The Starcaller of the Shrine
“You are the echo. I am the bell.”
Mike’s Personal Thoughts
Now I’ve met clerics, paladins, priests — aye, even a bloody moon cultist once. But this one? He ain’t devout.
He’s possessed by belief.
They call him the Starcaller, and he lives — if you can call it livin’ — inside the Shrine of the Thirteenth Sign, deep in prayer or convulsion or both. He doesn’t blink. Doesn’t eat. Doesn’t move much… unless the stars say to.
And when he speaks?
It ain’t a sermon. It’s a warning wrapped in poetry, soaked in blood.
Some think he’s a prophet.
Others say he’s just mad.
Me? I think he saw somethin’ in the falling star that the rest of us weren’t supposed to.
And it spoke back.
Character Overview
Character Type: NPC (but nearly a myth)
Build Type: Roleplay–Heavy, Social Trigger
Build Role: Oracle, Liar, or Herald (depends on the GM’s truth)
Who He Is (Or Thinks He Is)
The Starcaller claims to have heard the Thirteenth Sign speak its name aloud when the star crashed. He was a simple monk once — caretaker of the shrine — until the impact shattered his mind into starlit fragments.
Now, he calls the Conclave a trial ground, the players “candidates,” and the fallen star “the mouth of judgment.”
He refers to himself not as a man, but as a vessel.
And every now and then, his shadow doesn’t match his body.
He’s either:
a vessel for the star’s will
a puppet of the Voice Beyond
or a fraud so convincing, he’s become his own god
What He Looks Like
Skin: Pale and stretched, etched with constellations tattooed in ink that shifts under moonlight
Eyes: Pure white, not blind — just lookin’ through ya
Clothing: Robes stitched with star maps — most of which don’t match any known sky
Voice: Hoarse, ragged, musical — like a prophet who’s screamed his sermons across three lifetimes
Presence:
His shrine is silent. Always. Not because no one speaks — but because his presence consumes sound. When he begins to chant, birds fly away, torches dim, and even Vimra grows uneasy.
Narrative Role & Gameplay Use
The Starcaller is not a merchant, a quest-giver, or a villain. He’s a cosmic variable — a wild, living prophecy with just enough truth to make yer players terrified of the rest.
Use him to:
Shake their confidence
Warp their sense of what’s real
And foreshadow the Voice Beyond the Star
Lore Function:
The Starcaller’s shrine is a focal point — one of the oldest places in the Conclave. The Thirteenth Sign, long scrubbed from sky-maps, pulses in the floor of his chamber. Sometimes it bleeds light. Sometimes it whispers backwards.
He interprets this.
Badly.
Brilliantly.
Both.
He might bless a player by marking their skin with stars. Or he might declare they’ve already failed — before they even know the rules.
“You are the third flicker in a dying sequence. Remember the warmth of your last breath.”
Optional Mechanics (For GMs Who Want More)
Prophecy Surge
Once per session, the Starcaller seizes, chants, and declares a future. The GM may choose to:
Reveal a hidden truth (a PC’s secret, a villain’s plan, etc.)
Lie convincingly, and watch the party spiral
Give a cryptic vision: “When flame meets mirror, the thirteenth will wake.”
The Sign’s Blessing (Optional Buff)
If the party earns his trust (or mercy), he can etch a falling star sigil on one PC.
Effect:
Once, the player may re-roll any saving throw after knowing the result
But from that point on, they dream in static and hear ticking when alone
Trigger:
Use this if you want the player marked by fate — especially if they’ll face the Voice Beyond the Star later.
He’s the Spark That Lights the Wrong Candle
👉 This ain’t a man to fight. He’s a narrative fuse. Light him when the arc needs heat, doubt, and shiverin’ prophecy. If the party walks away confused, disturbed, and wondering if they’re the villain? Good. That’s how ya know he worked.
Visit the Shrine of the Thirteenth Sign
Read Ilyra’s Echoes
FAQ
Q: Can the Starcaller be killed?
A: Yes. But when he dies, he gasps “Wrong choice.” And three stars fall that night.
Q: Is he actually in contact with the Voice Beyond?
A: Maybe. Or maybe he is the voice’s first experiment. Either way — the truth isn’t safe.
Q: What happens if the players ignore him?
A: He shows up again. In dreams. In whispers. Maybe in mirrors. Maybe behind them.
Trust Him — At Yer Own Peril
👉 The Starcaller ain’t about balance. He’s about tipping it. Use him to draw lines the party didn’t know they were crossin’. Let him bless, curse, or simply haunt. But most of all — let him question everything.
About Mike’s Tavern
Contact
Return to the Starfall Conclave
Related Lore Across the Conclave
The Voice Beyond the Star – It has not spoken aloud. Not yet. But it’s been listening since before the sky cracked.
Shrine of the Thirteenth Sign – The altar that whispers. The blood that sings.
Vimra of the Thirteenth Flame – She fears him. And pities him.
Naelo of the Prism Pact – He avoids the shrine entirely. But says “he was one of us, once.”
The Warden of the Chained Stars – The Starcaller calls him “the other lock.”
Celestial Refractor – He speaks into it sometimes. It records nothing.
About Mike’s Tavern – “I heard him once. My right ear ain’t stopped ringin’.”
Contact – You’ll never reach him that way. He already knows yer question.
Don’t trust the Starcaller — and don’t ignore ‘im either.
He’s mad. Or he’s right. Or both. Follow his path to the Shrine of the Thirteenth Sign, or ask The Thirteenth why their name still echoes inside his mouth.
