Tarak

'' 'I condemn the desecration of your body, but I condone the elevation of your spirit. Embrace the light, as I hope it will embrace you.' ''

-- Tarak

Tarak is a player character and protagonist in the Terranus Campaign. He is a human cleric of the Church of Life who arrived on the Aurora due to as of yet unknown circumstances and was one of the founding members of Away Team Four. He has since become the primary healer of the group as well as a driving force for moral decency and compassion to others. Although his attitude has proven to be problematic at times, he is a valued if not well liked member of the team. He is played by Thomas Davies.

Lore
Very little is known about Tarak's life before joining the Aurora. What is known is that he was trained as a cleric in Amethyst Falls some time prior and was brought on board the ship by Pope seemingly against his will. He very quickly developed an obsession with a strange box that was part of the ship's cargo, and believed it was the source of nightmares that the crew were having. Tarak made it his mission to keep the box safe at all costs and to discover whatever magic was causing the bad dreams.

The Battle for the Box
As The Aurora arrived at Fort Basalt Tarak remained focused on the box. He did a brief examination of carvings on the box's sides but said nothing to anyone about what he'd seen. He stuck close with the box ignoring his entire surroundings until Samuel Adams unveiled cannons at the ship and the crew, intending to betray them and take the box by force. Tarak tried to position himself between the Royals and the box but could not prevent them from taking it into the fortress. After Adams' cannons were dismantled by The Aurora's Tarak fought alongside Veronica, Faeriar, Arai, Barriah and Fonia all the while begging the Royals to give the box to him which was refused by soldier sticking his middle finger at him as they took it inside. Tarak tried to break through a shield wall of soldiers but they countered by hurling a volley of javelins. Tarak grabbed one which was stuck in his shield and hurled it at the Royal sargeant who grabbed a nearby soldier and pulled him into its path. A furious Tarak kept up his attack on them and as they retreated up the former cannon installation, he followed. Stunned and paralysed by the devasation of The Aurora's barrage he took no further part in the battle but spent a substantial portion of time preparing the fallen and giving them what rites he could. He lingered over the corpse of the one he had accidentally felled with the javelin and took special care with his body.

As the newly christened Away Team Four advanced into the fortress they were blocked by a battalion of soldiers. Although the Aurora's cannon fodder made short work of most of them enough survived that they had to fight their way through. Once there was only one soldier left standing Tarak abandoned the fight to get to the box despite Arai's calls to wait for the others. They regrouped at a locked door which was hot to the touch resulting in Tarak frantically panicking, believing that this was the box's doing. His fears were later disproved when the door opened and a fire trap was revealed to the cause, which Arai swiftly disarmed. Shortly thereafter Barriah recieved a telepathic message of help from entity calling itself Skye. When found him brutally chained up and bleeding the sight of the creature terrified Tarak to such an extent that Faeriar had to intimidate him into healing the poor flumph. After which he left with Skye and Veronica to undertake a flanking attack against the Royals.

After which Tarak, Veronica, Pope and several members of Away Team Three began searching the tunnels in the fort for more Royals resulting in them meeting the rest of the team and their new ally Dave. With Dave and Fonia joining the tunnel team Tarak went with the rest to continue his hunt for the box. They were soon faced with a group of soldiers and a royal combat mage which the team were able to kill all except for one. After interogatting him Faeriar killed their prisoner by collapsing his windpipe. Furious at this act of violence, Tarak rounded on Faeriar and berated him for disregarding life in such a cruel way. It was only prevented from escalating further by Skye, who telepathically calmed him down.

After a brief pause to investigate the surroundings the Team advanced forward and were met by a figure called Nemphis who told them not to pursue the box but promised to explain everything after the box had left. Tarak, sensing that this person didn't want to fight tried to negotiate with him to allow them to pass. Unfortunately this was unsuccessful and they were forced to fight him. Barriah, much to Tarak's disgust, used a defensive firetrap to burn Nemphis to the point of death and Tarak, not wanting to see him die, drew a symbol on Nemphis' chest and pressed down on it causing light to heal some of the burns and to make him pass out.

With Nemphis safe Tarak advanced onwards with the team facing down Adams himself. Tarak contacted Skye and told him the box was being taken away and also that there was a second figure in the courtyard which no-one knew about. Tarak revealed to Adams that the rebel fleet was inbound and gave him a chance to surrender and when he refused Tarak used his power to keep the smoke from a fire from obscuring the team's vision and made a lifesaving heal to Faeriar when it was revealed that Adams was a werebear. Through this the team were able to kill Adams, recover the box and escape with Nemphis unconscious.

Opening the Box
At Skye's request, Tarak along with Arai began work to open the box and discover its contents. Their first attempt was largely unsuccessful, resulting in Arai's hand being burnt by magic, but they pressed on. Over the next two days they continued to open the locks and finally succeeded in opening it. The box collapsed and released a blast of pure white light, which burnt, blinded and knocked out Tarak. If not for the intervention of Skye and Arai to pull him to safety it could have been much worse.

Tarak was hospitalised for a week. During which he became aware of his surroundings intermittently and sensed Nemphis's spirit decaying while his body was still intact and well. When he finally awoke he found he could only see 60 feet in any direction but could detect living beings around him and have an indication of their alignment. He also saw that Nemphis' soul was breaking apart and decaying inside his body and immediately alerted Pope and Ashe to Nemphis' condition however Pope, believing Tarak was delusional, sedated him. It was only when Skye confirmed Tarak's sight that Away Team Four with its new members Corrin and Tey were called to the infirmary. Skye told them that Nemphis' soul was dying and that the only way to rescue him would be to enter his mind through a medium known as the Dreamscape and rescue him themselves. Once all questions had been dealt with Tarak lay back on his hospital bed and along with the rest of the party was transported by Skye inside the Dreamscape.

Inside the Dreamscape
Once the team entered the realm they were greeted by an astral projection of Skye who told them the way to Nemphis' part of the Dreamscape. He also explained that they could not die in the traditional sense there, only by having a silvery cord cut that protrudes from between their shoulder blades could they truly be killed, one of which had materialised between Tarak's shoulder blades. The cord represented Tarak's link to his physical body and any 'death' otherwise would result in him simply being extracted to the next level of Nemphis's unconscious mind.

Tarak tied himself with Arai's rope to Barriah, Tey and Arai himself and along with the party jumped into Nemphis' part of the Dreamscape. He saw a crumbling world around him which reminded him of the way he saw Nemphis' soul disintegrating as well as three doors. After some exploration Tarak entered the middle door with Tey following him and found himself in a mountain environment and quickly threw on his ceremonial robe to avoid being frozen to death. He spotted a mysterious figure in the distance but was quickly dragged into cover by Tey in order to escape an avalanche. The figure came towards them and fought through the avalanche to get to them, now revealed to be a younger version of Nemphis. This Nemphis proceeded to get to the cover where Tarak was and then kill a yeti that appeared on the mountainside. At which point there was an odd shift in time as a large shadow creature rose from its corpse, taking the form of the creature in the process. Tarak realised that the mountains were one of Nemphis's memories and that the shadow creature planned to destroy the memory by killing this incarnation of Nemphis. He told Tey of his suspicions as Faeriar and Fonia arrived and helped them slay the creature. Tarak, exhausted by the fight, slipped and fell, slamming his head into a rock in the process and knocking him unconscious.

When he awoke he found himself in a windowless room of what appeared to be a wooden building. Upon leaving this room he encountered a paladin walking towards him. When Tarak challenged him as to what he was the warrior laughed him off and ignored him. He was then met by Corrin and after a brief introduction agreed to follow the paladin and help him. He was led to a central library with a fire in the centre of the room, later revealed to be the centre of Nemphis' memories, and the Paladin eventually introduced himslf as Phillis. At which point Phillis headed off to another room in Nemphis' mind with Tarak following eager to help. It was there that he regrouped with Faeriar, Tey, Dave and Arai and the five of them returned to the central room. Phillis explained the gravity of the situation and urged them to get some rest. Tarak however, spent most of the night reading from Nemphis' books of memories although he found very limited information. Of note, when Tey asked him to check for a daughter mentioned in the books he found no mention of one although he scorched marks in the books seemed to be the work of some evil force. Phillis told them they needed to free more memories in order to gain access to where Nemphis was and Tarak prayed to ask for guidance. Strangely, the cleric began to glow for a brief moment and came back to the group emboldened to continue. He brushed off Faeriar's questions about the glow and the two of them lead the party through another door. They nearly fell through the door to their deaths as the door opened onto a cliff-side with a group of climbers, Nemphis amongst them, scaling it. After being rescued by Tey and Arai the party tied themselves together and ascended. As they did so Nemphis' team shot down several flying snake-like creatures which subsequently produced shadow creatures upon their deaths. Tarak climbed up onto a ledge and untied himself from the rope and began attacking the shadow creatures with his Sacred Flames. As the battle turned he formed a wall of magical protection around himself and began praying to for his comrades to be healed. However one of the flying creatures slammed into him, breaking the magical protections and sending him flying off the cliff. The last thing Tarak was concious of was Faeriar kicking him into the door they had come through and away from danger.

Defending Nemphis' Heart
Awakening for a third time he found himself back in the central room and surrounded by an army of orcs and goblins. Their leader, having disarmed him while he had been unconscious, told him they were coming to kill them all and they had 24 hours to prepare. Resisting the orc's instructions to run he walked towards the now open door to Nemphis' heart. The orc promplty dispatched goblin wolf riders to 'encourage' Tarak to move faster. Tarak ran down a long tunnel pursued by the goblins and was greeted by both Nemphis and Phillis. A brief engagement followed in which the goblins were quickly dispatched. Phillis was knocked down an attacker and after Tarak failed to help the warrior to his feet but instead kicked one of the downed goblins away from him, accidentally decapitating it. With the fight over Nemphis and Tarak enthusiastically greeted each other, relieved to see each other alive and well although the mood darkened when he told him of the oncoming army. At which point Tarak noticed a young girl who reminded him of the light he had seen moments before his blinding. The girl told him he was a good person and on Nemphis' insistance introduced herself as a Princess, third in line to the Royal throne. Tarak deduced she was what the box contained and who Skye had been captured to talk to. He subsequently promised Nemphis that he would protect her should anything happen to him. Nemphis proceeded to explain to the party that when he was a child he hunted and killed a wyvern as a child but not before it injected him with its venom. As a result Phillis, who was due to be executed, was bonded to him to protect 'Neville' from the venom.

While the party rested Tarak spoke to Neville in a very tired conversation in which he apologised for the party's actions at the fortress and spoke of his trust in Tey. The conversation was so intermittent that he did not notice Nemphis leave to stop Tey and the Princess from wandering too far away. After their rest Neville took them to three doors that bordered the room, each one he revealed would test virtues of the heart: courage vs. fear, desire vs. loss and trust vs. betrayal. Tarak undertook all three tests. The first one involved him dripping blood into a container and seeing a vision of what he feared most, but all the party saw was Tarak subsquently get incredibly angry at something before collapsing to the floor. For which he recieved an amulet with a beetle ensignia on it. In the second test he went inside a door which closed behind him. He returned clutching a silver cudgel in his hands. The third test took him to Skye who was still waiting in the upper levels of the Dreamscape and calling him to help the team. When all had undertaken their tests they gathered in the centre of the room where Phillis asked them to construct defences based on things in their minds and Tarak built magical barriers based on the box's protective seals around the hearts and some entrances to central platform. He later reinforced these barriers with Protection From Evil and Good which took him all of his power to do and then rested for the oncoming attack.

When the army launched their attack, Tarak was ready to aid their defence. The army launched a frontal assault on the castle being peppered by Dave's soldier's arrows, Faeriar's siege crossbow and slowed by a wall of plants grown by Barriah. Tarak used his powers to burn as many of the initial waves of goblins and orcs as possible while the rest of the team dealt with the threats of catapults and the huge war beast the greenskins brought with them. He also gave out the healing potions he had crafted to those who were in need. Suddenly, the orc leader he encountered before broke through the mountainside and launching a flanking attack with his elite personal guard and shaman. As the rest of the orcs moved to regroup with their leader Tarak burned the ropes attaching many aerial traps to the ceiling and dropped them on the unsuspecting orcs, killing many. Although the team wished to focus initially on the shaman Tarak's anger towards the orc leader preoccupied his mind and he focused fire on him instead. As the orcs reached Tarak's barriers he and Skye temporarily lowered them to allow Nemphis to fire an explosive silver bolt at the remaining orcs and eventually they managed to finish them off.

Finally a wyvern appeared and Nemphis doubled over in pain as the creature got closer. Tarak immediately took Nemphis to the heart chamber which was as far away from the creature as possible and made him as comfortable as he could. Nemphis gave Tarak one of his silver bolts and told him to bring the creature down, Tarak in return drew n symbol on Nemphis' face and told him that the heart is the centre of life and that it would give him strength. As the darkguard slipped into unconsciousness Tarak returned to the battle, gave the silver bolt to Fonia and told her to shoot the wyvern. However she missed her shot so Tarak rushed back into the heart chamber to retrieve more bolts. He reappeared just in time to see Faeriar kill the wyvern by grabbing its nether regions and electrocuting it.

With the wyvern dead the party were ejected out of the Dreamscape. Tarak maintained a watch over Nemphis' recovery and the Princess when he could, but he seemed preoccupied by what he had seen in the dreamscape and spent a substantial time to himself thinking about what had happened.

The Heist
Tarak played a significant role in the heist. He was sent, along with Barriah, Corrin, Fonia and Nemphis, to cut off the target ship from the rest of the fleet. In order to get inside the dock Tarak pretended to be Corrin's personal priest and disguised Fonia as his apprentice. With Corrin's help they bluffed their way inside the town but were subjected to a mind-scan to check for their true intentions. When the wizard came to Tarak the experience nearly cost the poor man his mind and caused his eyes to glow white. Tarak was somehow able to undo the effect on him and warned him that he knew more than he should. When the mage responded that all he saw was a blast of holy fury Tarak became gravely concerned and agreed with Fonia to leave and get away from hurting any more people.

They headed down to the docks and were able to persuade a group of drunken soldiers to get them to pass by insinuating they would inform their captain of their tardiness. As they explored the shipyard they encounters members of the rebellion and after using a codeword to prove they were trusted they were taken to the resistance. There they met an elf called Benjamin who told them of their plan to lift the port's chain to allow the ship to escape and then to blow up one of the guard towers, blocking the other ships from following. Tarak and Fonia accompanied Benjamin to secure the chain winch and although their initial thoughts involved resolving the situation peacefully Benjamin attack one of the guards and forced a fight. Tarak initially landed non-lethal blows, knocking out two guards, but was forced to kill another guard when Benjamin was downed so as to assist both of them. Tarak healed Benjamin while Fonia lowered the chain. The three of them then escaped the tower, regrouping with Corrin, Nemphis, Barriah, the rebels and a captured Away Team which Barriah had rescued. Together they fled the shipyard.

With their part in the heist successful the team hid out in an inn cellar not too far away from the shipyard. Eventually they were picked up by the Aurora and they set off across the lava flats.

Lock-down on the Aurora
After the heist, the Aurora was put on lock-down to avoid the Royals from tracking them down and Tarak was confined to the ship for several months. During which he spent many hours staring at the cudgel for hours on end as if waiting for something to happen and getting increasingly frustrated over it. He also aided Skye and Pope in attempting to bind the Princess' spirit back to her body and although they had some success they could not complete their work. He also developed a seemingly spontaneous interest in caves and he and Barriah spent many an hour discussing them.

As the ship began to head for Amethyst Falls Tarak was called to speak with Veronica and Pope. When he expressed doubt over what he would do once they reached the city they presented him with a ring which Pope believed would help him find his path. Tarak put the ring on but mentioned nothing of it to the rest of the party.

Arrival in Amethyst Falls
Upon arrival the city, and laden with more money than he knew what to do with, Tarak joined the others as they headed to a hotel in the north side of the city. There he shared a meal with the team which was interrupted by a huge explosion in the distance which caused a great deal of panic and confusion amongst the party and city. The following morning he and the others were met by Brian Dupree, the captain of the Constabulary, who informed them that Arai had caused the explosion and destroyed the city prison in the process. When Faeriar managed to get Sakaria angry over comments about her cooking, Tarak attempted, unsuccessfully, to calm her down. Although furious that Arai would do such a thing, and frustrated at Faeriar, Tarak agreed to help the captain clean up the city streets, all the while attempting to stop Faeriar from riling Sakaria any further.

Along with Arai, Faeriar, Fonia, Sakaria and Tey he was taken to a hostage situation in progress where an elderly Half-Orc named Darryl held his wife captive. He claimed to suffer from visions which drove him to commit the crimes that got him sent to Max-Sec in the prison. In order to prevent further bloodshed Tarak intervened and offered Darryl the right of sanctuary in the city cathedral. This was enough to diffuse the tension and allowed everyone to go in peace, and although Tarak would have accompanied Darryl to the cathedral personally he was persuaded to stay with the party and continue to help. Brian told him that Darryl believed someone was going to poison the city water supply and that he disembowelled two guards in order to get to it. He offered Tarak the chance the case file notes on Darryl later on which the cleric was indeed grateful for.

They were confronted by a group of rebel soldiers led by Benjamin and two other nobles who were on a diplomatic mission to the city council. Tarak and Benjamin briefly had a friendly conversation before the convoy passed on. They then travelled to the mansion of a gnomish mage named Archibald which had been overrun by escaped convicts led by a Fateless. Tarak helped the team locate the potential hostages and then storm in through the cellar of the mansion. He quickly abandoned the team and headed upstairs to where there were more convicts, who were understandably surprised to see him. After burning a hole into one of their chests, that convict knocked Tarak back down the stairs and threw a grenade in afterwards. The explosion disoriented him, and he and Faeriar made short work of the convicts. The party reassembled and Tarak noticed a locked room with six individuals in it: one good, four evil and a sixth he couldn't tell, but they were very quickly attacked again. The degree of damage on Tarak caused him to get very disorientated and healing seemed to suffer tremendously, only able to provide the bare minimum but he carried on as the fight continued, occasionally bumping into walls as he tried to get his bearings. Eventually, with the convicts dead and the family accounted for, the party turned their attention to room where the six figures were, but now were gone, even from Tarak's sight.. Although Tarak's thaumaturgy failed to open the door, Faeriar blew open the door with a shot from his siege crossbow. Although they found many manuscripts, Archibald was nowhere to be found. Defeating a few more armour suits, during which Tarak blew the head off one, they discovered a circular platform hidden in the floor. The party got inside the circle and headed beneath the mansion.

As they descended below the earth Tarak's vision began to clear and saw the six figures he had previously noticed, who turned out to be Archibald himself, four convicts and the Fateless. They had created a portal on a raised plinth which began sending lightning bolts all around the room, vaporising two of the four convicts. Tarak called out to the Fateless to stop but he ignored him. Insticitvely Tarak yelled 'stop!' but the Fateless eerily looked at him and he found himself unable to move. As the Fateless fended off attacks from the rest of the team, he broke free of the spell and unleashed a huge burst of divine energy. The room was lit by a white magical light and symbols began flying all around him, disintegrating the last convict and burning the Fateless severely. The Fateless leapt and tried to choke him but he found his hand being burned by a shield of radiant energy, giving Tarak the opportunity to grapple with him. His touch burned the Fateless' hand in the process, and he struck at him with the cudgel. The attack missed and the Fateless broke free as more symbols slammed into him causing yet more burns. Unleashing a scream the Fateless caused more magical ruptures to appear aorund the portal, a bolt of this energy struck Tarak but he took the shot, barely flinching, and marched up to the portal staring into it intently. The Fateless came at him with his longsword from behind but found the blade being burnt away as it got close to him. Tarak manged to hold him at cudgel length as the rest of the party prepared to attack him. The Fateless, now resigned to his fate, merely asked Tarak 'what are you?' as the party finished him off. Tarak placed his hand on his head, gave him a final blessing and his body turned to ash. As a white light shot upwards from the ash and the power receded, Tarak meekly held out his hand to Faeriar who gave him the ashes he had collected. He emerged from the mansion mentally shell-shocked by what had happened.

Events on the Southside
The following day Tarak attempted to quietly sneak out of the hotel and head to the cathedral. However, all he succeeded in doing was bumping into Dave and a few chairs on the way down. Although he remembered the city his new-found blindness made travelling difficult and barely noticed when Arai's Blink Dog Bertie appeared in front of him. Tripping over the animal he landed in the river and had to be rescued by Arai and the hotel barman. He asked Arai to take him to the cathedral but kept his distance from the elf during the journey.

Upon arriving Tarak asked Arai to leave him as he went inside, sitting at the back of the cathedral with the ashes in his hands. He was greeted by a cleric named Tim, who had trained with Tarak when they were novices. The two talked for a while and Tarak expressed his surprised happiness at being back in the cathedral. Tim also told him that Darryl was helping him in the cathedral's infirmary. Tarak remained in the cathedral for a few more hours before leaving, encountering Corrin on the way. Corrin told him of a briefing with Captain Dupree and the two of them headed back to hotel.

They returned to find Dupree, Arai, Dave and another figure waiting for them. Arai sent Bertie up to get Sakaria from her room but she simply threw the dog out. The two of them quickly got into an argument which Tarak quickly put a stop to by magically calming them down. After eating, Dupree introduced the unknown person: a Wood Elf named Akira, a member of the Cartel who agreed to help get the city under control. He then instructed the six present to locate and then neutralise three individuals who were stirring up trouble in the southern side of the river. He preferred that they were dealt with peacefully but accepted some violence may be necessary. With the meeting concluded Arai threw his coffee at Tarak and threatened to gouge out his eyes if he ever did anything like that again. Tarak's calculated response was that he'd like to see Arai try.

The party split up with Tarak, Akira and Sakaria heading through the flooded sewers. They managed to avoid the Gelatinous Cubes that roamed through the sewer, saved Sakaria from drowning and ended up dragging her through the water. They regrouped outside the town hall and after cleaning themselves off Corrin noticed a boy being chased by soldiers. The party followed and were faced by a standoff between rebel and royal soldiers over control of the child. Although Tarak was able to ascertain that the boy had stolen rebel messages he was unable to resolve the fight peacefully, as Dave jumped from a nearby rooftop and sat on one of the rebel soldiers. At which point Sakaria, now furious with the day's events, began thaumaturgically ranting at everyone in the vicinity. Wary of Sakria's temper, Tarak tried to counter her with his own thaumaturgy but only succeeded in increasing her anger.The two of them engaged in a shouting match in which Tarak began speaking in a language none could understand while Sakaria began raving in Infernal. The two of them even began to affect the weather around them, with the winds picking up around Tarak and dark clouds marshalling around Sakaria. It was only Dave's timely intervention that prevented the argument from turning violent. After slapping Tarak to no effect he grabbed hold of his testicles and puled. This was enough to snap him out of his rage and an old man hit Sakaria on the head to the same effect.

The old man, one of the three targets they were assigned to deal with, took them to the town hall which was converted into a field hospital for the people of the area. Much to Tarak's surprise Dave apologised to him for attacking him in the manner that he did with Tarak responding that should anything like that happen again Dave was to do what was necessary to stop him. However, both were quick to reaffirm their mutual dislike of each other. Tarak slumped into a chair and put his head in his hands, whether he was even aware of the conversations that followed is unclear.

Once Tarak had managed to bring himself together he spent the day treating those who came into the hospital alongside Corrin and the old man. As the evening dragged on Tarak got a supernatural sense that something very bad had happened and with his work done he began to head towards source of the disturbance. He noticed that the streets were oddly quiet and that the riots had seemingly stopped. However, as he came closer to the source he was greeted by throng of people heading in the opposite direction. They told him gladly that the gods had returned and of the prophet Dave who had come to save them. Surprised and more confused than anything Tarak continued on his way and ended up in a field where many people were celebrating and partying. He noticed a tree that glowed blue as he looked at it and walked up to it and touched its bark. To his shock the tree talked to him and seemed to know a lot more about him than he did. Through their discussions Tarak established that the Mauve Knight was now a proclaimed deity and was largely responsible for the stopping of the riots. Eventually after hours of talking into the night Tarak fell asleep next to the tree.

Dealing With Consequences
Tarak awoke to an argument coming from the nearby Winchester tavern. As he headed down to investigate he was met by a group of guards who were escorting Dave, Tey, Arathis, Sakaria and Barriah back across the city. Captain Dupree, who led the guards, instructed Tarak to follow him which he complied with. They were led to the Cathedral where they found it under siege by Dave's followers. protected by the combined forces of the City Guard, rebel soldiers, the Paladins of Life and some of the Cartel. Nemphis met them and promptly struck Dave with the butt of his crossbow. He then told Tarak that the Cathedral was in dire straits and that he'd only just made it out. Tarak in return told him of a passage used to transport relics out of the cathedral that they could use to get in. Tey offered to accompany them and Tarak allowed it at Nemphis' insistence. As the three of them head down they knew they risked escalating the violence if they ran pas them so they opted to go via the canal. Tarak used water walk to allow the three of them ease of access and although Nemphis was unsure Tarak stepped into the canal and promptly landed face down on the surface. The sight of which caused 15 of Dave's followers to jump in after them only to discover they were not similarly blessed. Tey then told Tarak to lie down which he reluctantly did. Tey then climbed on his back as Nemphis kicked him forward sliding along the water and under a tunnel. With that the three regrouped and headed through the graveyard into the Cathedral.

Once inside, Tarak began searching for Tim but it was far too crowded to spot him.. Nemphis left in search of whoever was in charge and Tarak instructed Tey to do what she could to help. He noticed Barriah and some other individuals head into the burning Paladin Wing to quench the fire, while Tey went into the hospital wing.Recognising a familiar aura he went down and met with the person who turned out to be the High Priest. They watched to their surprise as the crowd as one chanted 'Hail Dave!' and then dispersed largely without incident. As the exhausted paladins trooped back inside, Corrin amongst them, they could breath a sigh of relief for the time being.

Descent Into Darkness
For the next two days Tarak busied himself with helping the cathedral. He donated his earnings keep the hospital running and begin to make repairs to the building itself.

They were shortly joined by Sakaria and Arai, and Octavia returned to the Darkguard since the group was large enough to look after itself. The party eventually found two doors emblazoned with a variety of emblems and symbols, one of which Tarak recognised as the Church of Life's symbol. After Tarak and Nemphis briefly discussed the situation Tey and Arai solved the locking mechanism for the doors they pressed onwards. Inside the next corridor the party were set upon by a pair of Shadow Demons, one of tried to attack Tarak from below but his 'sight' saw it coming and he destroyed it in one blow. He was then able to track the other one through the walls which led to its demise.

The party then relaxed and began eating some of Sakaria's food. A furious Tarak rounded on them decrying that no-one seemed to care exactly why this was happening and their seeming lack of desire to stop it. Storming off he encountered Nemphis again by a door at the end of the corridor. The party regrouped and Sakaria used 'a friend', to Tarak's confusion, to investigate room beyond. It turned out to be a form of advanced weapons laboratory,specialising in distilling poisons. The servant was quickly destroyed however by a large paw which Nemphis believed to be a mutated cat of some kind. Sakaria, Faerair, Tarak and Nemphis tired to ascertain what was going on. They discussed the facts: something was causing the wicked souls to leech up to the ground level, and the laboratory seems to suggest something and/or someone are involved. The fact that various families in the city, the University and the Church all seemed to be involved concerned them greatly, as did the potential deaths of the 20,000 people that lived in Amethyst Falls. At which point Tarak's cudgel clattered to the ground and Faeriar suspected that Tarak knew more than he was letting on about the situation, although a now panicked and scared Tarak refused to answer him. Nemphis put a stop to the argument once he realised that Tey and Arathis had gone into the room undetected.

The party found themselves engaged in a short battle with the cat. Its elusiveness was such that not even Tarak could it properly until Arathis tagged it with a ball of light. At which point Faeriar charged at the creature but tripped and fell into a gas that Tey had created from the laboratory's resources. Oddly Tarak began to see Faeriar in full colour and promptly tried to

Act III
TBC

Personality
Tarak takes his faith very seriously and is determined to hold up his beliefs amongst the party. He possesses a very strong sense of self-belief which has made him both independent and quite stubborn. He is also quick to anger, particularly when something that goes against his doctrine occurs which has caused a few arguments among the party.

Despite this Tarak is a caring and compassionate man who always tries to do what he believes is right. Although he is not particularly intelligent he has a very strong moral compass and seems to be a good judge of character. Although he dislikes violence and tries to avoid it where possible he believes that nothing should come in the way of doing the right thing and if some people have to die in order for that to happen then so be it.

Powers and Abilities
Despite Tarak's reluctance to use excessive force he has proven a capable fighter when needed. He is proficient in the use of light, medium and heavy armour as well as shields and simple weapons. Tarak is also well versed in land vehicles and also seems to know a surprising amount about traps. He is fluent in both Common and Halfling, which was taught to him largely by Pope.

Being a cleric of life has given Tarak extensive knowledge on the world around him. His studies of religion (+1) were signficant under the church, although he seems to have difficulty recalling most of it. Tarak respects and values all living beings and has vast knowledge on how to handle animals (+7) as well as nature in general (+1). But his most well known and often used skill is his expertise of medicine (+7).

During the opening of the mysterious box Tarak saw a pure soul with open eyes. He was blinded as a result but gained the ability to detect life and evil and good in a 60ft radius around him.

Like all clerics, Tarak draws upon the divine power of life to cast powerful spells that protect his allies and damage his enemies. The actual extent of his abilities are unclear but he seems to possess significant divine power. His current spells are summarised below:

Mundane Items
Ashes of the Fateless- The remains of the Fateless Tarak killed in Archibald's mansion.

Book- A rather shoddy tome that seems to be made up of a variety of different books bound together at one point or another. The contents are unknown and Tarak keeps it hidden from all others. It is currently hidden in the Cathedral library.

Iron Pot- A cooking appliance obtained prior to his arrival on the ''Aurora. ''Fortunately since being on board he hasn't had to use it.

Mace- A weapon given to him by the clergy. It was to be used to protect oneself and to protect others and not take lives. Tarak doesn't like this weapon very much, it makes him feel too much like a warrior.

Priest Pack (4/4)- A pack containing a variety of items given to him as part of his training as a cleric. Of note is his ceremonial robe which has seen more use as a wind shear than for ceremonies.

Quarterstaff-Tarak's weapon of choice is a versatile one. Able to wielded both two and one handed, it also makes a handy walking stick.

Scale Mail- A battered set of armour that protects Tarak from the blows that his magic cannot save him from.

Shield- A buckler shield adorned with hand-drawn symbols. It is small enough that Tarak can be adequately protected and wield his staff and cudgel two-handed.

Shovel- This gardening implement has need no use during this campaign. One begins to wonder what use this is at all.

Traps (2/4)- A collection of hunting traps used in the wilds, but could have applications against other opponents. Tarak is very careful with them and ensures they are used as humanely as possible. Two of them were lost in the Dwarven Ruins away from Amethyst Falls.

Magical Items
Anti-Aetherium Ring- A ring made of the mysterious metal Anti-Aetherium recovered from the Dwarven Ruins. Theoretically it possesses anti-magic properties.

Beetle Amulet (9/10)- Obtained during Nemphis' dreamscape, the beetle amulet has protective magic woven into it. It seems to have lost its power considerably since returning to reality.

Holy Symbol- Worn around his neck it symbolises life and all its glory. From this he draws some of his magical power and woe betide if he ever lost it.

 'Magical Time Telling Cudgel'-  Used as both a weapon and to increase his radiant power this silver staff was given to him during the dreamscape. He is heavily invested in this artefact and watches it for hours on end as if waiting for something to happen.

Splint Armour- A gift from Tey, this magical set of armour is both light and durable. It provides resistance to force trauma.

Strange Ring- The ring given to him by Pope and Veronica clearly has magic about it. It's unclear if Tarak knows what this object is or does, and if he does it's not something he seems inclined to share. A second part of the ring was found in the Dwarven Ruins.

Akira
Being the newest member in the party, Tarak has yet to form a concrete opinion of Akira. She seems to have a good heart and wants to help the party but there's nothing that really informs him of her skills or personality.

Arai NightBreeze
Despite blowing up the prison in Amethyst Falls, which Tarak considers to be a huge mistake, he doesn't hold anything against Arai who has been an invaluable member of the team. His care for Bertie and his compassion for others is also something Tarak greatly appreciates.

Arathis
Having never met outside their brief cooperation in the Dreamscape Tarak doesn't have much of a impression of Arathis. He seems to be a powerful sorcerer and a worthy ally but beyond that he doesn't know anything about him.

Barriah
Barriah doesn't make sense to him. He doesn't know much about her and her actions can only be described by him as apathetic to life which in a druid seems very odd to him. But this is no cause for concern or quarrel for him, she is dependable and headstrong, traits that he thinks will serve her and the team well in the future.

Corrin Underbough
With them both being a part of the Church of Life, Tarak has a high opinion of Corrin. Although he does not consider Corrin higher or above him he respects him a paladin and a fellow servant of life. From Tarak's perspective Corrin has shown himself to be loyal to the Church and its teachings, something he greatly appreciates.

Dave
When Tarak first encountered Dave in the fortress he believed that the dwarf seemed strong and could be a great help. However, his actions in the Dreamscape and reports of his cruelty in the taking of the Royal ship have soured any good standing Tarak has of him. It's bad enough Dave seems to enjoy the killing of others, but the cruelty by which Dave does it is utterly abhorrent to him. He also despises the skull that Dave carries around, believing it to be akin to necromancy. Tarak simply cannot stand Dave who he considers to be a monster with no respect for life at all and tries to avoid contact with him where possible. He also knows Dave's true alignment and is greatly concerned by his leanings towards evil.

Faeriar
Tarak does not get on well with Faeriar. Although Tarak does sympathise with his fear of the undead and his sense of loss Faeriar's acts of barbarism continue to disgust him, which he sees as unnecessarily cruel and in contradictions of his teachings. However, he has lately been impressed by his seeming restraint in certain events and his willingness to solve problems without violence. But he remains sceptical of his companions seeming turn of personality and it is likely there will be more conflict between the two in the future.

Fonia
Tarak respects Fonia as a person but not as an officer or as his sargeant. Since Tarak is not a soldier and avoids violence where possible he does not consider himself under her command. That being said she has proven herself a loyal friend, strong ally and a capable leader to him.

Sakaria
'Wary' is what characterises Tarak's relationship with Sakaria. The anger she displayed durng the heist and later on in Amethyst Falls has convinced Tarak to be careful around her. Despite this her ability to conjure food from nowhere and her willingness to share it to anyone who wants it is comforting to him and he hopes to aid the compassionate side to her rather than provoke her.

Tey
Tarak trusts Tey more than some others in the party. He knows she has a good heart and her act to save an unknown woman as well as her bond with the Princess has confirmed as much in Tarak's eyes. Tarak considers her be a good friend although he does wish that she would stop taking things that don't belong her.

Benjamin
Benjamin seems nice enough and his attraction to Fonia has not escaped his attention. As such he doesn't have anything bad to say. His rebel alleigance has no bearing in Tarak's mind and does not affect his view of him. But he seems to have a good heart and that is worth something.

Charlie "Pope" Beren
Pope is one of Tarak's friends from before his arrival on The Aurora and nothing has happened to change this. The two of them are both clerics trying to do the most good in the world, and Tarak is ultiamtely grateful to him for bringing him onboard the ship.

Nemphis
If any member of Away Team Four could be characterised as Tarak's friend Nemphis is probably the one. Tarak has a great deal of compassion for Nemphis and trust him to do the right thing. He has already saved him twice and would do so again in a heartbeat.

Princess Isadora
She is simply a lost soul in trouble and that is something Tarak would not allow to stand. Although he doesn't have the closeness that Tey does with her, he does watch over her and makes it his business to know what's happpeing to her. Effectively Nemphis asked him to do something Tarak would do himself anyway.

Skye 'Starborn'
The relationship between Skye and Tarak is almost one of master and apprentice respectively. The two of them bonded during their time away from the team and the two are fast friends. Tarak trusts Skye more than anyone else and will always be there to help him and protect him.

Veronica Dupree
As with Fonia Tarak respects her as a person but does not feel bound to her by a professional capacity. Tarak is grateful to her for taking him onboard the ship at Pope's request and for allowing Nemphis to stay when he brought him onboard. He would follow her orders because he feels she is doing what's right and for no other reason.

Trivia and Notes

 * The concept for Tarak was originally based on shamanic and animistic tradition.