Nola Vale

Name/Title: Nola Vale, Vigilant Eye of Helm
Race/Class: Human Paladin (Chevalier)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Deity: Helm
Height: 5′ 11” (180cm)
Weight: 170 lbs. (77.1kg)
Eyes: Pale Green
Hair: Auburn

Appearance

Nola Vale is a tall, broad-shouldered woman whose heavy musculature only seems to enhance her figure. You know the type: statuesque, with arms like knotted tree limbs, a rippling back, and wide hips set above trunk-like thighs. A well-developed core prevents her from having the proverbial hourglass thing going on, as does her relatively undersize bust, but she’s not exactly a rectangle, either. Instead, she’s got the V-thing happening.

While her stature might be the first thing anyone notices about Nola, it’s far from her only striking feature. Her deep-brown hair and faintly-bronzed skin – stemming from her half-Tethyrian heritage – serve to emphasize a pair of large, pale-green eyes, inherited from her father. A sparse dusting of dark freckles sits beneath these eyes, and above a pair of full lips. She often wears silvery piercings through her nostrils, left brow, and ears (and a few other, less-visible places).

The other big indulgence in Nola’s appearance is a colorful, full-body tattoo of scaled armor, replete with Helmite symbols, and personal emblems from her adventures. This tattoo has been in progress for her entire adult life, applied by a small group of masterful artists in Suzail.

Personality

In some ways, Nola is a typical Helmite and Paladin: selfless, dutiful, and honorable. She doesn’t give her word lightly, and always keeps it when she does (or would die in the attempt). She doesn’t balk at facing danger on others’ behalf, or at giving what she has to give others succor, and she has a certain amount of righteous zeal.

… In other ways, however, she’s atypical. For one, she likes to party, and otherwise have fun. She’s also not as outwardly disciplined as one might expect from a Helmite. She’s always quick with a joke, and often at inappropriate moments. She’s quite amorous, though always respectful in its application, and she’s perhaps a bit too forgiving of certain types of criminals.

Much of this stems from watching her father serve as a guard in Enveningstar. Dorn was served by having personal relationships with those he interacted with, and by knowing the value of good humor and kind words, even to criminals. Dorn belived in redemption and rehabilitation more than punishment, which stems from his unusual view of Helm, which Nola has also inherited.

Where others see a cold, distant sentinel in the Watcher, Dorn saw a warm, loving protector. Nola likewise believes that her duty as a defender of the weak and unfortunate is made stronger by having a connection to those she protects. These views leave her somewhat at odds with others of her church, though these eccentricities haven’t dampened her effectiveness as a Vigilant Eye.

Where Nola’s attitude causes her trouble is her relationship with the nobility. The poverty she’s witnessed in her service, both in Cormyr and other lands, has led to deep criticism of those who have more wealth than they could possibly need, up and including the Crown (though she manages to avoid vitriol most of the time). While this has earned her some enemies among those strata, Nola usually does well to present her criticisms as challenges, leading fundraising efforts to try and direct the nobility’s charity to more effective projects.

Background

Nola was born on Greengrass, 1355 DR, to Dorn and Zarade Vale (nee Vespera) in Eveningstar, Cormyr. Dorn was a guard for the farming town, himself the son of a guardsman in Suzail, and had helped defend Eveningstar from Gondegal’s short-lived invasion three years earlier.

Zarade had once been an aspiring adventurer. Originally from Darromar in Tethyr, Zarade had grown up idolizing knights on horseback and stories of exotic locales. A series of adventure and misadventure brought her to Cormyr, where she met Dorn, and the two eventually fell in love. Zarade gave up the adventuring life, and instead took to helping tend and raise horses at the stables (her parents’ trade).

Nola was raised in a warm and loving home. Curious and precocious in her early years, she proved to be a gregarious and good-natured child, only occasionally getting involved in the mischief of other children. She enjoyed spending time with her mother at the stables, and she often accompanied her father on his patrols to the outlying farms and orchards. Her somewhat exotic look and warm temperament made her popular around the village.

Her life changed irrevocably on Mirtul 1, 1364 DR. That night, a day removed from her 9th birthday, she had a dream.

She found herself standing on a cobbled road amidst an emerald plain. The sun shone brightly in the sky, nary a cloud in sight. In the distance stood a watchtower, grand but lonely, surrounded by a high, thick-looking wall. Filled with a strange sense of serenity, Nola began to walk.

A small ball of brilliant radiance appeared before her as she neared the gate. She watched, entranced, as the light flickered and gave way to a rapidly unfolding crystalline mass. Pieces of glass-like material unfolded and stitched themselves together, forming contours and planes. She saw glimpses of strange sights in the myriad reflections assaulting her senses, and, for a moment, she was frightened.

The fragments soon coalesced into a more recognizable figure: that of a massive, armored man, holding a greatsword tip-down before him. The glass-like material melted into gleaming silver metal, and she gazed up in awe at the being. It inclined its head and looked down at her, its face hidden by an undecorated visor that reflected her visage, contorting it in odd fashion.

“Hi,” she’d greeted meekly. She didn’t know how she could tell, but she got the sense that the being was smiling.

“What is your name, little one?” it asked. It’s voice was impossibly deep, and it resonated in her very being.

“Nola,” she’d said, her eyes locked on the visor. “Nola Vale. What’s yours?”

The guardian laughed softly, a rumbling sound that filled her with warmth, though it did not answer.

“You are worthy, Nola Vale,” it declared. The guardian disappeared in a radiant flash, and the gate opened, seemingly of its own accord. Confused, but not deterred, Nola stepped inside.

The door leading into the tower opened, and she began a long climb up a spiral stair. She reached the top, huffing and sore, and found herself before a set of sturdy wooden doors. A gilded, stylized eye was set into the portal, reflected light from flickering torches. After admiring it for a time, she stepped forward and gave the doors a push. She’d expected them to be heavy, but they gave way at the lightest touch, and she was blinded by a searing flash of light.

The light was all-encompassing. She could see naught but radiance – couldn’t even close her eyes – but she felt she was not alone. Some presence was before her, and around her, and within her, piercing and saturating her very essence.

“I know you, Nola Vale,” the voice declared. She didn’t dare speak in response. “I have seen your heart, and know your worth. I summon you to my service, that you might guard the weak from those who would dominate; that you might protect the innocent from those who would corrupt; that you would be a shield guarding the world against evil. I call on you to be ever vigilant.”

When Nola told her parents of the dream, Zarade initially believed it was simply a sign of Nola’s vivid imagination. Dorn’s response was more reserved, at least at first. He had heard of such dreams, of knights being called to the service of a god. ‘Paladins,’ they were called. Not knowing what to think, Dorn sent a missive to Victor Grayhill, then the attending priest of the Shrine of Helm in Arabel. When he didn’t receive a response, he believed that, perhaps, he’d bothered Victor for nothing. Perhaps Zarade had been right.

She had not.

Victor arrived in Eveningstar two tendays later, with another pair of Helmite clergy in tow (one of whom was Lord Hezom, from Espar). Dorn felt his stomach drop when he opened the door. He knew, on some level, that Victor had come to take his daughter away.

The Helmites sat with Nola and had her recount her dream. They asked her questions about the tower, and the guardian. They asked her how many steps she’d climbed, though she couldn’t recall. She told them what the being in the light had said. The three thanked her, and told Dorn and Zarade they’d be back the next day.

It was clear that Dorn knew more than Zarade and Nola did, and Zaradi asked him to explain. Dorn sighed and sat with his wife and daughter. He explained the stories he’d heard about Paladins, and their being called to service by the gods. He said he believed Nola had been called by Helm.

At one time, Dorn would have felt nothing but pride that his daughter had been chosen. Then the Time of Troubles came. Cormyr had remained relatively unscathed – there were no battles among the gods in the Forest Kingdom – but it certainly saw the effects of Mystra’s death at Helm’s hand. There were still plenty of Helm worshipers in Cormyr, but their reputation had changed significantly. No longer were they seen as trustworthy guardians, but as cold and heartless sentinels.

Dorn worried about the road his daughter would now take. When the Helmite priests returned the next day, they confirmed his belief that Nola had been called to Helm’s service. To his relief, they did not take her then and there. Instead, someone would come for her on her 13th birthday, and she would begin her service then.

Nola spent the next four years learning the full tenets of Helm and preparing for her calling. Dorn, despite his concerns, taught her the basics of fighting with sword and shield. Zarade, herself unsure of this ‘calling’ business, taught her how to properly ride a horse. They did not have much coin for books, so Victor provided them for free.

By the time she was 11, Nola had become immersed in her calling. She’d memorized several prayers to Helm. She’d developed a rigorous training schedule. She’d begun to accompany her father on his patrols not as his daughter, but as a fellow guardsman. She’d taken to it well enough that some of Dorn’s fears were eased. The life of a Paladin was a difficult one, as far as he could tell, but his daughter was proving to be highly capable.

Zarade’s concerns only grew. Nola was still a child, but she wasn’t doing child things. She wasn’t out having fun, or making new friends – she spent more time with the horses than other kids. Zarade insisted that Nola take breaks in her training, and Dorn eventually agreed. For her last two years in Eveningstar, Nola balanced her training with making friends, and Zarade was pleased to see that she hadn’t lost her charming personality.

Greengrass of 1368 DR was a special occasion in Eveningstar. Most of the town came together, including Lord Winter, taking the opportunity to celebrate Nola’s calling, and to wish her well. Nola was humbled and honored, and she made it a point to talk to everyone – to tell them that she loved them, and she wouldn’t forget them.

Victor arrived after dusk, though he was considerate enough to wait until after the feast before approaching Nola. He didn’t give her a grandiose greeting, or say any prayers. He simply asked her if she was ready. She said she was.

She was not.

Nola was taken to a stronghold called Forestwatch on the edge of the King’s Forest, a day’s ride from Waymoot. The fort was a relatively new construction, its wall still comprised of wood, as were many of the outbuildings. As she soon found out, part of her training would be helping to construct the keep.

Later that year, rogue dragons harassed several towns in Northwest Cormyr, including Eveningstar. Fortunately, her parents managed to escape harm, but worry prevented Nola from making a strong first impression to her masters.

Nola worked hard, and proved some merit over the next two years. She made friends among the other initiates easy enough, but this proved to a double-edged sword as she would hold back in sparring sessions, earning the disapproval of her trainers. She spoke several times to her direct superior, Watcher Kern, about how she could get better, which he respected. He told her that her dedication needed to be absolute, that one with a calling such as hers couldn’t afford to be unsure. It would be a long time before she would know what Watcher Kern meant.

Tragedy struck in 1370 DR, when Nalavara the Elf-Dragon led an army of goblins into Northern Cormyr. The goblins sacked Redspring and Tyrluk, and sieged Arabel. The Goblins pressed on to Eveningstar, where the Militia of the North was mustered by Myrmeen Lhal, including her father. Eveningstar held, but Dorn was killed in the fighting.

Nola was devastated. She had practically begged Watcher Kern to let her join the militia, but he’d said she wasn’t ready. He gave his condolences, but told her that the only thing that would have happened if she’d been there was that she would be dead, too.

Nola mourned her father, getting leave to return to Eveningstar for his funeral, and to be with her mother. Zaradi was heartbroken, but put on a brave face for her daughter. She told Nola that her father had been proud of her, and she gave her some of his journals to prove it. She took them back with her when she returned to Forestwatch, and began to draw strength from them.

She threw herself into her training, becoming a skilled and disciplined warrior. She was one of the strongest initiates, physically speaking. She could even hold her own against fully trained Eyes, if only for a few minutes. It was her spirit that held her back.

In the wake of her father’s death, Nola’s once-unshakable confidence became compromised. Doubt plagued her steps in her early duties, which took her to the distant land of Mulhorand. While attempting to track down an ‘extra-dimensional’ threat from another reality (it’s kind of a Mulhorand thing), Nola sort of accidentally managed to improve Helm’s position in the eccentric nation, first by expanding the Skuld-adjacent outpost she’d been operating from, and then by arranging for the local Helmites to begin employing the city’s poor, and training caravan guards for the various trading treks through the desert.

This experience did much to restore Nola’s confidence, both by proving that her father’s ways would still be effective outside of Eveningstar, and by proving that the church had faith in her abilities.

It also proved handy when Nola returned to Cormyr, and began operating out of Arabel. Nola was disheartened by the expansive Arabel slums, and specifically the condition that the city’d allowed it to fall into. Her disgust for the largess of the city’s wealthy elite reached a boiling point one fateful evening in 1382 DR, when she was approached by a distraught mother whose child had gone missing.

The city guard, it seemed, would do nothing about it, claiming that the child likely ran away. In a matter of hours, Nola had learned otherwise: that there was, in fact, a child-trafficking ring operating within the slums, and that it was responsible for dozens of disappearances.

Nola cut a furious swath through the slums to find those responsible, and her search ultimately led her to the Dragonmere. She sailed with the Blue Dragons and caught up to a ship said to be used by the people-smugglers. After a brief battle, the ship was captured. Nola found the mother’s missing child among several sealed inside barrels in the hold – alive, but terrified.

Nola worked with the church and the Crown to dismantle the trafficking ring, but all the while, her burning rage at the indifference of the Arabel City Watch would not be quelled. Nola began to speak out against the apathy that’d led to the kidnapping of the city’s children – those least able to defend themselves – and challenged the city’s aristocracy to do better.

These efforts resulted in the single proudest achievement of Nola’s service to this point: the Childwatch School of Arabel, a free school for the youth of the Arabel slums, dedicated to providing them the care and education needed to escape poverty. The school also provides lessons and training to adults within the slums, and makes an effort to find work for those who would otherwise be seen as undesirable.

The school includes an infirmary, both for the children and adults as needed, and lodgings for children who either don’t have a stable home to live in, or whose parents are indisposed or otherwise fearful for their safety.

To celebrate the breaking of ground for the school, Nola went on a pilgrimage to Helm’s Hold, both as a break from the Arabellan nobility and to reaffirm her dedication to her charge. On the way, she came to the rescue of a Red Knight novitiate named Annette Barnog, a half-orc woman who was the last surviving member of a small caravan, fighting off the last of the gnolls that’d ambushed them.

Sprinting forth on Keeper, her grey Cormyrean Charger, Nola cut down the gnolls, and expended her healing energies to preserve Annette’s life. Since then, Annette has been Nola’s right hand.

Relationships

Nola’s mother, Zarade, still raises horses in Eveningstar. Nola gets back at least once a year to spend some time helping out around the ranch, and keeping her mother’s spirits up.

Nola’s had a number of partners over the years, all of which she sort of still considers partners. Her first was a Ghaele named Altana, met by chance on the island of Ilighon, en route to Mulhorand. Altana was serving as a bodyguard for an ambassador from Evermeet at the time, and the two bonded over their shared duties, and the fact that Altana was bigger than Nola, which the latter was not used to.

Next was Concepcion, a beautiful half-Coatl woman, and fellow Paladin of Helm. Concepcion has been the partner that Nola’s been most involved with, as they both often serve in the same area, though Nola’s been most taken with her bright and affectionate nature, glad to know she’s not the only Helmite Paladin so willing to express themselves.

Most recently, Nola and Annette have been intimate, largely as a result of Nola’s reflexive teasing of the otherwise-stoic Cavalier finally breaking through that shell. It’s hard to say how that intimacy will shake out in the long run, but Nola just has a thing for women who manage to be bigger than she is.

Goals & Plot Hooks

– Nola’s ultimate goal is to eliminate poverty within the Forest Kingdom, impossible as that might seem. For now, her focus is on making Childwatch as successful as she can in its efforts at giving the impoverished a path out of the slums. If that ends up working out, then she’ll likely look to open more schools in more cities and towns in the region.

– Nola is a moderately-high ranking member of the Vigilant Eyes of the God, Helm’s most benevolent order. While this earns her some favor within the Church of Helm, she is also viewed with some suspicion, given her nontraditional interpretations of Helm’s dictates. It will take a significant amount of activity for her to earn the Church’s faith to the point she might be considered for the higher echelons of church leadership.

– While Nola has spared the Cormyrean nobility from her complete scorn (if only after a stern talking-to by her superiors), she’s still made some enemies among them. Efforts will likely be made to try and hamper the school’s success, or smear Nola’s reputation.

– Nola has made the ‘mundane evils’ the main focus of her efforts, but she’s still an accomplished and powerful Paladin of Helm, and will step up to extraordinary evils at a moment’s notice.