My
parents were part of an Elven guard in charge of protecting the
borders of Qualinesti. My mother was a ranger of great skill and my
father was in line for Archmage with the Elven Magic Council. They
had gone to the borders after reports of a Red Dragon attacking
several outposts had solicited a response from the Elven Council. My
mother and father were chosen to lead the squad of 200 elves, but
because of the high risk and danger involved, all members were
required to have at least 5 years of experience. I had named myself
an adult and had entered the Guard just the previous year and felt
with my parents' high status, I should be allowed to come along. The
Council did not agree even after I explained I was top of my class in
not only magic proficiency, but I was the reigning champion for the
longbow for which I had beat out my own mother whom was leading the
expedition. I was also top notch in Alchemical studies. None of this
mattered to the Council and the plans were made to leave that
following day. I could have left it at that if not for one of the
Council members making a snide remark and using my child name when
making his exit. This was more than I could stand for. I would show
them. My parents would not be back to the house as they would be busy
finalizing plans and making preparations. I went back to my home and
began making plans of my own. I knew the route they would take so I
would I would just go ahead of them and wait. I could scout ahead and
have the information for them when they got there. I packed up my
bags and my longbow and headed out. When I first got to where the
report of the last attack was, there was no sign of anything alive. I
had never seen such destruction. Everything was burned to the ground.
Bodies lay charred in the rubble. Men, women, children. All dead. I
could not move. I don't know how long I sat on the edge of the
clearing, but my mother came up and placed her hand on my shoulder
and told me to come with her. I could see my father with the rest of
the squad and I could tell he was not pleased. My mother just told me
that the aftermath of battle can sometimes be worse than the battle
itself. I would learn the true meaning of those words before the
night ended. Scouts were sent ahead to look for any signs of where
the Dragon may have come from or where it was headed. Scouts came
back reporting it had gone South and so now with one extra member,
the troop moved South. At about mid day a scout came riding in saying
they had tracked the Dragon to another outpost where it was currently
in the middle of burning it to the ground. Elven cavalry and casters
charged into battle like heroes of old. I was sent with a small group
to help any survivors escape. It was soon apparent that the Dragon
was winning and a full retreat was ordered. In the midst of the
retreat I saw a little human girl that had become trapped under a
piece of burning debris. I used a spell to push the debris off of her
and attempted to help her up. The Dragon either sensed the magic or
just chose that moment to get really angry, but it stopped mid charge
and turned on me and the little girl. My mother saw this and shot
arrows at it trying to distract it. My father let loose with
lightning from both hands, but it barely slowed it down. I was able
to avoid the first charge, but it came back around a second time and
I knew I was not gonna make it. My father appeared in front of me
along with my mother by means of a teleport spell. They both looked
at me and I knew what they were going to do. My mother gave me her
longbow and last arrow, drew her longsword, and charged headlong into
the dragon. My father loosed another lighting storm, only this time
directed through my mother's sword and it went straight into the
Dragon's chest. He let out a scream that sounded like 1000 demons
trying to escape the deepest pits of hell. Both my parents
disappeared in a wall of flame and I myself was burned badly from
just the intensity of the heat. I noticed as the fire went down that
though my parents were dead, they had gravely wounded the Dragon as
well and had exposed his heart. I grabbed my mother's longbow and
arrow and let loose with all my fury and rage and loosed it straight
into the Dragon's heart. It screamed even louder than it had the time
before and reared up on it's hind legs as if to take flight. It
instead shuddered and collapsed right onto me. One of the claws
struck me in the chest and pierced my heart. So, we both lay there,
in a deepening pool of blood. I should have by rights died, but
something else happened instead. Usually only made possible through
rites and ceremony and spells, our blood began to mix. I hear a voice
that sounds ancient in my head and it says, "I have never seen
such bravery from an Elf that you would risk ur immortality for the
sake of a petty human. I give to you the gift of my magic and life
force. May the Goddess Mystra protect you and guide you." I woke
up several weeks later in the infirmary. Barely any of Elves who left
returned. The little girl was sitting next to my bed as she would
throw an unholy tantrum if anyone tried to remove her. They brought
her food and a change of clothes when she needed it, but otherwise
she would just sit and talk or sing to me. She had also made me a
necklace from the claw that was embedded in my heart. The Healers had
never seen anything like it. During my sleep, I was in constant
turmoil. I kept seeing my parents' faces as they died, their bodies
burnt husks of the beautiful versions they used to be. Also, during
this time I began to feel a change coming over me. I felt as if I
were getting stronger, not just physically, but magically. I knew
things about magic now that I didn't before. There were also the
dreams. I kept getting flashes of some major catastrophe and even
though I didn't know if they had already happened or were going to
happen, I knew they were happening to real people. Upon awakening, I
was called before the Eleven Council and given full honors for my
heroic deeds in slaying the Dragon, but I barely heard any of it.
Grief and guilt were all I knew. If I had never tried to go, then my
parents would have retreated with everyone else and would have come
back alive and safe. I understood what my mother had meant now about
after the battle being worse than the battle itself. How was I going
to go on? It turns out the little human girl was the best medicine.
She had lost her whole family int he attack as well and was alone in
the world. I petitioned the Council to allow me take her in as a my
own. They agreed, though many voiced concerns with having a human
live among them. We brought looks and snickers wherever we went, but
after a while we didn't care. I began to train her in the ways of the
Elves and she showed remarkable talents for tracking, stealth, and
Alchemy. She has now been with me for 15 years and has herself become
Elven in mind and heart. She is constantly giving the younger Elven
men fits of jealousy and longing, but is never one to pay attention
to such things. I feel she see's me as a father figure, but wants it
to be more. I feel this is going to be more of an issue as she
further matures and becomes more assertive in her feelings. After
much debate over whether she should be allowed to join the Elven
Guard, it has been decided that she cannot join due to her human
lineage. This has caused me a lot of distress as I feel she has
proven herself more than capable. It is on this basis that we decide
to leave Qualinesti and try to find a place for ourselves. I am not
sure how she would figure into any campiagns or anything. She is seen
by most as some sort of servant or slave, though should anyone
outwardly express that idea, she is quick to correct them. I carry on
my person the dragon claw necklace she made for me and it feels warm
to the touch still after all these years. In fact, if I take it off,
I tend to go into seizures and fits. Not sure if this is a sign of
something deeper or just my mind playing tricks. I also carry my
mother's longbow and my father's robes. There does not have to be any
special effects or actions attached to them, but maybe a small bonus
to hit or armor would be nice. I tend to be very protective over
these item's and will not hesitate to take appropriate action when
they are threatened. Since the attack where my parents died, I have
continued to take on more of a draconic appearance. I have scales
over most of my body now, though few would notice under my robes. I
tend to heal faster than normal and can lift more than my stature
would indicate. I'm not sure if these are traits that the DM will
allow, but I'm adding them for better playability. My spells also
tend to be more potent than spells of similar level and magnitude.
They are also more wild and tend to have more unexpected side
effects. I show a higher immunity to Fire attacks due to the Red
Dragon blood coursing in me. Once, again not sure if the DM would
allow these to have actual in game benefits, but better back story. I
would like to play this to become a DragonSoul Heir at some point,
but I will leave that up to the group and DM. My background is Sage
and though I don't have the years of study, the bond of the Dragon
gives me insight. This gives me proficiencies in Arcana and History
as well as 2 additional languages. I also get the researcher benefit
which even I don't know a specific piece of lore, I know where to
find out or whom might know it. I also have the Specialty being an
Alchemical researcher, so potions are easier and cheaper to make. I
am awkward in social situations due to the changes brought on from
the Dragon's blood. I feel emotion should never cloud logic. My
greatest bond is with the human girl Katie and with my parents
belongings. I tend to speak before I think and tend to create
conflict without meaning to. I am more interested in facts than
opinions and become impatient rather quickly when people avoid an
answer to my questions or refuse to listen to my ideas. Though I
don't tell even Katie, I can still hear the voice in my head from
time to time. It has been my unseen guide since that first day. It
only speaks when it feels the need, but always insists I listen and
do as I'm told. I know it is a God or Goddess of some sort, but they
have yet to reveal themselves openly. Therefore, Religion is kind of
a no-go zone with me, cause I have a God living in my head. I just
avoid the issue and prefer to remain silent unless forced to and even
then I prefer people to make their own choice and state as much. Or I
could just be wackbat crazy and am one conversation away from a
straight jacket. I tend to be more reserved in social settings, but
if you can find a good Elven wine, I have been known to get a little
rowdy. I always have a positive attitude and am not big on naysayers
or just negative people. I tend to show more sympathy and
understanding towards humans than a typical Elf due to my
relationship with Katie. Oh and I'm High Elf! My name means the
Bloodstained Immortal.
As
far as me goes, well that's an even longer book...lol I am 35
years old and a father of 7. I am disabled due to a
degenerative spine disorder. Before that I was doing sales and
service on PC's. Prior to that I was in restaurant management.
Because of my disability, I have a pretty wide open schedule
and am always looking for ways to fill it. Though with 7 kids,
time can sometimes be a precious commodity. They are all over 6
except the newest little guy so they are pretty low maintenance at
this point. Food, water, and a sprinkler work great. I
love to do gardening and can lose days in a good book. I love
anything fantasy and most sci-fi. DRAGONS!!! I LOVE
DRAGONS!! Sorry, I got excited there for a sec. I have
read most anything D7D related and really love R.A. Salvatore. I
also like Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. My favorite D&D
series would have to be Drizz't Du'Urden, but anything Dragonlance or
Forgotten Realms suits me fine. I am also a big David Eddings
and Terry Brooks fan. My all time favorite book is The Last
Herald-Mage which is actually 3 books by Mercedes Lackey. I
have a signed first edition I love it that much!!! I
have been a gamer since Atari and Nintendo so. . . yeah. I
played my first D&D campaign at the age of 14 and was instantly
hooked. I have played over the years with some friends here and
there, but schedules were always an issue for regular play. Am
actually working on getting the kids into it and so I have joined in
hopes of getting back into it. I do however play DDO and
Neverwinter. DDO not so much, but I am a level 60 Sorcerer in
Neverwinter. Haven't played since the lvl update, but I will
get those 5 levels eventually. I also play Star Trek Online
quite a bit and have a lifetime subscription. I
think that's about it. If you need anything else, please let me
know. I can do video, voice, smoke signals, HAM radio,
whatever. Would be happy to join you guys on a campaign or
adventure. Good journeys and bottomless mugs!! Agarwaen
Ilfirin