Talrendis Sunshadow

I was born without much circumstance of note. It was a beautiful evening. Ysana, my mother, often told the story by saying that she was bathing when her water broke, and gave birth under a tree near the pond. She had no help from a midwife, and my father was ignorant of the pregnancy until some time later. Labor came with little pain, and soon she sang my lullabies of birth right to ease my transition from her womb to the world. Heh. She always told it with a look of happy contentment. That’s all I know except for scraps here and there that my mother tell me.

I started having my own memories about the time I was 4 or 5, when my mother began telling me the stories of Selunne and Sehanine. They were long, and mostly boring, but every once and while, it would get interesting. Shar would show up and there was an epic showdown ages ago, or Araushnee was plotting something devious against Corellon. I don’t think mom has stopped trying to teach me the old stories, to this very day. I suppose that I one day realized how important this stuff was. At least I think I did.

My father, Elwrynn Galanodiel was, I thought at the time, the greatest hero in all of Faerun. Mother always made him sound so heroic, and noble, telling stories of his travels … the Anauroch, the Silver Marches, the Sword Coast, Evermeet, Calimshan, the Underdark, Kara-Tur, the Shou Empire. It was amazing, and mom said he had adventures every where he went. The one problem I had was that he was never around. He seemed convinced that the safety of Faerun was more important than me having my father. I later realized the importance of it all, but there’s still a part of me that resents him for never being there. I never knew him except for stories. I know he’s sorry, and I know he wishes it could have been different, but life has a way of dealing some of us a bad hand. He came around a few times when I was little, but I barely remembered him at all. That’s all I think I have to say on that.

Something you need to know about me, and my childhood, was that I was an active kid; real hands on. If there was a tree to climb, I climbed it. Ponds and lakes were swum, forest forts were built, and the local hill tops were conquered.

One day, I came home covered in mud. You see, I had to cover myself in mud if I was going to catch that awesome brown and red snake I found so I could take it home and put it in a cage. Camouflage was ABSOLUTELY necessary. Or so I told myself. Well, I got home, and as soon as mother saw me … she looked … concerned is the word I will use. She dragged me inside, threw me in the tub, and let the snake go. I was livid. She didn’t give me the chance to even ask if I could keep it, and I had spent three hours and five pouncing attempts to catch it. Apparently she wasn’t impressed.

Within a few days, she announced that I would be attending school. That didn’t go over too well, especially when I asked if there would still be lots of time for going and playing in the forest. She said no, and that I would spend most of my time studying or in class. Oh the horror! Heh, after much whining and protesting I finally cleared my throat and asked why. She responded, “Because my son is not an animal. I love you, Tal, and I want to make sure that you grow up to be a fine, well trained young man. You will be trained in social and academic refinement. You’ll be able to see the world so much more clearly with a proper education.” At this point, I didn’t really know what she was talking about, and didn’t really care about clarity. I was just pissed about that snake.

Within a few weeks, I had begun my studies. Mother decided that I should attend a small tutorship in the church of Chauntea, under the tutelage of Abbot Dalmar. Heh. Luckily, or perhaps not so luckily, I already knew how to read and could perform basic arithmetic, which meant that I wasn’t the least progressed of the students in class. Abbot Dalmar didn’t much care for me. He held the same resolve in educating me as my mother, but then he scolded me like he wanted to kill me. He ranted a lot about me never sitting still. I often said I had no idea what he was talking about. Heh.

Then, FINALLY, after almost a decade of dusty old books, quills, and church discipline, I was able to graduate out of his studies. But by then, I had grown comfortable with school. Granted, there were some subjects that I liked more than others, but I liked learning new things. I think, honestly and in retrospect, I just had too much energy as a kid to be sitting still. I’m just glad that Abbot D and I found a way to get along, eventually. But all that was over. I had mastered the basic tutorings of the church and was able to move on.

Mom, after gathering some unsolicited donations from her congregation, was able to afford to extend my education beyond basic schooling. Between that and Abbot D’s recommendation, I gained admission to the Silverhand Institute of Sciences and Sorcery, the best university in Eastern Faerun. I was 16 the year that I entered, and boy was I in for a bit of a ride.

No one knew me and I was one of only four Yuir Elf students at that school, and I was new, so I was the new “mule.” The human kids wasted little time with words, and simply beat me. The Sun Elves disdained using their fists (I still contend it was to preserve their manicures), and instead simply insulted me. Constantly. They made comments about my heritage mostly, how I wasn’t a real elf, and should just crawl back into my hiding hole with the rest of the worms.

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that the rest of this is going to be some kind of sob story where I whine about how no body liked me, and everyone hated me, (guess I should have gone and ate worms. ;) ). But you’d be wrong. I took those insults and beatings pretty well, and while the Sun Elves never took well to me (might’ve been that crack about going back to their little island and stroking off a fairy), the other students eventually let up and a few of us became friends.

Cerivol Lanladar was a Wood Elf from down south. He was in pretty much the same boat that I was. Liked to play in the trees and the dirt, and he wasn’t sure how much he’d like going to school here. I’m pretty sure that with him, that never really changed. Lucky for him, he was pretty damn smart, and didn’t have to spend too much time focusing on his school work in order to be successful with it. Of course, I was jealous; I’m smart enough, but not like him. I actually had to study.

Tirin Morningburst was a human who enjoyed school, and enjoyed play. He was funny like that: he didn’t seem to ever complain about anything. He just did it, and to the best of his ability in every detail. One time I got him to at least admit that he had a preference. He liked to go home and practice with his sword. He wanted to join the army some day. I thought he was crazy, but then, I wasn’t sure where my life was going when I asked, so perhaps I was the one who was crazy.

School itself wasn’t bad in and of itself. It was only bad because after classes and homework, there was little time during the day to go and hike in the woods, or ride horses with Tirin and Cerivol. Ponds were never swam because literature and acidic compounds were more important. Then there was Ms. Gemwood. Don’t let the name fool you, she was a real witch. I’ll put it like this: She and I should be glad that I didn’t get any magic powers until later, or she might’ve found herself flying out the window, and I’d find myself grounded … forever. She was always calling on me in class and came down hard on me when I didn’t have an answer. I found myself, on occasion, doing extra book reports, argument papers, and algebra. I never figured out what her problem was.

Now summers, on the other hand, were a different matter. Mother sent me off to camp. From Abbot D all the way through graduation of Silver hand, I had camp. She said the first year, “You want to play in the woods? Fine. But you’ll get a proper hunter’s training while you do, and maybe you’ll be out from under foot long enough for me to keep the temple clean.”

So there I was, in a wagon on my first summer, embarking on a plan of my mother’s design, weary of her latest plan to “direct” my life. The “camp” as she called it, wasn’t really a camp. It was, in fact, me getting in touch with my roots and meeting up with far removed relatives. You see, my family is of the Eagle clan of elves in the Yuirwood, and we come from a long line of tribal people that spent all their time in the outdoors. Modern civilization came to us relatively recently. Not that you could tell with some of us …

“Camp,” wasn’t nearly as fun as I hoped it was going to be. Yeah, I got to learn how to hunt, but except for a few seconds of taking out your prey when you are ready, it was a lot of uncomfortable waiting. Did I mention that you had to hunt nearly butt naked? And then, you had to cover yourself in mud? AND THEN you had to sit still for HOURS?!?! The mud would be fun if it wasn’t for the hours of waiting that allowed for the mud to become a layer of dried dirt on your skin. But like I said, once everything was in place, there was at least a second or two where we either took the shot and killed the prey, or pounced on it and lopped its head off with an axe (that skill didn’t come to me for years).

The fishing was pretty much the same. There were hours of waiting, followed by a few scant moments of action. At least with the fishing I got to listen to old Holkir tell his war stories of long ago. Whether we fished from the bank or from a boat, he liked to talk, but his stories were entertaining, so I didn’t mind – Anything to spice up hours of fishing. You know, I must say that those stories ended up as useful as they were entertaining. They taught me a lot about Thayan infantry, and a few good tricks to use against Red Wizards.

School was, I think, better once I was older. Abbot D became friendlier once I stopped being so rambunctious, but in general he was always stern and strict. That wasn’t nearly so much of a problem at Silverhand. There were too many students for such close scrutiny, and so small issues usually slid.

I was particularly good with sociology, biology, and the languages. At the end of Silver hand, I could speak 5 languages; Mulan, Shou, Mulhourandi, Thayan, and Sylvan. Mother said that if I didn’t become a priest that I should look into becoming a chronicler at the Royal Archives … Yeah, that’ll ever happen. Could you imagine ME as a scroll nerd? I didn’t think much of that idea either, but I feigned interest to keep mother happy. Besides, I wasn’t sure what exactly what I wanted to do with my life, which meant that as soon as I finished at Silverhand, I would probably apply to foreign universities for studies abroad.

Not that life wasn’t enough of its own distraction, during that first year, along came Illmaryn. She was among the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. I’m still not sure how I managed to catch her attention to begin with. She said it was my ‘mastery of the Sylvan tongue.’ I wasn’t convinced she didn’t use that as an excuse to use a double entendre. In either case she accepted when I asked her to coffee after weeks of batting her gorgeous eyes at me. I took so long to ask her out, she later told me that she had started to think I swung the other way. Nah. I was just clueless. But eventually, things became obvious enough and I made the most awesome … non-chalant, non-committal move that I could. I asked her to coffee; not dinner, not dancing, not out to the kissing wood, but to coffee.

I could bore you with all the details, but suffice to say that by the end of the evening as per some miracle, Illmaryn and I were making out. With a few stops for conversation and getting to know each other, that was probably one solid year of making out for the two of us. We both agreed that sex was premature, even though you could tell we both wanted it bad. I’ll even be so bold as to admit that I faltered a few times and tried to go for it. Good thing she was stronger willed than I. I’m not sure how my life would have gone if I’d been a young father, forced with a new wife and baby.

Anyhow, things with Illmaryn were great. I told her about my plans to go to grad school and she told me about trying to walk in the footsteps of her father, the Hierophant Oakheart. I wasn’t sure exactly what he did, but I did know that he was a powerful Druid, and a chief of the Stag (Elk?) Clan. In either case, Illmaryn seemed happy at the prospect, so I didn’t want to question things too much.

Like all young flings that last longer than two minutes, I thought that I was in love. Couldn’t imagine being with any other girl. We spent every possible moment together. So you can imagine that I might be a little curious when, one day, Illmaryn wasn’t in class. I didn’t think on it too long, and decided to swing by her dorm after class.

Illmaryn’s roommate didn’t like me all that much. I snuck into their room at night to be with my girl, and she was an embittered sourpuss. I had to hide quite a few times after we were tattle-taled on, to be honest. When I went to the dorm room, old sourpuss answers the door, and has a unique and new look on her face. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that she was happy to see me. “If you’re looking for Illmaryn, she’s gone, and she’s not coming back. She said to tell you sorry for not saying goodbye, but that was how it needed to be.” I shot back, “Did she say where she was going?” She said no, and at that point the smile left her face and was replaced with a look of annoyance. “Look, I have stuff to do, and you’re interrupting me. Get lost.” She slammed the door right then, and ignored multiple attempts at knocking to get her to return.

I was crushed. I wasn’t sure what to say, or do, for a while. Her family Said she went on her journey, and that it was not for us to know where she is or where she’s going. I argued till I was blue in the face but it was useless. There it was. As quickly as she came into my life, Illmaryn was gone.

Like most young romances, though I had forgotten her in favor of my studies and clan training. I studied hard and spent more and more free time training with my clan. After about 10 years of study with Silverhand, my time came to a distinguished end. I graduated with highest honors, obtaining a mastery degree in both ecology, and linguistics. I was now a well educated young gentleman, as mom had sternly scolded me years before. She was overjoyed at my plans to travel, and to learn at other universities and live in other cultures.

So I traveled; BOY, did I travel. First, I went south to Threskel and Unther to see their mighty warriors, athletic games, and shapely, toga-ed women. It didn’t take long to learn their languages. Then I went east to Semphar and Mulhourand. My interest in ancient cultures led me to become quite proficient in Rashoum and fluent in Mulhourandi. From there I went farther east, to the Shou Empire, where I learned to love rice and noodles, and learned to speak Shou and Mulan.

After that it had been a little over 6 years since I had been home, and I was homesick. So I went back to the temple with many a happy reunion.

As exciting as my return was, it was only the precursor to events that were truly happy and chaotic. Within a couple of weeks after I came back, mom told me that she was with child. At that news, I was overjoyed. But one thing sparked my attention, who was the father? When I asked mom, she got a very concerned look on her face. “Tal, while you were gone … your father was here.” My heart stopped, and then I was angry, frustratedly asking why she hadn’t sent for me. “He was gone before you would have been able to get back. Almost as soon as he was here … he was gone.” I almost cried if not for my façade of masculinity. Mom simply hugged me, and said, “Being a high diplomat and champion of Myth Drannor tends to take up good bit of time, and he said he had responsibilities; so before he even knew he was a father again, he gave me a deep kiss, and was on his way.”

Despite her saying that she had no need to involve him, and her protests that she could raise the baby on her own, I wanted to inform Elwrynn right away. After setting the acolytes to attend to mom, I set off for Myth Drannor, leaving only a note. I knew mom would protest, so I didn’t tell her in advance. The chickens were coming home to roost for Elwrynn Galanodiel. He may have not been a father for me, but he would be a good father for this kid, even if I had to beat him up and get turned into a frog for my effort. Damn mages.

It took me a week to finally get there, and the city awed me. It was so beautiful. Everything was made in molded trees, precious metals and exotic gems. Despite it starting to snow outside, the inside of the city was always warm and pleasant. As extravagant as the city was, it didn’t really compare to the palace that Elwrynn lived in. It must have taken me a good ten minutes to walk from the front gate to the front door. Everything was ornate, and painted or decorated in gold, platinum, and silver. This guy was loaded.

I didn’t realize my nervousness until I got to the door. I stood there for half an hour, debating whether or not to knock. When finally I rousted my nerve, a young and beautiful human woman came to the door. “Can I help you, sir?” I told her that I was there to see the master of the house. “His grace is dining at the moment. Perhaps you should contact him to make an appointment.” I politely retorted that I was sorry for the bad timing, but that “his grace” would see me, regardless. “And who might you be, to be making such bold claims, sir?” The only thing that even came to mind spouted from my lips, “His son.” At this, the woman rolled her eyes and said she would fetch him and to wait a few moments.

Elwrynn, when I finally saw him, was small, but confident, others with a less keen eye might call him arrogant and smug, but not him. He was a pretty boy for sure, and he knew it. I later learned, as I got to know him, that he flaunted it, but not in a boastful way. He was never trying to make himself out to be better than anyone else; he was just comfortable in his … ‘awesomeness’ is what I think he called it. In either case, I found it hard to have resolve in my sternness for him. His very presence made you want to be his best friend. But I would not be swayed, even as he offered my a glass of Illerverquist and and a fine seat.

“Just to let you know,” he smirked. “I’ve been approached by many young elves, claiming to be mine. I’ve yet to find one that matched my blood. I hope you aren’t offended if I ask you for a small sample of yours, so that I might magically test it?” I replied that I would not be offended, and I produced my hand, while he took a sample.

With all of his servants being young, beautiful women, I was beginning to see what sort of man he was; He was a charming, lusty, lay-about. I would have begun to question mom’s stories of his being a hero, if it weren’t for me hearing about his exploits along the road and other parts of life from other people. Ultimately, the whole thing angered me more, as I began to realize that he may have been away on diplomatic and heroic missions a lot, but I’m not sure that if he hadn’t those responsibilities, he would have come back at all any how. I was letting my mind run wild, and in doing so, I would have ended up doing something that I regretted. In my and his interest, I got back to matter at hand.

“Your Grace, I’ve not come on behalf of myself, but that of my mother and her new unborn child.” I could tell that his interest piqued about then. “Then tell me young one, who is your mother?” I told him of mom, Ysana Leuthrysse. At that, he got a wide, almost incredulous smirk on his face, and looked me up and down. “I was there only a month ago. Damn … I do work fast.” He spent a moment thinking about his own history, and then something seemed to dawn on him. “You must be from the first time I met your mother. I guess that would make you nearly a century old. Why didn’t she come to me then?” At that, I was confused, given that I was only fifty-two. “Your Grace, I am fifty-two. You must have visited half one century ago.” Elwrynn swished his wine glass, and got a long, thinking look on his face. After a few moments, “No. I came to Aglarond in the year 1273. If you are fifty-two, then you were born in 1325. I was no where near Aglarond at that time. I would think that the blood test shall yield enlightening results. I would hope that I am not going senile at such a young age.” At that, Elwrynn smiles and drains his glass. It was obvious that he had built quite a tolerance to this alcohol.

After more Illverquist, and a fine meal, Elwrynn mentioned that the test result was ready. He presented both samples; one glowed a faint blue, the other a bright purple. “You see, if you were my son, the blood would glow the same color. It would seem that you need to go and speak to your mother.” I was confused at that. There must have been a mistake. It couldn’t have been right. “Your Grace, is there any chance that the test was faulty?” He responded that he tested it four times, just to be sure, particularly since I seemed so sure, desperate, and honest.

A thousand questions ran through my mind at once. Was my mother mistaken? Is this man a liar? Did she know about this? Was she lying? Did she know who my real father is? Are they in on this together? And there were so many more. Elwrynn must have seen the distress on my face. “Look, lad, you should go and speak with your mother. I’m sure she has an explanation.” His attempt to comfort me did little, but it did roust my attention to my mother once more. “Your Grace, whatever my issue is, I’ve only come to resolve that of my pregnant mother. Would you be willing to return to Aglarond with me and test the blood of the child?” He replied, “I will. If the child is mine, I shall father it, and it shall take my name.”

Eleine Solera Galanodiel was born on XXXXXX, 1372. She was possibly one of the most beautiful and precious creatures I had ever seen. I know it may sound cliché, and stupid, but in that moment, I vowed to keep her well and safe for the rest of my days. I think I held her so much that mom got a little upset because she wasn’t getting any baby time. “I just birthed her, so hand her over!” Heh. You can imagine how loved this kid was going to be.

I was around for Eleine’s first few years in the temple. She was a handful, as mom leaned on me to take care of her while she saw to the temple and the congregation. Given all the papers and reading we did together (mostly I did to keep my mind sharp), I hope that some of the knowledge rubbed off on her. Well in either case, after Eleine had turned 3, and after a few years of helping mom with temple affairs, raising Eleine, I finally decided that it was time to work out my own heritage. I called mom into a private chamber asking her to sit down. “Mom, Elwrynn’s been a good father to Eleine, and since her birth, a good father to me, to whatever extent. But … there’s something that you need to know. I’m not even sure how to say this. Elwrynn did a blood test on me when I went to see him about Eleine. According to it, I’m not his son, and he told me that he was not even in Aglarond anywhere near the time of my birth or conception. Do you know what’s going on?” In those moments, mom’s face became very somber, even upset. She pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit down. “Tal, I’ve been trying to protect you, but you’ve found out on your own. Elwrynn is not your father.”

As you might imagine, after that, I was confused. I asked her what she meant. “When you were an infant, your father left, he was mixed up in some things that I’m not sure you’d understand, and I didn’t-” At that very moment, I had heard enough. I couldn't believe it. I stormed out of the room and headed for mine. I wouldn't believe it. While mom said nothing in the halls, she did follow me to my room, and shut the door behind her. I was so angry, I asked her to leave as I flopped hard on the bed. A lot ran through my mind at that moment; how could she lie to me like that? My whole life? How could she be so callous?

Mom started speaking again, “We were close, and he was on the run for his life. He would have stayed with us, but he wanted you hidden away, in case they came after you, too. He didn’t want the same fate branded to you. I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, but I didn't want you to wonder about him. I wanted to honor his wishes in keeping you safe and a secret.”

“Mom, I don't know if I can handle this … HOW COULD YOU LIE TO ME MY WHOLE LIFE?!?!?! … You know what? It doesn't even matter. I'm pretty well packed, and I have more traveling to do. I'll be on my way.” She desperately begged me to stay and that she loved me and that she was so very sorry. I'm not proud of my decisions in that moment. Callously, I didn't even look back, I didn't say goodbye, I just left my mother there, in a chair next to my bed, sobbing. A hot tear rolled down my cheek, and my stomach knotted a thousand times over, but I kept walking.

I found Eleine before I left. I kneeled down and gave her big hug. “Alright, munchkin, I have to go again.” She asked why and I replied, “Because mommy did something to me that was really bad and mean, and I'm really mad at her, so I can't stay.” She started with a frown and a tear, asking if mom had said sorry, and assumed that she didn't mean it. “Yeah, she said she was sorry,” I said, “but sometimes things aren't made better by saying sorry, kiddo.” She hugged me tight and started to cry. She asked to go with me, but I couldn't allow that. She needed mom, and mom needed her. I wasn't so mad that I didn't care about that. Plus, I wouldn't have been able to look after her safety as well if we were on the road. At least at the temple, I could be fairly certain that Eleine would always be safe.

And with that, I was off again. I must have been gone for nearly another ten years. By the time I reached the city of Waterdeep, I had spent time studying Impiltur, Damara, the Dales, Cormyr, the Silver Marches, and finally Waterdeep. I had become fluent in all of their languages and dialects. I even spent some time down in the exotic Calimport. I didn't stay too long as the lifestyles of the people were too separate. Either you were rich, and lived like a king, or you were poor and lived like a slave. I wasn't all that rich, and I didn't want to end up a servant, so I didn't stay all that long, just long enough to pick up the language.

On my return trip to Waterdeep, I received a sending spell message from a familiar young girl. It was quite abrupt. “Talrendis, please come home. Mom speaks about you all the time, and is often brought tears by it. She regrets not telling you, but thought it best at the time for your protection. I miss you, and barely know you. Please come home.”

Eleine, who had grown quite a bit in the time I had been gone (Yet again, pesky kids, all growin' up and stuff). But she was right. I was only making everyone more miserable. I didn't go back once I realized that I had been too harsh on mom because I felt guilty. She lied to me, but I turned my back on her. Going back meant having to face that, and I couldn't. But the time of cowardice was over. It was time. Eleine's childhood was passing me by, and I couldn't let the rest slip out from my fingers. And so I went home to talk things over.

The moment I got there, mom was actually holding service, so I waited in her room. When she retired and opened the door to find me, she dropped everything in her hands and stood in shock. I led her into the room, and embraced her. I'm not sure what it was, but I started to sob and it all came out at once. Smooth, Tal, real smooth. I sobbed about how ashamed I was for what I did, how much I loved her and I only left because she hurt me and that she and Eleine were the two most important things in my life. She also sobbed about how much she loved me, and never wanted to hurt me, and was only protecting me.

Once we got ourselves settled down, the conversation became more of a continuation of what should have been 7 years earlier. I asked her who my real father was. She only answered that she couldn't say much. She had made an oath to keep my father's secret. He was a damn fool hero that got himself killed. That's it. It was for my protection that I not seek him out. While I was unsatisfied with that answer, I risked isolation from my family yet again for digging, and I wouldn't have it. I frustratedly accepted mom's dismissal.

I realized on my journey home, and in that moment of embrace with mom (and later Eleine), that family was the most important thing that you could ever have. They would always be there to help me, even if I smack them in the face for it. It was time for me to return the favor.

Life had gone rather quiet. I went back to my usual chores in the temple, though I often had the company of Eleine when washing robes or polishing marble floors or some such. For income, I had started a small personal business of teaching languages to nobles' children in Velprintalar. It was somewhat successful, and I had enough to be comfortable, though not enough to get out to a place of my own, much to my frustration, and much to the temple chores’ delight, I’m sure. But other than that, I was happy, and things were good.

It had been half a year into my return, when the call came. Thay was invading our shores, and her majesty needed to reinforce her army with new recruits. Anyone with combat training was especially needed. I needed little more than that call to arms to decide on helping the cause. The Thayans threatened invasion of my home, my temple, and my family. When I explained it to mom and Eleine, they understood, especially mom, who was an Eagle Clan chieftain of the Yuir Elves. All that “camp” I had as a kid was to train me as a hunter and a warrior. We were taught to be diplomats and to find peace if possible, but if someone comes and kicks in your door, you don't allow them in and show them your valuables, you axe them in the face. So I loaded up a few hand axes and a bow, mounted a horse, Joined my friend Tirin on the road, and set off for war.

The battles were fierce, and while my training made me a very adept fighter, nothing could prepare me for the gruesome death I saw. I made and lost many friends in that war. Yonkers had his legs blown off with a fire ball by a red wizard, and bled to death while I tried to stop the bleeding. I can still hear his screams. Billy was lucky, he got an arrow through the head, and it was quick. Mara was stabbed in the belly with a dagger just big enough to do slow but fatal damage to her guts. I don’t really want to get too much into the details of it, really.

Despite the heroics of a few of us, such as Tirin and I, the war wasn’t going very well. We were out numbered at every battle, and it seemed like we were even being overpowered at most of them. I’m just glad Tirin and I were able to keep things together long enough to make sure we didn’t lose everyone in our platoon. Remember how I said that Tirin liked to practice with his sword? All that practice paid off. With that two-hander, he was a real bad-ass, and killed Thayans by the dozen to prove it. I was no slouch either. Armed with any combination of axes or swords, I was a real lawn mower. Our reputations started to precede us, and Thayans would avoid us on the field. That part was funny. Our comrades in arms started calling us the ‘Twin Scourges of Thay.’

Not too long into the war, I started to see weaknesses in the Thayan strategy. Their tactics left them wide open to flanked ambushes, since they killed and burned everything along the way; I assume they thought there would be no one behind them. That on top of their marching tactics, and their bright red uniforms, I wasn’t surprised when our troops started using guerrilla tactics.

As soon as our tactics changed, so did everything else. Aglarond began breaking all the advances Thay had made into our land, soon was in full retreat. It was a satisfying moment when we heard that a cease fire and complete pullout of Aglarond had been called by the Thayan forces. Man, did I ever get drunk. That party is where I met Krista Summerwind. She was a beautiful human woman with red hair, green eyes, and she was a hell of a dancer. I found myself staring a few times. She was aggressive, and came on to me before I even got a word out as I walked up to her. “So cowboy, you gonna buy me a drink and start a conversation, or do I need to just walk over to Private Johnson over there and go home with him?” I must have blushed, since after that she giggled pretty hard. I offered her a drink and she killed it one shot. I was a thrown a little off guard by her forwardness, but was soon able to regain all composure. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I got your name.” She replied that it was because she didn’t give it. Apparently, I had to be entertaining and funny for a while before she’d give it. By the end of the evening, either I was entertaining, or she was a little drunk, or both. We were riding a carriage back to her cottage…

Unfortunately, celebrations were short. Only a few weeks after the end of the Thayan invasion, I was recalled to visit my commanding officer, Colonel Bradford Goodhearth. Apparently, Thay's ambition was not quelled with their defeat on our lands. They were gathering forces and moving north on to Rasheman. While we did not have a defensive pact, if Thay was defeated on every front, then perhaps they might stop. If they got anymore victories they might try against Aglarond again. The Colonel felt that we needed to cut this off at the stem, before it got worse. He said that's why the big guns have been brewing up a mission. About that time, Grand Marshall Svartheim walked into Colonel Goodhearth's office.

“Talrendis Sunshadow. I've heard a great deal about you. The Colonel tells me that you are among his best men. A fine combatant, an expert woodsmen, and a master of stealthy hit-and-run warfare. Many of our elite rangers and gryphon riders are known by many Thayan spies. I need new blood for Aglarond's next military mission. Rasheman needs our help. Their witches are outnumbered by the Red Wizards, and their berzerkers, while fierce, could be destroyed by those mages or even worse, turned on their masters by the bastards. Here's the mission: Go to Rasheman, and take a team with you. You can hand pick your men, and your corporals. We need someone skilled, but not famously so. I need you to train whoever among the Rashemis that you can, and help them with the battles using hit and run. Use your stealth to kill Red Wizards before they get a chance to use sorcery on those berzerkers. Do what you can to garner good will with the witches and the warlords. Those are your orders, Sergeant.” He then pinned the new promoted insignia on my uniform (until then, I was a corporal), and as I saluted he dismissed me, ordering me to come back tomorrow, when I had made my decision on who I would be recruiting for the mission.

Krista and Tirin were obvious choices for my corporals. After many conversations with Krista, I found that she was so competent a woodswoman, she may very well rival me in skill. Tirin was the best swordsman I could think of, hands down, and he could bring discipline to anyone that needed it. I picked the other twenty or so from our batallion, men and women that I knew to be good guerrilla types. Colonel Goodhearth approved, and the lot of us were soon on our way.

The Road to Rasheman was long, hard, and uneventful. Within a few weeks, we were on Rashemi soil, but we needed to conceal our presence to all, for the time being, no need to tip off the Thayans through their Rashemi spies. It was easy enough to find battle sights, and track the movements of the Thayan armies, so that the true fun could begin. We killed a lot of Thayans, and they never knew what hit them. Red Wizards rarely got a chance to cast their magics, between the support of the witches and my team's Red Wizard killing.

We were there for months, maybe over a year. We were lucky in that battles were sporadic enough that there was R&R time. My small town visits allowed me to pick up Rashemi, Tirin and I re-forged our childhood friendship, and Krista and I despite everything going on, fell in love. In the beginning, we tried to hide it, but eventually it didn’t even matter. Everyone knew. It broke all the rules, but we even shared a tent. No one cared. We were leagues, upon leagues from home, no orders for nearly a year, only our standing mission to secretly help the Rashemis win the war against Thay. I even saved a witch once. I suppose that’s relatively important to a later part of the story, so I’ll tell you about that.

On a particularly cold day, we battled hard, but it didn’t seem to matter. The Thayans had us outgunned at every point. By that time, had revealed ourselves to a few witches, so this was a joint battle. We disguised our selves in Rashemi colors, and attacked the flank of the Thayan regulars soon after the battle started. After minutes of blood, I noticed a Red Wizard standing over an unconscious witch, wand in hand, and about to cast a spell. It couldn’t have been good, so I b-lined for the execution, and as soon as I was in range, I hurled the axe at the wizard’s head, splitting his skull in two. The battle was still going badly and so I called for my team to retreat, scatter and regroup. I carried the witch with me, and got away by the skin of my teeth. After about five miles of running, I finally collapsed on the ground, unable to continue under the witch’s weight. As I put her down, she stirred, opened her eyes, and lightly smiled, “Thank you, for my life, my soul.” She once again fell unconscious. I carried her back to the rendezvous, and the team and I decided to take her back to the local warlord’s manor, where he might be able to get her back to her own kind.

So, like I said, the war wasn’t going well for Rasheman, but for the team and I … well, were good or lucky, or both. I had only lost three of the original twenty-three that I brought to Rasheman. But luck don’t always last, and no matter how good you are, there’s always eventually going to be someone better.

I was scouting out a good spot to camp for the night, when we were ambushed. Luckily, I was far enough from the group that when I called for a scatter, they were all able to get away. Me, on the other had, I got stabbed in multiple places. I thought I was dead for sure. It didn’t help to persuade me otherwise when I blacked out.

You can imagine my surprise when I came to. You might even imagine surprise when I came to and I was stripped to my skivvies, and manacled to some kind of upright operating table. In the room with me were a couple of Thayan guards who regarded me for a second, and then cudgeled me over the head. Damn I hate blacking out … The next time I come to, I’m being rousted, and with a splitting head ache, by a man that appeared to be a Red Wizard. He had the appropriate colors, with the bald and tattooed head. He had, cold, grey eyes, but a very pleasant smile on his face. Didn’t make him any less creepy. “Hello, young man,” he said. “…I’m sorry, you’re an Elf. You’re probably older than I am. In either case, I thought it be appropriate that we exchange pleasantries, after all, you’re next days are potentially going to be quite painful. I say ‘potentially’ because the pain inflicted is entirely up to you. If you cooperate, there will be little to none. But I suspect that you will not, as many other don’t, and I will have to hurt you to induce your cooperation. You can fight it, but not forever. I WILL break you, just as I have everyone else. Now, since you know all this, how do you wish to respond? Cooperation, or shall we begin?”

I’m not sure how long I lasted, since when I wasn’t being tortured or fed, they kept me blacked out. Every time I woke up, the same man, and his two guards were there. They started light, with just the guards pummeling me. Then it became surgical, with the wizard using disgusting utensils to probe my body and ‘stimulate’ what he called my Chakras. Those parts of me still ache a little with pain, reminding me of the intensity of it all. When those didn’t work, the wizard turned to magic, and that was probably the worst day of my life.

After the wizard began to use magic, it was different. The pummeling didn’t hurt enough, and the surgical torture would quickly cause the nerves to numb from overload, so I had small breaks. The magic, however, never ended, it was excruciating and often psychological. He would creep into my mind and plant ideas and thoughts and scenarios into my mind that were slowly driving me insane, but he’d never push me over the edge. If he broke me, I couldn’t tell him anything useful. Eventually, after what seemed like weeks of these sessions (though honestly, I had no sense of time), I awoke from a black out to find something very disturbing.

Tirin and Krista were there. I’m not sure when or how, but the wizard had gotten to them too. Of course they were unconscious, and the wizard was there. “Ah, yes, here you are, awake. You have a great deal of stamina. It took me well over a month to break you. I had to use some of my most fun spells to do it. I thought you might like the company of your corporals, Sergeant Sunshadow. Oh, and thank you very much for your assistance in capturing them, and neutralizing the rest of your compatriots. Now, as promised, I have stopped the pain upon your cooperation. Fortunately for you, your stamina makes you a great candidate for one of our new programs. Given this program, unfortunately for you, you need to be very angry, and full of hate. Fortunately for me, I’ve got the perfect vessel for such a task; the torture and slow execution of your two corporals here. As I understand it, this one is your long time friend, and this one, is your intimate lover. Their deaths and pain shall make excellent motivation.”

Apparently, without remembering, I broke, and spilled on my team. I had committed the unforgivable sin. For days, I paid for it, watching him do to them what he did to me, except I never blacked out, and I remember it so much more clearly, and their screams haunt me. It’s why I drink, to blur away their screams and the visions of their blood. I was in agony to see them, and I tried so desperately to break free of my chains so I could kill the wizard and guards, but I was so weak, and I’m not sure I could have broken them if I wasn’t. It took them days to die. And when they had, the wizard announced it, and then came to regard me. When he approached, I spat in his face. This caused him to smile. “Good, this is very good. Soon I will control you and the power I will give to you. It will make you stronger, faster, fiercer, but most importantly, MI- WHAT THE? AUGGGGHHHH!” He had gotten too close. I lunged out with my face, and bit his nose, blood burst out as my teeth sunk deeper into his flesh, and he screamed. I began to spew the blood all over his face through my teeth. I would have bitten his nose clean off had it not been for the cudgel saying hi to the back of my head.

When I awoke, the wizard was still there, but this time his nose was heavily bandaged, and he had a small vial in his hand. “Sergeant, for a moment, I was disturbed at your feral aggression, but then, I suppose I did just torture and murder two people who were very close to you. I can't really blame you for wanting to kill me … painfully. Beside that, your anger is exactly what I wanted. It will make this little vial in my hand will work so much better on you. You'll be happy to know, that some of your compatriots are still alive, and will be joining you in our little project. Gentleman,” He said to the guards, “please open the Sergeant's mouth. If you must, break his jaw. The effects of the serum will cause it to mend itself.” I wasn't going to open my mouth for anything that madman could concoct, so I didn't, and those bastard guards broke my jaw, and the wizard poured in this stuff that tasted like everything good, twisted into something very vile. I would have spit, if not for my broken jaw.

The effects weren't immediate, but once they started coming, it was like the flood gates being opened. Everything on me began to grow, I had a torso the size of a bed, and my arms were like trees. All I could feel was rage and hate. My vision became tunneled, and I soon felt like I was in my body, but not of it. I lost conscious control. I easily broke free of my manacles as if they were made of butter. When I grabbed the wizard, he shouted an order to put him down, like he controlled me. Heh. He looked shocked with surprise when I grabbed his head to rip it off, which made him teleport away. The two guards, who now looked terrified, began to run, but their speed was no match for me. I was soon upon them, and I grabbed them by their torsos and squeezed until they vomited their stomachs and lungs. Once I had tossed away their corpses I went to look for the wizard, who I had hoped had not gone far. No such luck, of course. I came to a large window in the hall just outside the chamber that led outside. I guess my first instinct was to jump through it, because there I was, jumping through it.

When I got outside, I found a whole complex of these buildings, housing who knows how many Red Wizards. Without much understanding of how, when I could think of little else then burning this place down, magma began to spring from the ground setting it ablaze. A great lightning storm came from the heavens, and lighting struck the anyone who came running from the burning buildings. Mega earthquakes began to shake the ground, and monstrous hunks of earth and rock rose up, and crashed down on the buildings. Within minutes, the entire compound lay in rubble, most of which had been sucked into the earth.

As quickly as I had destroyed it all, I was gone. Running as fast as I could through the dense forest. I was like a cat with the greatest of agility, but also like a herd stampede. I dodged most trees easily, the one's I couldn't simply fell over from the force of my gait. I ran for days like that, I counted ten of them. On the tenth day, I noticed some of my feeling come back. My perspective, and my body, were getting smaller. The ten days of running, I was beginning to feel the exhaustion of them. Just fifty yards ahead, I could see a small village. Lastly, just because fate couldn't couldn't seem to let go of the joke, as I took my last steps and the serum seemed to run it's course, I fell over... and blacked out.

When next I awoke, I was feverish, in bed, and a woman was cradling me. I began to speak, but she stopped me. “Shhhh. You should conserve your strength to fight your illness. There will be time for speaking later. Until then, sleep.” And I did … apparently, a lot. When I woke again, my fever had broken, but she was still there. “I … know you.” She didn't notice my stirring until I had spoken.”Yes, you do. I am your nursemaid, and you are formerly my savior.” That was it. She was the witch that I saved from the Red Wizard some time ago. “I felt that my nursing was the least that I could do to repay the life-debt that I owe you – my elven champion of Aglarond. And when you are well enough, you shall go before our matron. She would have words with you.” I don't know exactly what was going on, but I could hardly argue with her. I was weak, and STARVING. She brought me oatmeal, saying that anything more might upset my belly. I hadn't eaten in at least six days, which is how long I was asleep, but in truth, I didn't know how long it had been. The run here was ten days, and I don't remember how much the wizard did or didn't starve me. So don't act surprised when I say I ate like a horse.

After finishing, and dressing, I weakly hobbled while following Nerissa (the witch's name I soon discovered) to what was the biggest house in this small huddling of houses. When I stepped in, the place was more of a council house than a residence. There were rows of seating to each side, and in each seat was a masked woman. At the head of the rows was a grand throne like seat, and in it an elderly looking woman from what I could tell, but she too wore a mask. When we entered, Nerissa left my side, put on a mask, and took the last remaining seat. All was quiet, for about 5 minutes, and when you're standing there, staring down a herd of the Witches of Rasheman, that can get really unnerving. Finally, the old one at the center back began to speak.

“Talrendis of Aglarond. You find yourself in a secret conclave. It was our initial intention to kill you for your trespass. But, Nerissa cannot allow it, as she has sworn a life debt to you. She swears by your friendship. So, our alternative is to weigh your testimony here, and make a decision. Tell us well, Talrendis, how you came to be here, for your life depends on it. And know that no lie may be spoken here.” So I told them. Everything. When I was done, they convened for a few minutes, and returned for a decision. “Talrendis of Aglarond, it is this council's decision NOT to kill you. Instead, when you leave this place, you shall not remember how to return. Your information has been valuable, as have been your contributions to our struggle against Thay. You are a champion of a land that is not your own. This war has cost you much, and since we are nearly conquered, you have gained nothing. It is also the decision of this council, as a way of thanks, to give a small gift. You shall go to the Pond of Memories. There you will see your destiny, and from that I wish you some modicum of peace in knowing your path. That is the decision of this council and it is now adjourned. Goddess be with you, Talrendis of Aglarond.”

Nerissa returned to me. “We must go and pack your things, you must leave now that you are well. The council has made their decision, and you may no longer stay.” So I packed, gave many thanks, and was on my way. She pointed in me in the direction of the Pond of Memories. “You must go there, for days, you must fast, and meditate. Your vision will come to you.” I thanked her again, and was off.

The walk there didn't take much more than an hour. The Pond and the land around it was beautiful. If nothing else, I could at least rest here a while. So I laid out on the grass near the water, and I ate, then I snoozed. I listened to the wild there for a few hours, and as the sun started to set, I turned on the pond, packed my things, and began walking away. “Patience is a virtue, young one.” I froze. I didn't recognize the voice, and I didn't have any weapons. I just hope that I still knew how to box well enough. “Do not worry, I am not here to hurt you, Talrendis. I'm here to help you.” I turned around, and five feet away was this really big Yuir Elf. “I am Talos Arrnath, an old spirit of the Yuir. I am here to help and to teach you. I am sure that there is much that you are confused about, so let me start from the beginning. Since many millennia ago, I have chosen one champion per generation, usually of the same blood line, to go forth and do great deeds of kindness and justice in my name. My champion must protect the lands of the Yuir from all those who might taint it. I have chosen you, and I did so when you were born.”

“Wait … bloodline … hero, this is about my father, isn't it?” His reply was knowing, but impressed. “Your instincts do you credit, Talrendis, but while your father was my last champion, this is about you, not he. I agree with your mother. It is too dangerous for you to know of him. You are not ready. Such things will come in time. Until then, you shall learn of your new powers and responsibilities from me, and I shall become your spirit teacher.”

And learn I did. The first thing was about that serum the wizard made me drink. The magic weave of the world was connected through a net of something called ley lines, and that the Red Wizards had found a way to siphon it's power into liquid form. Except what they fed me was twisted with doses of mind control poisons. They were trying to turn me into a mindless super warrior for them. They had tried with middling success on many others. The difference for me was that I was a Yuir Champion. My blood made the powers of the serum a thousand times stronger, and the poison only enraged me, instead of full on controlling me.

Next, since Talos already felt I was a good person, he skipped the moral lessons, and went right to the responsibility and powers. “As my champion, it is your responsibility to look after these lands throughout the east, and as your tool to do so, I grant you a part of my power. You saw it first when you were poisoned. That is but a small spec of my power, once you have fully mastered my gifts. For now you must practice with it in my presence. You will only be strong enough to channel the power at major cross sections of the lines, where the power of magic is thick. The use of this power, of course, brings me to my warning … you should know that the power is intoxicating, addicting. You will not want to stop channeling it's power. I've seen many of my champions fall this way. If you overuse it before you are ready for its full force, all that you are will blow away in the storm. You will cease to exist, and simply become part of the nature of the land in the Yuir. When we are not practicing, use this power sparingly and in moments of great need, only.”

And so we practiced. I must have been there for weeks, learning to use and control my new powers, but it wasn't easy. I began to lose myself in the powers a few times even while we were practicing. I knew that Talos wasn't lying when he said that you could 'destroy' yourself. In either case, my training at the Pond ended, and I was on my way home again. I ran most of the way, as my strength had fully returned, and was home within the month.

Mother and Eleine (damn she had grown up), of course, went a little nuts. Apparently, the army assumed in combat when things started going south in Rasheman, and none of my team had returned. They both couldn't stop sobbing and hugging me. To be honest, It felt good. I needed family, given what had happened, really bad. I still hadn't really time to digest the things that happened in the Thayan compound. I hadn't had a chance to mourn Tirin and Krista. There was no time for it. Now there was, and so in our day long embrace, I sobbed right along with them. I told mom most everything, except the gory details and my betrayal, and she had little to say, except to turn white and hug me more. “Talos will continue to pop in to train me when he feels it is appropriate, and that he will call on me when my first mission arrives.” Mom noded at that somberly, and went to make the midday meal.

The next day, I reported to Velprintalar to Colonel Goodhearth. When he saw me, he turned white, even dropped his plate of eggs. “What's the matter Colonel? You look like you've seen a ghost.” According to me, he had. Much as mom said, the army declared me KIA. The very first thing he wanted was a debriefing. I gave him the whole thing, short the stuff about Talos. No one needs to know about that. “Lad, after the Grand Marshall hears about this, you're gonna get a medal. You'll get a promotion and any post you want. The Rashemis lost, but never because of you. You've done Aglarond a great credit.” I was shocked at this news. “Sir, didn't you hear what I said. I betrayed my comrades. I broke under the torture.” The Colonel looked somber, got up, and began to walk aways a bit. “Sir, they are dead, BECAUSE OF ME! I should be brought up on charges.” Looking back, the Colonel replied, “You watch your tone with me, Sergeant. That was Red Wizard torture, lad. Anyone would have broken … in a tenth the time you did.” With that, the Colonel walked out.

True to his word, I was given a grand ceremony, medals, and a promotion to Sergeant Major. I didn't deserve it, but I got it. The Grand Marshal, knowing about my people's love of giant eagle riding, even transferred me to the famous gryphon riders, said that I deserved it, that the war had taken away that right of passage from me, learning to ride an eagle. He thought that the training I got there would make up for my loss. The rest of the day, after mom and Eleine went home, was met with women and libations. I had to drown that depression I was feeling for being rewarded for betraying my closest friends.

So five years go by, and I rode gryphons as my main job in the military. I went back to tutoring some students in languages, simply because I missed academics. The war hadn't left much time for that, and my mind was feeling dull. I needed something to stimulate my mind.

Like I said, five years go by, and that day had come. Talos, in a less than happy mood, came to me. “It is time for your first mission, Talrendis. You must travel to the village of Leunesca, in raven territory. Something dark there clouds my vision. Take weapons. Do not warn anyone of your going, you must leave now. And so I did. I got out on the road with Whisper, and flew all the way there. What I saw made me sick.

Most of the elves were dead. The few that were alive were shackled to tables. It looked like someone was doing experiments on them. Within seconds, many humans dressed in all black seemed to ooze out of the shadows of the darkness. When they saw me, they seemed surprised. One in particular looked like he was a priest of some kind. The rest were obviously soldiers. “I don't recognize this one. How is he still alive. No matter. Guards, kill him.” With that, I pulled my axes and went to town on their faces. Quite a few died before they reorganized and created a proper phalanx around me. As they formed together, it became increasingly difficult for me to hurt them, let alone kill them, so I figured that this might be a good time for emergency champion power.

As I started to channel, I heard Talos' voice on the wind. “Talrendis, you cannot win here. Flee and return with help!” Never one to argue with an immortal Yuir God, I ran, and I ran some more, until I got far enough away to mount Whisper, and then I flew home. I told mom about it all, and she said that I did the right thing by telling her. She could inform the other Eagle Chieftains, and the King Regent. By the way, mom is also a go between agent for King Regent Alleric and the Yuir Elves. Perhaps with others who know about this problem, we might plug this hole before it leaks too much.

So, a werewolf, a possessed priestess, and white witch walk into a bar … and by bar, I mean temple.

And so our story truly begins.