Derfel

An Elf Beast Master Ranger. Outlander background. Carries a Longbow and twin Shortswords +1. Defined by his bond with his companion dog Brave, the third in a line following Dave (RIP) and Maeve (RIP). Quietly protective of Brave in a way that is deliberate rather than sentimental: he has learned the cost.

Found in the wastes by Kit-Chac, who taught him to hunt. The bond between them is foundational: everything Derfel knows about surviving Athas traces back to his Thri-Kreen brother. Derfel does not think of Kit-Chac as Thri-Kreen. He thinks of him as his brother. The distinction matters enormously to Derfel and would confuse him if pointed out.

Status: Alive (Ranger 4, Beast Master)
First appears:

Relationships

• Kit-Chac: brother; found Derfel in the wastes and taught him to hunt; Derfel is entirely blind to the fact that Kit-Chac is Thri-Kreen
• Brave: devoted companion; third dog after Dave and Maeve were lost on Athas
• Her: unspoken alliance; both share a fierce protectiveness of Brave
• Tchk'Tchk Gulbadani: Thri-Kreen; Derfel's feelings here are considerably less warm
• Pterrence: a faint, background friction. Derfel is quiet and practical and finds Pterrence's verbosity wearing. His needling stays dry and low-key (a bowstring remark with a subtle edge, a sarcastic "hand of friendship"), nothing overt. A thread to watch rather than a feud.
• Kit-Chac: Thri-Kreen who Derfel has somehow exempted from being Thri-Kreen in his own mind

Notable moments

• Episode 11: Spotted the combined Templar, Noble, and Dregoth force leaving the Templar Quarter, prompting the move to warn Korno. Scouted the slums crossing with Kit-Chac. Turned a Templar Enix lizard mid-crossing by calling out its Animal Handling release command, dropping it harmlessly into the dust and pulling its handlers off the column. Kept Searing Smite burning on the sand elemental rather than switch to Hunter's Mark, and was pulled back from near-death by Salt's Cure Wounds.

Character notes

Derfel is deeply racist by the standards of Athas, which is saying something. As an Elf he carries the full weight of Elven tribalism: suspicion of outsiders, loyalty to those within his circle, and a worldview shaped by a species that has survived the death of a world by trusting almost no one. The contradiction at the heart of his character is that affinity overrides prejudice every time, without him noticing. Kit-Chac is his brother, not a Thri-Kreen. Her is his ally, not a Mul. The racism is entirely sincere and entirely undermined by the man he actually is.

Companion history

• Dave (RIP): first companion dog. Lost on Athas.
• Maeve (RIP): second companion dog. Killed in Episode 10 by two ranged attackers while the party rescued children. She bit the big bastard first. Derfel got revenge.
• Brave: current companion. Ten episodes in and counting.