Character Introductions

Melkor comes from a long line of wanderers. His parents, whom he has never named, were part of a group of merchant gypsies who constantly moved from place to place. Melkor heard stories of warfare and acts of valor from the group's bard, Gorath, and from that point on had a fascination with glory. At an early age, Melkor began showing signs of magic use, and also excelled in crafting armor with the smith, Kernadt. Melkor enjoyed his life as he knew it until the age of around 14, when everything changed.

After a day of hunting to feed the group, Melkor returned to find the train of wagons the wanderers called home pillaged, the inhabitants dead. Melkor's parents, Kernadt, Gorath - all killed. Melkor, incensed, moved cautiously forward along the path, following tracks left by the presumed raiders. Melkor finally stumbled upon an encampment of about a dozen orcs, all sorting the loot from the rovers. Melkor's rage finally grew to a breaking point, and his sorcerous abilities exploded out of him in an inexplicable wave of pure rage, startling both Melkor and the orcs. Empowered by this feeling, Melkor slaughtered the orcs using his magic abilities, making sure none were left alive for the atrocity they committed.

Melkor, both afraid of his newfound power and ambitious as to where it could lead him, decided to go to the nearby city and enroll in the military academy he had seen when passing by the previous day. Using the money looted by the orcs, Melkor paid his way through the academy, learning to refine his magic into powerfully destructive works of magic. After 5 years, Melkor determined that he had learned enough of his abilities to return to the world, to wander once more and find his own path to glory.

Backstory: Carol Ann was born to the wood elf Deiknor Malistacia (Starpath) and the human Lenora Malistacia. When Carol Ann was twelve, Deiknor begrudgingly left her and her mother in hopes that Lenora, who was growing depressed because she was no longer as beautiful and youthful as her husband, would find love and happiness with a human husband. Two years later, Lenora married the human Jacob Mason. While her mother was now happier than she had been for years, Carol Ann resented Lenora for being so weak and felt alone without a father to guide her in the elven ways. Lenora tried her best to give Carol Ann a normal human life; however, the dull town she lived in did not satisfy Carol Ann’s curiosity. When Carol Ann turned nineteen, she announced that she was moving to a nearby city to become an animal handler. Lenora greatly approved of this sudden change of heart and sent Carol Ann off, asking her to visit come the spring season. Carol Ann left for the city, where she used her meager savings to gain basic supplies and a bow. She immediately changed her name from Carol Ann to Kiryan, following the elven tradition of self-naming, and began searching for a group to travel with.
She became a ranger to grow closer to the natural world that elves adore and to stay mostly out of human society. Currently, she is 27, and she has gained some knowledge and skills. She occasionally checks in on her mother; however, she doesn’t speak of her life of adventuring. Kiryan has the motivation needed to be a ranger, yet she lacks finesse and can be both extremely talented and rather klutzy. She is not incredibly strong either, due to years spent learning to be delicate. She desires to find her father again, though she is uncertain of how she would feel upon finding him. Kiryan also disagrees with many views in the human society she was born into, as the traditions push young girls to become ladies, instead of living lives of adventure. While she attempts to befriend elves for their teachings, Kiryan finds that her closest friends are half-elves and sympathetic humans, usually also choosing to wander outside of human society. She is only considered neutral good because, while she holds little respect for human authorities, she regards elven tradition as law.