Morrow's Full Backstory (WIP)
Jan 6, 2014 17:16:35 GMT -5
Post by Timmir on Jan 6, 2014 17:16:35 GMT -5
Because how long I have made Morrow's back history, and of how long it's taking me to actually finish it. I've decided to move it here while I do a quick four paragraph summary of it in the actual character thread. This way, it'll allow me to still work on Morrow's backstory without forcing people to read something that'll probably go 30 paragraphs long.
"So, you want to know about my past huh? I have no clue why you would ask for such a thing, it's nothin' all to special. But since you ask, I guess I might as well tell it to you.
"Twenty-five years ago, I was born to a amateur blacksmith and his loving wife. We lived in Belatona, a city that's just south of Lenora Lake. My early childhood remain mostly uneventful til around my sixth birthday, when my younger brother Trelik was born. Needless to say, everyone in my family was happy and everything seemed to be going our way. Yet things like that never truly last.
"One particular winter when I was only twelve years old hit my family hard. My dad couldn't get any business for his blacksmithing. Normally this wouldn't be to much a problem. After all, most of his business at that time were farmers who needed there tools fixed or replace, with the rare request to either make a new weapon for or to build horseshoes for a traveler or trader. Yet with barely any money coming in, we couldn't afford to take her to a healer when she got deathly ill. That stickler... We tried everything we could, but in the end, she pasted into the world beyond this one." Morrow paused for a moment as he mumbled something incoherently.
"I'm sorry. That memory is like an old scar that never healed properly. It still pains me greatly to this day just thinking about it. She was one of the kindest women one would ever meet and her death was hard on all of us. My brother became alot more shy and reclusive, refusing to even say a word to anyone for quite some time. While my father entered a deep depression. He rarely left the furnace, just continually working on one random thing after another with no sign of stopping.
"Then, one day, about a week after my mother's funeral. Me and my brother were walking out in the city trying to do what we could to deal with the grief of our mother. I remember hearing the sound of trampling hooves behind me. I quickly turned around to see a horse without a rider running straight for us. Instinct took over as I quickly pushed my brother out of the way. I barely managed to get him out of the way, but I wasn't so fortunate.
"One of the horse's hooves trampled over my leg, horribly injuring it. Though, admittedly it could have been a whole lot worse. Unable to get myself back home, Trelik quickly took me back to our house. There, dad saw my injuries, and helped Trelik take me to my bed. It was soon after that Trelik spoke to me for the first time since mom died, apologizing to me and telling me that he would make things right. Meanwhile my dad spent most of his waking hours dotting over me while I recover, trying to do all he could to make sure I made it through alright.
"I recovered from my injuries in only a couple of weeks time. Around that time, winter was beginning it's cold grasp on the land as spring breathed new air onto the land. With the farmers beginning to get ready for the new season, my father's blacksmith seemed to be finally regaining it's business. During this time, my father had decided to teach me the trade as way to spend time with me, as well as passing down the skills I need to carry-on his legacy.
"During the next couple of years, my father had taught me his craft. At some point during that time, he began to also make weapons and armor for the empire. After all, their soldiers could always use more armor and weapons, and that way we would never have to face a dreaded winter like that ever again. This did mean, however, that we usually had quite alot of work on our hands.
"During this time, I saw less and less of my younger brother. At times it would seem we would only see eachother every few days, and every time we did, I couldn't help feel he was becoming a completely different person. He always seemed to have a smug expression on his face as if he knew something I didn't. I never got to ask what was on his mind, never thought to ask back then. I wish I did.
"The year when I had turned 19, I was proving to become a confident blacksmith of my own. I was beginning to think I would one day be able to set up my own blacksmith. However that day would never come. You see... a few weeks after my nineteenth birthday, the soldiers came to inform me and my family that I have been drafted into the empires army. They gave me a single days notice before I would have to leave with them towards their training grounds. I guess the only reason why they didn't just immediately take me away was because they respected the work me and my father had done for them and wanted to give me adequate time to say my goodbyes.
"The next day proved to be among some of the hardest I had to live through. It wasn't easy thinking I would have to suddenly leave my family and home for some campaign I didn't really believe for at that time. I admit that a couple of times I thought about running away, but I knew full well that I couldn't. I mean, where would I have gone, and what would have happened to my family when the soldiers find out that I had taken advantage of their kindness. Instead, I had ended up spending most of that day helping my father fit a suit of armor for me. He wanted to do everything in his power to make sure that I would be able to come back home to him alive.
"On the day I had to leave, my father gave me one final gift. It was a shield that shoned with a brilliant silver he called Argetskul. Supposedly, it once belonged to a rider ancestor of mine and was passed down my family for generations. It was hard for me to believe that the shield was as old as he said, for the shield showed no sign of age. I thanked him for all the things he had done for me, before giving him my heartfelt goodbye.
"When the soldiers came to pick me up, Trelik asked if he could walk along with me for one final time as we headed towards the gate of the city. I guess the soldiers took pity on him as they allowed it. It was the first time in a long time we had spoken to each other like we use to. Then, when we had reached the gate, Trelik hugged me one last time before I left Belatona. It was the last time I saw my brother.
"It was several days before we would arrive at the training grounds. During this time, our group of recruits had grew bigger as other groups of recruits had combined with our own. There I had saw many different people from across the Empire. Some were older then me, alot more were younger then me, many of them fearful of what's to come. I couldn't say that I wasn't afraid of what the future would hold myself, but I did my best to keep a brave face.
"At the training fields, we were all tested in a sparing match so the empire could see where our skills lied and where we needed improving. One by one, I saw inexperience men enter one of the sparing circles. Few lasted any more then a couple of seconds, lucky that their opponent had been wielding practice weapons, and not the real things. It was soon my turn as I faced down my opponent. Unlike many of the other recruits, who mostly came from farming families, I was use to the weight of a weapon in my hand. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to have count for much.
"I must admit that I don't remember much about that fight. From what I do remember, sometime during the match I had lost my grip on my weapon and was forced to use my shield to protect myself from the oncoming assault. Then after what felt like hours, a stray blow had hit me over the head, knocking me unconscious.
"I woke up sometime later that day in the medical tent. All around me were several other recruits who had been injured during there sparring. That was actually where I met Iven. He was in the bed of mine, having pulled a muscle or something during his training session. He was the first one to speak to me, and he was the one who told me how I ended up there in the first place.
"We quickly found ourselves becoming good friend as we began to talk to each other about our lives before joining the empire army and what we thought the future would bring. It was during this time that I had found out that Ivan had come from a long line of warriors and had voluntarily joined the Empire army in order to prove himself. I must admit that it did came to a shock to me how anybody would willingly join the Empire's army, but I didn't say anything about it. Especially not when he had volunteered to help me get better in battle.
So for the following weeks during what little free time we had, Ivan and I had spared amongst ourselves in order to help me improve my skills. It was during this time I found myself preferring the use of a spear then any other weapon as it allowed me to reach my enemies at a safe range. It was also a weapon that I found to be easier to wield in my plate armor as it didn't require all the precise movement that a sword did. That's not to say I didn't practice with any other weapon, quite the opposite actually. I found myself gaining proficiency with many different types of weapons that were commonly used by the Empire. In fact, I think the only weapon I never really gotten the hang of was the bow, but I'm getting ahead of myself there."
"After a few weeks, our sparing matches began to get more and more complex as we tried our best to out do each other. They even began to form small crowds that would cheer us on, and I could swear that a few recruits even placed bets on who would win. Then, one day, we found out that our sparing match had caught the attention of a commander who had come that day to check on the progress the recruits were making. After our battle, the commander introduced himself as Commander Stryker, and told us that he was impressed at the amount of skill and promise we both had shown during our match. He then offered us a chance to join his squad, telling us that we would only end up wasting our time in the training camp and he would be able to help us push our skills further.
"I must admit that I was abit sceptical about joining this squad. I mean, why wouldn't I? I had little who Commander Stryker was, nor did I have any idea what his squad is. That's not even mentioning the fact that I was still afraid of actually going out on the field. Yet, with some encouragement from Iven, we both agreed.
"The next day, we had packed our stuff and headed off to where Commander Stryker's squad had set camp. I still remember how shaken up inside I was at the thought that I was actually going to war. The thought that from now on all the fights I was going to fight were not going to be simple sparring matches, but instead were a matter of life or death. At very least, I took solace in the fact that I wasn't going to be fighting in the front lines.
"We had reached the camp at sundown and I was amazed at the fact how small the squad actually was. Besides Commander Stryker, Iven, and myself, it was only five man strong. I soon learned that our squad was not tasked to fight in a war, but instead was meant to help keep the peace within The Empires borders.
"My first mission was about a month after I had initially joined the squad. In that time, I had gotten to know everyone in the squad better, especially Commander Stryker. You see, he had decided to take upon himself to teach me the basics on mounted combat. He said that with my armor and weapon preference, that being able to fight on a mount would prove to be indispensable to me. So he gave me a steed, Cyrus, and began to train me.
"Now, my first mission was for us to go to investigate some recent Urgal sightings at a nearby town. When we had arrived however, we found the town in progress of being raided by the beast. We could hear screams of agony all around as we engaged the Urgals. While a majority of the battle is a blur to me, I still remember clearly when I had taken my first life. I charged on horseback into the thick of combat, and in a strange mixture of fear, anger, and adrenaline, I speared through the heart of an Urgal.
"I had no chance to think about my first kill, as I was soon forced into combat with another Urgal. Then another. Ane then another. My armor proved that day to be an invaluable asset as it had saved me from blows that could, and probably would, have killed me.
"It wasn't long before we had managed to win the day. The ground littered with corpses of the Urgals, but fortunately, none of our squad had died with them. The people of the village gave us thanks, and offered us to stay as they have a feast in our honor. However, Stryker had politely refused their offer as we were forced on our way.
"During the next five years, this became my new life. We would always from one place to another, protecting the people from threats that they themselves were incapable of protecting themselves from. During our free time, we would entertain ourselves through various of different ways while also teaching the others useful skills that could prove to keep them alive. For example, the mage of our group at the time, Dren, had taught us how to defend our thoughts from another, and it soon became a game of sorts to see who could last the longest during his assault. Another time, I had taught our squad ways to help take better care of their armor and equipment so that it'll be in the best condition before battle.
"Yet, just because times seemed to be good, it didn't mean we hadn't gone through some bad times as well. We've lost a good couple of groups during that time. There was Delve, the mage I had mentioned earlier, had ended up being taking out by a bandit during the same battle that had earned me the scar on my cheek. Fuse, one of our old archers, had lost his life as he dueled against another archer. And Kline who had thrown himself in front of a javelin to save Iven's life." Morrow paused as he reflected on each life lost.
"On the bright side though, this was the time we had recruited several new people to the squad. One such person is Sorna over there. I must say, it was kind of odd seeing a woman in the Empires Army when I had first met her, but I quickly changed my mind as I saw her skill with a bow. And trust me when I say that while she may seem to be loud, often bragging about her skills, she has a cold and calculated side you don't want to mess with. Iven had learned that the hard way.
"Then there were the twin, Rhys and Forra. Unlike the rest of us, they aren't officially apart of the army, but instead had assimilated into our squad when we had rescued them from an Urgal raid. This proved to be an asset to us as they both turned out to be budding sorcerers, both capable of using the power of spirits to cast magic spells. However, they both have chosen to specialize in two different things. Rhys prefers to stick with magic that protects and heals people, while Forra prefers to use magic to kill and maim. And while one might say that having sorcerers in your vicinity is dangerous, they both have saved out lives quite a few times, and we wouldn't still be here without them.
"So, you want to know about my past huh? I have no clue why you would ask for such a thing, it's nothin' all to special. But since you ask, I guess I might as well tell it to you.
"Twenty-five years ago, I was born to a amateur blacksmith and his loving wife. We lived in Belatona, a city that's just south of Lenora Lake. My early childhood remain mostly uneventful til around my sixth birthday, when my younger brother Trelik was born. Needless to say, everyone in my family was happy and everything seemed to be going our way. Yet things like that never truly last.
"One particular winter when I was only twelve years old hit my family hard. My dad couldn't get any business for his blacksmithing. Normally this wouldn't be to much a problem. After all, most of his business at that time were farmers who needed there tools fixed or replace, with the rare request to either make a new weapon for or to build horseshoes for a traveler or trader. Yet with barely any money coming in, we couldn't afford to take her to a healer when she got deathly ill. That stickler... We tried everything we could, but in the end, she pasted into the world beyond this one." Morrow paused for a moment as he mumbled something incoherently.
"I'm sorry. That memory is like an old scar that never healed properly. It still pains me greatly to this day just thinking about it. She was one of the kindest women one would ever meet and her death was hard on all of us. My brother became alot more shy and reclusive, refusing to even say a word to anyone for quite some time. While my father entered a deep depression. He rarely left the furnace, just continually working on one random thing after another with no sign of stopping.
"Then, one day, about a week after my mother's funeral. Me and my brother were walking out in the city trying to do what we could to deal with the grief of our mother. I remember hearing the sound of trampling hooves behind me. I quickly turned around to see a horse without a rider running straight for us. Instinct took over as I quickly pushed my brother out of the way. I barely managed to get him out of the way, but I wasn't so fortunate.
"One of the horse's hooves trampled over my leg, horribly injuring it. Though, admittedly it could have been a whole lot worse. Unable to get myself back home, Trelik quickly took me back to our house. There, dad saw my injuries, and helped Trelik take me to my bed. It was soon after that Trelik spoke to me for the first time since mom died, apologizing to me and telling me that he would make things right. Meanwhile my dad spent most of his waking hours dotting over me while I recover, trying to do all he could to make sure I made it through alright.
"I recovered from my injuries in only a couple of weeks time. Around that time, winter was beginning it's cold grasp on the land as spring breathed new air onto the land. With the farmers beginning to get ready for the new season, my father's blacksmith seemed to be finally regaining it's business. During this time, my father had decided to teach me the trade as way to spend time with me, as well as passing down the skills I need to carry-on his legacy.
"During the next couple of years, my father had taught me his craft. At some point during that time, he began to also make weapons and armor for the empire. After all, their soldiers could always use more armor and weapons, and that way we would never have to face a dreaded winter like that ever again. This did mean, however, that we usually had quite alot of work on our hands.
"During this time, I saw less and less of my younger brother. At times it would seem we would only see eachother every few days, and every time we did, I couldn't help feel he was becoming a completely different person. He always seemed to have a smug expression on his face as if he knew something I didn't. I never got to ask what was on his mind, never thought to ask back then. I wish I did.
"The year when I had turned 19, I was proving to become a confident blacksmith of my own. I was beginning to think I would one day be able to set up my own blacksmith. However that day would never come. You see... a few weeks after my nineteenth birthday, the soldiers came to inform me and my family that I have been drafted into the empires army. They gave me a single days notice before I would have to leave with them towards their training grounds. I guess the only reason why they didn't just immediately take me away was because they respected the work me and my father had done for them and wanted to give me adequate time to say my goodbyes.
"The next day proved to be among some of the hardest I had to live through. It wasn't easy thinking I would have to suddenly leave my family and home for some campaign I didn't really believe for at that time. I admit that a couple of times I thought about running away, but I knew full well that I couldn't. I mean, where would I have gone, and what would have happened to my family when the soldiers find out that I had taken advantage of their kindness. Instead, I had ended up spending most of that day helping my father fit a suit of armor for me. He wanted to do everything in his power to make sure that I would be able to come back home to him alive.
"On the day I had to leave, my father gave me one final gift. It was a shield that shoned with a brilliant silver he called Argetskul. Supposedly, it once belonged to a rider ancestor of mine and was passed down my family for generations. It was hard for me to believe that the shield was as old as he said, for the shield showed no sign of age. I thanked him for all the things he had done for me, before giving him my heartfelt goodbye.
"When the soldiers came to pick me up, Trelik asked if he could walk along with me for one final time as we headed towards the gate of the city. I guess the soldiers took pity on him as they allowed it. It was the first time in a long time we had spoken to each other like we use to. Then, when we had reached the gate, Trelik hugged me one last time before I left Belatona. It was the last time I saw my brother.
"It was several days before we would arrive at the training grounds. During this time, our group of recruits had grew bigger as other groups of recruits had combined with our own. There I had saw many different people from across the Empire. Some were older then me, alot more were younger then me, many of them fearful of what's to come. I couldn't say that I wasn't afraid of what the future would hold myself, but I did my best to keep a brave face.
"At the training fields, we were all tested in a sparing match so the empire could see where our skills lied and where we needed improving. One by one, I saw inexperience men enter one of the sparing circles. Few lasted any more then a couple of seconds, lucky that their opponent had been wielding practice weapons, and not the real things. It was soon my turn as I faced down my opponent. Unlike many of the other recruits, who mostly came from farming families, I was use to the weight of a weapon in my hand. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to have count for much.
"I must admit that I don't remember much about that fight. From what I do remember, sometime during the match I had lost my grip on my weapon and was forced to use my shield to protect myself from the oncoming assault. Then after what felt like hours, a stray blow had hit me over the head, knocking me unconscious.
"I woke up sometime later that day in the medical tent. All around me were several other recruits who had been injured during there sparring. That was actually where I met Iven. He was in the bed of mine, having pulled a muscle or something during his training session. He was the first one to speak to me, and he was the one who told me how I ended up there in the first place.
"We quickly found ourselves becoming good friend as we began to talk to each other about our lives before joining the empire army and what we thought the future would bring. It was during this time that I had found out that Ivan had come from a long line of warriors and had voluntarily joined the Empire army in order to prove himself. I must admit that it did came to a shock to me how anybody would willingly join the Empire's army, but I didn't say anything about it. Especially not when he had volunteered to help me get better in battle.
So for the following weeks during what little free time we had, Ivan and I had spared amongst ourselves in order to help me improve my skills. It was during this time I found myself preferring the use of a spear then any other weapon as it allowed me to reach my enemies at a safe range. It was also a weapon that I found to be easier to wield in my plate armor as it didn't require all the precise movement that a sword did. That's not to say I didn't practice with any other weapon, quite the opposite actually. I found myself gaining proficiency with many different types of weapons that were commonly used by the Empire. In fact, I think the only weapon I never really gotten the hang of was the bow, but I'm getting ahead of myself there."
"After a few weeks, our sparing matches began to get more and more complex as we tried our best to out do each other. They even began to form small crowds that would cheer us on, and I could swear that a few recruits even placed bets on who would win. Then, one day, we found out that our sparing match had caught the attention of a commander who had come that day to check on the progress the recruits were making. After our battle, the commander introduced himself as Commander Stryker, and told us that he was impressed at the amount of skill and promise we both had shown during our match. He then offered us a chance to join his squad, telling us that we would only end up wasting our time in the training camp and he would be able to help us push our skills further.
"I must admit that I was abit sceptical about joining this squad. I mean, why wouldn't I? I had little who Commander Stryker was, nor did I have any idea what his squad is. That's not even mentioning the fact that I was still afraid of actually going out on the field. Yet, with some encouragement from Iven, we both agreed.
"The next day, we had packed our stuff and headed off to where Commander Stryker's squad had set camp. I still remember how shaken up inside I was at the thought that I was actually going to war. The thought that from now on all the fights I was going to fight were not going to be simple sparring matches, but instead were a matter of life or death. At very least, I took solace in the fact that I wasn't going to be fighting in the front lines.
"We had reached the camp at sundown and I was amazed at the fact how small the squad actually was. Besides Commander Stryker, Iven, and myself, it was only five man strong. I soon learned that our squad was not tasked to fight in a war, but instead was meant to help keep the peace within The Empires borders.
"My first mission was about a month after I had initially joined the squad. In that time, I had gotten to know everyone in the squad better, especially Commander Stryker. You see, he had decided to take upon himself to teach me the basics on mounted combat. He said that with my armor and weapon preference, that being able to fight on a mount would prove to be indispensable to me. So he gave me a steed, Cyrus, and began to train me.
"Now, my first mission was for us to go to investigate some recent Urgal sightings at a nearby town. When we had arrived however, we found the town in progress of being raided by the beast. We could hear screams of agony all around as we engaged the Urgals. While a majority of the battle is a blur to me, I still remember clearly when I had taken my first life. I charged on horseback into the thick of combat, and in a strange mixture of fear, anger, and adrenaline, I speared through the heart of an Urgal.
"I had no chance to think about my first kill, as I was soon forced into combat with another Urgal. Then another. Ane then another. My armor proved that day to be an invaluable asset as it had saved me from blows that could, and probably would, have killed me.
"It wasn't long before we had managed to win the day. The ground littered with corpses of the Urgals, but fortunately, none of our squad had died with them. The people of the village gave us thanks, and offered us to stay as they have a feast in our honor. However, Stryker had politely refused their offer as we were forced on our way.
"During the next five years, this became my new life. We would always from one place to another, protecting the people from threats that they themselves were incapable of protecting themselves from. During our free time, we would entertain ourselves through various of different ways while also teaching the others useful skills that could prove to keep them alive. For example, the mage of our group at the time, Dren, had taught us how to defend our thoughts from another, and it soon became a game of sorts to see who could last the longest during his assault. Another time, I had taught our squad ways to help take better care of their armor and equipment so that it'll be in the best condition before battle.
"Yet, just because times seemed to be good, it didn't mean we hadn't gone through some bad times as well. We've lost a good couple of groups during that time. There was Delve, the mage I had mentioned earlier, had ended up being taking out by a bandit during the same battle that had earned me the scar on my cheek. Fuse, one of our old archers, had lost his life as he dueled against another archer. And Kline who had thrown himself in front of a javelin to save Iven's life." Morrow paused as he reflected on each life lost.
"On the bright side though, this was the time we had recruited several new people to the squad. One such person is Sorna over there. I must say, it was kind of odd seeing a woman in the Empires Army when I had first met her, but I quickly changed my mind as I saw her skill with a bow. And trust me when I say that while she may seem to be loud, often bragging about her skills, she has a cold and calculated side you don't want to mess with. Iven had learned that the hard way.
"Then there were the twin, Rhys and Forra. Unlike the rest of us, they aren't officially apart of the army, but instead had assimilated into our squad when we had rescued them from an Urgal raid. This proved to be an asset to us as they both turned out to be budding sorcerers, both capable of using the power of spirits to cast magic spells. However, they both have chosen to specialize in two different things. Rhys prefers to stick with magic that protects and heals people, while Forra prefers to use magic to kill and maim. And while one might say that having sorcerers in your vicinity is dangerous, they both have saved out lives quite a few times, and we wouldn't still be here without them.