The Druid

Cade Thorngage

The Rogue - Provenance and History

Calladan is the place I call home; it’s a small village on the outskirts of the human city Corrino, surrounded by an enchanted elven forest. I was raised by Ilman and Dora Thorngage, and had a very happy childhood. But that was before the accident…

My mother traveled a lot as a child. She came from a family of performers and artists who were always on the go, looking for new opportunities. She was quite a talented acrobat in her youth and on one of her travels she met a charming halfling that swept her off her feet. It must have been love at first sight because within a month of there meeting, they were married. She says it was one of the happiest, and one of the saddest days of her life. She was happy to settle down and start a new life with my father, but she was sad to leave her family behind as they moved on. Now she is a part-time teacher, but her real joy is taking care of her beautiful flower garden.

My dad is a locksmith. His locks and security devices are some of the best; even my uncles can’t get past them. His clientele ranges from elves to dwarves, but most of them are humans. When he goes away on business, he tells no one exactly were he is going or who has hired him; not even mom. We always hate it when he goes away, but thankfully, it doesn’t happen often, as only very rich clients can afford his services. I guess you can say our family is pretty well off. His favorite pass-time is woodworking.

My brother Tobin and I loved hearing stories about our grandfather, but my dad never wanted to talk to us about him. My uncles, when they weren’t away on a job, would tell us all about grandfather’s many adventures, and they would teach the both of us what they had learnt from him as children. My dad disapproved of this so we secretly practiced our skills in the nearby woods. We would go off on long journeys (the whole afternoon) in the woods, and pretend to be on one of grandfather’s adventures. My uncles would sometimes follow us to give us some tricks. My brother was always a bit better than I was, but I think it was just because he was older. Tobin and I were always together, and he was my best friend.

On the day of the accident, my bother and I were playing in the woods when we ventured too far from home. My brother wouldn’t admit it, but I knew we were lost. The sun was going down and I was starting to get cold. Tobin told me that we needed to find shelter for the night, but I was hoping that dad or one of my uncles would find us and bring us back home. They would have scolded us for being so careless, but I didn’t care; I just wanted one of them to find us. Instead, we were found by a giant spider; it came out of nowhere! If my brother hadn’t pushed me out of the way, it would have been me. In a flash, it grabbed him and sank its fangs into him; I knew I had lost my brother. I stood there motionless, probably frozen with fear, but partly because deep down I wanted the spider to take me as well, and it would have, if it wasn’t for a young elf stranger. The stranger stood beside me, with a hand on my shoulder and stared at the spider as it came toward us. I thought we were going to die just like my brother, but for some reason, the spider, stopped and then turned away. I don’t remember much after that; I was still in shock, I just remember walking and holding on to a branch that my elven hero was dragging behind him. I think the branch was part of a make-shift stretcher he had built to carry my brother. It was dark when we finally got to my village, and my parents and uncles were there with lanterns looking for us. I can still see my mom’s face when she realized that Tobin was dead.

Over the years, I became friends with the elf that saved me. His name was Isalith, and we spent a lot of time together. He helped me face my fears of the woods, and showed me that wilderness was not all bad. But I still hate spiders for what they did to my brother. I would sometimes go alone in the woods, hoping to find that spider, any spider, and kill it! I wasn’t a scared little halfling anymore.

I didn’t really know what I was going to do with my life. My uncles took me out on a few jobs with them, and it was exciting, but I knew my dad disapproved. I wanted my dad to be proud of me, but I also yearned for adventurers like the ones my grandfather undertook. I promised myself that, no matter what, someday, I would become as skilled as my grandfather was, and as skilled as my brother would have been.

The day I told my parents I was leaving Calladan, my dad explained to me why he never talked about his father. He told me that his father worked for many great houses, and that he wasn’t just an ordinary thief, he was an extremely skilled spy. He told me that his father was double-crossed, and was killed on one of those adventures my uncles talked about. He didn’t want my brother and me to follow in our grandfather’s foot steps because he couldn’t bear losing us like he lost his father. That’s why he never talked to us about him. He told me no matter what I chose to do, that I was only as good as my word, and that he will always be proud of me. He gave me hug and placed a leather satchel over my shoulder as he wiped the tears from his eyes. I later realized that the satchel must have been my grandfather’s. It contained what I assume was his equipment.

I miss my parents very much, and one day I’ll return home to show them who I have become. But for now, I travel with my companion, Bayne Mournbringer, in search of adventure…