Kovat

Orphaned as a youth, Kovat spent several years growing up on the edge of Jagran, a fishing village on a tiny island in the West Sea. Eventually he was taken under the wing of Horace Hawthorne, a human and the captain and leader of one of several local "salvage companies" (pirates). Kovat's innate strength and intimidating appearance made him an effective brute, but he refused to participate in civilian raids, only actively participating in assaults on other pirate vessels. He raged inwardly when his crewmates would revel in their assaults, robberies, and murders of simple folk.

As he grew to an adult, Kovat explored more of the village, and he discovered the village's only temple, a shrine to Talos, god of storms. The temple was tended to by three acolytes: Boris and Anna, humans, and Trip Thunderfoot, a gnome. Kovat was enthralled by the divinity, and began joining the acolytes in prayer and study. Before long, he found himself touched by Talos' power, and knew from then that he would become a cleric. He informed Horace of his intent to leave the reaving life and give himself over to service of Talos.

Horace was displeased with the turn of events. He and his crew attacked Kovat, beating him and forcing him to watch as Boris and Anna were locked inside the temple, and the temple was set ablaze. Trip Thunderfoot was never found. Kovat was left for dead, but he used his newfound divine powers and sheer force of will to survive and escape. He recovered and traveled the land, hoping to find another temple to Talos where he could continue his training, but he discovered that Talos was reviled as an evil god. Kovat was scorned, feared, and threatened when he claimed to be a servant of Talos, and before long, he stopped introducing himself as such.

Kovat spent several months journeying across land and sea, lonely and confused. Eventually he resolved to find the answers he needed through prayer. He recoiled into an abandoned watch tower near a coast, spending most of his time in silent prayer. He hoped to discover why Talos would grant him destructive power despite his desire to protect the innocent. And he hoped to find a way he could serve his patron without adhering to the commonly perceived tenets of worshiping Talos.

He received what he believes to be inspiration directly from the gods, and he joined the guild in the hopes of finding an incredibly powerful artifact to pursue his divine goals.