## Sela Groatfang – Lost Ranger of the Warbands ### Overview **Sela Groatfang** was once a respected orc ranger and scout within the warband of **[[Urgan Tryce]]**, known for her precision, stealth, and unflinching loyalty in the face of darkness. Fierce yet composed, Sela stood out among her peers for her unmatched tracking abilities and deep bond with the land. Her story, however, took a dark turn during the ambush at **Skar Hollow**—a moment that would see her vanish into legend and sorrow. To most, Sela is believed dead. But the truth is far stranger. Lured by a **shadowy entity**, she became bound to the **Ruins of the Dead** beneath **[[Gor’Karn]]**, caught between life, undeath, and something far older. --- ## Appearance - **Race:** Orc - **Gender:** Female - **Build:** Lean and agile, muscular with a scout’s grace - **Hair:** Dark brown, braided and tied back for utility - **Eyes:** Pale amber with sharp, vigilant focus - **Attire:** Leather armor reinforced with scavenged bone and steel, often wrapped in cloaks of moss and ash - **Notable Item:** A crescent-fang clasp inlaid with green jasper—retrieved after her disappearance --- ## Personality - **Traits:** Calculated, loyal, intensely private, protective - **Beliefs:** Every step matters. No trail is without consequence. - **Habits:** Sleeps lightly, tracks without leaving signs, speaks only when needed --- ## The Ambush at Skar Hollow Sela vanished while scouting ahead of her warband through the ravines of **Skar Hollow**—a place already poisoned by necrotic energies. Witnesses say she pursued a **shadowed figure** down into the depths, seemingly compelled by more than mere suspicion. This entity—now known as the **[[Shadow of Skar Hollow]]**—was no ordinary foe. A silent herald of the **Withered One**, it drew Sela through psychic manipulation and spectral suggestion, severing her from her allies and plunging her into a thin place where **reality and death** bled together. --- ## Transference to [[Gor’Karn]] Sela did not die in the Hollow. Instead, the Shadow **transported her essence** through a corrupted leyline tethered to the **Ruins of the Dead**—a cursed necropolis in the ancient depths of [[Gor’Karn]]. There, surrounded by specters of a broken orcish empire, Sela awoke—changed. Her soul, once intact, is now partially tethered to something greater, caught in a liminal state between life and the realm of the forgotten. Her memory is fractured. Her abilities remain, but her eyes hold echoes of the dead. Some spirits whisper her name in reverence. Others recoil, sensing the Shadow’s residue upon her. --- ## Current Fate Sela may be: - **Wandering the Ruins**, lost in purpose but bound by a fate not her own - **Possessed or fragmented**, a vessel or gatekeeper unknowingly tied to [[Anam|the Withered One]]’s design - **Alive, yet not**, her heart still beating, but her mind partially adrift in the void between worlds To free her—or recover what remains—may require: - Confronting the Shadow once more - Severing the leyline's tether - Cleansing the ruins of [[Gor’Karn]]’s curse --- ## Legacy - **[[Grumthar]]**, her closest companion, keeps her crescent clasp as a sacred token - She remains a symbol of loyalty, loss, and unanswered mystery among the surviving warband - Her story has become both a warning—and a call to action “I saw her eyes in the mist. Not dead. Not gone. Just… waiting.” ### **Sela to [[Grumthar]] – In the Fire of Battle** 1. **(Low and sharp)** _“You swing for the throat. I already marked the spine.”_ 2. **(Urgent but cool)** _“[[Grumthar]]. Step where I step. Or bleed where you choose.”_ 3. **(With a piercing look)** _“The trap wants your rage. Don’t feed it.”_ 4. **(Firm, eye-to-eye)** _“If you fall here, you feed their story—not ours.”_ 5. **(Steely whisper)** _“I saw what waits if you die loud. Trust me. Silence is the sharper weapon.”_ 6. **(Grabbing his arm, holding his gaze)** _“You're not a blade. You're a warband. Don’t break us trying to break them.”_ 7. **(Dark humor)** _“Charge again and I’ll drag what’s left of you back by the ankle. I swear it.”_ 8. **(Plain and cold)** _“I know the path. You know the kill. Let’s not switch roles now.”_ 9. **(With sorrow under her tone)** _“You’re not reckless. You’re afraid. So am I. But we aim _through_ it, not with it.”_ 10. **(Final line before a hard call)** _“I’m not your leash, [[Grumthar]]. I’m your shadow. But shadows don’t lead—they warn.”_ ### **Sela Groatfang – Quotes** 1. **(Quiet Resolve, Loyalty)** _“I walk ahead so you don’t have to bleed. Don’t make me regret that trust.”_ 2. **(Foreboding, Cryptic Clarity)** _“Some trails don’t loop back. They end in places your soul wasn’t meant to follow.”_ 3. **(Detached, Haunted)** _“The Hollow didn’t take me. It _opened_ me.”_ 4. **(Warning, Insightful)** _“The wind doesn’t lie. If it’s holding its breath… so should you.”_ 5. **(Tethered between realms, Descriptive)** _“I’m not lost. I just remember too many roads at once.”_ 6. **(Protective, Reprimanding)** _“If you step where I stepped, _run_. If you see what I saw, _forget it_.”_ 7. **(Ranger Instinct, Focused)** _“Every broken twig is a voice. Listen before you crush it.”_ 8. **(Mourning, Bittersweet Clarity)** _“[[Grumthar]] still carries my clasp. He knows. I’m not gone. Just… wrong.”_ 9. **(Determined, Echo of her old self)** _“The trail is rotten. But I’ll find the end—even if it finds me first.”_ 10. **(Finality, Ominous Calm)** _“I followed a shadow. Now I _am_ one. But there’s still a hunter in the dark.”_ Sela Groatfang - Spectral Orc Champion (Undead Fighter) Medium Undead (Orc), Lawful Neutral Armor Class: 18 (spectral armor) Hit Points: 110 (13d8 + 52) Speed: 30 ft. STR 20 (+5) DEX 14 (+2) CON 18 (+4) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1) Saving Throws: Str +8, Con +7 Skills: Athletics +8, Perception +5, Insight +5 Damage Resistances: Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Exhaustion Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15 Languages: Orc, Common Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP) Proficiency Bonus: +3 --- **Undying Resolve (1/Day).** When Sela is reduced to 0 HP, she instead drops to 1 HP and gains resistance to all damage until the end of her next turn. **Champion's Memory.** Sela can recall tactics from her past life. Once per short rest, she can grant advantage on one attack or saving throw to an ally within 30 feet. **Battle Tactician.** As a bonus action, Sela can direct an ally within 30 feet to make a weapon attack as a reaction. **Spectral Strikes.** Her melee weapon attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity. --- **Actions** **Multiattack.** Sela makes three attacks with her spectral greataxe. **Spectral Greataxe.** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 12 (1d12 + 6) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. **Shield Bash.** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 6 (1d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. --- **Reactions** **Parry.** Sela adds +3 to her AC against one melee attack that would hit her. To do so, she must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon. --- **Legendary Bond (Optional, GM Use)** If the party is fighting Korgath, Sela can be summoned by the lighting of the Flame of Remembrance. She acts on initiative count 20 and aids the party without needing control unless commanded with a successful DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. ---