The Saga of Helieos
Ray
The sounds of the sloshing boat were not new to
Helios-Ray. The smells of sea air and the taste of salted dried fish were stark
reminders of his troubled past. It was a painful recollection of the slave
ship, of slavers. The stories related to him by his mother in his past were now
a fading memory, so much has happened in so little time. From his mother,
inside the darkened interior of the Chieftains hut, the stories would come
forth through the glint of tear stained eyes…
She was the youngest daughter of a local Lord. The finery
and lavishness of her lifestyle stood to remind her of the stark contrast to
her current situation. While on a walk in the woods with her handmaidens, she
was kidnapped, handmaidens slain before her, and spirited away to the powerful
Orc Lord ShoKull. ShoKull’s ambition was only out paced by his greed,
intelligence, and curiosity. What had originally started as a brilliant plan of
ransom and expansion of his Orc lands now became a game of light banter,
resulting in a stirring interest in the young girl. Her tales of refinement and
of courtly life greatly intrigued the Orc chieftain, generating feelings for
this human captive he had never felt before. Acting upon these feelings, he
instituted a state of union between himself and the girl, something wholly new
and unheard of in Orc culture.
Soon a son was born. Sho-KullKar, son of ShoKull, showed
signs of great promise, and was a source of great pride to his father. His
innate abilities in combat, stealth, and strength were formidable. A strange
intuition seemed to follow the boy, leading to a heightened sense of empathy
for all things. Upon nearing the age of the trials of Racckken-Ray, Sho-KullKar
became agitated and dismayed upon learning what was required of him to complete
the trials. The slaying of a captive Dryad at the end of a Moon Week of
challenges was too much for him to bear. He confessed his feelings to his
father.
Outraged and embarrassed, ShoKull sold the whelp into
slavery. His mother was told that he had not been strong enough to complete the
trials and was killed. A traditional Orc burial pyre was constructed and set
ablaze, the true identity of the body on the pyre, known only to one. Using his
gifts of intuition and strength, he easily gained the trust of the slavers. As
a trustee, he had the opportunity to stage a stealthy escape as their captives
slept.
Word of the escape reached the ears of an older man by the
name of Quin-Tey, a monk of the order of Lathander. Quin-Tey sought out
ShoKull, and showed him the wise ways of Lathander. Sho-KullKar is reborn
Helios Ray. It is now that he starts upon the true path, the true way, the true
trial…
Last updated 06-29-2005 by Skip Franklin, original text by Mike J.