De mortuis nil nisi bonum.
I don’t know why I feel compelled to write down my life; maybe it will help Zym, maybe it will help me, but it must be told.
At the age of ten, Ronyá was on a fishing trip with his father. On their return, they found an orc war party outside of their village. Dad was part of the town guard, and sent his son to get aid as he went to alert the village, but the orcs killed almost everyone. Ronyá went to Eliastraee’s temple for help; they came, but were too late. Ronyá found his dad headless.
He went to live at the temple. One of the drow priestesses took him in like a son; she also had a son that was a toddler. She taught Ronyá the language of Undercommon, and how to survive. Everything was good for five years. He learned to be a fighter, he frolicked, he fished, and he also grew attached to Zym, Shandel’s true son. Then, horror came back into his life.
One day while he and Zym were fishing, the orc war band attacked the temple. When they returned, they found the temple on fire. Ronyá hid Zym, then ran into the burning temple. Yelling for Shandel, he navigated the burning halls to get to the sanctuary. There, what he found still wakes him from his sleep in cold sweats.
Upon entering the chamber, he saw slaughtered men, women, and children all about, some burning, some headless. The altar was desecrated. He yelled out, “Shandel!” ...no one answered. He yelled, “Eilistraee, help me!” then heard a groan coming from near the altar.
He went over to the corner, only to see Shandel, the one he called Mother for years, lying with her gut slashed open, her entrails falling out, trying to call to him. Ronyá rushed to her side, not knowing what to do.
“Ronyá... you are safe. Where is Zym?”
“He is hiding,” replied Ronyá.
“Keep him safe.....” she said, as the life oozed out of her body. “Love, laugh, and live,” said the holy symbol on her neck. Ronyá took that symbol and rushed to Zym as the fire engulfed the temple.
As Ronyá emerged from the inferno of what used to be the temple, Zym was standing there, looking at an orc that was about to cut him down. He yelled, “Ronyá!” With that, Ronyá leaped at the orc in an instant. He pulled his kukri and slashed the throat of the orc. Dropping his axe and clutching his throat, the orc dropped to his knees. Ronyá stood and watched as the orc bled to death. Zym also watched the orc.
Ronyá looked the dead orc over; he found a symbol on his tunic and memorized it. Then, Ronyá grabbed Zym and ran to their safe place, a cave in the hills close to the temple. There they spent the night. Neither could sleep, so they talked. They have never told anyone what was said. In the morning, they set off to find the carriers of the symbol.
Ronyá hires himself out as a mercenary.
Character sheet: Ronyá [Human Fighter]
Zym [Half-Drow Child]
Cause of deaths: Newly recruited into Pommeville’s town guard.