Family Life:

Veit was born to a family that didn’t want them and when they were just a babe they were taken in by their adoptive parents: an Elf and a Human respectively named Paelias and Rosalind Glanhig. Veit’s parents were not able to bear kids of their own, so they adopted several children including Veit. It was an unusual family composition, with the children being made-up of a Half-Elf, a Human, and most bizarrely of all: a Tiefling. There is the older Half-Elf sister, Galinndan; the younger Human brother, Heward; and the older Tiefling brother, Ishte. They all grew up rather poor but were ultimately blessed in having a home as many of their peers did not. Veit is relatively close to all their siblings to this day, although their hermit lifestyle has only really permitted him occasional contact with Heward and Galinndan, as Ishte is always steeped in his studies. Galinndan grew up to be a farmer, something she didn’t want to do growing up, but doesn’t mind it, whereas Heward grew up to be a travelling bard. He has seen moderate success but hasn’t quite made a name for himself yet. Ishte, surprisingly, has become the most successful of them all, albeit through more illicit means, by the trading of texts on magics.

Fighting Career:

Much against popular belief, Dwarves aren’t born fighters. Not all of them, at least, but Veit was a born fighter. There was rarely a weapon they couldn’t use somewhat effectively. They were by no means a master though, so that is how their training began. Their tutor was an old halfling woman named Bella Porridgepot, a fighter strictly of the streets, with no formal training. She taught Veit how to best fight in the city, without alerting the guards. Even though this dwarf may have a stiff appearance, in combat they are a weapon of elegance, moving the battlefield to best fit their needs. Before their hermit life, and even into that life, they were an immovable foe and a dangerous one at that, for anyone that disturbs their solitude is likely to meet a swift demise.

Hermit Life:

They did not choose the life of hermit but were forced into it by their past. There were some people that did not wish to see Veit succeed, and they destroyed their business and their life. Veit took solace in the same place where the ingredients of their business were (primarily) found: the forest. While Veit did not choose or want this life, it grew on them (even somewhat literally). The forest is where they found themselves and grew to understand themselves in a more philosophical sense: they are neither man nor woman, but one in service of the forest. They have learned that if they protect the forest, it will protect them.

Years of Solitude:

Veit has been alone for many winters now and their contact with the civilized world remains extremely limited. They often consider themselves closer with the flora and fauna than their humanoid brethren. If there was a time where Veit had a silver tongue, those days are very far behind them. When they do speak, their sentences are very brief and to the point, which often comes off as brusk and rude.

Some might call Veit queer, degenerate, savage, or many other forms. No matter what they are referred to as however, Veit stays the same. They believe their methods to be uninfluenced by the outside world and to be serving a greater purpose then themself or the Last God. Solitude has granted them a perspective that many others don’t have on the world and nature, so Veit seeks to protect that which gave them that perspective.

The Search:

Veit has been intrigued by many a rare herb, but the Black Lotus is one above the rest. Although its existence can’t really be substantiated by much, there are fringe groups that claim to at least know the conditions under which the Black Lotus grows: in a minimum of foot deep water in loamy soil, only growing under the light of the moon, being killed by exposure to the sun. Not many search for the Black Lotus due to its unsubstantiated existence, but those that do, including Veit, believe that it has the power to fully rejuvenate the dead, even when decomposed. This is believed to be separate from necromancy however, as not just is the dead reanimated, but it is like they never died. Not just that, but it is also said the flower can be used beyond humanoids…

If this flower does exist, it is likely very-few in number or extremely well-hidden, or both. The only references it has in literature are vague referrals in poems and seemingly unreliable theories from the mad.