Orinder

A humble cleric of Demmazon whose ability to restore the dead made him one of the most important figures among the Chosen. Orinder never sought the attention his power brought him, but his ability ultimately became the key to destroying the spiritual barrier that had trapped the world's dead—and led to his ascension as part of the god Orin-Kel.

Overview

Orinder was a cleric of Demmazon encountered by the party during their first expedition into the southern lands.

At the time, he was being held prisoner by the Gauntlet of the Moon along with numerous other villagers and potential Chosen. He had been helping the other prisoners as best he could and was identified by the party's Chosen abilities as having exceptionally high potential.

Orinder eventually revealed that he possessed a unique ability to restore the dead to life. This was extraordinary because, since the Fall of the Age of Wonders, ordinary attempts to use Raise Dead or Resurrection had failed to restore the soul and instead produced undead creatures.

Orinder's power worked differently.

Despite the attention and expectations that surrounded this ability, Orinder consistently regarded himself as an ordinary cleric and resisted attempts to treat him as something more.

His path eventually led to Kelestaria, the Green Gift, and the destruction of the spiritual barrier that had prevented the dead from properly passing into the afterlife. At the end of the campaign, Orinder used the power of the Green Gift to restore Kelestaria's spirit, becoming the god Orin-Kel.

Discovery by the Chosen

The party encountered Orinder in a prison within a temple operated by the Gauntlet of the Moon.

The prisoners had been taken from villages in the southern region and were being experimented upon because they appeared to be resistant to the disease that transformed its victims into werewolves.

Orinder was among them. He was described as a cleric of Demmazon who had been helping the other prisoners.

When the party used their ability to identify potential Chosen, Orinder's potential was extraordinarily high—described as being "off the charts."

After the party freed the prisoners and destroyed the temple, Orinder joined the Chosen.

The Power to Raise the Dead

The most unusual thing about Orinder was a power he had possessed for several years before the party met him.

He could raise the dead without creating an undead creature.

This was effectively unique in the world at the time. Ordinary attempts to restore the dead had, for approximately a century, returned the body without the soul and created an undead monster instead.

Orinder did not understand why he possessed this ability. Even his communing with Demmazon had never given him a clear explanation.

He therefore kept the ability largely secret.

The Chosen eventually learned about it after Orinder used it to restore Malachi after Malachi was killed by the Aspect of Filtiarn. The party initially feared that Orinder was creating another undead creature, but he successfully restored Malachi to life.

The rescued prisoners who witnessed the event fell to their knees and began worshipping Orinder as a god. Orinder immediately tried to discourage them from doing so.

He repeatedly maintained that he was simply a humble cleric.

Among the Chosen

Quentin considered Orinder's ability extremely significant.

The Chosen observed that Orinder's apparent power level fluctuated dramatically around the times when he could use his Raise Dead ability. Quentin believed this was probably a Chosen power rather than an ordinary clerical ability.

The party determined that the ability could apparently be used approximately once per week.

Tim believed that Orinder might be the person referred to in the prophecy concerning a Chosen who would eventually rise to godhood. When Tim explained this possibility to Orinder, Orinder rejected the idea and insisted that he was merely a humble cleric.

Quentin did not confirm or deny the theory.

The Growing Attention

Orinder's attempts to remain inconspicuous became increasingly difficult.

After he restored the dead wife of a halfling whose village had been devastated by the dragon attack, the halflings began treating him as a messiah. He attempted to stop them from worshipping him, but the situation became sufficiently disruptive that some of the halflings eventually followed the party aboard the Sunchaser.

The attention eventually spread to the elves as well. Many came to believe that Orinder was a prophet or messiah who would accomplish something great.

This attention weighed heavily on him.

As word of his ability spread, both Cain and Filtiarn became increasingly interested in him, making Orinder a target of their forces. He became increasingly convinced that he was destined to fail and began belittling his own accomplishments and attempting to remain unnoticed.

Kelestaria

Orinder developed a close relationship with Kelestaria after meeting her in Thorn's settlement beyond the End of the World.

The relationship became increasingly strained as Orinder's growing notoriety and the danger surrounding him affected his confidence. After spending months apart, he returned to Kelestaria but felt that he was not good enough for her and began, intentionally or otherwise, undermining their relationship.

Despite these difficulties, the two remained deeply connected. That relationship ultimately became central to the final events of the campaign.

The Green Gift

The Green Gift had been hidden by Thorn Runehammer beneath the ruins of Aegea since the end of the Korvak War.

When the Gift was finally recovered, Kelestaria sacrificed herself to break through its final protections.

Her death devastated Orinder.

Because Kelestaria was killed by a death effect, Orinder's unique ability to raise the dead could not restore her. He subsequently entered a near-catatonic state and became unwilling to accept the enormous responsibility that everyone now believed his power represented.

The Final Barrier

The heroes eventually discovered that the collapse of resurrection magic was connected to a spiritual barrier created when Demmazon separated his realm from the world.

The barrier trapped spiritual energy, preventing souls from properly reaching the afterlife or returning to their bodies. It was also connected to the plagues afflicting the world.

The heroes realized that Orinder's unique ability to restore the dead provided the means by which the barrier could be broken.

Thorn therefore divided the power of the recovered Green Gift between himself and Orinder. The original plan was for Orinder to act as a conduit, allowing his Raise Dead power to provide the opening necessary for Thorn to destroy the barrier.

Orinder, however, saw another possibility. Rather than simply serve as a conduit, he redirected part of the Gift's power toward Kelestaria's spirit.

The power fused Orinder and Kelestaria into a single entity: Orin-Kel.

The barrier was destroyed, allowing souls to pass into the afterlife or return to their bodies through resurrection magic once again.

Thorn and Orin-Kel then ascended beyond the barrier and joined the pantheon.

Legacy

Orinder's mortal life is defined by a power he never sought and a destiny he repeatedly resisted.

He began as a relatively obscure cleric of Demmazon imprisoned by the Gauntlet. His ability to restore the dead transformed him into a figure whom others regarded as a prophet, messiah, or potential god, despite his repeated insistence that he was none of those things.

His relationship with Kelestaria ultimately determined the form his ascension took.

Rather than becoming a god alone, Orinder's final act united him with Kelestaria, creating Orin-Kel.

Known Information

• Race: Human
• Class: Cleric of Demmazon
• Affiliation: The Chosen
• Religion: Demmazon
• Exceptional ability: Could restore the dead without creating undead creatures
• Chosen potential: Exceptionally high
• Relationship: Kelestaria
• Final fate: Fused with Kelestaria through the power of the Green Gift
• Divine identity: Orin-Kel

Uncertain Information

The surviving material does not establish:

• Orinder's age.
• His life before his imprisonment by the Gauntlet.
• His exact cleric level or game statistics.
• The original source of his unusual Raise Dead ability.
• Why his ability worked when ordinary resurrection magic did not.
• Whether Demmazon deliberately granted him the ability.
• Whether Orinder was actually the individual referred to in the Chosen prophecy before his eventual ascension.