Honorable Mention in Character Story Contest- March 15th 2003 Waylander was born 25 years ago in the small hut his parents lived and worked in, unfortunately his mother died shortly after giving birth to him so he never got to know her. Life was hard for him and his father, while he was at work Waylander was left with his aunt and her daughter they very much loved their garden and as soon as they could they started teaching Waylander about the various plants and they way they can be mixed together to produce various concoctions. His father when he could taught him to handle a sword and how to track wild animals and hunt in the forests around their home. Little by little Waylander became a skilled tracker and swordsman, when he was about 11 he stopped going to his aunts and went instead out working with his father patrolling the elven woods keeping evil creatures from doing harm to his fellow elves soon after this his father started teaching him magic for defending himself just a few basic spells with which he could help his father with his work as a scout and life was good for Waylander, something strange happened a few months after this that will change his life forever. It was at the end of a long day they both was tired from the days journey and they had just set up camp and started to cook the fresh rabbit they had caught when a strange shimmering in the air and a portal opened and a tall man stepped out both men jumped to their feet and pulled their swords out "No!" said Waylander's father "But two swords are better than one!" Waylander said "Not this time, he's an Ithrix and too powerful for you" said his father with a sad look on his face, before he knew what had happened Waylander's father had completed a spell and he turned towards Waylander with a tear in his eye "Goodbye son" was all he said then a fierce wind struck Waylander throwing him back through the undergrowth and when he landed it was with such force that the wind was knocked from him and the last thing he heard was the sound of sword crashing on sword. When he awoke it could have been moments it could have been hours he didn't know he went over to the area where he last saw his father calling his name as he went but there was no sign of him when he was about to give up the search he saw the tip of a sword sticking out from under a bush, it looked the same as what his father used, he ran to the bush and pulled it back, what he saw made him sick both physically and in his heart, there lay his fathers corpse ravaged by both magic and conventional weapons turning away he threw up and cried, his father had died to save his life for he knew in his heart that his father had wasted precious seconds casting his wind spell to throw him out of harms way. He buried him there in the ground where his last fight took place against this Ithrix and upon the grave when he finished he made a vow to become able to defeat them or at least to die trying. He made his way home, his mind made up, he would gather a few items and set off to Lasler he had heard there were teachers and trainers there that would be able to help him more from there who could tell, the roads are many and various in the land of Alyria. After going to the hut to get his small supply of equipment he went off to his aunts house to break the news of her brothers death to her. |