in nature from a scientific point of view than from a worshipful one.

He has spent his whole life, pen and notebook in hand, sketching and writing about the things he see's around him. He is fascinated in everything and has a curiosity that is bound to get him into trouble.

He is wise, in the way that the innocent are wise, but due to his cloistered upbringing, fairly naive about the ways of the world - although he does know a little about life in Waterdeep.

He sees the good in everyone and believes that no one, not even orcs, are wicked through and through and that if only everyone could just sit down and have a nice cup of tea then it could all be worked out.

He loves his father, but does not like all the hunting. Rollo has learned that it is ok to hunt, while he was with the elves, but he does not relish it like the rest of his family.

He has heard of the Harpers but is not interested in joining them. He sends his notebooks back to his father for safe keeping and hopes that one day he will return and write his definitive work. At the moment he has had just a few papers published in minor academic journals but as 'naturalism' is not yet a recognised field.