My First Character: A Backstory

This is the backstory I wrote before I knew anything really about this #DungeonsandDragons lark! Over a year later I still love playing as her and I will be updating you with her progress in later posts (...a LOT has happened!). I'll also post her character sheet if you guys are interested/would like to play as her, just let me know in the comments. x-Lucy-x

The Seann Wood Elves of the Southern Forest of Cyre had protected the land for as long as anyone could remember, a land of outstanding natural beauty, its rich history and culture was recorded within an impressive archive which was preserved by the elders of the tribe and revered by all.

Cyre was the jewel nation in the kingdom of Galifar and her Regent Princess Mischann was next in line for the throne. when her father the reigning king Jarod died, her ascension was opposed by her younger brother Thalin, and so war broke out, and as the fighting continued over the next century it became known as The Last War. The seann wood elves had no desire for power and chose to remain out of the conflict unless their sacred duty to protect the forest would force their hand.

To their east-beyond the natural borders of the forest-goblins had utilised the chaos to claim the corner land of Cyre as their own. Mischann treated with the goblins, and in exchange for her recognition of the land as their country (named Dargunn) the goblins would supply workers for mines to forge weapons for her armies. Human-led Mining Towns were resurrected all along the border, and so settlers came to the Southern Forest in the name of the Princess.

The Seann defended their forest defiantly, and Commander Viribus was reluctantly forced to settle in a clearing on the edge of the forest-having been strategically outmatched by the Tribe. Whilst he plotted against them, Viribus ordered His second in command- Svik Ceannard- to create a dialogue with the Elves and report back any useful information. Svik was in his late forties but was a fit and keen soldier, and he gained rapport with Prièvma Uasal- A respected but demure member of the Seann, not a warrior but a sage who-seeing how the battles were damaging the Forest-lobbied for peace among her people. She taught Svik in the Druid tradition that everything around them had a spirit and was interconnected, and whilst Svik did not share her devotion to the forest, he soon fell in love with her passion and grace.

Back at the human Base, Commander Viribus told Svik of an upcoming meeting to discuss payment to a powerful Fire mage who had sent word that he could destroy the forest. Fearing for Prièvma, Svik stabbed Viribus whilst his back was turned and took the Command for himself. He wrote to princess Mischann of the Remarkable arts and Craftsmanship of the elves, and convinced her that the settlement would be far more profitable to her campaign as a marketplace. a peace treaty was made with the elves which agreed that the settlement would not encroach on the Seann territory, and in return the elves would Manufacture their unique goods for trade.

The alliance was sealed with a marriage between the now Commander Ceannard and Prièvma, who agreed to the proposal from a place of duty rather than of love for Svik. Nevertheless, before long she gave birth to a girl named Silva, and Prièvma gradually retreated back into the forest to raise their daughter with her people. She was raised with the Seann and was taught in line with the Druid tradition of the tribe.

A spirited and wild child (even for a wood elf) her kin warned her not to stray into the human camp.

The settlement was proving prosperous and rapidly growing in size, making the Seann uneasy. But Silva loved the bustle of the marketplace and often sneaked past the forest perimeter to see her father and his inspiring brave knights, who could often be persuaded to teach her the human ways of combat. As she grew so did the estrangement of her parents. her father entered his fifties and leadership took its toll so he seemed to age all at once, whereas her Elfen mother remained pristinely youthful and as beautiful as ever.

The Last War still ongoing, Mischann was increasing pressure to expand the Town beyond the forest boundary. Set apart from the other countries,Dargunn had now established a slave trade, and it was the Princess’ intention to conquer the forest and gift the Seann people to the goblins in return for their Elven produce; the market could reach its maximum potential and She would increase her control over the manufactured wares for trade. When Silva was 13 years, the princess sent a Messenger to Commander Ceannard that if he did not comply with her wishes she would pass on the chain of command. the messenger was no ordinary man, but the same Fire Mage that had written to Viribus all those years ago. Ceannard conceded, and the mage set about preparations to burn down the forest.

It was only when Svik left his quarters and looked up at the stars did Prièvma and Silva enter his thoughts, and with little time before the spell would be cast he rode on horseback toward the forest which would soon be naught but ash.

When he reached Prièvma he let out a cry of relief and without explanation ordered her and Silva to come back with him. But Silva was nowhere to be found. as he frantically called out her name they heard the first explosions in the distance and suddenly smoke and fire appeared all around them. He pulled Prièvma onto his horse and rode hard until-after what seemed like an age-the smoke that engulfed them cleared as they reached the edge of the forest. Just before the border Prièvma jumped from the horse, which bolted and threw Svik off into the clearing, along with Prièvma’s things. Distraught, he screamed at her to come with him, but she just looked at him with tears in her eyes; A look of complete betrayal.

She calmly turned and walked back into the forest, which was now so ablaze the heat forced him back when he tried to go after her.

From her rooftop hiding spot, Silva watched the whole scene unfold before her. Like many times before, she had sneaked into the marketplace as soon as the dark shielded her from the archers’ view and she watched as her mother-having made her escape-choose to go back to her home, her people, and certain death. She looked on as two lieutenants forced her crying father up off his knees and onto a horse, riding off in the opposite direction. Silva jumped down and ran to the spot her parents had been together for the last time just moments before, she retrieved her mother's quarterstaff and belongings, and made her way back to the settlement.

People were screaming and fleeing all around her now, as the cursed fire was making its way over the forest border and into the clearing. the humans- which she once admired so much panicked and fled. In a daze, Silva jumped down and walked deliberately, with carnage and destruction raging all around her, to her father’s quarters. There she found the mage chanting mid-ritual, though his eves were all black, unblinking and he was convulsing as if having some sort of seizure. With the quarterstaff in hand she raised it above her head and roared as she brought it down swiftly, cracking it over the back of his head.

The blow should have killed him; blood poured from his eyes, nose and mouth-but the convulsions only intensified and the chanting increased in volume and intensity. The sound of explosions and crackling outside suddenly stopped and the atmosphere became electric.

Horrified, Silva ran out of the room as fast as she could and seeing a fleeing horse, seamlessly grabbed onto its mane and mounted it as it sped past her. Some had stopped to look back as the fire had suddenly extinguished, but Silva felt the power in the air; the tension ever increasing, and she knew it was only a matter of time before it blew.

Unrelenting, the horse took her right to the Border of Dargunn before the explosion of arcane power unlike anything she-or anyone else-had experienced before. The goblin and orc guards who usually patrolled the perimeter had fled, and as Silva was thrown from her horse she was knocked out. She woke in the room in a tavern in the slave auction square. A human woman called Daonna had saved her from a group of goblins scavenging along the outskirts for potential slaves to sell. Silva asked what had become of Cyre.

“An impenetrable, thick smog covers the entire border as far as we can tell” she said “Those who have made it through haven’t returned, and if you stare long enough sometimes the fog clears enough to see a glimpse of the black, cracked ground and the desolation inside. It’s always twilight-almost like the land won’t ever heal. Cyre doesn’t exist anymore; already everyone is calling it the Mournland”.

Daonna offered to take Silva to the edge, but she had heard enough of what had become of what only hours earlier was her home. Taking pity on one so young, Daonna offered to travel onwards with her, but silva refused not wanting to show her grief or the guilt of what she had done. She asked if anyone else survived. “As you can imagine, the unarmed over here have mostly been taken for slaves, the poor gits. There are rumours that those in the north fled to Valenal, only to be slaughtered by the renegade mercenaries who feared their claim to the region would be overwhelmed… I bet that’s true the heartless snobs. The Princess is safe, campaigning in Thrane, though it would’ve been nice to have finally put an end to this war if you know what I mean. You should head to Aerenal, I bet the elves are taking in their own”.

Silva had travelled to Aerenal once when she was young with her mother, and remembered well their disdain at her human heritage. No, the gleaming towers of the high elves seemed like a restrictive option, where she would always be treated as a lower being and besides, she wanted to avoid beings of high power who might discover her dark secret. Instead she travelled by portal to another realm: Neverwinter. Upon arrival she set off alone into the wilderness, living off the land away from civilisation and devoting herself to her Druid faith.

For seven years she lived in the wilds. She often saw a lone wolf, who never came close but often Silva could see its eyes trained on her in the distance on dark nights.

Sometimes she liked to pretend its was her mother watching over her, but she did not want her mother in any form to know of her shame….her mother had heroically chosen to die with their people whilst Silva had caused so much destruction and still lived. One night she dreamed of the wolf. Instead of maintaining its usual distance the wolf came up close and walked right past her, and Silva understood that it wanted her to follow. When she awoke instead of wandering aimlessly as she had for so long, she took the route from her dream. This continued for the next few days and nights until Silva reached the village of Phandelin.

After so long in the wilderness Silva felt exposed and uncomfortable in the settlement, but she trusted her wolf guide and so quickly traded some of her wares for gold and paid for a room at the tavern, where she bathed and changed her furs for tailored clothes bought from the market. Her hair-having been neglected for so long-had matted, but an old lady tending a small stall tamed it into distinct dreadlocks and braids and decorated some strands with carved wooden beads and twine for a small fee.

That evening, she sat alone in the corner of the inn nursing her first ever ale-though she did not like the taste much. She looked across the room and there was the wolf, sat next to a middle aged human man drinking alone at the bar. She stood up in disbelief, but as she looked again the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Noticing her, the Man picked up his pint and walked over. He politely asked to join her, and they both sat down. Conversation was awkward at first-Silva hadn’t held a real conversation with another person for years-but she could tell he was kind hearted and he had a respectable aura about him. His name was Sildar hallwinter, and he told her that he was recruiting adventurers for a mine being opened by three brothers.

At first Silva did not like the sound of that- mining had lead to the loss of a lot of natural land-but he informed her that the mine lay in an already established settlement which was struggling for trade and was being terrorised by goblins and Orcs. Silva decided that ale wasn’t bad after all (it made her feel warm and confident) as she enjoyed hearing Sildar’s stories; he was so easy to talk to and she even shared some of her childhood antics before the day of mourning. When he heard of her human and elf combat training and survival skills, he insisted that she accompanied him in the morning “to protect and old man like me on the road” he joked. He gave her the night to think it over, and if she agreed they were to meet outside the inn at dawn.

She stayed awake most of the night-on the one hand she knew humans to be self centred, untrustworthy beings and regretted all her past involvement with them. But at the same time she was tired of being alone and the wolf spirit had obviously guided her to Sildar for a reason, even if she did not know what that reason was. Trusting her gut, she left the Tavern just before dawn and waited nervously for Sildar. “I knew you couldn’t resist my charms” he laughed as she approached. “It occurred to me i never got your name last night miss, what am I to call you?”

“Silva…”she began, but then paused. She did not know what happened to her father 7 years ago; he knew of the portal but had no reason to use it that she knew of. But still she was wary, and she couldn’t risk-or bring herself to-give her mother’s name. “Silva Debauchen”she finished. In the Seann archive, Debauchen was the name given to orphans. “Pretty” he grunted, and with that they began their journey.

Upon saying her new, adult name aloud her wrist burned and as she looked down she saw a tattoo appearing there. She already had two tattoos; symbols representing her tribe and faith. The new one was a combination of two symbols for blessing and protection. She knew instantly that it was a gift from her mother; it was tradition for parents to present gifts when a Seann Elf came of age.

Leaving behind the child Silva Ceannard for good, Silva Debauchen felt the sun on her face and smiled.

(Picture Credit to providenceviking.tumblr.com)