Halora Mardzova - Giantess Archer Physical Description
Name: Halora
Race: Giant
Sex: Female
Ht: 9' 3"
Wt: 947 lb.
Handed: Left
Hair: Red
Eyes: Green
Complexion: Tanned with Freckles
Personal History Halora was born on the first day of dragon, 1372 in the town
of Salzarov on Keelbos. She was raised by her parents Pyetro and Molla Mardzova. Pyetro and Molla are small merchants who deal in cloth and accessories for seamstresses and tailors. Because of their
profession, their children were raised to always dress well and neatly. Molla is somewhat famous for having given birth to four bouncing baby giants. The first two were unusual in that they were
a set of fraternal twins, a female named Allista and a male named Llamariv. To thank Ynar for her blessing, Molla dedicated herself as a cleric to the Mother of All. Halora, the third of her children, was
born shortly after Molla finished her ordination as a priestess, she went into labor during the ordination ceremony. The priest performing the ceremony also helped deliver Halora after completing the
ceremony. This was seen as an auspicious event and it is said to guarantee that Halora will also be fruitful. The last of their brood was a male named Tarvik. To honor her obvious blessing by Ynar, Molla
insisted that all of her children be dedicated to Ynar. Along with Ynar the children were trained in the beliefs of Faviid and Phed, both very crucial to the health and vitality of the town of
Salzarov. Her older sister Allista showed much interest in learning and became a Cleric to Phed to pursue this desire. Becoming a cleric requires her to spend large quantities of time away from home
traveling to the nearest temple for training, because there is no local temple to Phed. Because of all this traveling Allista has not yet settled down to start a family. She is also hoping that through Phed
she can discover a cure for the fertility problems of the giants. Halora's brothers were trained to follow their father into a thriving family business. Llamariv has started to lead his father's
caravans on trading journeys to other towns and cities. During his travels he met a beautiful young giantess whom he has married to start raising his own family. As part of helping to train his younger
brother, he often takes Tarvik on the caravans with him. Early in her life Halora discovered that she has absolutely no tolerance for alcohol. Consequently, she refuses to drink any except in
emergencies. Because of how she discovered this problem, Halora is afraid that the sky will fall on her head. She discovered this problem on her sixteenth birthday when given her first glass of wine. She
immediately collapsed and when she awoke the next morning she asked what happened. Llamariv claimed that the sky fell on her head, and it felt like it too. Halora early in her life showed an
interest in the use of the bow. She was encouraged by her aunt Dravia, Pyetro's sister, who saw it as a way to settle the mind and control the body's energy. Halora was a quick student who quickly
built up her strength to the point where she was shooting arrows out to 400 yards in practice. Her skill as an archer allowed her to win a special competition put on by the local Oghmart temple. The reward
for this was a one shot blasterhand to be used in the most dire straights. Halora saved the lives of several friends by using this to kill an Iron Lizard that was attacking them. Halora has the
love of family that is common to all of the giants. She will do whatever she can to aid any member of her family that needs it. She can also expect to see the same from other members of her family when
she calls. She will most likely receive help from Dravia, Molla or Allista. She can also get help from her father if she needs money or other supplies that he can provide.
Like many other younger members of Clan Mardzova, Halora became apprenticed to the local cordwainer to be trained in the manufacture of boots and shoes. She is just short of being
a journeyman in this craft. This has helped to expand her father's business into new areas. She does intend to finish her training when she gets a chance. Her profession also led to her meetingXaral Kalafov, a young giant cleric to Random. The master who trained her was also fond of friendly games of chance and taught Halora how to play the more common ones. She
developed a fondness for games of chance and gambling. However she rarely risks more than a few aurics in any game. This hobby led her to spending large amounts of time with Xaral. They quickly fell in love
and became engaged to wed. They were to be married on the next Random's Games to honor the how they met. The wedding is going to be conducted by Molla, who is the current high priestess of Ynar in Salzarov.
The Kidnapping of Tarvik and Xaral Before the wedding could take place, a mixed group of bandits came and raided the trading caravan that included both Xaral and
Tarvik. They killed a couple of giants and kidnapped a few others. Those who were kidnapped included Xaral and Halora's brother Tarvik. On receiving this news, Halora quickly swore vengeance on all bandits
and swore an oath to rescue both Tarvik and Xaral. Pyetro is offering a 5,000 auric reward for confirmed news of the fate of Tarvik. When Tarvik and Xaral are found, it is very likely that all
available members of Clan Mardzova will rush to help in any attempt to rescue them. The most likely to go, no matter what, are Dravia and Molla. Through contacts with psychics and occasional contacts with
Phed and Ynar, Pyetro has found out that Xaral and Tarvik are alive and being kept as slaves to do manual labor. Even though Xaral could use his clerical powers to escape, he has decided to stay in order to
help those who were kidnapped with him, including Tarvik his future brother-in-law. None of the psychic contacts have been for long enough to learn their location or to teleport them out of their current
location. Halora is convinced that once Tarvik and Xaral are found it will require a raid to rescue them. Towards this end she has gotten training in small unit tactics from the local commander
of the militia, who is a retired sergeant from the army. His training was primarily in how to set up ambushes and in detecting them while traveling along. As part of her plans to rescue her
brother if he is ever found, Halora is constantly working on improving her fighting abilities. Towards this end she acquired and used a potion of Ironbones on herself. This increased her strength and
the strength of her bones, the main downside of this is that she can no longer swim. The effects of this potion also require that she eat a diet very high in iron. This causes her to spend
approximately twice the normal amount for food. She was also able to purchase a magical Great Sword that has powers usable once per week. Halora's Adventures
Shortly after the raid rumors were heard that the bandits had been seen on Luvad, Halora set out in search of them. While traveling she met Marianne of Silkenfire, together they set up the house of heroes in
an attempt to right the various wrongs that are being done in the world. They established their house in northern Luvad at the city of Blueturtle. She was fortunate enough to be in Blueturtle when V. I.
Povgrodny last called there. From his visit she acquired the Bow of Kardiv. Shortly after this Marianne and some of her friends stole a weapon horde from a Mir temple. From this they each got a
weapon. Halora got a two-handed sword that could be wielded faster than most others. It is plus one to hit, plus one to damage and plus one to critical hit. The speed factor of the weapon is three
rather than the usual six associated with this type of sword. Halora has traveled to many places, including the Most Holy Mrazakian Shrines, the Valley of Mages, the Hall of Heroes, the Valley
of Fire, and Mother's Shadow. She has also been to Morrow, The Fountains of Binvoral, and the Grove of Dragons. Because of the discovery of a Tomato consecrated to Ynar that Marianne planted in
their garden, Halora sees that it is possible to aid her siblings in having the children they want when the time comes. This will require that her brothers and sister travel to Blueturtle for a short period.
To help pay for her quest, Halora has agreed to help Petra Athiopour in her desire for a holy death on the Night of Full Moons. This is one way of traveling around without having to pay her own
way. While helping Petra, she has had to travel to many parts of the world. This has led to further adventures including to help recover the Bull of Arganthonios. While on Illiuk she found,
along with the others in her party, some black diamonds that have the property of draining mage mana. One of these she has had made into a blunt arrow for taking out mages she may be fighting. She has
had two others made into earrings to help protect her against magic. While aiding Petra, Halora has had to travel to many places, these include Skull House, where she witnessed the creation of a
new dark brother, Celior, Illiuk Island, and Black Pyramid on Werniv. She helped to bring Paul Quickling back from Werniv but had to help kill him after it became obvious that he was very
dangerous. In helping to kill Paul Quickling Halora was forced to use ten boggles to save her friends from some explosives that they were carrying. Most of these travels have taken place with the
Stehlman Brothers onboard the Flaming Witch. Marianne and Halora are also trying to establish a Library to Phed in Salzarov. They are currently planning on trying to get Allista assigned to this
library as a favor to Molla. If this happens it would also allow Allista to settle down to try to establish a family without having to leave Salzarov. Halora is willing to be most generous to
those who will truly help her. It is your fault if you stand in her way. The Bow of Kardiv From the great weapon barge of V. I. Povgrodny Halora acquired the Bow
of Kardiv. Kardiv was a legendary giant follower of Oghmart. The bow was given to him by one of the temples, some claim Oghmart himself gave the bow, after he used his hunting skills to feed the
village around the temple during an especially hard winter. The bow improves the skill of the user, it has a speed factor of five, normal bows are six. It also adds one point of damage per hit
and adds one to the chance of getting a critical hit. Because of its great size it does d12 points of damage and only people over eight and a half feet tall with a strength greater than eighteen can use it.
Arrows shot from this bow behave as though they are consecrated to Oghmart. This bow is unbreakable and with proper care the string will last for many years. Halora has primarily used this bow
in protecting herself and her friends from enemies. One such occasion included the sinking of a boat load of pirates in the Corsair Sea while traveling to Werniv on the Flaming Witch with the Stehlman
Brothers. She fired approximately ten arrows to accomplish this task. It only took one arrow to sink the boat, a lucky hit involving explosives. Unlike her other weapons, Halora is very unlikely
to ever give this bow up. Even when she retires she is likely to keep it as an heirloom of her family. Her extraordinary swords she is willing to give up to the right people, but never her bow. She will give
up her lesser weapons to anyone truly in need. Halora spends fifteen to twenty minutes a day taking care of her bow. This includes oiling the wood and waxing the string. She spends another ten to fifteen
minutes a day caring for her other weapons. The House of Heroes Along with Marianne of Silkenfire, Halora founded the House of Heroes to help people who have
suffered as her family has. Over the years they have grown closer together. Marianne has become a Paladin to Ghu and has since convinced Halora to follow the Great-Grandfather God. They are planning to join
their families when the time is right. When this joining takes place, Marianne and Halora will be as sisters. Halora and Marianne have spent large quantities of money to create a structure where
they may live and train. This includes an archery range over 400 yards long and a teleport pad for emergencies. Only members or very close friends are allowed to use the teleport pad at the house of heroes.
They have hired servants to take care of the place when they are not around, including an agent to find them work when they need it. The house will very rarely accept new members. Only those who
show themselves to be truly heroic will even be considered. Potential new members must be acceptable to all of the current members before they are asked to join. This results in the House of Heroes
consisting in a close set of friends and family. Conversion to Ghu Mainly because of her great fondness of Marianne of Silkenfire, Halora has added the worship of
Ghu. Marianne and Halora plan to form a ceremony of Merging when they can get the members of both Clan Mardzova and Clan Silkenfire together. This is consistent with her beliefs in the family and in the need
of strong family ties. Continuing Adventures Recent adventures include traveling to Mrazak in search of red bangweed. This lead to her traveling for a time in the
lands of the Malamutherians, a fanatical group of followers of Noegnud. While traveling she met a Ki-Rin who gave her a couple of rather vague prophecies, that, if true, are good news. On
returning to Illiuk Island, Halora and her companions discovered that there had been a series of murders with no explanation. The murders seem to be associated with sightings of ghosts and other similar
events. On further investigation it was learned that the murders were conducted using a weapon consecrated to Barnack. Halora and her friends were able to track down the murderer, a psychic, and destroy the
weapon with the help of a White Barnack cleric. This also resulted in the "Dead Brother" who was traveling with them being forcibly returned to life. The next adventure resulted from a
need to recalculate the shape of the dish being cut into Illiuk Island. This led to a return to Black Pyramid and a minor encounter with one of the workers there. The numbers, having been attained from
the computer at Black Pyramid, have lead to an even bigger mystery. It seems that the mirror will have two focus points, one where Petra will be and the other at Whirligig. The mirror also seems to only
collect the light from Whirligig. Her next adventure involved a visit by the Clan Povgrodny ship Olga to Blueturtle. With the arrival of this ship, Halora was able to acquire a suit of armor
cloth that provides 70 percent coverage and has five points of damage absorption. She also sold her Demon Shield since the clan had a buyer, a giant Maxwell cleric, lined up for it. Halora and Marianne also
purchased a portable medical kit that can help repair injuries. The real significance of the Olga, was the ability of Marianne and Halora to rent two earth moving machines and a polishing
machine to aid in the project on Illiuk Island. With the renting of these machines the project may be completed on time. From an idea by Fingerlight they also acquired a mint for producing
coinage. It is not known what they will do with it. They also heard that the Ivan was due to visit Fornash Plarta sometime during the next two to three years. Whether this is true or not remains
to be seen. Marianne and Halora have begun to investigate whether what they are doing for Petra is safe or not. Some preliminary investigations lead them to believe there may be danger to the
whole world if things go exactly as Petra wishes it. It was determined that the mirror that Petra wishes to make must be coated with a very high quality coating. Halora and her friends had
access to a large enough quantity of Aluminum that was used to coat the mirror. After the mirror was coated, use aluminum and a polisher rented from Clan Povgrodny, it was determined that the mirror must be
tested. The only way to test the mirror was to borrow a Sunstone from the Nustar temple. In order to borrow the stone, Halora and her friends had to travel to the Valley of Fire and bargain with
the clerics who control the Nustar temple there. In the process of borrowing the stone, which only Marianne could carry, Marianne lost the use of her right hand. She was eventually able to regain the use of
her hand by helping to found a Nustar temple near Blueturtle. Borrowing the Sunstone allowed the mirror to be tested and did show that the mirror was properly made for its use. Petra was very
pleased with the result of the test. It is still unknown what the overall effect of the attack on Whirligig will be. After this test, Halora and her friends took some time to try and determine
what the result of Petra's plan will be. During this investigation, Halora located her brother and her betrothed. Locating Xaral in the citadel of the triad brotherhood. Setting sail for the
Citadel. While searching for the Citadel, they were attacked by pirates. During the battle, Halors half destroyed the enemy ship with a single arrow, and killed the officers with her arrows. After searching
the ship, and taking off anything that might be of value in their quest, this ship was left to try to make its way to land on its own. From some documents recovered from this ship, Halora and her friends
were able to determine that the Triad Brotherhood are trying to raise an army of slave giants. After this battle, Halora and her companions were landed on one of the islands making up the
citadel of the Triad Brotherhood. After their landing, some of the people on the island detected the presence of the party and raised an alarm. Org summoned up one of his companions to attack the people
raising the alarm. With the help of the fpihtet and Fingerlight, Halora was able to stop a group of mercenaries from reaching the largest of the islands. Halora and her companions have Locate Xaral and
Tarvik in the Citadel, but must get more information and help before they can attempt to rescue them. How successful this attempt will be is still to be seen. One of the problems is that the
Pirates seem to have taken possession of the bodies of the giants, leaving their spirits within the bodies of lesser beings.
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© 1996 by Eric
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