Character details for Elara the Harvest Keeper on the planet Galentor, from Tyranny of the Daleks. This is using the second edition rules from the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game from Cubicle 7.
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| Elara, left, and Thorvath, as Daleks on Hoverbouts approach |
Concept: Collector of the harvest
Focus: Harvest
Homeworld: Galentor
Tech level: 1
Short-term goal: To plan next year’s harvest
Long-term goal: To take over the tribe
Awareness 2, Coordination 2,
Ingenuity 3, Presence 3,
Resolve 4, Strength 2
Skills: Athletics 1, Convince 3 (Talk Down), Craft 4 (Farming), Intuition 0, Knowledge 3 (Galentor Harvest ceremonies), Medicine 1, Science 0, Subterfuge 2, Survival 1, Technology 0, Transport 0
Condition: freezes in the sight of Daleks and Robo-Men (Resolve + Intuition check to overcome)
Story Points: 0
Character notes
Elara holds the esteemed and ancient role of Harvest Keeper in her tribe, a position passed down through generations. She carries out the vital task of ensuring the harvest is brought in, a duty that has evolved from an office in the original settlement’s organisation, into a ceremonial seat of authority in the present tribal society. It is a great responsibility and a respected role to undertake. Since taking over the position, Elara has been a great success; the harvests have never been bigger in living memory, and the tribe is relatively well fed as a result. She uses the word “Pham”, at first ceremonially and now informally too, to denote the tribe; a corrupted version of a word from the ancient and now extinct human language of Inglish.
Elara married young to Valreth, and together they had two sons, Eldorn (aged six) and Ralgar (four). Tragedy struck the family two years ago when Valreth died from a fatal infection after an accident with a scythe. Despite their best efforts, without modern medicine they couldn't save him.
Her high status in the tribe has drawn the attention of many suitors, and recently, she began a passionate relationship with Thorvath, known as one of the tribe’s most handsome men. However, her dedication to her duties remains her primary focus. She approaches her work with a pragmatic, sometimes stern demeanor, expecting others to match her relentless drive. The rough and ready agricultural practices on Galentor rely on ancestral techniques from the original settlers, intertwined with the tribe’s deep spiritual beliefs in Lentargi, the spirit of life on their world.
Elara is both respected and somewhat feared by her people. Her authority in practical matters, especially concerning the tribe’s survival, rivals even Thural’s. Yet, her rigid focus on agriculture has led to clashes with the Thals. She underestimates the looming threat posed by the Daleks, whom the tribe refers to as the Evil Ones, and their Robo-Men. Her refusal to fully acknowledge this danger has on occasion placed her people in harm’s way, ignoring warnings about Robo-Men patrols while her farmers continue working in the fields.
The Thals, frustrated by her stubbornness, have filed reports about her defiant ways, noting how challenging she is to work with. Elara’s power makes this even more problematic, as her influence could lead the tribe into greater peril. Despite her strength in leadership, when directly faced with the Daleks or Robo-Men, her courage falters. The terror they inspire paralyzes her, leaving her unable to react. It isn’t cowardice as such, but a disconnect from the horrors they represent—a reality too alien for her to confront.
This strained relationship with the Thals took a darker turn when they discovered that Elara had stolen (she would say borrowed) precious plasteel from them, a material they can no longer produce after their nano-manufacturer was destroyed in a crash three years ago. Using her stealth, Elara crafted a ceremonial sickle from the stolen metal, an important tool in the religious rituals that precede the harvest. Although the Thals have yet to act on this theft, it has become a lingering source of tension, deepening the divide between them and this formidable matriarch. To Elara, the use of this material is her way, using her ceremonial magic, to try and integrate the Thals and the otherworldly elements of their environment, including the Daleks, into the rituals and the tribe’s spiritual world, and is as much as a spiritual act as it is theft of a shiny metal to use to make a sickle. She is aware of her weakness, and this is her means of trying to overcome it.
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