Sir Darend Bellhammer

Sir, Archbishop

Darend was born to an unknown mother and father. He was left on the doorstep of a church in the City States of Vedania. The ever watchful town of New Raven proved to be quite a hard place to grow up. He was raised by a cleric of Heironeous working as an emissary from the The Iron Hall (Khara Drong). The cleric, a dwarf named Hillrend; was a fitting parental figure. Hillrend named and raised Darend as well as he could within the church. At 11 he was made to be a choir boy and at 12 started training to become a full fledged cleric. At times of great strife Darend’s adopted father would have to gather the other clerics, together they’d disappear for days. Hillrend always told Darend that something had happened and they were providing assistance. Darend always hated that his father wasn’t more open and honest with him. Darend knew the state of the country and the world. It took a person only looking out of the churches door to see that. Regardless, Darend was always tasked with keeping the church in order while the rest of the mission were away. Darend would clean the pews, straighten scripture, dust statues and light the candles at dusk. This became life for Darend in Vedania, he grew up quick. Travelers were always surprised when they’d stop in the church whether it be for healing or prayer. A young, human boy in robes far too large for him would greet them with an amulet of Moradin swinging from his neck; it was quite a site to see. But time and time again Darend proved his worth as when the clerics returned from their journey everything was clean and in order. On Darend’s 14th birthday he was in the church alone, he’d just sat down for an evening meal when the doors of the church burst open. Two men in strange, dark garb drug a man through the door and threw him in front of the altar. Darend jumped from his small table in excitement and fear. Blood spurred out onto the altar as the mans teeth shattered on the ground. The two dark men looked at Darend without a word, they positioned their blades at the mans back as he struggled to his knees. “Repent, creature.” The man on his knees wailed and coughed on his own blood in a guttural blurb. Darend moved in to speak trembling and disgusted. “Gentlemen...I- “I, I, I what kid? If this fucking church would’ve been doing their job scum like this wouldn’t be wandering the streets. Where’s the head cleric?” Picture Picture Defiantly and proudly Darend straightened up, chin to the sky “I-I am.” The two men laughed, the man on his knees dropped more blood into the gathering pool. “Okay, well head cleric, deal with him then, so we don’t have to. Free him from his sins.” “But I-“ “But you what boy?” Darend was frozen. He didn’t know what this mad had done, or even what he was. Darend had a whole year before he was to become a cleric. He had no idea what he was doing. The men laughed and jeered insulting Darend’s name and god. Darend, suspecting this might be some evil creature of the night picked up a ceremonial blade from the altar and without hesitation ended the mans torment. He fell to the ground with a sickening thud. The two men were speechless. Eyes as wide as the Vedanian moon. They sheathed their blades and stepped outside. They looked around, lit cigarettes and left. The body of the man lay there for two days, Darend had no clue what to do with it. Luckily nobody ventured to the church until the clerics arrived back. They were astounded that a dead man lay in a pool of his own blood down the center aisle. Darend eventually explained himself through tears and the clerics made their peace with him. The man on the floor turned out to be a vampire, the clerics praised the boy for his heroism even though the vampire had suffered great, previous wounds at the hands of the other two strange men. Darend was distraught for many weeks and eventually sought council with his father Hillrend. Between the two of them the miscommunication was rampant. Hillrend had spent the last couple of weeks lecturing Darend on making peace in killing, even when it dealt with killing evil that disguised itself as regular people. What Hillrend didn’t understand is Darend wasn’t upset because he ended something’s life, he was upset because at the time of the killing he didn’t know whether the man was monster or a regular man. He was threatened, pressured and hard pressed to do his best by the church and in his eyes he thought he’d failed. As time went on Hillrend got word from his mission head in the Iron Hall. It was time to return to Solea. At this point Darend was now 15, Hillrend gave him the choice. He could venture back to Solea with him, or he could stay in Vedania. Without hesitation Darend decided to go with his adopted father. The voyage was rough but they eventually made it back. Darend’s father was never the same. He still worked at the sanctuary in the iron hall until his death. He received a full burial with honors, something that surprised an older Darend. Later in life Darend was given the opportunity to become one of the head clerics in the iron hall to which he turned it down. He saw what had happened to his father growing up and he wished to not follow the same path, however he was intrigued by the mission work. Darend eventually became a missionary and traveled the ice swept plains of Solea spreading the word of all faiths he deemed holy, more so than any though Heironeous. Work has taken him everywhere even to Foridia at times. He’s heard music and lore, he’s tasted the finest food and felt the worst linens, he’s encountered people in need of atonement and those in need of shackles. His childhood is catching up with him. Nightmares of dark woods and piercing eyes have followed him for 41 years as he knows Vedania never truly leaves a man. Fighting fear with fear. He’s ran from the dark once but now with the white light of the heavens he shall smite whatever ails the Duchy of Foridia borders. With permission from the clergy he set out. He rides again at a most dark hour. Atop his white horse Exodus he follows dark clouds and an ever growing fear.