Echo on the Wind
Echo was born into the Silver Crag Clan in southern Balidan many years ago. He was raised among a large family that he loved but never truly felt at home with. The call of adventure called to him at a young age, fueled by stories of famous adventurers from times long past, with his favorites being about the Lionroar and his band of warriors who aided the helpless and dying.
At a young age, Echo found a reason to leave the monotony of life at the Crag. During a visit to the port city of Temabara, he fell for a spirited young woman named Veil who worked on the merchant ship, The Rapscallion, sailing to many corners of the world. Intrigued by Veil and the opportunity to see the world, he left his family at the Crag and joined the crew of The Rapscallion as a bosun's mate with Veil, working the rigging and sails. Although they were an odd pair, they didn't care and grew closer to the crew, including Orrin Durinmec, than they ever had with their own families. The first few years after Echo took to the sea were the best of his life, as he got to see the world alongside Veil and fell deeply in love with her, including her charity to the poor and helpless in each port they visited.
However, this happiness was short-lived. As taldinite became a powerful resource in the world, its trade and transportation boomed and The Rapscallion began carrying frequent shipments of taldinite among its cargo. Unfortunately, The Rapscallion became a victim of the increase in piracy, and Captain Booker underestimated the desirability of the resource. During a storm in the southern reaches of the Roiling Sea, two unidentified ships approached and forced The Rapscallion to navigate into dangerous territory, leading to a crash against the stone spikes of the Spines. Echo was cast away and knocked unconscious, and when he came to, he was left clinging to the wreckage of The Rapscallion during the storm. He resigned himself to a watery grave but survived for three days and nights, until the storm died down and the sun broke through the clouds.
When he realized he wouldn't die in the storm, he chewed at the rope for hours until he finally, with his depleted strength, fell into the water below. He swam to what was left of the wreckage of the Rapscallion and, miraculously, found food among the larger pieces of flotsam that had become lodged in the spines. The sea calm once more, he slept for what must have been several days and ate as much as he could find. Then, by a stroke of incredible luck, he caught the attention of a ship sailing by to the North.
The Sea Nymph, a sleek trading vessel, rescued him and brought him to port at Ravenport. The captain, Quincy Coghill, took a liking to Echo and took him on, where Echo found out that the Sea Nymph was primarily a smuggling vessel working under the guise of the Avari Shipping Company. They had been avoiding a patrolled stretch of sea and stumbled upon Echo stranded on the Spines by pure chance. Echo couldn't bear the thought of going home, so he agreed to work for Coghill, even though his love for the sea had dimmed with the knowledge that Veil was gone. Her fate weighed heavily on him, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Although he hoped she was alive, he knew it was a fool's hope. But, while the sea lost its luster without Veil by his side, he began to notice strange phenomena. Other ships would be struck by storms, but the sea seemed to make an exception for whatever vessel he was on. His crew reported rougher seas when they traveled without him. Coghill soon wouldn't embark on a journey without Echo, his new good luck charm. Even more oddly, his skin would crackle and shock when touched occasionally. Although his new crew grew close to him, Echo couldn't help but feel cheated. In Veil's memory, he visited each of the cities they had worked in to help the poor. All of her contacts had never heard from her again, so Echo brought them the bad news, continued her tradition of delivering care packages, and then left.
Now, as Echo approached old age, it seemed that he wouldn't need to suffer much longer. The Sea Nymph was apprehended by Ravenport Port Authority for the first time. Coghill and his crew were taken prisoner and sentenced. It had been about 20 years since the Rapscallion and its crew were lost or killed. Echo had moved on as much as he could, but with a hole in his heart that could never be filled. In a surprising revelation, the guards told him he was to be executed for his crime. Echo was coming to terms with it. The punishment was unjust, but when was the world ever just? He and Veil had done much to help the unfortunate, but each time they came into port and saw the same people, they looked more beaten and downtrodden. The taldinite shortage had thrown the city into more chaos, and people were starving and dying in the streets while the wealthy passed by in their carriages, blind to the suffering beside them. Well, now it was his turn. What could he do to change anything?
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