Darlingverse/Kael

Kael: The Steadfast Protector

Before Darling: Kael was a strong, earnest boy of about twelve, living with his parents near the docks of Waterdeep. He loved to spend his days watching the ships, dreaming of far-off lands and the strong, dependable dockworkers who moved mountains of cargo. He wasn't grizzled, but he was always the first to offer a hand, a natural protector of smaller children, and possessed a quiet resilience that belied his age. He took immense pride in any small chore or task, wanting to prove his capability.

Captured by Papa: One evening, after helping a local merchant stack crates late into the dusk, Kael found himself alone in a quiet alley. A sudden, cloying sweetness filled the air, and then a heavy sack was thrown over his head. He remembered struggling fiercely, the muffled sound of unfamiliar voices, and the terrifying sensation of being dragged into a dark, suffocating space.

Papa's Basement and the Void: His next fragmented memory was of waking in a cold, stone basement, dimly lit by a flickering light. He saw other children, frightened and huddled in cages. The air was thick with a metallic tang and a faint, sickly sweet scent. He recalled the terror of watching a large, shadowed figure—Papa—approach one of the smaller cages. He heard a soft whimper, saw a flash of movement, and then his vision blurred into an overwhelming, formless horror. The memory always fades to black after that, a chilling void where the true terror lies.

Life in the Darlingscape: The First Builder of Walls: When Kael awoke inside "The Golem's Canvas," he had no clear memory of what had come before. This vast, shifting city felt like a strange purgatory, a fragmented world that needed tending. He remembered his childhood impulse to protect and build. His core belief that "a strong wall makes a strong home" guided his actions.

   With Borin: Kael quickly found a kindred spirit in Borin, the quiet, disciplined dwarf. Together, they channeled their shared instinct for structure and defense, literally helping to build the most secure parts of the Mnemonic Veins and setting up rudimentary barricades against the encroaching Shadow-Haunted Wilds. They often patrol the outer boundaries of the safer districts, shoring up weak points.

   With Grut and Roric: He relies on Grut's raw power and Roric's efficiency to push back the more aggressive aberrations spawned from the Wilds, seeing them as the blunt instruments necessary for defense.

   With Pip and Jinx: Kael struggles to understand Pip's whimsical chaos and Jinx's theatrical distractions. He sees them as liabilities that erode the much-needed order and stability, though he sometimes grudgingly admits their antics can divert larger threats. He often tries to impose rules on them, to little avail.

From Kael's perspective, he's just trying to keep this strange, fragile world from falling apart, doing what he does best: protecting what he cares about, one wall at a time.

Kael: The Steadfast Protector

You remember the scent of tar and brine mingling with the smell of strong coffee. Life was simple but demanding; you were a man of the docks, known for your quiet strength and your absolute refusal to leave a friend in need. You always believed that "loyalty is the strongest anchor," a code you lived by. Your hands bear the scars of a lifetime spent hauling heavy freight and fishing lines.

The memories of the end are fractured, but one image is perfectly clear: the last sight of a single, bare lightbulb swinging wildly before everything went dark. The subsequent time was an endless crush of silence and cold—a constant, suffocating fear that even now surfaces as a phantom ache in your chest.

Your true beginning here was that single light again, slowly resolving into the gentle, constant light filtering into the Estuary Shack. The comforting lap of water beneath the floorboards was the first truly real thing you had felt in an eternity.

You quickly found your purpose. Your domain was the water and the docks, a reliable refuge from the sprawl of the city. You took to greeting the denizens—the ordinary folk who moved through the Darlingscape—as your new neighbors. They needed a steady hand and a calm presence, especially when the shadows started to lengthen and coalesce into things that shouldn't be. You made it your job to stand between them and the dark, keeping your corner safe. Sometimes, you notice that a neighbor you were just talking to seems to have vanished when you turn back, only to see someone like them again later—a strange, fleeting thing, but you don't dwell on it.

You didn't stay anchored to the Estuary. Your duty called you into the vastness of the Darlingscape, a world of both unimaginable beauty and sudden, terrible danger. You have weathered ethereal storms, stood guard on the edges of the shifting wilds, and crossed the sprawling city countless times to ensure the flow remained true.

The first other Voice you met was Lyra; you encountered her when a section of your dock seemed to be getting pulled into a structured area nearby, and her cool, authoritative presence immediately established a boundary and a fragile trust. Shortly after, you found yourself near a sudden tremor in the ground and met Grut, an enormous, volatile brute who seemed to create destruction simply by existing, but whose core you instinctively knew was just as lost as you. Later, you met Pip the Curious, Zee the Silent, Flicker the Busy, Roric the Lonely, and the rest—each one a distinct, powerful echo in this new world.