Teleas
Many people know the Honorable Judge has a little weakness for Elves. Some people know he was raised by Elves. But no one knows about his deep hatred for them...
Special Equipment:
Besides other, common things, he always keeps a piece of coloured glass. It comes from the ruins of his house. He even owns the lands his birth-village was on before.
Appearance:
A man of sharp wits and years of practice, he excells at arguments and is quite a good speaker. In the public or between friends, he does not do much talking, prefers to listen to others, occasionally adding a bit of humour or wisdom to the talk. If involved in some kind of argument, he tries to explain the reasons for his views. He also explains in detail any ruling he makes as a judge, in every single lawsuit. It happened more than once that a criminal accepted his punishment after hearing the explanation.
Slowly getting older, Teleas is re-considering his life, his goals, and ways. He feels he has chosen the right goal, but not always the best ways. While definitively determined against Elves, he is not very proud of his hate, and tries to suppress it. He hopes in finding a (relatively) peaceful solution, one that makes Humans free. At last he may start to be more active and not alone in his methods: he may found a secret society. Throughout the years he has come to learn many able men and women with little love for Elves.
Teleas does not have two faces, nor does he live two lives. He is a good judge, caring for justice and wellbeing of others. His keeps his 'mission' a secret, not from shame or fear, but seeing this as a tiresome necessity. If confronted in public with evidence, or somehow shown his true views, he will not deny.
Background:
For young Teleas, the life was never good. His parents died in some Orcish raid, and his home and village were burned to the ground. Elves found him, Elves that lived only a few miles down the road, and were not harmed during the raids.
Adopted he was by an Elven sage, a noteworthy member of the community. He learned to read and write, and many other things, but old Elf was forgetful and bitter, and never showed him a kind face. He also 'forgot' to feed the boy, more than once. Dieing later of old age, the family claimed the house and all. The boy was always more seen as a servant, and had no place in the new household. He had to go.
The young angry man tried to join the army. Being not strong and tall, but fluent in Human and Elvish, both speaking and writing, he was accepted as a captain's scribe. During his service in yet another Orcish conflict, he was left alone for a moment with a critical piece of intelligence. Thinking fast, he changed it a little bit. The incident is known even to these days:
The elite Elven Bowmen troop (arrogant bastards, refusing to speak Human) always needed someone to translate, and they soon commanded him up and down for anything they wanted. Due to faulty espionage they were ambushed in a tight spot by elite Orcish troops, and massacred. A human crossbowmen troop found a good position to shoot, and saved the few survivors. 'Shoot to save the Elf' means even today to help or advise with something the person should know best.
That was heart-warming in a strange way, but fighting and killing and the drill of an army are not for everyone's taste. And knowing to be responsible for the death of thirty soldiers (even if Elves) took long to reason out. But some qualms stayed behind.
Teleas became the assistant of an advocate. Being always smart, here began to grow his interest for rules and laws and justice, and he found it a great feeling to help people. Years passed, the advocate grew in status, and Teleas grew in wisdom. He has almost forgotten his bitterness, and would become someone else... if only his old friend would not show up.
Marby was the only friend Teleas had as a child. A half-elf, his Elven mother living between Elves, his Human father lost (or gone) somewhere. While the elders somehow respected this incomplete family, children are always fast to laugh at anything different. No wonder the two boys became friends, overcoming insults and beatings. While Teleas had some luck in the end, Marby ended up as a thief to survive. Being always ill-tempered, he killed an Elven merchant in a fit of rage, for laughing about his parents. This way could they meet again: in prison.
The advocate refused to help, sensing a lost case. But Teleas could not refuse a friend, would you? He based the defense on his friend's race: how can someone become an orderly citizen, if he does not belong anywhere? How can someone be not violent, being laughed, provoked and mistreated from childhood? The lawsuit attracted much public attention, and provoked many talks on the problems of half-elves. Finally his friend was sentenced to three years of prison. That was a huge success, for an execution was expected from the first moments. The judge chose him as an assistant, an offer that was not refused. His abilities grew as his interest for inter-racial relations, and time passed...
Current Status:
Teleas is now a Honorable Judge. Fifty years old, he is at the peak of his abilities. His rulings are considered fair and honest, and is known to become harsh occasionally, mostly for serious crimes. Teleas is now absolutely sure that Elves are a burden to the Human race, and is willing to do something about it, in little steps if necessary. If used as a villain, he acts rarely but effectively. His actions have small or no direct effect, but it is the large-scale impact that counts. Do you think the rulings of a judge do not count?
Successes:
In another half-elf case, he succeeded to portray the suspect as a spoiled child that considered itself superior to anyone else. As a part of both races, with a complete family he might become something much better than a criminal (half-elven heroes from the past were often mentioned during the lawsuit). Even if this was not a very spectacular case, the public noted it and mixed couples are now looked upon very unfavourably.
The case of father Vorion brought the most public attention of all. Vorion, a simple farmer, had a sick little daughter, and no one could help her. After trying every means available, he sought the help of the Darkwood Elves, famed druidic healers. The problem was he entered their forest on the summer solstice, a mystic holiday forbidden to all non-druids under the penalty of death. The farmer was sentenced to death, and given amnesty. Although the druids later cured the child, the public outcry was great. What are they druids good for, if they won't heal you when you need them?
Rasul, a petty criminal was betrayed by his Elven companion. In his person found Teleas the blind anger that needed a target. That Elf was released and extensively congratulated as a good member of his race, that even after falling into crime returned to justice. Rasul was condemned, and once free he resumed his career of ambushing people in dark alleys. But from now on, he ambushed almost exclusively Elves. Almost no publicity from this one, but a nice effect, too.
These are only a few selected cases where Teleas took action. In most lawsuits he can be absolutely relied upon to be a fair judge, as he really is. If there is a chance open for advancing his goals, he will take some time to determine if it is worth, then carefully manipulate to achieve the result.
Results:
Teleas' actions have impact. For a long time, Elves could move freely in Human cities, were sometimes given a second look, but rarely a third. They were 'just like us, only a bit different', treated like any Human. Now, they are a different race at last, they are not just 'some Elves' anymore. In average, the public is not yet hostile to Elves, but the relations are getting colder.
Facts about Elves:
(Facts Teleas knows and believes)
- Elves taught the Humans magic and other things. When the Humans started to kill one another (with magic), the Elves did not hinder them at all.
- Elves maintain large forested lands inside Human lands.
- The Elves are seen as a beautiful, spiritual folk, outstanding in the ways of Nature and Magic. Not warlike, they like arts and easy life.
- Elves were from the beginning against Orcs, and made as the first race war upon them. Ugly after elven standards, Orcs are still primitive and shunned from other races. Elves still spread hate to the Orcs.
- In any of the recent larger conflicts (most of them featuring Orcs) died much more Humans than Elves. Despite threats common to both races, Elves handled a minimal part of them, it was always the Humans that payed the bigger price. Elves shot a few arrows, and cast a few healing spells after the fight, then went back home.
(Please note that the above statements may be partially true, some even completely true. Decide what is valid for your campaign, what the public believes, and what Teleas.)
Conclusion:
Elves have Humans as a kind of guard dog, trained not to bite its master, but defend him from any threat.
Solution:
However filthy they are, Teleas is against large-scale killing or war. Instead he would like to separate both races, so the Humans can leave them behind and proudly advance into another, better Age.
Roleplaying Notes:
Plot Hooks:
- Some Elves move right next his former village. He will try to buy the land, and if it fails, will hire someone to 'persuade' them to leave. The heroes may be hired themselves, or shall find out why this happens.
- Teleas is writing a book about his views of the world, about Elves and Humans in particular. He is not yet sure whether to publish it under his own name or not, and when (if at all). Then, some accursed thief steals the book among other things. This may become a great scandal, destroying his renome and alert his enemies (the Elves). The book must be immediately found, and no one shall know what is inside.
- As before, but the unsigned book is read and people begin to sympathise with the ideas inside. Secret societies may start to exist, people begin to fight against the filthy Elves. Ironically, if elf-friends are hurt or harrassed in the process, even this judge may be a victim. In extreme, due to good argumentation in the book even a part of the governing body may start to believe it...
- Teleas himself starts to create a secret society to further his goal.
- A judge that is publicly known for being fair may be a good candidate for certain political posts. Before this happens, someone has to check on his background, if he is safe against blackmail and so on. This must be done VERY discreetly. The heroes can
a) find dirt on him, making a scandal possible
b) find nothing (as expected), creating many problems later
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? Responses (4)
Gold Star. Great character
Hmmm. Saddening. I like it because it strikes a chord of emotion. I'm going to go and cry about the evils of prejudice now...
Very good. 5/5
The fellow is wonderfully complex, using the cliche'd Family Killed By Orcs and turning it around so he hates the Elves instead.
Lots of possibilities here, and he might be fertile ground for demonic possession to push him still further to the dark side.