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Aleyn Harrowden was born 31 years ago, the eldest child of Roland and Nasira Harrowden, who operated a glass-making business in a middle-class neighbourhood of Highmark. He has six younger siblings: Lystra (f, 28), Maynard (m, 27), Ciryl (m, 24), Bretyn (m, 22), Tavya (f, 20), and Lenyard (m, 17). As the eldest, Aleyn was often tasked with looking after his brothers and sisters, when he was not helping out in his parents' shop.
Aleyn's parents were acquainted with, and often did custom business for, an alchemist who lived nearby, a halfling woman named Tamarix Nettle. She had previously been an adventurer affiliated with the Explorers Union, who had opened a shop with her savings upon her retirement. When as an adolescent Aleyn showed an interest and aptitude for sorcery, she struck a deal with his parents that she would provide him with training in exchange for greatly reduced prices on their specialized glasswork. Thereafter, Aleyn spent part of each day studying with Miss Nettle, who regarded him at first as a necessary inconvenience, but who eventually became fond of the boy and helped him decide that he wanted to become an adventurer with her vivid stories of her days in the trade.
Aleyn's best friend from childhood is Lila Deverel (human, f, 31) who grew up across the street from him. Having definitively established via some friendly experimentation during their teens that a romantic relationship wasn't going to work, they were able to remain friends and have stayed on close terms even though Lila is now married with several young children (her husband having been reassured that there is really no reason to be jealous…) Aleyn had a few confusing years before realizing that he actually preferred men.
Aleyn joined the Union when he was 21 and became an adventurer with the Crimson Mist.
The Crimson Mist (Aleyn's former party)
Kielly Shatterglass (F, gnome, bard)
Dairoth Standage (M, human, warlord)
Saffron (F, shifter, warden)
Xyra Levening (F, human, rogue)
Tilma Voruk (F, orc, paladin)
Emmeryn Agathis (M, elf, druid)
Shargh (M, bugbear, barbarian)
At first he relished the freedom of being away from home and his usual obligations, cutting loose, drinking too much, and sleeping around with friendly strangers (and getting punched in the face by at least one unfriendly one. Lesson learned.) Gradually, however, his attention came to be fixed on another member of his party, Dairoth Standage. Knowing that the Union discouraged inter-party relations, and uncertain how Roth would react in any case (since Aleyn had only known him to be involved with women before), he attempted to keep his feelings to himself for a time, but this was ultimately unsuccessful because… it's Aleyn. Fortunately, it turned out that Roth reciprocated his curiosity and interest, and the two began a relationship that would last several years, although Roth's patrician family continued to pressure him to marry and produce children. Because of this, Roth preferred to keep their relationship quiet as much as possible, although the other members of their party were aware (and there's probably a note on their permanent records at the Union, too.)
During an assignment in [place], Aleyn's group became caught in a cave in a shifting zone, where the rest of Aleyn's party perished and he was left with his right hand caught in a nefarious trap. The remainder of the party were raised after they did not make their appointed rendezvous, and Aleyn was left alone to try and extricate himself. Eventually, desperate and starving, he cut off his little finger and ring finger in order to pull his hand free. He was able to make it back to Highmark, although with great difficulty, and too late for healing magic to restore his missing fingers. Moreover, he found that the rest of his party had believed him to be dead and lost irretrievably, and that Roth had sought consolation with Xyra. This precipitated a fight that led to the end of their relationship. Roth later married a woman his family had selected, they are now expecting a child, and he seems to be content, as far as Aleyn is aware (although they have not spoken in some time.) The remaining members of the party, shaken by the experience, went their separate ways, although Aleyn parted on friendly terms with most of them.
After his return, Aleyn felt unable to resume adventuring. He returned once more by Miss Nettle, who, as she was growing older, could use the additional assistance around the shop. He also took a room nearby, above a second-hand clothing shop. Much of the money he had earned during his adventuring days had gone to assist his younger siblings as they bought homes, started businesses, needed help, and so on, but also he has relatively simple tastes and did not feel he needed a larger residence. Although he has had a few casual liaisons in the past couple of years, he has had no serious relationships since Roth.
Aleyn's father Roland disappeared during the Overlook disaster. He was away from the shop that day for a series of meetings with customers and various errands, and never returned. For a while the family held out hope that he might just have been injured or become stuck somewhere and been unable to get back home, but as more time passed it seemed less and less likely that was the case. A number of unidentifiable bodies were recovered from a factory Roland was supposed to have been having a meeting at, and the family has come, reluctantly, to accept that he must have died there. This tragedy, combined with a growing frustration at his inertia and stagnation in life, led Aleyn to decide that he would return to the Union as a GM…
Aleyn's parents were acquainted with, and often did custom business for, an alchemist who lived nearby, a halfling woman named Tamarix Nettle. She had previously been an adventurer affiliated with the Explorers Union, who had opened a shop with her savings upon her retirement. When as an adolescent Aleyn showed an interest and aptitude for sorcery, she struck a deal with his parents that she would provide him with training in exchange for greatly reduced prices on their specialized glasswork. Thereafter, Aleyn spent part of each day studying with Miss Nettle, who regarded him at first as a necessary inconvenience, but who eventually became fond of the boy and helped him decide that he wanted to become an adventurer with her vivid stories of her days in the trade.
Aleyn's best friend from childhood is Lila Deverel (human, f, 31) who grew up across the street from him. Having definitively established via some friendly experimentation during their teens that a romantic relationship wasn't going to work, they were able to remain friends and have stayed on close terms even though Lila is now married with several young children (her husband having been reassured that there is really no reason to be jealous…) Aleyn had a few confusing years before realizing that he actually preferred men.
Aleyn joined the Union when he was 21 and became an adventurer with the Crimson Mist.
The Crimson Mist (Aleyn's former party)
Kielly Shatterglass (F, gnome, bard)
Dairoth Standage (M, human, warlord)
Saffron (F, shifter, warden)
Xyra Levening (F, human, rogue)
Tilma Voruk (F, orc, paladin)
Emmeryn Agathis (M, elf, druid)
Shargh (M, bugbear, barbarian)
At first he relished the freedom of being away from home and his usual obligations, cutting loose, drinking too much, and sleeping around with friendly strangers (and getting punched in the face by at least one unfriendly one. Lesson learned.) Gradually, however, his attention came to be fixed on another member of his party, Dairoth Standage. Knowing that the Union discouraged inter-party relations, and uncertain how Roth would react in any case (since Aleyn had only known him to be involved with women before), he attempted to keep his feelings to himself for a time, but this was ultimately unsuccessful because… it's Aleyn. Fortunately, it turned out that Roth reciprocated his curiosity and interest, and the two began a relationship that would last several years, although Roth's patrician family continued to pressure him to marry and produce children. Because of this, Roth preferred to keep their relationship quiet as much as possible, although the other members of their party were aware (and there's probably a note on their permanent records at the Union, too.)
During an assignment in [place], Aleyn's group became caught in a cave in a shifting zone, where the rest of Aleyn's party perished and he was left with his right hand caught in a nefarious trap. The remainder of the party were raised after they did not make their appointed rendezvous, and Aleyn was left alone to try and extricate himself. Eventually, desperate and starving, he cut off his little finger and ring finger in order to pull his hand free. He was able to make it back to Highmark, although with great difficulty, and too late for healing magic to restore his missing fingers. Moreover, he found that the rest of his party had believed him to be dead and lost irretrievably, and that Roth had sought consolation with Xyra. This precipitated a fight that led to the end of their relationship. Roth later married a woman his family had selected, they are now expecting a child, and he seems to be content, as far as Aleyn is aware (although they have not spoken in some time.) The remaining members of the party, shaken by the experience, went their separate ways, although Aleyn parted on friendly terms with most of them.
After his return, Aleyn felt unable to resume adventuring. He returned once more by Miss Nettle, who, as she was growing older, could use the additional assistance around the shop. He also took a room nearby, above a second-hand clothing shop. Much of the money he had earned during his adventuring days had gone to assist his younger siblings as they bought homes, started businesses, needed help, and so on, but also he has relatively simple tastes and did not feel he needed a larger residence. Although he has had a few casual liaisons in the past couple of years, he has had no serious relationships since Roth.
Aleyn's father Roland disappeared during the Overlook disaster. He was away from the shop that day for a series of meetings with customers and various errands, and never returned. For a while the family held out hope that he might just have been injured or become stuck somewhere and been unable to get back home, but as more time passed it seemed less and less likely that was the case. A number of unidentifiable bodies were recovered from a factory Roland was supposed to have been having a meeting at, and the family has come, reluctantly, to accept that he must have died there. This tragedy, combined with a growing frustration at his inertia and stagnation in life, led Aleyn to decide that he would return to the Union as a GM…
