Artwork by my wonderful soulmate  Spirit.Wolf.

Light was my first-ever D&D character, and after half a decade, I'm bringing him back for a new campaign called the Scourge of Valdova.

Scourge of Valdova is a D&D tabletop storyline set in the fictional world of Aurea, a world based on our real-life Age of Imperialism. In this setting, the world has been largely conquered by Elves through the art of war and their military prowess. In particular, the greatest Empire of the world is Valdova, spanning all corners of the globe.

Valdova built its vast Empire through war and colonisation, manifested in its ‘Elven Superiority’ policy, which decrees that Elves are intellectually and societally superior to all other races. This has led to the rapid decline, or even extinction, of other races across the globe; Goblins and Kobolds, for example, are practically extinct, while Orcs are on the border of extinction following mass colonial expansion.

But there are those who resist Valdova’s control: pirates. They pillage and plunder, taking what they can and giving nothing back. They strive for freedom and an end to Valdova’s totalitarian civilization, and dream of Libertalia - a land where they can be free. But with Valdova’s growing presence and their weapons of war expanding, pirates are dying out, and the dream of Libertalia may never come to fruition…

Light Born of Plight was kidnapped by slavers at a very young age and bought by a cruel and narcissistic elven wizard named Kelsador. For years, all he ever knew was serving his master, and the cruel punishments his master subjected him to when and if he disobeyed or made mistakes. But being naive, and with the fact that Kelsador was the closest thing he had to a parent, Light didn’t know any better and accepted this as the best life he could have, despite it being the only one he’s ever known.

A fellow slave and friend, a gnome girl named Waywocket, tried conspiring with Light to flee their captivity, but he shut the notion down quickly. At that moment, Waywocket’s owner, Mavilda, appeared in the doorway and asked what they were discussing. To protect his friend, Light lied to her, stating they were merely discussing what to make for dinner. Light never saw Waywocket again after that, however, and was stricken with severe melancholy as he was certain she had suffered the pain of death.

One morning, Kelsador called Light into his study and asked him about the melancholy. Light told the truth that he missed his friend. Kelsador stabbed Light through the hand with a dagger, viciously accusing him of treason, when Light suddenly and violently manifested raw magical energy that blasted Kelsador through the tower wall, to a presumed death after a great fall. Unsure of what had even happened, he gathered all of the wizard's tomes and artifacts, as well as various provisions, into a magical bag of holding and fled before the wizard's guards found out what had just happened. The wizard had taught him a few languages so that he could fetch him books, which helped him here.

Now he's fled the persecution of Kelsador's guards to the town of Port Savi, where he hopes to book passage aboard a pirate ship.

Ulzephious was a very powerful, well-respected wizard/sorcerer in Valdovan society. He was cold, calculating, seeking immortality, and wanting to ensure Valdova (and elves specifically, viewing all other races as less than human) would be guaranteed to rule over Aurea for all time. Thus, he created his Devise, a plan that would ensure elven dominance and see him reborn even millennia after his death to rule Valdova as the seat of all of Aurea.

To carry out the Devise, he formed a coven, a secret cabal of the most powerful and influential Magi to carry out his will. The Devise of Ulzephious has 7 members:

- The Archmagister: Oversees all their operations.
- The Artifact Keeper: Collects and stores powerful artifacts to consolidate power for the Devise.
- The Spymaster: Has agents in all facets of political bodies throughout the world.
- The Battlemaster: A battlemage and tactician who coordinates with lesser magi to skew wars in favor of the Devise.
- The Ritual Master: Performs rites with artifacts to extend the lifespans of the Devise members and attempt to resurrect Ulzephious.
- The Treasurer: Oversees the combined wealth of the Devise, making purchases on behalf of the Devise to gain influence and artifacts.
- The Reaper: A mystic assassin who kills anyone the Devise specifically marks to die, mostly politicians, kings, dukes, regents, etc.

Mavilda is the current Archmagister, and Kelsador is the current Artifact Keeper. Kelsador is also ancient, having benefited from the life extension rituals the most. Kelsador is basically the Starscream to Mavilda's Megatron; he wants to off her and succeed her as the new Archmagister, but he's also so ambitious that he wants to sabotage Ulzephious' resurrection and rule Valdova himself.

Who is Light?

Light is a recently escaped slave. Having been raised and held captive in Kelsador's tower his whole life, the outside world is strange and alien to him. While he might have a silver tongue for buttering up men of higher standing, he's largely oblivious to cultures and customs, aside from what he's learned from Kelsador's library. He's sheepish, anxious, has no idea who to trust, and likely won't come to trust anyone for a long time. While he doesn't want to die, he doesn't fear death as much as he fears recapture.

Having been a slave his entire life, he takes great comfort in the simple pleasures. Anything from a sweet treat to a hot bath will make him content, if not overtly happy. Mostly, though, now that he has his freedom, he largely has no idea what to do with it. The world feels overwhelming and intimidating to him, and now he has this wild and unpredictable power that he can't control, which scares him. Despite that, he ultimately sees it as a boon and will not hesitate to help anyone being bullied or enslaved.

What are Light's character motivations?

Light, as a character, wants to ensure nobody else ever has to go through what he went through. He wants to free all slaves and abolish slavery entirely. He wants to depose the Valdovan empire and help create a world where everyone is equal regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. To that end, he also wants to stop the Devise of Ulzephious. He wants to reunite with his people and find his parents, if they're still alive. He wants to learn about his magic and how to control it. He wants to eventually confront and defeat Kelsador when he becomes strong enough, proving that his former master no longer has control over him. He wants to find love and feel love, things he's never had, and ensure that such love is given to others who need it too.