Halimath the Wanderer

You may call me Halimath the Wanderer, it is after all the name I have known for so long. I am known as a warrior, a thief, and sometimes even a master of the arcane arts. I am all of these things and yet none at the same time. Among the elves of my home I am simply known as a collector. One of the few that go out among the rest of the world and remove the temptations of power that are the ancient artifacts of forgotten times.

I am known as a Grey Elf among the lesser races, to include the other elves, or a Pure Blooded among my own people. I was born seven hundred and fifty two years ago this winter. As my body has slowed down I find that my mind is as sharp as ever, if not more so. Yet I wish to write my story down before my wits fade away due to age. It would be a shame if these ‘adventures', as the youngest ones call them, were to be forgotten once I pass away to the lands of our fathers.

My childhood was spent the way most elves are raised, the arts such as dancing, singing, and musical composition. Soon came the sword and bow, a piece of training that every elf should take full advantage of. Once I was of a more suitable age I was able to start to choose my own training. Ropes, ‘skulking in the shadows' as my father called it, and locating and disarming traps were to my liking due to my hand and eye coordination. Spells seemed to come as naturally to me as most people and breathing, though I have met a few dwarves where that simple act seemed to labor their brains. The sword, specifically the long sword, danced in my hand while I danced between my targets.

Soon my skills were noticed, and not by the war wizards as I thought they would be. Instead I had gained the attention of an entirely different portion of the Grey Tower, that of the collectors. For those of you that have not heard of the collectors, you should be thankful because it means that any item of power that your mind could not grasp was collected without your death. Allow me to show you a glimpse of the most basics of what this organization does. The collectors are spread amongst the various elven races, to safeguard the world and the elven way of life. They are the thieves that sneak into a wizard's tower to steal away the ring that belonged to a dark lord of Hell. They are the wizards that study the most ancient of maps until they are able to locate the lair of the dragon that possesses a gem that can enchant an entire nation. They are warriors that scatter the orcish horde at the mere whisper of a sword left over from the Elfwar. Any form of power that is far too dangerous for an unworthy race to possess is collected and secreted away. Sometimes this is through negotiations, sometimes theft, sometimes outright violence, it is always the choice of the offending race though.

The collectors finished my training as only they could. History, engineering, the refinement of my skill with sword and spells, and even some of the less than legal skills of thievery were all part of my training. I was one hundred and twenty one years old when my training was completed, an adult by my races standards. I spent the next few years cataloging the various items retrieved by my colleagues until I was finally called upon for my first mission.

My father was granted permission to gift me his suit of elven chainmail. In his words it would suit my skills better than simple leathers would anyways. It was him that named me Halimath, you might have guessed by now that it is not my true name. Collectors give up any claim to their true name before they set out on their first mission, the better to preserve their honor. It seems as if while we are a needed evil in this world, our actions are still considered less than elven, and most definitely less than Pure Blooded. With a new long sword on my hip, my father's chainmail, tools, and a new name I set out into the world of the foolish humans.

Halimath is the storyteller NPC for my submissions as you get to know the world I am slowly, ever so slowly, creating for the Cartographer's Guild. I figured it would be rather interesting to see the world through the eyes of someone that has a vested interest in preserving the world. I have played Halimath in several games throughout the years and have gotten him up to Fighter 7/Mage 7/Thief 9 Grey Elf in 2nd edition AD&D. I will be telling his story as he grows in power and vists even more wonderous portions of the world I am working on. At the start of his tale he is nothing more than a multiclassed Fighter 1/Mage 1/Thief 2.