Where to begin....

I could tell you of my youth ....... but that was so long ago. I was born in the North, I can almost even remember my parents’ names. I must have been about 3 or 4 when my tribe was slaughtered. Drow poured down on my people without warning from every direction, with spell and sword. My people where unprepared, but fought to the end. My mother was one of the first to fall, with her last efforts she tried to hide me underneath her body to escape the horror.

Pinned as I was I was forced to watch the brutality. To this day I can see no reason for the attack. I swear I heard laughter in their cruel voices as they destroyed my people. Yes it had to be that, for there was a evil smirk on the face of the one who picked me up; with a wave of her hand I was unconscious.

Some time later I awoke in a dark and horrible land. I was a prisoner, along with many others of different races; all where about my age. On occasion they gave us food, but mostly they kicked and abused us. After a few weeks, I and some of the others that survived where taken through a portal of some kind, and the darkness we had become so used to was vanquished by brilliant light. Before I could adjust to the quick change, I found I was in chains. A Halfling had purchased me in a slave market. I soon learned his name was Philian, and I also learned he was the cruelest creature to ever walk the world.

Philian purchased me to join his troupe of fighters for pit fights in Calimsport. I was taken to his home and placed in the ‘training room’ with 4 others that he purchased. It was a large octagon with 20’ walls and cages above. Philian ordered us to fight, and that only one will be allowed to live. I was nearly knocked off my feet before I responded; it was a quick and violent battle. The elf girl killed the dwarf and human boy in seconds, then turned on me as I came out of the stunned feeling from the shot she gave me to the back of my head to start the whole thing off. She was strong and nimble, and to this day I can only wonder if I was better off for winning this fight or not. Time will tell.

Soon after I was put into a underground complex that was the housing for Philian’s fighters. There were about 30 of us, ages and races varied, but they where hardened fighters. One thing will never leave my mind, the look of sadness they had when I arrived, for they knew the path my life would follow.

Most of them had no time for me, not expecting me to survive, why should they bother getting to know me? One man did, a nearly-blind Dwarf by the name of Dorin. The two of us soon became the closest of friends, and often fought together in the arena. In truth there was an alliance of four; we stuck together and kept each other alive. Gauset was a male Human, and Liace, a female Moon Elf, completed our group. But Dorin was my closest friend, he taught me to fight as his people did, he taught me the tactics of the arena and how to survive the politics of the battles too.

One day, many years later, we had traveled to a large place to take part in a festival of battles. This large complex held hundreds of warriors of every size and shape. It was here that Liace found our way to freedom. She found what must have been a forgotten trap door in the practice arena, and she also had the plan. One day when there was about 100 of us in this arena getting ready for the day’s fights, She opened the door, and we all made a break for our freedom. Liace said with so many escaping we had a better chance, and besides we had our weapons and armor and it could be our only chance for freedom.

This door was not forgotten by the slave owners, they kept creatures there to make sure no one would escape. They didn’t plan on our numbers though. Into the tunnels we went, fighting at every corner, I kept Dorin by my side. Liace and Gauset where ahead of us. We must have been in part of the sewer systems for the tunnels led us out into many areas of a market. It was the market that seperated us, it was a new chaos that I had never imagined. Gauset took advantage of the confusion and led us out of the town, along with a few pouches of gold that he liberated on the way too.

After reaching the edge of town, we decided to seperate and try to return to our homes. We all took Dorin to his people in the Great Rift first, then headed out on our own. It has been nearly two months and I still am not sure if I am going the right way. I miss Dorin and my friends. I wonder if I will ever see them again.

Character sheet: Kor’tac [Mountain Orc Fighter]

Cause of death: really big explosion.