[Note: Chapters 1-3 are in the archives under “Fractured Mountains”.]

Draveth was about to take his first step out of Galta in years, and knew he wouldn’t be returning soon. It was a strange feeling to leave the village, but it wasn’t overwhelming. He was stepping from somewhere that he knew everyone and everyone knew him and into a world full of strangers. His mind started wandering to memories of the kindness of people in the village. Continue reading →

Gaem helped set up camp as well as he could in his ferret form. This mostly consisted of collecting firewood. When the others started assigning watches for the night he volunteered for the first watch, and if Dreekt didn’t show up in time he would take the second watch as well. He settled outside the warmth of the fire so he wouldn’t fall asleep, and transformed into his humanoid form. He waited to do this until the sound around the fire had settled down. He pulled the humanoid armor from his pack and put it on. Alongside this armor were plates that would go onto his back in his animal form. He stood for a while, a jagged, two handed katana strapped to his back. His skin was red and white patched just like his fur had been, and his hair had the same colors. It took him almost ten minutes to realize that he couldn’t hear his companions breathing by the fire. At the same time as he made this revelation Dreekt ran around a bend and came into sight. Continue reading →

Dreekt and Kreet were both born in the outskirts of Rentaz, the Capitol of Zentar. Being siblings they knew the same people and being skravyn most of the people they knew didn’t like them.

Worst of all were the humans. It seemed like most all of them went out of their way to verbally assault skravyn. Especially children. They did know some great humans who cared just as much for them as they did their own children, but as they got older fewer nice humans noticed them.

About the time they were full-grown (the age of 14 for skravyn) they didn’t notice any good in humans. They knew it was there because they had witnessed it, but it became harder for them to believe it.

One day their parents caught wind of a prophecy. Dark Under was set to attack Rentaz through The Cave. They didn’t tell their children anything specific but said Dark Under forces were amassing. Overik was far from any Dark Under entrances so it would be safe they thought.

Dreekt and Kreet never made it to Overik however as they left the boat at different stops along the river. Something was calling them north, and Dreekt knew he would never go to Overik. Kreet disillusioned herself that she would go with their parents but at the stop after she left the boat, planning to meet up with Dreekt.

It didn’t take long for Kreet to realize that her brother was serious about getting off of the boat. She had hoped at first that he wasn’t serious about leaving their parents and her behind, but quickly realized that he needed this. He needed to be able to spread his wings, metaphorically, and fly by himself; without their parents, or her, to catch him when he fell. He needed to know that he could do things by himself.

“Father, would you kindly shut up?” She had finally had enough of his complaints against Dreekt. Dreekt had talked the captain into refunding the cost of the rest of the trip to father before he left, but in father’s eyes he was a disrespectful son. No matter that she and her brother were both old enough to be adults by skravyn standard. Father wanted them to act a certain way. When they didn’t he wouldn’t talk to them for a week. Oh, he would answer their questions and ask them to do something, but there was no conversation. Continue reading →

Draveth was a human with chalky white skin and dark black hair. When the story begins he was a journeyman smith that still hung out in his hometown of Golta at his old master’s forge. His parents both died when he was ten years old and he never stopped thinking about them.

When Draveth was around twelve years old a wandering paladin of The Kindness passed through Golta. The paladin told him many stories about the power of both The Kindness (the goddess) and of acts of kindness in general. Draveth began to read up on The Kindness and found that she also went by The Healer. He tried his hand at healing, but he had been a blacksmith’s apprentice for a while and his skills laid in that direction. He did his best to be kind and spread knowledge about Simisola both throughout the town and to travelers instead.

At one point in his teenage years the local populace started to call Draveth a priest, but he wanted to be known as a paladin. To show this he entered a small combat tournament that was in celebration of winter solstice. Draveth won handily using a small sword that he had made during his free time from scrap metal. Though the sword was battered and unusable by the end of the tournament he won it and against grown men too. He did his best to help those that he defeated in the tournament to recover quickly so as to show them kindness. He had hoped that the paladin would show up, but he was not at the tournament nor did Draveth ever see him in town again.