Dereth

Dereth J. Payne is a level 20 Cleric of Avalon played by Joe.

Then

Dereth J. Payne is the youngest of 13 children born to the barely "noble" house Payne. Given over to the clergy of Viviene to elevate the status of House Payne, Dereth J. Payne has no ties to his family besides hearing the occasional rumor of their cutthroat attempts to further their status, including squiring out his older brother to a Magistery Initiate.

The Payne family is from the Heartwood, north of Solace and south of Folcom Keep. Dereth has maintained a spiritual connection to the area through his clerical upbringing.

Dereth helped to reclaim Folcom Keep as the holy well of Coventina while revealing Folcom Keep to have been Tintagel, the ancestral touchstone of Viviene's faith through the Pendragon line.

Now

He is busy training with the First Weaver in psychic disciplines to protect his companions more effectively. He will continue hiring Weavers to scribe scrolls his new companions may find useful in the field.

More recently, Dereth has joined the House of Lightning and become a weaver. After meeting with The Yellow and the First Weaver after initiating as a Weaver, Dereth realizes that his goal to restore Viviene's realm may have to be secondary to protecting The Ligatures of our reality and banishing the invaders to our realm or reality.

He is becoming distrustful of the Seal's choices in how the Magistery functions, finding himself drawn to the focus on learning and discovery in The Conventicle. He seeks to learn how to fulfill his stanza that has been foretold of him: "He will unite the kingdoms of man." So much to learn.

After awakening Eyria's soul within Excalibur, Dereth has founded the Sanitatem Auallonia, a temple dedicated to Viviene's teachings and a place of healing. Any who wish to connect with nature and defend purposeful life from outsiders would find a home here.

Later

Dereth wishes to study advanced healing, diplomacy, and statecraft at The Conventicle. He is interested to know what boons are offered from this pure Mage's Guild, and how it may help in Viviene's goals of purging outsiders and healing the sick. Learning to be a competent leader may help with his Stanza, if that ever comes to pass...

Dereth wishes to grow the Auallonia Sanitatem into a deeper grove of learning with followers dedicated to preserving the nature of this world and healing it's ills. He wishes to persuade companions who have similar visions and save those that oppose Viviene's mission from their folly.

Since then.....

Uncle Conroy was always eccentric, but I didn't believe it all centered around Nerull. I've known the truth of it from the moment we learned of the Dreadhoarde. Then, I watched Coin lose himself to the outside. Then, I learned the Dark One had returned, and Uncle Conroy was right. All along. When I saw our home destroyed, I finally believed his rants.

I showed the armies the Pardor Pass and watched as my companions collapsed the mountain upon them. I have not always know the movements, and I lamented the lives lost, but came to realize that this way was the best way. Maybe my friends will resent me for not blindly accepting the point of view we were spoon fed, but I pray they learn to consider all perspectives instead of blind trust.

I will weep for the losses to come, and I will miss the gentle jibes and jokes around Shanju Keep. I hope they remember that my cohort is not my enemy, and I hope we all survive to the end of this. Let's argue about it afterward...