A Bitter End

Orek was once a great adventurer; constantly roaming the realms in search of knowledge. From the Whitefang mountains of the north to the barren, windswept deserts of the southwest, Orek wanted to see it all. He was a wizard, you see - searching for ancient texts and spells lost to time. But one fateful encounter left them changed forever. Upon finding an ancient temple in the Saltmarsh swamp, he stumbled upon a hidden library filled with knowledge. Exuberant at their findings, Orek began stuffing every mouldering tome he could fit into his enchanted bag. But the temple's guardian was none too pleased to discover their pilfering... she wanted to keep the ancient knowledge and power stored in those books, scrolls, artefacts all to herself. She slunk along in the shadows and observed Orek for some time. When she realised what they were doing, the guardian burst forth into the dimly lit temple and stood tall above him. "I am Veda," she boomed. "Guardian of this temple and the knowledge within. Leave this place, foul thing. These tomes are not meant for the living."

Frightened by her large stature, Orek agreed to leave. But they weren't entirely honest with Veda - in his bag remained the knowledge he had stolen. Armed with powers beyond Orek's comprehension, Veda sensed the magic in his bag and knew that he had not heeded her warning, The guardian let out a mighty shriek and mounted an attack against Orek. The battle was hard-fought, but Orek was no match for his fearsome foe. Using both her physical strength and magical abilities, Veda vanquished the magical thief. As one last lesson, she placed a curse on Orek so that he may rise again after his defeat and live on in skeletal form - he suffers an immortal life; their mind a prisoner to Veda and his soul at her beck and call. Orek searches for a way to break this curse so that he might know peace in the afterlife, and escape their eternal foe.