Kayleb the Beggar
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Unwashed and unshaven Kayleb is, like most beggars, a pathetic site to behold. His brown, mid length hair is unkept, and you guess he may have lice. His clothing consists of worn rags that look as if they would be of no value defending him from the cold.
Despite his disheveled appearance, Kayleb has kind eyes and a warm smile. His speech is soft, and to many peoples suprise, he speaks as someone with great intelligence and wisdom.
Kayleb wasn't always a beggar. The son of a wealthy merchant, Kayleb was heir to his fathers business and wealth. For most people, this would probably have been a blessed life, but the greed and corruption that surrounded Kayleb always appalled him. In the circles he moved in, honesty and kindness were as rare as a diamonds. It seemed to him that to get richer, people were happy to make others poorer. Every coin in his possession made his guilt heavier when he passed by the impoverished people living in the streets. Occasionally he would relieve his guilt by giving to the poor, but that was little comfort for him. He was a part of a word that he despised.
His life changed after meeting a travelling preacher. While had little interest in religion, this wandering zealot spoke with such unction and passion that Kayleb was hopelessly converted. Leaving his life and inheritance behind him, Kayleb asked to join this preacher's order. The preacher happily accepted Kayleb's devotion, and told him that he should give all to the order and take an oath of poverty. Kayleb happily did so, eager to leave his world of greed and lies. He gave all his wealth the preacher, excited to begin his pursuit of a more spiritual life…
Kayleb never saw the preacher again.
From that moment on Kayleb lived by begging from strangers. At first he found it hard to adjust to, but eventually he came to love his life as a beggar. For him, every meal he ate was the manifestation of someone's kindness and generosity. After each day begging, what he didn't use for food he would give to the temple, or to others in need.
While Kayleb is eager to fight against the evil that infests the countryside, He knows his limitations as a fighter. He is not very strong, and is hopeless with a sword. He also doubts his own motivations. Many of the fighters he has met to date have come across as people who fight for its own sake. How is that more righteous than what an orc does? How one fight against evil before evil has been discerned? How can you discern it if you can’t define it? It's true that the struggle against the orks and kobolds does keep the weak safe, but the violence that some live by seems to consume them. Kayleb has questioned many clerics and paladins on this issue, about the nature of "good" and "evil". Most of them have taught that the Gods guide them and help them to discern what is good. Kayleb has had trouble accepting this. To him, the gods seem as morally fickle as humans.
So Kayleb's quest is a simple one. It is a quest for daily food, and for moral certainties.