Ostardva

Physical Description
At 6ft Ostardva is short for his race as a Dragonborn. He has a top-heavy physique which makes up for his height. His scales are ash-coloured and his eyes are a deep amber. Each time he purchases armor it is always blackened hastily so his natural scale-colour blends. The back of Ostardva's armor accommodates leather straps to hold a one-handed shield and on eachhip is a traditional sheath-holder for a longsword and secondary weapon.

Background
Reiker Ostardva is a Paladin of Bahamut and a member of the party. He originates from central districts of the Dragonborn capital of Fenugrec, but was exiled on his eighteenth birthday on "The Day of Acension" where he was falsely accused of murder.This incident was known as "The Fall of Faith", as Ostardva was a minor figurehead in the new generation of Paladins. Currently he is in his early twenties and has had no contact with Fenugrec since his exile, although he seeks out Dragonborn representatives of Bahamut in towns and cities he visits.

When Ostardva chose to take the path of a Paladin of Bahamut, his prayers were unanswered long after his peers gained Paladin powers. During this period  he trained continously with heavy blade weapons, and managed to surpass other Paladins in melee combat. His prayers were heard by Bahamut during a crimewave across Fenugrec where Fallen Paladins had established their own church and had declared religious war on Paladins of Bahamut. During this time Ostardva spent countless evenings cleaning walls of propoganda and comforting the local community. Many times he slept only due to exhaustion, and faced ridicule for not actively combatting the Fallen Paladins. On a deflated night he prayed to Bahamut for his actions to reach the people, as he felt they did not see the benefits of his ways, but in fact, those who knew of Ostardva's lack of Paladin powers had also prayed for him. On this night Ostardva's prayers were answered by Bahamut, where he heard:

"Follow your own justice, Reiker Ostardva, and your blade will always swing true in the name of Bahamut."

From his exile to present day, he has travelled alone, trying to learn about the world outside of Fenugrec, but has had little luck due to a lack of Dragonborns in villages and towns, where he has been seen as intimidating. Although Bahamut still answers his prayers, elders of the faith refuse to accept Ostardva's Paladin powers, and claim they are sourced from evil. A part of his current journey prior to the party, and with them now, is to prove his innocence to the elders of Bahamut so his exile from Fenugrec can be lifted. He can often been seen writing about his notable endeavours of faith in a leather-bound journal, which is written in Draconic and Common.

Personality
Despite his stature Ostardva is a Dragonborn of few words, although they are ever-growing the more he travels with the party. He tends to be indecisive due to a lack of experience in the wider world, as his home-life was very close-knit and simple up until his later teens. Unlike others of his kind, he holds no grudges against particular races or classes, as he has not been educated to think so by Bahamut. He has a low tone-of-voice and is shy is large crowds. However has created ways to manage anxiety and stress under pressure or in crowds, but often when he is quiet before an event or combat it is a sign he is trying to manage anxiety and stress. He has an infinite loyalty to friends, as he has few and finds it hard to iniate a relationship of any sort. He prefers to go with the actions of others and see where they lead him, whilst also keeping an eye on his own priorities.

The only times Ostardva breaks out of his quiet shell is in excitement, which is usually over food or weaponry and armor. As he excels in melee combat he has a fascination with magical weaponry and its uses, and he values armor highly as it is his only way to visually show he is a Paladin of Bahamut to the world when he wears a crest or cloth.

The Fall of Faith Incident
On "The Day of Acension" where young Dragonborn prove themselves on their chosen paths, Ostardva was involved in a public fixed-event by anti-Bahaut Fallen Paladins. The event was a "Climb of Fatih" up a large cliff alongside two other Dragonborn Paladins, one who was in fact an undercover Fallen Paladin. Mid-climb Ostardva was hit by rubble falling off the cliff, disrupted by the Fallen Paladin who was above them. As he fell before hitting a large ledge, he caught the other Paladin in the event, who was pierced by his longsword upon hitting the floor by accident. As the first public death in the inner-city in a decade, and supposedly commited by a Paladin, rumors immediately spread, and Ostardva was exiled by a panel of elders from the Fenugrec Council as more of a public action. As a part of his exile, he was publicly branded a "Fallen Paladin" for the crime he had been burdened with, but his Paladin prayers still remain answered by Bahamut to this day.