Dalaras Ravenborne
Avernus
We have made it through the planes and to Avernus or should I say home? Elturel now resides here. I don't know how to feel or what to do with this situation. right now the others seem to be wanting to arm the populace to fight back against the devils but that really seems like a fight that we cannot win. I can feel this pit of rage inside of me that wants to kill every single fiend I see in this place. Is this the right course of action though? It really feels like every person that we give a weapon to is a soul that we consign to death with these enemies. Shouldn't we be working towards getting them out of here rather than turning them into foot soldiers?
I haven't brought any of this up to the others yet but I will when we get a moment to breathe and think.
Leaving Baldur's Gate
We are now leaving Baldur's Gate behind. With it the remnants of the life I have known for all my life with the few refugees from Elturel living outside the city walls. Lyra has been knighted as a Hellrider which is fantastic the order will live on it seems. The thoughts of the Hellriders though brings back up sore memories. My mother, father and little sisters were all in the city when the companion...exploded? The memory brings a tear to the eye at the thought but I don't think the others noticed. It becomes a bit less painful each time but is that a good thing or is that the hardening of my own heart? I lashed out and helped to strike down the ruler of our former city without a second thought of his innocence. I hope I was right. No one questioned this really in the moment which actually worries me more than anything. That they would follow me in those moments without hesitation but are they following the proper person? Kaiden is the leader that's who they should follow. Not the one with a thirst for vengeance on anyone or anything that had anything to do with our loss.
History
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be born into the family of one of the famed Hellriders of Elturel? If you are born a strapping young lad ready to follow in your mother and father’s footsteps to protect Elturel and fight from the front lines it’s a wonderful thing. That’s the way I was born. As strong as my mother and as wise as my father they used to say. I was ready to join the Hellriders to continue the family’s legacy but that wasn’t what the fates had decided for me in this life. Oh no indeed they had something far different planned. Fates… gods… whatever you want to call them it would be a lot easier if they would just tell you things out the gate instead of letting you have hopes right? Hopes and dreams that they likely take some sort of twisted pleasure in just smashed to smithereens.
I grew up fully intending to be a warrior as I mentioned above and that changed when I was around 12 years old. A group of us were out playing in the areas around the city ranging out a bit further than we normally would. We had all heard the warnings from our parents. It's dangerous out there, don’t wander into caves and all that but who were they to tell us what to do? As it turns out there was a good reason. During a rousing game of tag we were set upon by a group of goblins. Now where they came from or how they came to be there who knows but a group of 3 goblins armed with rusted swords and rotten armor went through our small group like a hot knife through butter. As I lay on the ground holding the sword wound in my stomach I felt the darkness of death creeping over me and my eyes drifted closed.
The next thing I remember is waking up in the middle of a small clearing where the shadows seemed to be longer than they should have been. The sun was shining. I could see it overhead but its light almost seemed muted somehow. That is when a beautiful woman dressed all in blacks and purples came into the clearing. I don’t remember all of the conversation but I remember we made an agreement for returning me to life. Though it would have a cost which at the time I didn’t know would be my physical strength. She also gave unto me a spear by the name of Nightfall that has been a constant companion even if it… has a mind of it’s own from time to time.
When I woke back up in the forest the goblins were still there rifling through our things and chatting in their tongue. Celestial fire ripped from my fingertips destroying them in moments which was great! I took a moment to get my breath and then stood up and rushed to my friends. Of the 5 of us I was somehow able to heal 2 of them but the others were lost. I kept expecting them to return as I did. The price for these new powers of mine quickly became evident over the next few days. My strength began to wane and my constitution with it as well. Where once I could lift and swing a sword with ease I was reduced to barely being able to wear much armor at all and only use the simplest of weapons.
With my physical side dwindling I poured myself more into my studies and quickly developed a knack for skills and learning. Apparently I had made a deal with some outer planar being which makes me a warlock. Which also means regardless of what I made the deal with, the paladins and lawful types don’t like me very much. I have found a decent living working through investigating crimes and the like that have to do with more obscure things. Demons, Devils etc etc or just something the local constabulary doesn’t want to work with. My mother and father still talk to me but they’re not happy with the outcome of things.
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