Ruael Y’kashiral

Ruael Y’kashiral commands the Fatehunter tribe, whose scattered steads lie between Sobanwych and Terre Verte along the contested Forest Road. A relentless scout-captain, she distrusts Dyvers’ ship-timber ambitions and argues that Sherendyl must reassert historic claims over the road corridor ceded to human woodsfolk generations ago. Once a protégé of Las’törla Aerith Sherendyl, Ruael now presses harder than her lady prefers; their disagreement is private but unmistakable in council.

Appearance & Bearing

Wind-tough and spare, with sun-browned skin, copper-red hair braided short for the hood, and green-hazel, slightly slanted eyes that flick from track to skyline. She wears travel-tempered bronzewood lamellar under a dust-green cloak, bow unstrung at the hip, spear balanced like a walking staff. Ruael wastes no motion; courtesy is clipped, orders are crisp.

Roleplay cues: taps two fingers on bow stave before decisions; smells wind and soil mid-conversation; uses few words—“Clear,” “Again,” “Hold.”

“Jurisdiction is a story. I prefer one with witnesses and tracks.”

Territory & Operations

• AO: Fringe woods equidistant between Sobanwych and Terre Verte; picket lines watching the Forest Road.
• Pattern: Rotating two-over-one patrols (two shadow teams forward, one anchor team on sign and supply).
• Liaison: Works with the Mounted Borderers’ Longriders when they accept elven guides; otherwise shadows from the trees.
• Standing Order: Night fire is banned inside her lines; violators are escorted out at spearpoint.

Philosophy & Goals

• Core belief: “If we do not hold the verge, someone else will—and they will sell it.”
• Objectives:
• Re-establish Sherendyl writ over the Forest Road verge (clear limits, posted wardens).
• Break Dyvers-backed logging crews that test the line via fines, writ seizures, and precise ambushes against armed escorts (not laborers).
• Stabilize mixed hamlets with oath law instead of bribes or threats.

“We don’t burn bridges. We own the approaches.”

Relations & Friction

• Las’törla Aerith: Mentor turned counterweight. Ruael respects Aerith’s logistics but thinks policy lags reality; Aerith dislikes being pushed by a vassal.
• Azaethus Ilaro: Professional respect—his shaped evocations spare the canopy; they disagree on diplomacy pace.
• Verbobonc, Viscounty factors & Rangers: Will deal on daylight terms; expects the oath-ledger to be honored.
• Dyvers, Free Lands of: Open distrust; treats northern envoys with flinty courtesy and long memory.

Tactics & Methods

• Playbook: Fix with snares/sign, fan ambush, cut mounts loose, end fast.
• Doctrine: No collateral to trees or noncombatants; oath-books and cargo ledgers seized intact.
• Signals: Three-note bird-cant (“mark, wait, move”) and wood-bell one-strike withdrawal.

Notable Gear

• Laminae of the Verge (lamellar). Light armor woven with bronzewood; ignores movement penalties in difficult (natural) terrain.
• Bow “Quiet Line.” Longbow; once/short rest, a hit imposes speed 0 until start of Ruael’s next turn (tendon-line shot).
• Veil-Brooch. Advantage on Stealth when stationary in light foliage; once/day pass without trace (self only) for 10 minutes.
• Oath-Ledger Case. Waterproof tube; holds seized writs and route maps used as evidence at council.

“If your writ cannot walk the road at noon, it is not law.”

Personality

• Ideal: Stewardship with teeth.
• Bond: The Fatehunter oath—“Hold the verge, name the trespass, leave the path better.”
• Flaw: Impatient with “parade solutions”; can corner allies with hard ultimatums.

Adventure Hooks

1. The Paper Convoy: A Dyvers caravan carries timber writs signed by a suspect magistrate. Ruael asks the PCs to seize the papers without bloodshed—proof is the weapon.
2. Forest Road Arbitration: Mounted Borderers demand access at night; Ruael will accept only with a sworn dawn timetable and PC guarantors.
3. Mentor’s Line: Aerith commands patience; Ruael plans a legal show of force at noon. The party must square the circle or pick a side.
4. Ghost Cutters: Bandits disguised as licensed loggers raid a Woodsmen hamlet. Ruael wants them caught in the act to end a propaganda war.

Using Ruael at the Table

• As Patron: Offers precise, moral objectives with legal outcomes (writs seized, oaths sworn, fines levied).
• As Foil: Pushes the party to take a stand on border law vs. convenience.
• As Ally in the Field: Turns random road encounters into planned interdictions—clean, fast, and witnessed.