Torval Goldforge

Torval Goldforge is a pious Invoker of Moradin played by Neenan. A shining example of the justice that Moradin embodies, he has gone from dutiful servant on Faerun to being called by Moradin to be a angel in Dwarfhome.

Themesong: Stand by Blues Traveler

''Stand, Stand and walk. Tragedy, Is cheap and so is talk. ''Decision, Yours to make what will you do? In the end, It comes back to you. ''Cause it's a long...way to fall. ''Thunder, Don't scare me at all. Lightning, Well just a little. ''Pressure, It ain't worth a dime. And your wounds, They'll all heal in time. ''Cause it's a long...way to fall ''The answers are getting harder, If an answer comes to those who pray. ''The answers are getting harder and harder, And there ain't no way to bargain or barter. But if you've got the angst or the ardor, You might faint from the fight but you're gonna find it For every challenge could have paradise behind it, ''And if you accept what you have lost and you stand tall ''You might just get it back and you can get it all, So now you know why it's a long way to fall, Yeah cause it's a long way to fall ''Stand, Stand and walk ''Stand.

Description
Torval is a late middle aged dwarf. Like many of his kin, he sports a magnificent beard, fully silver gray and well groomed. Streaks of gold in his hair match his always well kept and shiny armor and magic items. A large symbol of Moradin adorns his armor as well, and his staff is never far from his grip.

Personality
Torval sometimes is called a zealot - while that may be a slight exaggeration, it is clear by his actions and personality that his faith dominates his life. Loyal to his god, his kin, and his allies, Torval strives to uphold the justice of his god. He is intolerant of those who seek to circumvent Moradin's laws, and is persistent in everything he does. He is also slightly intolerant of others who claim their closeness to Moradin through holy symbols and prayer. He will tell anyone who will listen that the true power of faith and the gods is in the Words. He will also never shy away from telling someone that they are lying - his ability to know the thoughts and feelings of others had become somewhat famous. He views weakness in those that do not choose a path for their life, be it for religion or against it.

Though he comes off as rough and no-nonsense, he is not immune to joviality, or prayer through a good drink. Still, order and justice dominate his life, as do knowledge in the arcane, religion, and history. Since becoming an exalted angel, these qualities have only intensified.

Family and Relationships
Torval's family remained on Faerun and in the East Rift. Most of his siblings have more traditional roles in the Dwarven settlements in the region.

Like many in Moradin's service, Torval had little interest or time in the pursuit of love. When he ascended and became an immortal, any links to Faerun were over. Today, his only relationships are with the others Dwarves of Dwarfhome. Though he respects hierarchy, he still views himself as his best ally and often works alone.

Early Years
Torval was born 3 years after the spellplague in the Dwarven stronghold of Eartheart in the East Rift. Even three years after the Great Rift fell, Eartheart and its dwarven population were in chaos. Conflicts with the Drow, adapting to the new idea of magic, and resettling the expanding Eartheart led to a hectic and sometimes frightening youth for Torval. Still, like many of his gold dwarf kin, his strength and persistence made him survive and thrive in the chaotic atmosphere.

When he was just 12, he participated in the grand re-building of the temple to Moradin. Though his parents had taught him the way of the Dwarven gods, he got his first real exposure to the teachings of Moradin through his interaction with His clergy. A spark grew in Torval, and he dedicated his young life to learning as much as he could about dwarven theology.

Once he reached an appropriate age, he knew his path had been chosen. However, while he respected the clerics of Moradin, he did not understand their method of worship. It was a shield dwarf from the north that first showed him there was another way. The power of Moradin, the dwarf told him, was not in prayer, but in his WORD. The path of an invoker was lain before him, and Torval did not hesitate to take the path. Even his name, which meant "Ancient Power," was a sign.

Drinking the Ichor / Awakening the God Fragment
Torval worked tirelessly over the years defending Eartheart from possible Drow incursions. His power and his piousness grew, as did his celebrity. He quickly became known for his faith in Moradin, and was often looked at for spiritual guidance among his compatriots.

When his powers were reaching a peak, he was chosen for a special mission. Since Underhome had been sealed off from the world, many of its lost treasures were locked up with it. A cleric of Moradin had come to Torval to tell him something very exciting: a party was to be formed to enter Underhome, and to find sacred artifacts of Moradin and his exarchs. Torval immediately signed on.

The expedition was not without its perils. Several of his party did not make it through Drow attacks, ancient traps, and even a greedy dragon who tried to interfere. Once the ancient shrine was reached, the Drow attacked on mass. While the Dwarfs did drive them back, the battle was very chaotic. Knowing that they could not survive more attacks, the Dwarves grabbed the piles of artifacts, books, and other items and retreated back to Earthome.

Among the items was a simple vial. Resisting all attempts to identify it, the head clerics believed it to be defunct magic left over from the spellplague. Dangerous, even, they suggested, and believed it should be discarded. Torval, on the other hand, believed he had something much more spectacular. He believed the vial to contain the substance Ichor - the blood of the gods. Though he did not know how, he was convinced he was holding a vial of Moradin's Ichor.

Knowing much on its history, he knew he could not survive its power in his current state. Years passed, and Torval continued to serve as a spiritual leader in the city and a formidable defender of its borders. At the age of 42, nearly 7 years after he had found it, he believed himself to be ready. Telling no one, he drank the vial alone in his room.

Had it not been for one of his apprentices, he would most likely would have died from the experience. The Ichor exploded in his stomach, permeated his whole being, challenged his body to prove its worth to be in its presence. He nearly went mad as his head filled with images that he can no longer recall, imprints of memories of millenia of Moradin's experiences.

Three days later, he emerged from his room, fully healed. He had tasted the Ichor. He had felt the power of Moradin inside him, and as he fully suspected, he knew that a fragment of his god had really always been there.

Ascension
For the next 50 years, Torval continued his work in Eartheart, only leaving the area occasionally to Delzimmer. He quickly rose in the hierarchy of the church, ruffling many feathers as he rarely held his tongue when defending the superiority of his way of worship.

Many more incursions in the Underchasm brought the status of hero to Torval. Though stubborn and persistent, he was extremely loyal and his faith was known to rally the morale of his fellow defenders. His undying faith in his God, however, drove his personality. His pursuit of justice was sometimes extreme, and it was quickly known among the non-dwarves of the area that disobeying Dwarven law would not be a good thing to do in his presence. Drinking the Ichor and awakening a god fragment only served to give confidence in all of Torval's missions.

It was on a mission to Lance Lake, far away from his home, that he first heard the whispers of his god. On his return, he had what only could be described as visions - somehow he understood that Moradin was calling him. He knew his life on Faerun would soon be coming to an end. When he returned to Earthome, he met with the others of his kind: he had been a Deep Lord for several years. He told them of his future, and they agreed that he should embrace it.

It was not long before Moradin called for his service. Today, he can barely remember the transformation that changed him to an immortal, and entered him into the caste of Moradin's Exalted Angels. Moradin's realm of Dwarfhome was now his home, and with persistence and justice leading his heart, he vowed to uphold and service Moradin for the rest of eternity.

The Start of Trouble
Years had passed relatively peacefully in Dwarfhome. Torval's first real test came when a Dwarf named Thorcan came to him and his company claiming non-Dwarves were stealing an ancient artifact. During the investigation, Torval and his men found an airship docked outside the underside of an Earthmote. While his superior led the main group inside, Torval tried to make sense of the ship. Though airships were all but extinct on Faerun, he still found this ship eerie, and somewhat mystical. Before he made any real headway, though, two gnomes, a deva, and a human teleported back to the ship. One of the gnomes activated some kind of defense mechanism and he suddenly found himself thrown from the ship.

Though he was rescued sometime later, he knew he had his orders: recover what was stolen, and punish the evil ones who were responsible. Torval led a team who, through divination, learned that they had retreated to Torval's own world of Faerun. They arrived there minutes too late. It took some time, but their sources told them they had retreated to Sigil.

Torval knew of the laws of Sigil, and was quite aware of the Lady of Pain's abilities. Still, he ordered his men to take his ship there. It wasn't long until he found the evildoers at a hotel. While waiting for them to return, however, he became impatient. He found one of the hotel managers and demanded for him to help him find the people he was looking for. The owner did not take kindly to his demands. Not exactly sober from all the waiting, he made it quite clear that he was on a divine mission from Moradin.

Suddenly his eyes started to bleed, and the greatest pain he had ever felt enveloped his whole body. He was quite sure that he was dead.

And then he awoke. He was in some kind of maze. None of his divination rituals helped him. He was alone, and obviously had been punished. He took the first left, trusting in Moradin to help him.

Chaos Unbound, Control Lost
Torval was a lucky one. It was only days before he found others in the maze, including Iris Sinbar, one of the humans he was looking for. Torval took Iris into custody and the two continued in the maze, Torval controlling a special compass that Iris had. Through the adventures, they met 3 other companions, and together fought through to the end of the maze. Everyone passed the final test but Iris, who seemingly was thrown back in, without a compass.

While in the maze, the "thieves" were captured by the Sons of Mercy. However, they escaped captivity in Dwarfhome, and in the process destroyed a large chuck of it with some mystical energy weapon. MOre angry than ever, Torval continued his pursuit of justice and the thieves, eventually joining the Sons of Mercy into cornering them in their airship. It was at this time, however, that Darksong let him hold his axe. Moradin himself, or at least the aspect of him in the axe, spoke to Torval, revealing the secrets of Darksong's mission and the importance of the chains he stole from Dwarfhome. While it was hard to go back on the Law, Torval and his compatriot Harbek joined Darksong and his party, along with his former companions in the maze, in their quest.

Torval played one of the most important roles in destroying Mual-tar. One of the few that survived destroying the link Dorien had to Mual-tar, he was able to carry the chains and help the other ritual casters complete the ritual to bind the primordial back to his prison. As with the others, however, Torval lost all memory of the details of the mission. Afterwards, he accompanied the "thieves" back to Dwarfhome, where he helped pass judgement on them - they were banished from Dwarfhome forever. One of his companions from the maze, Desmoor Amarantos, who was truly to blame for the destruction in Dwarfhome, fled before they could pass judgement on him.

Current Whereabouts/Activities
Today, Torval remains in Dwarfhome. He has volunteered to be personally assigned to find Desmoor - his escape is a mistake he would very much like to rectify. He keeps in contact with Sigil and the Sons of Mercy, as well as the others he knows who owns the Swifthorn Tavern there. He has been known to help supply the Tavern with Dwarfhome beer as well. While he holds no ire for Gavirello, Iris, and Rose, he dislikes what he has heard about Zeke, although Faerunian affairs are not at the top of his attention. Just like everyone else, he does not remember Darksong or Joseph.