Tzatziki

Backstory

Born on the 10th of Nightal, Tzatziki had a relatively stable childhood, fortunate to have been born in a period where their community experienced much growth and flourishing. Tzatziki is notoriously known amongst the members of his tribe as a bit of a fool. "As sharp as a soft boiled egg," they'd say about him. Despite his wavering intelligence, he is beloved by many. Always well intended, Tzatziki is willing to help all those in need to the best of his capabilities. When Tzatziki became an adult at the age of 3, he was officially taken on as an acolyte for Lathander. Following his father and those before him, he carries out his duties as a Dawnbringer with dignity.

Then, everything changed when the fire cultists attacked. On an unsuspecting night, the cultists raided the village and set the entire area ablaze. The aarakocra's that tried to fly away were ambushed and shot from the sky. Alerted by the noise, Tzatziki's parents ordered him to hide and protect his little brother before they took off into the battleground. Amidst the chaos, Tzatziki managed to hide his little brother behind some large rocks. From this vantage point, he could see the village being torn down, the high built wooden structures going up in flames before falling and crushing everything that lies beneath it. It didn't take long before the temple of Lathander began to emit dark smoke clouds in the distance.  

Against better judgement, Tzatziki rushes to the site to help out. Barely managing to out-manoeuvre flaming arrows targeting him, he reaches the temple when the first foundations of the framework had started to collapse. He soon finds there isn't much to salvage. The charred bodies of fellow Dawnbringers lay lifeless on the floor. In the middle of the floor stands an unfamiliar horned figure, in its hand a gleaming dagger, the other hand clutching a head with a mutilated face Tzatziki could barely recognize as his father's. Before he could react, the body of his father caught fire in an instant before the horned figure tossed it aside. The flames inside the temple roared high as the figure turned to face Tzatziki, the fire and smoke masking its face. Just as Tzatziki starts to rush in to attack, the roof caves in, stopping him in his tracks and forcing him to flee the site before the entire temple collapsed in on itself. 

What happened after the collapse of the temple remains hazy in Tzatziki's memories. He recalls hearing people in the distance calling out to retreat, the vision in his eyes blurry and spinning. Soon after, he would find himself fainting and falling to the ground. When he came to the next morning, he was already being cared for by a few surviving Dawnbringers. He learned that their assailants retreated that night when the forest surrounding their village was properly set ablaze. Miraculously, Tzatziki walked away that night with a few burn wounds, a bruised leg, a contused wing and a minor head injury. He soon came to know his family suffered a worse fate. His mother died in battle, much like his father. The shock only deepened further when Tzatziki couldn't find his younger brother at the spot where he had hid him. When he could not be located after 3 days, they presumed he had perished in the fire as well.

While recovering from his injuries, Tzatziki tried tending to as many people's wounds as he could. He tried to keep himself busy helping the others in his tribe, yet he still felt restless and unfulfilled. The feeling of unrest weighed heavily on him to the point of him being unable to sleep at night. After a particular harrowing nightmare about his little brother, he woke up in cold sweat and tears. At the break of dawn, Tzatziki conveyed his sorrow and frustrations in his prayer to Lathander, practically begging him for guidance. As if by design, the clouds cleared and revealed the first ray of sunlight. It shone brightly on a single surviving sapling; the one he had planted with his little brother. This sight transformed the pain within Tzatziki to a new found determination to seek out revenge on those who have once again destroyed his home and killed his loved ones.  

Tzatziki is headed to Red Larch after catching wind about an increase of unruly activities around Slumber Hills. He's hoping to prevent any further assaults in the area and possibly learn more about the people who were responsible for the attack on his home.