Jakob Peregrine

Jakob

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Targon Peregrine is one of the most powerful merchants in Damara. Through a mixture of cunning, ingenuity and sheer ruthlessness he built a business empire with assets in every corner of Faerun. Part of his success came from in the fact that he let no-one stand in his way, a philosophy that almost always worked for him… almost.

Ten years ago, Targon held interests in a logging concern that operated on the east end of the Rawlinswood. Revenues were down because of frequent mishaps and acts of sabotage that had almost crippled production. Dragging his family along with him, Targon went to the site to get to the root of the problem. Within minutes of arriving, the root appeared out of the forest and introduced himself.

Asherim was a Druid who protected the Rawlinswood, a Druid who was not about let some city dweller cut down the trees of his home. He had been the one sabotaging the logger’s camp, knowing that if he kept it up long enough, the one responsible would eventually have to come. His plan worked perfectly. Before melting back into the wilderness, Asherim told Targon that if he insisted on continuing the operation… something bad would happen. Targon, however, was not about to let himself be intimidated by a man who slept on the ground, he ordered the loggers to continue cutting and to kill the Druid if they ever saw him again.

Asherim realized that words would not be enough to stop Targon so he did what he thought was necessary for the situation, he kidnapped Targon’s only son. Using his mastery of nature, the Druid easily ambushed Targon’s caravan and made off with the eight year old Jakob. He told Targon that if he behaved, he could have his son back on Jakob’s 18th birthday.

Furious, Targon went to the ruler of Damara and demanded troops to rescue his son and to deal with the Druid. Asherim used his shape-changing ability to pay a late night “visit” to Damara's king in his private bedchambers. The scimitar at his neck was all the king needed to convince him who was in the right. The next day he denied Targon aid and ordered him to cease his operations in the forest. Defeated, Targon waited for the day his son would be returned to him.

Things were not great for Asherim either; he soon discovered that Jakob was a spoiled and willful child. The Druid had to watch the boy constantly to keep him from escaping, or worse, causing havoc in the forest. To Asherim’s surprise, the boy possessed a natural affinity for nature, for Jakob quickly adapted to his “jail” and found ways to turn it against his captor. Impressed by the boy’s ingenuity and budding skill, but too busy to raise the child himself Asherim decided turn the boy over to a small settlement of Wood Elves who lived within the areas he protected.

The Elves wanted nothing to do with a Human child, but Asherim was formidable and made it very clear that it was in their best interests to take Jakob and to help train him in the ways of the wild. Lacking any other alternatives, the Elves took in the boy and began to teach Jakob how to survive in the forest. His teachers used subtlety at first by hiding lessons as obstacles and challenges for the boy to overcome. Eventually, Jakob embraced the training and became a good pupil; he also became a devout follower of Mielikki as well. Seeing the boy’s progress, Asherim himself would often appear out of the forest for a time and teach the boy.

Training and age mellowed the youth considerably; he possessed a voracious appetite for the lessons and quickly grew in skill. Although he followed Asherim’s instructions, the two never became close. Their philosophies varied too greatly: Asherim saw the ruthlessness in nature while Jakob embraced that which was good. His relationship with the Elves, however was much stronger. They grudgingly admitted that the boy had talent and before long he was an accepted member of the community

The years went by and Jakob’s 18th birthday drew near. The young man realized that if he returned to civilization he would eventually have to take over his father’s business, a thought that didn’t appeal to him. He knew enough of his father’s operations to realize that he lacked the ruthlessness necessary to be successful. In the wilderness he was comfortable, in the wilderness he could make a difference, in the wilderness he decided would stay.

When Targon’s men came to collect him, Jakob informed the lackeys that he would not return. Upon receiving the message, Targon flew into a rage. He was convinced that the Druid had brainwashed his son, he ordered his men to bring Jakob back, bound if necessary. Over the next few months, Jakob and Asherim repelled a half-dozen attacks from Targon’s men. Finally, Jakob decided he needed to disappear for a while in order to get away from his father.

As it turned out, Jakob did not have to go far. The Elves that were now his adopted family told him of a small town to the north of the Rawlinswood called Norwick where he could go and no one would look for him. They also warned him about the many strange happening in the area. Even Asherim agreed that this would be a good place for Jakob to hide from his father and still be a part of the woods. With little fanfare, the young man made his way into Narfell, perhaps to find his next big adventure.

His story begins…

Vilehelm

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