Born the son of a Romini fortuneteller under the employ of a traveling sideshow carnival. During the years prior to the TNanshi/Mikona conflict, the troupe traveled throughout all of Southern Avlis, setting up camp outside of large settlements and staying only as long as the coin flowed in their direction. As war began brewing between the two nations, travel across the borderlands became more difficult, until one day the borderlands were closed to civilian traffic, trapping the troupe on the M'Chek side of the warzone. This move effectively cut their annual route in half, and the makeup of their audience quickly shifted from pleasant townsfolk to M'Chek soldiers, bandits from the wildlands, and the occasional wandering adventurering party. Life became rough for the small troupe, and as the times changed, so did their show, becoming more raucous and baudy the more their audiences demanded it. Their problems culminated when the old circusmaster passed away, leaving the leadership of the troupe to his cruel son Jaard. As times were tough, the performers sought new ways to sustain themselves, and under Jaard's leadership, this included gambling, illegal dueling, cockfighting, and prostitution. It is the latter which resulted in the birth of Adagio D'Tranticus, his last name created by his mother from the hero of some ancient tale.
The Early Years
Adagio, or Dagi to his friends, grew up without a father, but he never lacked for positive role models. The group was much like an extended family, and the adult males of the group all acted as father figures to the children. Lorn, the carnival's strongman, taught him to fight with both hands and to never back down from a challenge. The troupe fool, Floon, became another strong influence, teaching Adagio to sing and whistle along to the rhythm of a leather-skinned tambourine. And his mother Lillian, the most powerful influence of all, taught him to love nature and to follow Pelar, so that once he reached manhood he would never want for food again in his life. Once he was old enough to carry a spear, she made sure to have him apprenticed to the bear trainer, Zinlarden, in order to keep him close to nature. Dagi spent many long, happy hours in the bear tent, and has had a passion for the animals ever since.
Arguably the strongest influence in his early life was his half-brother Nouvhig, a half-elf born of a similar liaison, who grew up alongside Adagio. The two spent most evenings together, hunting long into the night as they patrolled the perimiters outside their camp, exploring the local wildlife and jesting with one another incessantly.It was on one such late night hunt that their lives would change forever. They returned to camp to find the entire area burned to the ground, the dark figures of brutish marauders silhouetted against the burting carts. That day an argument had broken out between Lorn and a group of three orcs who were heckling the show and throwing things at the performers. The argument got personal, and the orcs threatened to return with reinforcements and settle the matter once and for all. In these harsh wartimes, such threats were commonplace and always ignored... but this time the threat was real.
True to their word, the orcs returned with a seasoned squardon of bandits who proceeded to decimated the feelble enclave, destroying everything in their wake. The two young men headed towards the borderlands, somehow managed to cross unseen, and fled for the safe, lofty branches of the city of the elves.
Flight to Le'Or
Through the darkness they ran, bravely (or foolishly) plunging through the heart of the TNanshi forest. The two knew the rough location of Le'OrT'Nanshi, but had never been this deep into the wilds before. It wasn't long before they were completely lost. Naturally, considering their location, it also wasn't long before they found themselves in mortal peril. Cornered by a pack of beetles, the two young men received a quick lesson in melee combat which consisted mainly of getting chewed upon by the insects' slathering mandibles. Luckily, a brown bear happened to pass by, and Adagio's skills with these beasts convinced the animal to come to their rescue. Minutes later, they were safe once again and Adagio had gained a new friend who would soon become his lifelong companion.
Anaraxis and Eartha
The bear Eartha accompanied Adagio and his brother to Le'Or, where they found solace at the grand temple of their mother's patron deity, Pelar. Under the tutelage of Pelar's followers, the two began their adult lives as devout followers of the hunter god. While his brother began to walk a more devout druidic path, inside Adagio a fire of vengeance burned. He swore to slay orcs and orc-kin wherever he encountered them, and thus began his early career as an OrcSlayer. Much of Dagi's early adult life was centered around improving his hunting skills with the intent to destory orcs wherever he could find them. But at this young age, without a coin in his pocket nor steel nor arrow to his name, a larger question remained... how to make a living? The business of vengeance yields little coin to buy blades and bows, so Adagio soon turned his attention towards a small elven encampment known as Silverfall.
The constant need for hunting arrows gave Adagio a natural affinity for carpentry and blacksmithing, and before long he learned enough of the crafts to keep himself well supplied. The nearby iron mines and adjacent beetle caves provided the perfect blend of hunting and crafting materieals, so Silverfall begame Adagio's home base for his early adult life. He soon learned to sell his wares in the LeOr marketplace, and began to get to know the local merchants and craftsmen he met there. One of these, a young Nanshi monk called Anaraxis Romulus, took a liking to Dagi and his brother, and began joining their nightly hunting expeditions as a means of honing his own skills. The three became fast friends.
But the longer Adagio practiced on beetles, the more he longed to hunt his mortal enemy, the orc. With every kill, he dreamed of slaying orc, focusing his every being on exacting his revenge. Then one day on an herb-gathering expedition to the halfling nation of Ferrell, his moment came.
OrcSlayer
There they were, a group of nine orcs, resting peacefully against the hillside and laughing to themselves, oblivious to the presence of Adagio and his friends. Blinded by rage, Dagi denied common sense and snatched up his bow, firing into the group. Immediately the orcs charged down the hill towards him, as Anaraxis and Nouvhig stared incredulously at their foolish companion. Being at the front end of the assault, Adagio met the majority of them head-on, firing at point-black range until his bow splintered under the weight of a wicked halberd. He went down quickly, the world faded to darkness. He awoke on the hillside much later, his friendsfrowning down at him with a mixture of worry and anger etched into their faces. A bit of luck and the healing proficiencies of his two companions were the only reasons that Adagio survived at all.
Embarrassed and enraged, Dagi followed his companions to the Port Hole to rest and relax... but his wounded pride kept him from being able to do either. So many seasons of training, years of hoping, yearning to face an orc in battle... only to fall within five minutes of his first skirmish with them. Dagi swore that their next meeting would be different. That night, while his two companions slept, the young hunter returned to the site where he fell, knelt, and sang a prayer to Pelar.Prayers to Pelar
Great Pelar, our hunting lord Guide my bow and speed my sword On this hunt tonight, I seek Foul orcs who prey upon the meek So if there be any nearby Reveal them to your servant's eye I'll hunt them down without delay And so I'll honor you today
Adagio opened his eyes, looked around, and saw that he was still alone on the silent hillside. He began to search the area, finding no trace of any further orc activity. Two hours later, he began to feel foolish, and turned to head back to the Port to rejoin his slumbering companions. Just then, coming up over the hill, a trio of three orcs marched noisily towards his direction. Adagio slipped into the shadows... moments later, the orcs lay slain in the moonlight, and Dagi stood above them, his sword raised in victory, his voice loud in songs of praise to Pelar. The thrill of this victory was unlike anything he had ever experienced, as if every hunt before this one meant nothing. He had finally become an OrcSlayer, and the feeling was one of pure ecstasy.
On that day, Adagio's life changed forever, and he began seeking and hunting orc and orc-kin wherever he found them.
Beastmastery
During this period in his life, Adagio grew more and more aloof from his companions, spending nearly all of his time alone or hunting orcs with Eartha at his side. As his skill at tracking and slaying orcs grew, so did the seething rage within his heart. The more he focused on his vengeance, The more cynical and quick to anger he became. Adagio's relationship with his brother Nouvhig began to waver, and the two were often seen bickering openly about petty and mundane issues. When this tension culminated in an heated argument over which fork to take in the road ahead, the choice became clear for the both of them. Nouvhig headed east, Adagio west, and sadly, the two have never been seen together since. Given Nouvhig's druidic love of animals, it is Adagio's belief that he simply turned into a bear and wandered off into the wilds to live as one of them forever.
Adagio's path lead him towards a darker and more perilous life. Like his brother, he turned to the wilds as well, foraging and hunting for food, sleeping under the stars, every night searching high and low for orcs to slay. The ever-present Eartha at his side was his only reminder of a gentler life he once lived.
This article is still under construction by the PCs player, Simon Drat
