Harden Wildfire

Autobiography
My name is Harden Wildfire, shaman in the Kunan area. Unusual among those in my practice, I live a modern, civilized lifestyle. I own and operate Spectronomists, a leading spirit removal service. I stay ahead of the competition by seeking lost and undiscovered spirits. To that end, I spend a lot of time and gold on expeditions. The family business comes calling every once in a while so I put Spectronomists on hold to help out.

My first taste of adventure was at the Young Heroes Club camp in the forests outside of Cardel. My step-sister and I would spend summers whacking spring-loaded target dummies hidden in the brush. The camp was operated by the famous Steel Doves. I learned from my time with the Young Heroes that after this, I would definitely become an adventurer professionally. Occasionally, a young hero would fling a simple cantrip or two, making us non-users jealous. The practicalities of magic interested me in a sort of intellectual way, but I could not be bothered to put in the necessary work. On the one hand, the arcane is too well… arcane, and the divine is insufferably pious. I was always more the grappling hook type and ten foot pole type, not that I was never opposed to simply flying over hazards, which I do now by the way of my own magic.

As Mesmer became more involved with the club, my interest diminished. I confess there is no coincidence there. Without her to share the thrill of danger, the spark of fun was going out for me. I was too young to realize at the time, but in our senior years at the camp, she was being indoctrinated for nefarious ends. A sad tale, with a happy, bloody ending though.

Each year, my father would stop in Cardel for an annual visit. He politely listened to my so-called “adventuring” stories and then laughed at me about wooden swords and mouse traps. To make me into a man, he offered me a place among his crew for some real adventuring. Thus, I embarked on my first campaign. The perils were bigger than mouse traps and the targets could hit back. The crew would say I was reliable, that I could hold my own and tie a good knot, but was a terrible climber… which I confess has not changed. Having grown up as a Young Hero, I could read a map better than anyone on the ship so I fell into the role of navigator. On the sea voyage, we rescued and deprogrammed Mesmer from the inner circles of the Steel Doves. It was a daring mission in which I proved my worth with cunning.

I was first exposed to shamanism on a remote tropical island. In this uncultured land, the gods had not yet reached the denizens, and spirits assumed their mantle. In a regrettable skirmish with the natives, we slew their witch doctor, releasing the spirit known as Amiruru from subjugation. I communed with it awkwardly. No one else was doing it, so I stepped forward and tried. Though the link was weak, I was able to channel some magics. A new world of possibilities was revealed to me in that moment. Power, like the wizards and clerics, previously thought unattainable, was being formed by my thoughts and will. As the magic drained, I asked for more. The spirit, fading from this world, instructed me to bring a vessel to the temple of life on the lake of tears. The spirits, it said, need mortals and are willing to exchange magic for some influence in the material world.

With a new direction, I left the sailing crew and set for the silver oak forest, where I studied among the elves, seeking out the location of the temple. The fruits of my research revealed that the temple was submerged in the lake and buried in mud. I would need to be tiny and water breathing to enter the temple. To that end, I bought and quaffed the appropriate potions. On the banks of the lake, a miniature-sized altercation with a wild compsognathus turned into a friendship, and provided me with the vessel I needed for my quest. That little dinosaur, being an excellent swimmer, let me ride it into the temple through an exposed crack in a buried window. Reaching the inner halls, a great spirit of life named Mumuru revealed itself to me. She possessed the dinosaur and spoke in common as best as the reptilian throat and mouth allowed. I learned that Amiruru, drained too heavily from his subjugation, perished on the journey back home to the temple. Mumuru was a great healer, and that she was willing to share her magics with me, healing and otherwise. We learned from each other that we both have interest to seek out new and lost spirits. I was in it to commune and she wanted to heal or bolster them. Our partnership holds to this day, and she provides me with more than mere healing spells. Other wandering spirits have shown interest in our quest, such as the wispy Lune, soul of the silver forest and the mighty Roclash, heart of Soarlim volcano. Our roster increases with each expedition. As our successes mount, so do the challenges.

Spirit Companions

 * Mumuru, spirit of life
 * Rocklash, spirit of fire
 * Lune, spirit of wood
 * Rottingham, spirit on bone
 * Garathir Blacktalon, spirit of revenge