**Narrative Role** - **[[Grumthar]]’s Anchor:** Her bond with [[Grumthar]] is the emotional core of her existence. She resists oblivion because he remembers her. - **Guardian of Legacy:** [[Sela]] safeguards the ancient ways of [[Gor’Karn]]—its tombs, truths, and the orcish honor codes defiled by necromancy. - **Voice of Clarity:** She sees through the Mist and warns others of its influence. --- **The Mist** - **Nature:** Not native to [[Gor’Karn]]. A foreign entity that amplifies distrust, rage, and despair. - **Origin:** Tied to [[Hexa Landing]] and a deeper corruption in Solare. - **Effect:** Magnifies emotional wounds, turns allies against each other, erodes memory and unity. --- **Speeches for Roleplay** **Speech: Post-[[Korgath]] – Unity and the Mist** _Her voice cuts through the cavern, low and rough but steady. A wind passes through the ruined hall, brushing the mist aside for a moment. [[Sela]] steps from the shadow with bloodless grace, eyes glinting like pale embers. She's been watching. And now she speaks—directly to all of them._ "You all bleed. But not for each other. Not yet." "You nearly killed one another. Orc and elf. Slave and slayer. And why?" _She raises her hand and closes her fist._ "The mist squeezes what’s already inside you. It doesn’t plant hate—it feeds it." "I once hated elves. Thought they were soft. Arrogant. Like they belonged above us. But I’ve watched this one—" _she nods at [[Syllin]]_ "—cut her own skin to save a friend. Bleed for fools who doubted her. That’s not softness. That’s steel." _To [[Tarnik]]:_ "And you. Righteous. Brutal. Willing to kill your ally for what she did. But tell me—do you strike down every warrior who lashes out to protect someone they love? Or just the ones who don’t kneel fast enough?" _She pauses._ "None of you are wrong. But none of you are free. The mist binds more than your feet. It wraps your heart." _She looks across the group._ "This place isn't cursed by ghosts. It's cursed by forgetting. Forgetting what you fight for, who you fight with, and what you would lose if you fall." _To [[Grumthar]], finally:_ "You were never weak for feeling. You were weak for fearing your feeling. You burn because you’re afraid you won’t protect us in time. But you must learn…" _She presses a hand over his heart._ "You fight harder when you feel. Not when you explode." "Your anger can be your shield—or your leash. Choose." --- **Guidance to the Party** - Leads the group post-[[Korgath]] toward the Hall of Remembrance. - Warns that the Mist is the true enemy, not each other. - Offers wisdom that bridges racial and ideological divides: - Orc and elf - Righteousness and chaos - Strength and restraint --- **Fate** - [[Sela]] will never return to the land of the living. - Her soul will be released from damnation if the party honors her legacy and survives. - She exists now as a memory-guardian, warning against forgetfulness, division, and spiritual erosion. --- **Mechanical Impact (Optional)** - **[[Sela]]’s Clarity (Blessing):** Advantage on Wisdom saves vs. charm/fright/fear in misty or cursed zones (1 long rest duration). - **Party Bonding:** Each character who shares a hidden fear aloud gains Inspiration. --- **Legacy** - Symbol of unity forged in sorrow. - Whisper in [[Grumthar]]’s memory. - First true witness of what the Mist really is. - Her last words may yet be the ones that save them all. ### **[[Sela]]’s Final Speech to [[Grumthar]]** _The mist is thin, the air unnaturally still. Her form is more whole than ever before—tangible for the first time. A moment of clarity before farewell._ > _[[Sela]] steps forward, gaze steady, voice low. Not sad. Not afraid. Just real._ > > **[[Sela]]:** > “This is where I stay.” > > _She pauses, taking a slow breath that she no longer needs._ > > “You looked for me. I felt that. Every step, every howl, every time you threw yourself into a fight without thinking—part of you was still chasing me.” > > _She walks closer, places her hand gently on his chest, over his clasp._ > > “But I’m not in the fight anymore, [[Grumthar]]. Not like you are. And I won’t be walking out of here with you.” > > _Her hand lingers, and for a heartbeat, you feel warmth—not cold, not death. Just memory._ > > “This place holds me. But not because I’m cursed. I stayed because _you needed me_. Because _they_ needed something to believe in when they nearly tore each other apart.” > > _She glances at the others, then back to him._ > > “But you’re not that reckless fool anymore. You listened. You _chose your leash_. And that… that means I can go.” > > _She smiles faintly._ > > “Not to the living. That road’s closed. But my soul’s free now. No more shadows. No more whispers. Just… peace.” > > _She steps back, her form beginning to fade, glimmering like dust in golden light._ > > “[[Grumthar]]. You don’t need to burn to protect them anymore. Just stand. That’s enough.” > > _Her voice becomes distant, soft as wind in pine._ > > “And when your war ends… find me. I’ll be where the fire is warm. I’ll keep your seat.” > > _And then she’s gone._ [[Sela]] Groatfang is helping the party for three intertwined reasons—**personal, spiritual, and cosmic**—each shaped by her tethered soul and fractured identity in the cursed underworld beneath [[Gor’Karn]]. --- ### **1. PERSONAL REASON: [[Grumthar]] is her anchor** [[Sela]]'s spirit remains tethered to the living world not through vengeance or unrest, but through **loyalty**. [[Grumthar]] was her closest companion—possibly even something deeper before the fall. His presence stirs fragments of her old self, cutting through the shadow that clouds her memory. When she sees him, she remembers _why_ she once fought: not for glory, but for _him_, and for the warband they once shared. **“[[Grumthar]]... still reckless. Still loud. But you remember me. That means I’m not gone yet.”** **She helps because he still carries her name.** The clasp he kept—the one she wore—is more than sentimental. It’s a spiritual _link_, allowing her to resist the pull of the Shadow and whisper through the veil. --- ### **2. SPIRITUAL REASON: The Hall of Remembrance** [[Sela]] is caught in a **liminal state**—not a true ghost, not fully alive, but a guardian of legacy. The cursed catacombs are steeped in necrotic magic, threatening to erase the honor of the fallen orcs by burying their names and deeds in silence. For someone like [[Sela]], whose life was built on precision, memory, and vigilance, this is a fate worse than death. She helps the party to **preserve what remains**—to guide them through places where rituals have failed and where even tomb guardians have lost their way. She’s driven by a need to **fulfill her duty**, even in death: ensure that the Six Shields, [[Durgath]], and the legacy of Gorkhan are not forgotten or perverted by [[Korgath|the Wraith Lord]]'s corruption. --- ### **3. COSMIC REASON: She is resisting [[Anam|the Withered One]]** [[Sela]] was partially claimed by the **Shadow of Skar Hollow**, an agent of [[Anam|the Withered One]], and drawn into the Ruins of the Dead. But she was not fully consumed. Her spirit is still **contested**—the Shadow seeks to claim her entirely, to use her as a vessel or gatekeeper for the Mirror Vail. Every time she aids the party, she resists that pull. > **“I should be guiding his blade... not yours. But the old path still glows when I step beside you.”** She helps because **every moment she chooses them**—[[Grumthar]], the warband, and their mission—is another moment she delays her own damnation. --- ### TL;DR – Why [[Sela]] is Helping - **Because [[Grumthar]]’s presence brings her memory and clarity.** - **Because she feels duty-bound to guide protectors of the orcish legacy.** - **Because resisting [[Korgath|the Wraith Lord]] and Shadow keeps her soul from falling completely.**