Sworded Tales

The Merry Marionette, nestled along the outskirts of an unsavory district of bordellos in Calaunt’s port district, was no place to raise a child.  Sera Longtooth knew as much, and she never expected to have to cross that particular bridge.  After a rather messy miscarriage in Sera’s youth, the old seer who doubled as midwife in the remote hamlet of Pocke’s Hollow had promised her as much.

Sera had eventually tried her luck in Calaunt when none of the local lads, knowing her infertile state, would seek her hand.  The brutal nature of the city shepherded the young Halfling into the flesh trade, where her lack of fertility actually served as a boon.  In little time she was catering to some of the more prestigious clients among the small folk, accruing wealth and reputation that preceded her.  Karina Bellefast recruited the talented girl with some zeal into her stable of specialized females at the Merry Marionette.

Now seven years later, Sera marveled at the tiny boy she held in her arms.  She gazed into the newborn’s eyes in an attempt to identify who his father might have been, but nothing dawned on her.  Too much traffic and time had erased such possibilities, but that did not diminish the miracle that he was to her.  She could not imagine ever being without him, but her promises and future were inextricably entwined with Karina’s.  They had discussed the matter, and the boy, Rillo, would grow up with a houseful of mothers and fathers.  One where Sera would eventually serve as head mother.

When Sera became madame of the Merry Marionette, Merry Sera to all, she found the time available to spend with Rillo became even thinner.  She took some comfort in knowing that her son was receiving tutelage from a seasoned scholar, who was always willing to offer education in trade for services rendered.  Still, the leeway afforded Rillo weighed on her heavily, and she knew that in his free time he had been meddling with some of the seedier elements in Calaunt’s underbelly.  Little did she know that a thieves’ guild called Simara’s Masks had already sunk their claws into the young Halfling adolescent.

A Halfling paladin named Dinor Glimmersong apprehended Rillo during a poorly executed raid by a group of Masks.  A well protected vessel which had docked in Calaunt for a few days had been their ill fated target.  The holy warrior must have seen something of promise in young Rillo.  Rather than turn him over to the brutal authorities, Dinor tracked down Sera at the Merry Marionette and made her an offer.  Servitude to Yondalla for the boy or the hangman’s noose.

For nearly two years Rillo squired with Paladin Glimmersong, learning the arts of battle and the intricacies of faith while traveling the Dragon Reach and the Sea of Fallen Stars.  The adjustment period of rebellion and resentment faded quickly as the young Halfling began to look up to Dinor, finding in the holy warrior a father he had never known.

As Rillo matured, he began to entertain aspirations of one day serving Yondalla in the same capacity as Dinor.  Dreams of becoming such a shining beacon of light were foremost in his thoughts and training.

A summons for aid from the small settlement of Denderdale along the Rawlinswood would become the next turning point in Rillo’s destiny.  There were tidings of night creatures amassing within the ancient wood.  Emboldened by numbers, the beasts had begun openly preying on those that lived along the fringes of the forest.   Dinor and his small company of Yondallan followers began investigating, and battling, the twisted fiends in earnest.

Before any true inroads could be made, Dinor disappeared one fell night amidst a raging sleet storm.  Pursuit was impossible, the storm having obliterated any trail, and the forward momentum of the troupe stalled briefly as they attempted to regroup.

Several days later, Dinor’s fate was revealed as he returned in a soulless body of undead flesh.  This evil incarnation of the once-paladin delighted in diminishing the troupe by one member each evening, until only Rillo remained.  Determined to aid his mentor or perish in the task, Rillo chose to confront the sinister Dinor rather than flee.

The battle was a mockery, and Dinor seemed to relish Rillo’s misery during the conflict.  The wicked creature fancied leaving the broken spirited Halfling alive in an effort to undermine all that he had encouraged over their time together.  Marking Rillo’s face with a quick slash of his fingers, Dinor vanished into the night with laughter that still haunts Rillo’s dreams.

Rillo lingered at Denderdale for some weeks in a vain search for Dinor, though the Halfling devolved into only a shadow of himself.  Eventually he realized that Dinor, even in his undead state, had abandoned him to wander the lands alone.

Hopes dashed and faith in Yondalla broken, Rillo drifted for a time, seeking direction along the coastal cities of the Eastern Reach…Ilmwatch, Sarshel, Dilpur, Hlammach.  He remained in each city for some weeks or months in a hazed depression before moving on.  His demoralized state often left him relying on his more unsavory skills or upon the charity of others.  Rillo didn’t consciously realize it, but he was headed for home.

A single follower of Tymora, Sister Solena, was the rekindling spark which brought Rillo out of his fugue.  Their time spent together in Lyrabar brought a renewed hope to Rillo, and he decided to place a bit of faith in Tymora in an effort to change his luck.

So it was that Rillo Longtooth found himself serving as a messenger and courier for Tymora as he continued his journey along the coast.

Having only recently arrived in Raven’s Bluff after delivering a small package and missive to the temple of Tymora there, Rillo found himself with a new assignment put forth by Lady Alamandra.  Something to do with tracking down a missing artifact…