First Verse: Dez Vurkin

Dez Vurkin was his name. An Aasimar, a race that was half descendant of some kind of divine being, varying in their appearance and ability. They could hardly even be considered one race, as the divine blood was the only thing they had in common. Each Aasimar had certain features to distinguish them from mere humans, some had different colored skin, some had glowing eyes, some even had wings, which was seen as an omen of divine protection.

Dez himself was a firm believer in the gods. He had been raised by a group of monks that lived in one of the more populated cities of Satha, a land inbetween the Lupur Mountains and the Epira Mountains, the only opening to the south of the country.

Long ago, a few years after his birth, Dez had been abandoned by both his parents. It was rare for a mortal parent to leave their child, but not unheard of among Aasimar, and the divine parent rarely stuck around for long either, as they had divine duties to fulfill. Dez had already forgotten his parents, grown a full man, 33 years old, which was only a fraction of the hundreds of years Aasimar could live. After living his life as a faithful monk in a temple of Corellon until his 16th birthday, he became an adventurer at the local guild. He had a handful close friends. Rhurkin, a human, Songo, a dwarf and Lingolx, an Aarakocra. Also, there was Treryn, a human fighter, but other than the rest she was special to Dez, he cared more about her than anything else in life.

Those four, together were one group, welded together by countless quests they had completed, bandits they caught (or perhaps killed) and sometimes even trouble they got out of together. They were the closest any friends could be.

Yet, all that had been twenty years ago. Those times were gone, so quickly, so suddenly. Dez, now 51, sat at the foot of the Lupur Mountains, eastward side, staring into the faraway scenery. The Hearthstone of the Blue Dragons in his bag weighed heavy, even more so on his mind. A meager payment for their deaths. There surely was an important story to the Hearthstone, unimaginable sums of gold for it to be sold for, fame, this was his ticket. Yet, that sight of Treryn overshadowed it all. He could not bear it and began to softly cry. Here, were none but the chirping insects would see him. He couldn't look at it, yet couldn't rid hinself of it, not of the thing that they all died for. It should eternally remind him of his cowardice.

After a little while he stood up and started his way back to Hirna, the small city he currently resided in. It was on the way to the city state Maak, well known for its prestigious academies and strong magic casters. He walked through the streets and alleyways, occasionally greeting someone he knew from his two week stay here, and arrived at his destination; A rather old tavern, called "To the Raging Ox", the place where he stayed for the night. His room was far in the back, so Dez tried to pass the dining room and bar quickly, however Hans, the barkeeper and owner of the tavern, called out his name.

"Dez!"

He stood still, and turned his head to him.

"There's a letter for you. Signed by Ell'Dan or something. Got the seal of Ishokard so I imagine it's quite important." Hans grinned and handed Dez the letter.

Indeed, the grey wax seal of Ishokard, Kingdom of Humans, enclosed it.

"Dear Dez Vurkin,

hello old friend. First and foremost, I have heard of your loss and am incredibly sorry. I wish you strength to face this most terrible of challenges.

Despite all this, I have a request of you: Are you interested in coming to Ishokard, to help me with an important mission? If you were to agree, I have already reserved tickets on a ship in three days time from Maak to a small unnamed fishing village. I shall wait for you there.

Sincerely,

Ell'Dan"

Huh. He guessed there really wasn't much else to do but agree. Ell'Dan had been a good friend ever since Dez could walk, having accompanied him on many travels in Dez' earlier years. He hadn't seem him in the past six years, but apparently Ell'Dan had been busy with important work for Ishokard.

So, he decided we would heed Ell'Dan's call, start a new chapter of his life with this quest. Hopefully, he would also find closure.