Name: Jander Sunstar

AGE: Unknown. Jander's year of birth is not known by anyone still alive, but he is known to be between 900 and 1000 years old at this time.

DOB: Unknown.

Origin:

Jander is a native of Evermeet, the island kingdom of the Tel'Quessir (the elves of the Forgotten Realms) and home of the elven royal family. While not much is known of his early life (aside from his skills with the flute and his charming musical voice), it is known that Jander traveled to the continent of Faerun to become an adventurer (sometime around 552 Dale Reckoning <1281 AD by the Earth calendar>). He joined a group of adventurers calling themselves the Silver Six and in a short time; they had a great and storied career (including fighting the one and only Tiamat in her earthly lair, located near Elturel). Their reputation growing, they eliminated an unknown threat to the nation of Merrydale and accepted the Dalesmens' free room and board, a sign of their gratitude (Vampire of the Mists). Shortly thereafter, one of their number fell ill, coming down with what the Six believed to be an insect-borne disease. How little they knew.

When two members of their party died, the remaining members (Jander, a female mage, a fighter, and a cleric of Ilmater) realized what was happening when one of their deceased friends was found wandering around in a state of undeath. Her destruction ended the quiet takeover by the vampires and began what could only be described as a war for Merrydale's survival. Jander and his friends taking the leadership roles in the fight, the residents waged a war by day, uncovering the vampire lairs and destroying every undead they could. When the sun started to set, everyone would retreat to holy ground for shelter. After a weeklong series of battles, Jander's cleric friend came up missing. After apparently driving off the vampires, Jander and his remaining two friends left Merrydale, which subsequently was renamed Daggerdale. The group split up, each going their separate ways.

Jander wandered for a few years before deciding to return home to Evermeet. He was 200 at this point and had had enough of adventuring. While sitting at his campfire one night, he was approached by the friend who'd gone missing during the war with the vampires. His joy overcoming his common sense, Jander greeted Gideon to his camp. Gideon attacked Jander and killed him.

Jander was reborn the next night (Vampire of the Mists). Jander suffered over one hundred years of control at the hands of Cassiar (the sire of his sire), despite his attempts to resist the descent into darkness. He didn't realize that he was resisting it and not surrendering his soul, remaining a good and compassionate elf that simply could not defy the will of the master. Finally, Cassiar returned to the Dalelands, entering Mistledale and using Jander to become friendly with an elven Rider, Rhynn Oriandis, which in turn gave Cassiar the strategic information he needed to freely hold a one-night slaughter at the Orc's Head Inn in Mistledale. It was there that, with help from Rhynn and a cleric of Milil (God of Music), that Jander slaughtered Cassiar's other servants before killing the master himself. Jander prepared to stake himself (he then asked Rhynn to do it), but the moon elf stopped him. She said he'd earned a second chance, and that perhaps a cure for his vampirism existed on Evermeet (The Last Drink, in Realms of Valor).

Jander set out for Evermeet, hope in his heart that he might be returned to mortal (despite a 700-800 year lifespan) existence. Along the way, he found a group of brigands attacking an innocent. Unable to bear turning away or refusing to help, Jander attacked the outlaws, who actually drove him off because they wielded magical weapons. Jander now found himself in an unfamiliar position; prey. He ran on for a few days before coming to a glade to rest. He was confronted by an ebon-skinned human woman who grabbed Jander and threw his head under the water of the pool. Jander actually found himself overpowered by a woman who was willowy even by the standards of the People. He felt something change in him and it was only then that she let him up.

The soaked vampire was introduced to Eldath, Goddess of Peace, Waterfalls, and Sacred Ponds. She had felt him approaching and read his self, seeing the unique person that Jander was. She had used her divine power to put Jander into a state that would remove his need to drink blood (substituting water from the pool or wine she magically supplied) so long as he stayed in her sacred glade. Being only a demipower, she could not restore him to life, something they both regretted. Jander took up residence in the glade, which would also protect him from sunlight. He met the monks who tended a nearby church and began making carvings for them to sell to support them (something he did in return for Eldath's kindness).

After two weeks, the brigands found Jander's trail and attacked the monks of Eldath. His heart breaking at the unexpected evil he'd brought down upon his new friends, Jander abandoned the grove, attacking the brigands and tearing them apart. The priests realized the truth of Jander's existence (and the true extent of Eldath's favor), but sadly told him of the price of his kindness; such a gift as he'd willingly given up could only be given once in a being's lifetime. Jander confirmed this by being unable to reenter the glade. However, knowing that he would not have been able to live with himself had he not saved the monks, Jander headed west, bound for Waterdeep and perhaps Evermeet (The Quiet Time, in Realms of Magic).

After taking up residence there, Jander began making some friends after establishing a residence in the City of Splendors. However, as before, his growing inner peace was not to last. A vampire hunter, having learned of his existence, tracked him down solely for the sport of hunting down an elven vampire. After she trapped him by kidnapping one of his human friends, she ended up in a precarious position. When Jander offered his hand to her to save her life, the woman refused, choosing death rather than accepting that a vampire could be anything but evil (or to be in the debt of someone she'd been wrong about) (Blood Sport, in Realms of Infamy).

Over the years, Jander lived outside of the city, keeping his lair in a cave (but keeping himself true and keeping a garden as well). He went to an asylum in the city to feed occasionally when the blood of animals would no longer keep him sated. It was there, in the year 1021 Dale Reckoning (1650 AD) that he met Anna. He fell in love with her spirit and generous (albeit mad) nature. He returned almost every night to talk to her or watch her, despite her occasional fits of madness. Eventually, Jander realized that Anna wasn't aging. After 25 years, he realized that magic was the cause of both her agelessness and her madness. However, the love-struck elf continued to visit the girl, although it wasn't often that she recognized him or that he was in love with her. In 1098 Dale Reckoning (1727 AD), Anna fell ill. In his desperation, Jander actually sought out a priest and asked that he save Anna. Since he could not risk the priest discovering his nature, he lied that the asylum had sent him. To his horror, there was nothing that could be done for her; he could not cure her, and even the magic keeping her alive could not help. Jander followed his last resort. He fed from Anna and tried to bring her across, to spare her death (and losing his reason for existing). Jander went beyond trying to make her a servant; he tried to make her his equal, a mate. However, the dying woman, knowing what he was doing, gently refused his offered gift, preferring a mortal death to the eternity that she could have had. Anna died in his arms, showing that she understood his pain, but could not love him enough to go into undeath with him. Jander went into a berserker rage and killed every inmate in the asylum, later burning it to the ground to prevent any of the maniacs from rising as crazy, undead blood drinking monsters.

Jander remembered a word Anna had spoken, "Barovia." Thinking this had something to do with whoever had driven Anna into madness, he swore an oath of vengeance. The Mists of Ravenloft heard him and took him into their embrace. He met another vampire, Strahd von Zarovich, who was surprised that Jander had been a vampire for over 500 years (he was only a century or so himself). They spent 25 years together, until Jander inadvertently discovered that it was Strahd himself who had sent Anna (whose real name was Tatyana) throwing herself off the parapet of Castle Ravenloft and into the Mists, which apparently sent her to Faerun. He tried to help a pair of vampire hunters (a priest of Lathander born in Barovia and a female thief) kill Strahd, even wielding a holy relic that almost, but not quite, destroyed the Lord of Barovia. Jander realized that his quest was doomed; the powers of Ravenloft would not allow him his revenge if they could help it, preferring to corrupt him as they had Strahd. So Jander prepared to commit suicide by awaiting the coming sunrise (as he called it, the Face of Lathander). Instead, the Mists transported him to another part of Ravenloft, where it was still nighttime.

Having survived that fight, Jander's hatred of Strahd eventually expanded to all vampires, whom he destroyed at every opportunity. Thus he spent the better part of two centuries, until one night he found someone who shared his passion for destroying the undead. Having settled in Valachan, a nation in the western half of the Core of Ravenloft, Jander was walking back to his home when he heard the sound of roaring jungle cats (which vampires in Valachan transformed into, unlike his wolf form). He came across a young woman fighting for her life against two Valachani (having killed one by decapitation). He saved her life, killing the other two vampires (despite being hit with a magic missile spell). Jander picked up the slip of a girl and retreated to his cave, hoping to save her before she died from her extreme wounds.

Jander was more than surprised to find out that the girl was a half-elf, apparently of silver elf stock from his own world. He kept a silent vigil over her until the girl, who he knew to be a worshipper of Mielikki by her holy symbol, finally woke up. After some initial (and understandable) suspicion and loss of temper (the girl didn't appreciate him looking over her body sans clothing), Jander soothed the woman, one Shawukay Redarrow, into trusting him enough to keep herself alive. She reluctantly realized she had no choice in the matter and agreed, falling asleep until the next afternoon. Jander cared for the recuperating half-elf and even went so far as to steal some clothing from a nearby village (he wasn't happy when she disapproved of his actions). The initial suspicion was replaced by light arguments, which in turn evolved into "friendly sniping." Over the next few days, Jander went to her own campsite to get her possessions, only to come back and come as close to a heart attack as a vampire can have over catching her in a compromising situation and having a spell cast at him by the young woman (Silver and Gold).

They cleared up the misunderstanding and took another step toward becoming the first friends either had had in many years (relatively speaking for the centuries old vampire and forty-something half-elf). While Jander saw Shawukay as a patient-cum-young woman he wanted to protect, it seemed that said young woman might be forming what Earth people might call a schoolgirl crush on the handsome gold elf. However, any chance of such things died when Jander was ambushed by Valachani vampires and forced to return to the cave, hoping that his friend's holy magic could turn the tide. Shawukay killed one vampire with an arrow through his chest while Jander fought a skilled swordswoman. The last vampire, Lady Adelaide, tried to charm Shawukay but failed to account for the half-elf's will and infravision. The cleric hit her with a beam of magical sunlight and sent her flying away in flames. Jander killed the last vampire and turned to confront a possible new enemy; the Hunter of the Harp.

After Jander convinced her he was not evil (partially by using her own magical weapon, which would have gravely injured him if he were evil), he believed that he had lost his only friend. However, she remained to convince him to flee before reinforcements arrived and to accompany him on the first part of the journey (even though they both knew they could not stay together). After spending a few days on the road, Jander and Shawukay finally parted company, but not before she gave him a final gift, hoping it would aid him in his eternal struggle against himself and to reunite in the future, once she had put her issues regarding vampires behind.

Jander's activities since then remain unknown.

Race: Elf (Ar'Tel'Quessir, also referred to as gold, sunrise, or high elf)

Description:

Jander is a handsome man who epitomizes the fey appearance of the so-called high elves of Faerun. Jander stands taller than most gold elves, topping out at 5'9". He has the typical lithe body of his race, weighing only 130 pounds, which in turn causes most to underestimate his physical prowess. Where his face is concerned, the words "fey," "golden," and "angelic" all have been used and are accurate. His features are sharp and angular, but it's mostly because of his race, not his condition. He has wheat colored hair that he keeps cut just below the shoulders, and it frames his pale gold skin and sad, amber eyes. All in all, many women find him quite attractive, and sometimes the tangible sadness in his eyes only makes him more attractive (sort of like Riley's description about Angel, "Mister Billowy Dark Coat King of Pain.").

Jander typically favors colors of strong primary colors such as red or blue. He usually wears a large, gray cloak and boots, and a pair of white kidskin gloves almost always covers his hands. The cloak, if necessary, can be used as an emergency shield against sunlight.

Jander's beauty does have one blemish; his left hand is scarred because of his use of a powerful holy relic against Strahd Von Zarovich two centuries ago. This is part of the reason he wears the gloves; another is the curse he carries that his physical touch destroys any plant.

Abilities (uncommon): Jander's abilities stem from his state as an old, powerful vampire. Among the usual traits are nearly superhuman strength, dexterity, and nearly unlimited endurance. He also possesses the abilities of vampires of literature and legend; he can change into mist, a large bat (whose size still makes it much harder to hit him in combat), or a large, golden furred timber wolf. These abilities are used when they must be, but Jander seems to prefer his elven form.

Jander also has a number of abilities common to Earth's literary vampires. While he does have the charming, mind-controlling gaze possessed by Dracula, he can also charm other beings by using his voice. However, this vocal version is less powerful than the gaze (in fact, victims are 20% less likely to resist his visual version of this power). Jander also does not feed by draining a victim's life force (as standard D&D vampires do); he bites them and drinks their blood in the manner of typical Earth vampires. Other traits which might cause someone to confuse Jander with an Earth-born vampire are his typical vulnerabilities; holy icons, holy water, fire, and sunlight (except as noted next), and like most D&D vampires, Jander cannot enter blessed ground (which seems to include churches and sacred spots but not cemeteries (as they count as holy ground where Immortals are concerned).

What separates the gold elf from his fellows are the uncommon powers he has, whether granted by his age, time in Ravenloft, or differing breed of vampirism he is cursed with. First and foremost amongst these is his ability to resist (and actually stand in) direct sunlight for up a one full hour before being destroyed. Despite how much he misses the sun for which he is named, Jander does not risk himself foolishly. His other powers are unique and varied; he is completely immune to sleep, charm, paralyzation, and all mind-affecting spells, can only be harmed by magical weapons of a certain level of power (in D&D terms, +3 or greater weapons are required to even harm Jander; all +1 and +2 weapons are harmless to him unless having special abilities, like Soulreaver's disruption power or Etriel's sharpness trait), regenerates wounds at an amazing rate (4 hit points/round), is immune to poisons and paralysis of all types, is highly resistant to all cold and electrical based attacks (taking half or NO damage!), and is immune to the effects that running water has on some breeds of vampires.

However, all of these "gifts" do not come without a price. Jander has what is called the "black thumb," a disease that infects all elven vampires who reside long enough in the Land of Mists. When touching a plant, the black thumb kills all plant life the elf comes in contact with, the time depending on its size (a tree would take weeks to die). The twist is that the elf in question (in our case, Jander) feels every single bit of agony the plant feels as its life is twisted and drained away. Fortunately, Jander has discovered that this condition is only by pure skin-to-plant contact; it is not transmitted through fabric. If wearing gloves, Jander can plants and even maintain his beloved gardens.

If using D&D terms for his abilities, Jander's scores are:
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 18
Intelligence: 19
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 18
The physical abilities might compare to 25 (Buffy or Steve St. Wolf after counting Slayer abilities or increases from the Slayer Swords).

Abilities (learned): Besides his warrior and forestry training, Sunstar is skilled or trained as a bowyer/fletcher (a maker of bows and arrows), music (he plays the flute), singing, and he is an extremely talented and experienced sculptor and carver. He also knows basic first aid in treating wounds in the field, given the proper supplies. He is also something of an accomplished gambler, though his skills in this area might be rusty. Jander speaks perfect Faerunian Common and Espruar (the elven dialect for the Forgotten Realms), and can presumably speak languages native to Ravenloft (certainly Borca <the tongue of Barovia>, and probably Sithican, which is distantly related to Elvish). Also, Jander must be an expert in the area of hunting the undead, especially vampires.

Current Status:

Citizen of Evermeet with no known criminal record (missing and presumed dead by whatever relatives he has or had, centuries ago). Former member of the Silver Six adventuring company. Currently living in Ravenloft, spending time in Forlorn, Darkon, or Sithicus (the latter two having significant elven populations), acting as a recluse and occasional vampire hunter.

Proficient weapons: Jander is trained in a variety of medieval weapons. The weapons he is most skilled with are the longsword, shortsword, dagger, quarterstaff, longbow, and he has displayed an inordinate amount of talent with the whip. Surprisingly, he might be the first vampire in history to voluntarily become an expert at putting wooden stakes through the hearts of other vampires (hey, he has 700 years on Angel!!!). Jander does carry a magical short sword (in D&D terms, it's a normal short sword +2) and dagger (a typical dagger +1) that he keeps hidden under his clothing. If using 2nd Edition D&D rules, Jander is an 8th level fighter in skills and training, although his vampiric state makes him the equivalent of a 13th level creature (compared to Drizzt Do'Urden being a 16th level ranger or Arilyn Moonblade being a 12th level fighter. Shaw Hunter, under 2nd Edition rules, is a 7th level ranger <in addition to her cleric class>.)

Current beliefs:

With his quest to find who drove his beloved Anna into madness ended (and incomplete), Jander lacks any immediate, short term goals; one of the curses of undeath. His goals, should he take them up, would likely consist of finding a way back to Faerun or, more likely, attempting to discover a way to kill Strahd Von Zarovich once and for all, getting practice against every vampire or evil undead being he meets along the way.

In current times (as recently as, oh, Silver and Gold takes place), Jander is a kind and gentle soul who has managed to avoid the dread transformation into an evil monster devoted to savagery. He still has the elven ability to cherish beauty in all its forms, literature, art, music, and nature. However, even after 700 years, Jander still misses the warmth and light of the sun, even given his ability to stand it for short periods.

Even so, the "dark" side of Jander can manifest at times. If pushed beyond his emotional or physical limits, he goes into a berserker rage, changing into his wolf form and attacking everything in sight. He might be able to spare a friend or loved one, but it's no guarantee. Even so, such attacks have decreased over the centuries as Jander has become more patient (even for an elf with a centuries long lifespan; he is more like a moon/silver elf than the typical gold elf). One thing Jander can find solace in is that in his entire cursed existence, he has never created another vampire, something that is unlikely to ever happen. He still calls to Lathander, and remembers that he offered up his life to him if he could only stop Strahd. The fact that Jander was "allowed" to handle a holy relic designed to channel the power of the sun (something deadly to vampires) should not be considered insignificant.

Still, the fight against the darkness in his heart continues, although the Mists have not extinguished the light that is Jander Sunstar's soul. At least not yet.

Favorite quote: "Tonight, you die. And these…" <holds up hands> "…are the instrument of your death." <to Cassiar, his grandsire, in "The Last Drink," short story by Christie Golden in the anthology, Realms of Valor)

Nicknames: Sunstar, Twig Finger, Lathander (jokingly by his friends in the Silver Six).

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