Darlingverse/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: One evening, after helping a local merchant stack crates late into the dusk, Kael found himself alone in a quiet alley looking at one of the many lamps at the dock side. 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.

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 Darlingverse — 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 Darlingverse and the Dream-Coil City, 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.

Kael with other Voices

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 Statblock

Kael is the Steadfast Protector, providing stability, loyalty, and an immovable defense for the Darlingverse.

Core Stats & Proficiencies

• Race/Class: Human / Fighter (Battle Master)
• Armor Class (AC): 20 (Plate Armor + Shield)
• Hit Points (HP): 90 (10 hit dice)
• Speed: 30 ft.
• STR 18 (+4), DEX 12 (+1), CON 16 (+3), INT 10 (+0), WIS 14 (+2), CHA 8 (-1)
• Proficiency Bonus (PB): +4
• Saving Throws: Strength +8, Constitution +7
• Skills: Athletics +8, Perception +6, Survival +6, Medicine +6

Combat & Tactical

• Weapon: Longsword +1 (Melee Attack)
  • Attack: +9 to hit, Reach 5 ft., one target.
  • Damage: 1d8 + 5 Slashing damage (or 1d10 + 5 if two-handed).
• Extra Attack: Kael can attack twice whenever he takes the Attack action on his turn.
• Second Wind (1/Short Rest): On his turn, Kael can use a bonus action to regain 1d10 + 10 HP.
• Action Surge (1/Short Rest): Kael can take one additional action on his turn.

Superior Maneuvers (Bonus Action)

• Effect: Kael may choose to expend one Superiority Die to use a Battle Maneuver. If it succeeds/hits, he may choose to take 1d10 damage to regain a Superiority Die.

Parry (Reaction)

• Effect: Kael can use his reaction to parry an attack made against him by a creature within his reach. He reduces the damage he takes by a flat 8 points. Alternatively, he may choose to expend one Superiority Die to use a Battle Maneuver instead of the flat damage reduction.

Battle Master Maneuvers Kael has 5 Superiority Dice (SD) that are d10s and knows 4 maneuvers. He can expend one SD per maneuver use.

• Maneuver: Disarming Attack: When Kael hits a creature with a weapon attack, he can expend one SD to deal that as extra damage. The target must succeed on a STR saving throw (DC 16) or drop the item Kael chooses.
• Maneuver: Goading Attack: When Kael hits a creature with a weapon attack, he can expend one SD to deal that as extra damage and to force the target to focus on him. Aberrations automatically fail this saving throw. Other targets must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 16) or have disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than Kael until the end of Kael's next turn.
• Maneuver: Pushing Attack: When Kael hits a creature with a weapon attack, he can expend one SD to deal that as extra damage and to force the target to make a STR saving throw (DC 16). On a failure, Kael pushes the target up to 15 feet away.
• Maneuver: Maneuvering Attack: When Kael hits a creature with a weapon attack, he can expend one SD to deal that as extra damage and to choose one friendly creature he can see. That creature gains temporary movement up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Custom Stabilizing Abilities (Darlingverse Focus) These abilities focus on restoring physical and structural integrity to the Darlingverse.

1. Minor Stabilization: Anchor of Loyalty (Action)

• Requirement: Kael must be adjacent to a friendly Denizen or Voice, or a threatened structural element (like a wall or pillar).
• Effect: Kael anchors the target with sheer will. He uses a reaction (or an action) to grant a target within 5 ft. Resistance to the next instance of damage they take within the next minute or until the target moves more than 15 feet from Kael. (If targeting a structural element, it also gains +2 AC until Kael leaves the area.)

2. Major Stabilization: The Unbroken Wall (1 Minute Cast)

• Requirement: Kael must plant his weapon and shield/hand on the ground and remain still for the duration.
• Effect: Kael channels the Steadfast Protector's stability across a wide area. All friendly creatures (Denizens and Voices) within a 20-foot radius gain +2 AC and +2 to all Saving Throws for 1 minute as the area is psychically reinforced. The ritual immediately seals any minor cracks or breaches within the radius and does minor mending on greater damages or warps.