Life Story
Page 1
Heinrico's father was born in a hidden elven village in the northern reaches of the continent of Valeon and lived his life as a roving hunter. With the opening of the Abyss, the continent was thrown into turmoil. Seeking safer lands, he made his way south, and yet further south until, finally, he escaped the cursed continent by ship and reached a new land across the sea.
The land was green and fair, its people radiant with life and vitality. To his weary eyes, hardened by his journey across the blasted continent, it shone with a brilliance almost painful to behold. In the heart of the ancient forest, he beheld a human woman, and love, swift and deep, took hold of his heart. And in the fullness of time, Heinrico was born into the world.
His mother saw that her son was guided in the knowledge of the wilderness, teaching him the deep, vital secrets of how to flourish beneath the jungle canopy: the diverse forms and behaviors of the animals, the flowering plants, and the creeping insects; the sacred methods for the full use of all collected bounty; and the perilous knowledge of which gave nourishment, and which held poison. From his father Heinrico learned the bow, treading the deep woods, foraging and taking prey in the wild, thereby making his parents' teachings a part of his own flesh and blood.
Just when Heinrico thought he had come to know the forest of his birth completely, his mother died. He had known that the lifespan of a human was dreadfully short. Yet it was then, through the full weight of experience, that he truly came to understand.
Page 2
After the passing of his mother, his father resumed his travels, taking Heinrico with him.
"Travel, too, shall show you the means by which life is to be met and mastered."
Heinrico, who had grown up listening to his father's tales of distant lands and daring exploits, nodded eagerly, his eyes shining with excitement.
His father saw that his son was guided in the knowledge of living among others: the distinctions of race, the structures of rank and occupation, comprehend the mechanisms of society, and the ways to steer clear of unnecessary disputes. He taught him to carry himself so that none might underestimate him, reveal no weakness, make no needless enemies, and offer help to others when it was required.
As he journeyed with his father, Heinrico steadily absorbed the subtleties of dealing with others, until the lessons became a part of his flesh and blood. The skill with the bow that he had cultivated since his days wandering the woods had now grown keen and precise, a steady hand honed by years of practice. With his considerable skill, cheerful disposition, and extensive knowledge, Heinrico could get along well with everyone he encountered, no matter where his travels took him.
Yet he always held himself apart, never seeking to involve himself more than necessary in the tangled affairs of the world of humans. For he knew all too well the brevity of human life.
Page 3
Heinrico carried himself as a cheerful and kind-hearted traveler. If there was someone lost in the woods, he would gather food to share with them and lend his aid in finding their way once more. If there was someone headed in the same direction, he would entertain them with stories, exchange news and information, and part with laughter, promising that they would aid one another should their paths cross again.
Sometimes he followed strange and unfamiliar animals for days on end, watching their movements carefully before making his approach to hunt. Sometimes he found himself drawn into conflict with brigands, compelled to fight by necessity rather than desire. Through it all, he navigated each with skill and grace, always ensuring his survival.
Before he knew it, Heinrico was no longer the pupil of his father's teachings, but supporting his aging parent.
Attending to his father, who had eventually succumbed to his age and become confined to his bed, Heinrich said, "I can thrive in forest or town alike. I owe that to my old man and to my mother."
Then, with a faint, tender smile upon his face, his father passed from the world.
Page 4
Heinrico now found himself alone in the world. He thought fondly of dwelling in the woods, yet he resolved that such a life could wait until his later years. Like his father before him, he resolved to wander the lands, traveling until the day his legs could carry him no further.
He had already traveled every corner of the land of his mother's birth. And now he bore the remains of his father. He had chosen where he would go next. To return his father's bones to their ancestral home, Heinrich boarded a ship, steering northward across the waters.
There, standing on the timbers of the deck, feeling the wash of the salt-laced sea wind upon him, and watching the slowly emerging silhouette of the great continent of Valeon, he found himself recalling the words his father had spoken.
"Never have I known a terror so profound as the Abyss."
Heinrico had been given knowledge of many things by his parents, yet the one thing he had never experienced firsthand was the Abyss. What he did not know he would see for himself. With a self-assurance born from knowledge made flesh and blood, and a faint fear of the unknown stirring in his heart, he set foot upon the continent of Valeon.
And so it was that Heinrico became an adventurer.