Chapter Text
Welcome to the Forgotten Realms, traveler. ✧･ﾟ
This is an AU set in the world of Faerûn, following a party of six adventurers as they travel the Sword Coast together. If you're a Stranger Things fan who's never touched a D&D rulebook, don't worry! Everything you need to know will be here within the first two parts of the book. If you're a D&D player who's never seen Stranger Things, welcome, you're going to love these characters.
These are not the kids from Hawkins, Indiana. They are something else entirely, forged by the same hearts, shaped by a different world. The time has come to meet these young adventurers.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*.・゜゜・༶
William (Will) the Wise - Cleric
• Backstory: William was taken in as a baby by a small roadside temple and raised by kind but humble priests. He grew up gentle, bookish, and deeply spiritual, but his heart always longed to know where he hailed from, and who. It was not until he was older that he found the answer in Lady Jane, his twin sister, separated from him at birth. Will and Mike have been companions since boyhood, their long bond predating their adventuring days with the party.
• Source of Powers: Being a cleric, Will's powers come from his devotion to his god, Ilmater. Ilmater is the god of endurance, compassion, and those who suffer. He's a gentle, merciful deity. His magic manifests as soft golden light that is warm to the touch. His faith in Ilmater affirms his willingness to heal others, even at the cost of himself.
• Personality: Soft spoken, perceptive, deeply loyal. He notices everything, especially Mike. He carries his emotions quietly and tends to put others emotions above his own.
• Appearance: Slight build, warm brown eyes, always a little rumpled. His holy symbol is worn close to his chest.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*.・゜゜・༶
Sir Micheal (Mike) the Brave - Paladin
• Backstory: Born to a minor noble family with high expectations and little warmth. He and Will found each other as children. Two lonely boys who became each other's whole world before they had the vocabulary for what that meant. Mike left his family's expectations behind to recruit Will into exploring the wider world. He has never once questioned that choice.
• Source of Powers: As a Paladin, Mike's powers come from his Oath and conviction. He has sworn his Oath of devotion, a path of honesty, courage, and protection. Mike's conviction has always been Will. His protective instincts and willingness to throw himself into danger centers on the people he loves, and Will in particular.
• Personality: Loud, passionate, occasionally reckless. He leads with his heart and his sword in equal measure. He is not always the most tactful person in the room but he is always the most committed one. He is also, quietly, completely terrified of losing people, which comes out as overprotection.
• Appearance: Tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair that never quite sits right. His armor is well-maintained but has clearly seen real use.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*.・゜゜・༶
Lucas the Bold - Ranger
• Backstory: Grew up in a family of soldiers and guardsmen, with a strong sense of duty and justice. He joined the party through circumstances tied to a shared enemy, but stayed because these people became his people. His relationship with Max is the most openly bickering, openly devoted dynamic in the group.
• Specialty: Scout and tracker. Lucas's strength is preparation, awareness, and precision. He's the one who notices the ambush before it happens.
• Personality: Practical, sharp, occasionally blunt to the point of tactlessness. He and Dustin have been best friends long enough that they communicate in a kind of shorthand that baffles everyone else. He shows love through action: covering someone's watch shift, sharpening their weapons without being asked.
• Appearance: Athletic build, sharp eyes that miss very little. Always has more knives on his person than he's admitted to.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*.・゜゜・༶
Dustin the Melodic - Bard
• Backstory: Traveled widely from a young age, picking up knowledge and skills everywhere he went. He attached himself to Lucas first, and through Lucas met the others. He is the party's de facto lore-keeper and the one most likely to know a useful obscure fact at exactly the right moment.
• Source of Powers: Being a Bard, Dustin's magic comes from music and storytelling. His bard college is the college of lore, collecting knowledge, stories, and secrets everywhere he travels.
• Personality: Enthusiastic, warm, genuinely delighted by the world. He and Lucas bicker like brothers and would do anything for each other. He has a gift for lightening the mood and a habit of narrating events as though he'll retell them later, because he absolutely will.
• Appearance: Stocky and expressive, always with some kind of instrument nearby. Talks with his hands.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*.・゜゜・༶
Lady Jane (El) - Sorcerer
• Backstory: Lady Jane and her twin brother William were separated at birth, each finding their own difficult path through the world before fate brought them back together. El's road was the harder of the two — her powers were noticed very early and exploited by people who wanted to use her as a weapon rather than protect her. She eventually escaped and found the party, and with them, the brother she never knew she'd been missing. She is still learning what it means to choose her own path rather than be pointed at something.
• Source of Powers: Innate sorcery. El didn't learn her magic from books, she was born with it, which has made her life complicated in ways she's still untangling. Her powers manifest as a cold purple glow.
• Personality: Quiet but not timid, there's a difference. She observes before she speaks and means everything she says. She is fiercely protective of the party in a way that mirrors and complements their protectiveness of her. She is also, slowly, learning how to want things for herself.
• Appearance: Striking, with an intensity to her gaze that makes people instinctively step back.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*.・゜゜・༶
Maxine (Max) the Zoomer - Rogue
• Backstory: Max's past is one of the party's more open wounds. She came to the group carrying damage she doesn't talk about easily, with a sharp exterior that took time and trust to get past. Her relationship with Lucas is the party's slowest burn and most hard won connection. They clash constantly and would fight the world for each other.
• Archetype: Swashbuckler. A rogue subtype that's fast, bold, and thrives on one-on-one confrontations. Max fights like she does everything else: on her own terms, faster than you expected.
• Personality: Sarcastic, fast, fiercely independent. She bristles at being managed or pitied but responds well to being treated as an equal. She has a dry sense of humor and is secretly paying close attention to everything. She and El have a quiet mutual respect. Two people who rebuilt themselves from difficult circumstances.
• Appearance: Quick and lean, with an energy that suggests she's always ready to move. Keeps her hair out of her face practically.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*.・゜゜・༶