Character History: Alev - A Sea of Emerald Green

A Sea of Emerald Green

Bright, emerald green eyes . . . Like a vast ocean of warmth and love that fills my vision and my heart. That is all I remember of my mother. That and the strength of character her presence inspired. I never had the chance to really know her, for she was taken from this world when I was very young. My father slew the assassin himself, but not before the damage had been done. The history of the "why" took many years for me to finally decipher.

The pride of my people runs deep, and strong, like the iron and stone our fortresses are built of. The Talon family was one of the original founding families of Jehannum. Long has my lineage sat on the council of rulers for the land, and always has the Talon family been one of the few to hold to the old ways. The ways of Honor and Justice, where your word is binding and you defend those you swore to. We are a dying breed.

Greed brings enemies at you from all around. Never knowing when or where they might strike. That is the root of the evil that brought the end to my mother; a family whose greed and lust for power brought it at odds with my father. The Drackendorf family, whose ancestors were the first to embrace the offers from Xoth Sarandi and slay the Drow our country had sworn to protect, had finally gained enough wealth to buy its way onto the council. They made their fortune during that dark time for our country. Much infighting was caused by the offers from Xoth Sarandi, as not all of the great families accepted and some, such as ours, even went as far as to protect and escort our charges to safety. For some families had already intermingled with the Drow survivors. It is said that the head of our family at the time was married to a Drow, a woman whose beauty was beyond compare at the time. With the help of our family, those few survived back to the mountains where they escaped into the deep tunnels.

Some saw this as treason, but the treason was to break our word, our oath of protection for those we took into our care. The dark times that followed that offer showed the lust of greed that was blight on the honor of all who participated. Women and children, that’s who are the victims most of the time. But, I lose myself in the history, I stray from the story. Let me continue.

As I was saying, the Drackendorf family had finally weaseled its way into a position on the Council, well, should the council accept. A vote was done, in which my father and his allies voted down the proposal to bring another family onto the Council. The vote was brought again the next year, as another was bought by the Drackendorfs, another to lose their honor to greed. Each year for five years the Drackendorfs were voted down by my father and his allies. In the sixth year, accidents occurred; members of the families allied with mine began to die off; one accident after another, until finally, they struck my family. My father was late getting home, if he had been on time, it would have been him as well as my mother who died. But as it was, he walked in on the assassin. My father slew the man, never able to find out who it was. But, he has always known it was the Drackendorfs who hired him. That year their vote passed and they were accepted onto the council.

Such is the nature of greed and the political strategy of those of evil heart.

I miss those bright green eyes. I never got to know them truly.

Next Post