You are one of the deadliest warriors of a military c u l t u r e . Your blade is the focus of your life, a n d from the m o m e n t you could walk you were taught the a r t s of stealth. You are cool, wary, always w a t c h i n g for the next t h r e a t — i n p a r t because of your m i l i t a n t t r a i n i n g , in p a r t because you feel most truly alive in battle.
Beyond t h i s g e n e r a l a t t i t u d e , y o u r p e r s o n a l i t y is shaped by that of your ancestor, whom you idolize and seek to emulate i n all the ways you c a n . Since you are a r e v e n a n t blade, y o u r a n c e s t o r m u s t have b e e n a m a s t e r s w o r d s m a n and deadly s t a l k e r . But what was he l i k e ? Was he a g r i m k i l l e r who rarely spoke a n d only s m i l e d when h u n t i n g a foe? A t o r t u r e d poet whose skill at b l o o d s h e d was matched only by his h a t r e d of v i o l e n c e ? A f o r m e r slave, a w a r r i o r p r i n c e s s , a r o m a n t i c e x p l o r e r ? D e t e r m i n e the n a t u r e of your ancestor, and as you rise in level c o n s i d e r ways you can m i m i c h i m . Dress, speech, m a n n e r i s m s , hobbies—as time goes by, you slowly become your ancestor, so look for ways to r e p r e s e n t t h i s .
T h e host of the Valaes T a i r n is an army, o r g a n i z e d into warclans and w a r b a n d s . T h e r e v e n a n t o r d e r stretches across the b o u n d s of clan and b a n d s . Y o u r status is i n d i - cated by the z a e l s h i n that you wear—a special b r o o c h that indicates the i d e n t i t y of your a n c e s t o r and your role as a r e v e n a n t . At the m o m e n t the r e v e n a n t s are a loose society, always s e a r c h i n g for glory and awaiting the word of the H i g h K i n g .
C o m b a t : Y o u r ancestors fought an e m p i r e of i m m e a - surable power. You have i n h e r i t e d the skills of your p a t r o n , but also his wisdom—and the knowledge that stealth and c u n n i n g are j u s t as i m p o r t a n t as s t r e n g t h a n d steel. Take your t i m e in battle. Stalk your enemy a n d l e a r n his weak- nesses. W h e n you strike, do so on your t e r m s .
As a r e v e n a n t b l a d e , y o u r g r e a t e s t s t r e n g t h is y o u r v e r s a t i l i t y . A n c e s t r a l g u i d a n c e allows you to a d a p t y o u r tactics to suit the needs of the day. T h i s versatility helps you most if you have extensive k n o w l e d g e of y o u r foes before you e n t e r c o m b a t . Try to evaluate your enemy a n d the skills of your o p p o n e n t long b e f o r e you ever close in combat, a n d adapt your strategy to exploit these s t r e n g t h s and weaknesses.
A d v a n c e m e n t : A l l T a i r n a d a l elves are assigned a p a t r o n a n c e s t o r at t h e m o m e n t of b i r t h , a n d all seek to h o n o r this a n c e s t o r . T h o s e with t h e p o t e n t i a l to b e c o m e revenants feel a closer b o n d t h a n most. F r o m c h i l d h o o d , your p a t r o n ancestor was m o r e t h a n j u s t a n a m e in song and story. You've had visions of the battles that she fought, seen the lost wonders of X e n ' d r i k and smelt the b u r n i n g flesh of giants. S o m e t i m e s you have found yourself spontaneously q u o t i n g your p a t r o n , a s t o n i s h i n g your elders by r e p e a t i n g ancient speeches you've never read before.
T h e K e e p e r s of the Past watch t h o s e who show such p r o m i s e . As you a d v e n t u r e , you grow closer to your ances- tor. W h e n the m o m e n t strikes and you are ready to touch the spirits of legend, you must make your way to one of the great fortresses of the Tairnadal—Taer Valaestas in Valenar or T a e r S e n a d a l in A e r e n a l . T h e r e the e l d e r r e v e n a n t s g u i d e you down the p a t h , t e a c h i n g you to s u b m e r g e your t h o u g h t s in the m e m o r i e s of the past, and to let the spirit of your p a t r o n guide your h a n d s .
O n c e you have been set u p o n the p a t h , it is up to you to find your way closer to your ancestor. C o n s i d e r his p e r - sonality and choose your skills and feats accordingly. If he was r e n o w n e d as a h u n t e r , seek the deadliest game you can find. If he was a soldier first and foremost, find your way to the battlefield!
Resources: T h e revenant o r d e r provides few resources for m e m b e r s . You have your blade and ancestral g u i d a n c e : You s h o u l d be out b r i n g i n g glory to y o u r ancestor's n a m e , not b e g g i n g for scraps! However, the o r d e r s do have a few relics of the ancestors—zaelshin tu and s i m i l a r items—and if you b r i n g h o n o r to your ancestor and warclan or p e r f o r m a great service to the Valaes T a i r n , you might be given one of these items.
T h e greatest t r e a s u r e s of the r e v e n a n t s are the actual swords of t h e a n c e s t o r s . T h e s e mighty artifacts were all lost in X e n ' d r i k . F i n d i n g y o u r p a t r o n a n c e s t o r ' s double scimitar—or recovering it from looters or grave-robbers—is a worthy quest for a r e v e n a n t blade.
REVENANT BLADES IN THE WORLD
"The revenants are the treasures of our past and the shapers of the future."—Ilaen C o e l i r a s , K e e p e r of the Past T h e elf h e r o e s of X e n ' d r i k are the stuff of legends, p o s - sibly the most deadly w a r r i o r s of h i s t o r y . In the r e v e n a n t s of V a l e n a r , these fearsome s o l d i e r s live a g a i n . It took the d e s t r u c t i o n of X e n ' d r i k to defeat these elf h e r o e s in the past: W h a t impact will the revenant w a r r i o r s have on this c u r r e n t age?
D a i l y L i f e : A r e v e n a n t blade is called to b e c o m e a hero—to glorify h e r a n c e s t o r s a n d b r i n g h o n o r to t h e i r names t h r o u g h her own deeds of bravery. Revenant blades are never sedentary. A n y o n e who walks the path of the rev- e n a n t either fights on the front lines of battle or wanders the world seeking an o p p o r t u n i t y to prove h e r worth—and h e r ancestor's. Revenants lead raids out from Valenar into
the Talenta Plains, Q ' b a r r a , and the M o u r n l a n d , even up into K a r r n a t h . O t h e r s make t h e i r way to X e n ' d r i k , to fight the d e s c e n d a n t s of the a n c i e n t giants or u n e a r t h some lost ancestral artifact. Every day b r i n g s a new o p p o r t u n i t y for glory and h o n o r .
N o t a b l e s : T a e r d r a J e n n a r i s (N female elf r a n g e r 7 / r e v e n a n t blade 5) is one of the most r e s p e c t e d r e v e n a n t s in V a l e n a r today. She is the chief of a large a n d powerful warclan that frequently raids into Q ' b a r r a at her c o m m a n d . Some suspect T a e r d r a of resistance to the r u l e of High K i n g Vadallia, a n d this s i t u a t i o n is expected to come to a head w i t h i n the next year, when h e r clan is due to be called up for service to the H i g h K i n g .
J u m a l l T h r e n e l l ( C G male elf r a n g e r 5/wizard 3/rev- e n a n t blade 3) leads a small b a n d of revenants in exploring X e n ' d r i k . J u m a l l is particularly well known in Stormreach, a l t h o u g h his r e p u t a t i o n t h e r e is mixed: All acknowledge his b a n d ' s h e r o i c deeds, but J u m a l l h i m s e l f has s t i r r e d up trouble with hill giants who were visiting the city peacefully or even working as p a r t of the city watch.
H a v e r r a P h a s h a ( C E f e m a l e elf r a n g e r 3/fighter 5 / r e v e n a n t blade 3) has b r o u g h t a m e a s u r e of disgrace to t h e r e v e n a n t b l a d e s ' n a s c e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n by m a k i n g an a t t e m p t o n H i g h K i n g V a d a l l i a ' s life. She escaped the a n g r y H i g h K i n g a n d his b o d y g u a r d s , w h i c h c e r t a i n l y h e l p e d h e r n o t o r i e t y , b u t p e o p l e seem to b l a m e the rev- e n a n t blades as a whole for the a c t i o n s of t h i s r e n e g a d e . O t h e r r e v e n a n t blades have sworn to b r i n g Haverra to j u s - tice, but she r e m a i n s a fugitive, supposedly l u r k i n g inside the M o u r n l a n d .
O r g a n i z a t i o n : T h e r e v e n a n t o r d e r is a evolving f r a t e r n i t y . T h e a r t of r e v e n a n t c h a n n e l i n g is a r e c e n t d e v e l o p m e n t a m o n g the elves. S o m e believe t h a t t h i s is a r e s u l t of the m i l l e n n i a of d e v o t i o n of t h e T a i r n a d a l , and
t h a t the spirits are g a i n i n g s t r e n g t h from t h i s reverence. O t h e r s say that it is destiny—that this is the age of the elves, and that the h e r o e s are r e t u r n i n g to lead the
V a l e n a r to glory.
T h e K e e p e r s of the Past t r a i n new revenants and help t h e m find the way o n t o the p a t h . As part
of this t r a i n i n g , a r e v e n a n t must swear an oath of loyalty to V a l e n a r and the H i g h K i n g , p r o m i s - i n g to answer any call that comes from t h e Darkwood C r o w n . As s u c h , the r e v e - n a n t s are an elite u n i t waiting to be called together. As a revenant, you could receive this call at any time—a s u m m o n s to r e t u r n to Taer Valaestas, or a call to a d i s t a n t battle.
At the m o m e n t the r e v e n a n t s receive t h e i r o r d e r s from the H i g h K i n g . But some w o n d e r if the revenants actually r e p r e s e n t a t h r e a t to Vadallia, particularly in light of the recent attempt on the H i g h K i n g ' s life. As the revenants regain the m e m o -
ries and skills of the great heroes of the past, will they be c o n t e n t to follow the k i n g ? W h a t if the ancestors have old feuds never r e c o r d e d in legend—or a m b i t i o n s to rule empires of t h e i r own?
N P C R e a c t i o n s
T h e r e v e n a n t s c h a n n e l the greatest h e r o e s of the elves, a n d V a l e n a r or T a i r n a d a l warriors have a friendly attitude toward revenants. Typically, the o t h e r i n h a b - i t a n t s of K h o r v a i r e d o n ' t have the k n o w l e d g e r e q u i r e d to recognize a r e v e n a n t . T h e key feature that identifies a r e v e n a n t is the zaelshin amulet, and h u m a n s rarely u n d e r s t a n d the m e a n i n g of the b r o o c h . However, the D a r g u u l s have come to despise these Valenar warriors, and goblinoids from D a r g u u n typically have an u n f r i e n d l y attitude toward revenants.
T h e r e is also the chance that a revenant will e n c o u n - ter an elf—revenant or not—whose p a t r o n a n c e s t o r holds A revenant blade
embodies the heroic spirit of her ancestors
a deadly g r u d g e against the p a t r o n of the r e v e n a n t . T h i s could result in a d i r e c t challenge or a m o r e subtle form of attack, and at the least an u n f r i e n d l y r e a c t i o n .