Kellan

Past...

Kellan was not well liked growing up. He was born a peasant, the eldest of four, but unlike the rest of his half-siblings, it was no secret that Kellan's father had been an elf. He and his poor family lived in a large but poor town, nutorious for being more like a mass slum than a proper city. It was also to the far southeast of the continent, and the closest human settlement to the Darklands. Because of this, fear, mistrust, and suspicion for any race not human was all too prevalent. And Kellan, being half elf, was frequently subject to verbal and sometimes physical abuse. His mother, the only one to accept him for who he was, stood up in his defence as best she could, but Kellan's childhood was still a miserable and lonely one.

Due to the discrimination, Kellan was unable to find employment, and with his siblings all too young to work either, Kellan decided to look after his family in other ways. Close to the city was a small forest, a place very many refused to enter due to the rumours and ghost stories surrounding it, but Kellan was willing to risk the danger in his desperation to find some sort of food for his family. He found an old bow and hunting knife, which had supposedly belonged to the father he had never met, and set out at dawn. His first day was unsucessful, but Kellan was determined to keep trying. He hunted in the forest every day, and sometimes luck was with him and he managed to catch a rabbit or bird to bring back to his family. Over time, however, his catches were often not of luck, but skill, as he eventually learned how to effectively track game and use his weapons.

But hunting wasn't always enough, especially in winter. It was proving a near impossible task for Kellan alone to feed his mother and four younger siblings. One year a bitter winter brought famine to the slums, and even with his growing skill, Kellan was hardly able to bring back any food. And despite the fact he was utterly powerless to do anything, Kellan still blamed himself when his youngest sibling, still an infant, died from hunger. Desperate now, Kellan decided he had no choice but to resort to thievery as well as hunting. At first he only stole small things that wouldn't be missed, but over time he became more confident in his ability and stole more valuable items, sometimes even taking gold from the pockets of unsuspecting people. He knew it was dishonest work, but it was nessessary.

Kellan fell into the habit of hunting by day and thieving by night, and he was eventually able to sustain his family. At the very least, enough to stop them from dying. As well as this, his brother, Jarin, was also old enough to start working in the town's coal mines. Secretly, Kellan was glad that Jarin was out of the house more. He and his brother never got along well, although Kellan tried, but he knew that Jarin hated him for the bad name he had brought to the family.

A life changing encounter...

One evenening, when Kellan was out hunting in the woods as usual, he was about to pack up and head home when he heard a loud rustling. Thinking it was some large game such as a deer, Kellan headed toward the source of the sound. What he found instead was ceratinly no deer. It was, in fact, a dragon.

Frightened, yet also curious, Kellan cautiously approached the beast, and noticed it was wounded. It seemed unable to stand, thanks to a large, deep scar that ran from it's wing down to it's front leg, and it looked fresh. Kellan realised that it must be difficult for it to move, let alone hunt. After some hesitation, he laid a portion of his catch a short distance away from the dragon, who devoured it quickly. And then, to Kellan's surprise, the dragon spoke. It revealed it's name to be Brink, and thanked Kellan for his generosity. Night was falling quickly however, and as much as he would have liked to stay and talk to a dragon, Kellan had to hurry home. He returned the next day though, and the next, and the next. Each time the two talked, and Kellan shared food with the still healing Brink when he could afford it. Over time, the two became close friends.

But Kellan had to be very careful when visiting Brink. An elf would be hated by the townsfolk, but still begrudginly tolerated. A dragon would be killed on sight. Because of this, Kellan would try to make sure he wasn't spotted or followed when he left to go to the forest. Over time, however, he began to grow overconfident. And Jarin, in turn, grew suspicious. It was this suspicion that one day led Jarin to follow Kellan deep into the woods, where he caught his brother talking to Brink. Rather than confronting Kellan, Jarin ran off before he was spotted, and sent word to the city guard.

Both Kellan and Brink were caught completely unaware when a patrol of guards burst into the clearing, charging into battle without hesitation. Brink and Kellan were able to hold their own for a while, but they were unprepared and majorly outnumbered. Kellan was eventually hit, impaled by a guard's spear. By the time Brink had fought off the last of their attackers, Kellan had passed out, and was quickly loosing blood.

Brink knew that Kellan would die if something wasn't done quickly, and there was only one thing he knew of that he could do. Reluctantly, though without hesitation, Brink formed a Dragonblood bond with his dying friend, therefore sharing his strength enough to save Kellan's life.

Kellan eventually regained conciousness, and spent the rest of the day recovering with Brink, until he finally decided that he had to go home. With his hair he covered his right eye, hiding the tattoo that was created by the bond, and went back to town. He was not greeted warmly, however. Jarin was furious that Kellan wasn't dead or behind bars. And their mother, having heard Jarin's news about Brink, wasn't happy either. But when she noticed her son's changed eyes, and spotted the tattoo, recognising it as the mark of an accursed Dragonblood, she lost it. She told Kellan to leave and never come back.

Kellan ran. He ran all the way back to the forest, back to Brink, and cried to his friend. After a long while he calmed down, and that was when Brink offered him an idea. They could leave. Just them, two friends, they could travel the world together. Kellan may have lost his family, but he still had his best friend. His new brother.

Kellan happily agreed.

Adventuring days...

...