Becoming a Man

 
Born on a small island off the coast of Cragmere, Soldin lived what many would describe as a normal childhood., at-least by Cragmerian standards, fishing, hunting and learning to flee from raiders and pirates who would plunder the island he called home, stealing livestock and the goods the boatmen would bring from the mainland.
 
Life was harsh and to be a boatman, meant not only to risk attacks by pirates but to risk a life on the tempestuous sea. A cruel mistress who cared little for people’s loyalties, background or deeds and would kill Prince or pauper with little care or thought. It was therefore a great celebration each time a boatman would arrive home and they would be greeted with blessings, love and a warm flagon of the local mead. A celebration of not only a loved one returned but also of the bounty they had brought.
 
Not only bring goods to trade or use to survive, but they would also bring stories, stories of heroic deeds and villainous plots, battles that would never reach the small island, but wars that continually shaped and changed the world Soldin called home.
 
On his 18th name day, the day all boys on the Island yearned for, the day Soldin would finally become a man and the day he would take up as a revered boatman, the alarm rang… Raiders off the coast! Awaking to a cold and bitter Nightal Morning, the clouds were thick black and the rain was heavy, the sharp piercing screams shook him to his core.
 
By the time Soldin had finally prepared himself and left his hut, the raiders were already at his doorstep, butchering and taking whatever they so pleased. With no time to act or think, he grabbed his father's wood axe and rushed towards an encroaching raider, only to be struck down with ease by with a swift blow from the edge of the raider's sword scarring his face. Soldin fell, feeling only shame and pain. Unfamiliar with the sensation of being cut, panic and fear took hold and he just lay, as if dead, frozen, watching as his Mother and Father were butchered in front of his very eyes.
 
Raiders then searched the hut and found his younger sister, Evelyenne, and carried her away to the boats. The raiders laughing with glee at their successful raid and care not for the carnage they left in their wake.
 
Hours passed, the fires soon dimmed and died out, the villagers returned from hiding to rebuild but Soldin made his way to the shore and dropped to his knees. Taking in the cold bitter air and feeling the freezing water wash across his legs.
 
He did not move, all night he looked out across the ocean, as if searching for one of the returning boatmen as he had done so many times before. A storm remained off in the horizon and with each break of lightning, the mainland appeared.
 
 

A Search for Justice

 
As morning broke Soldin rose to his feet, his eyes dark and his face frozen. Returning to the village he threw his mother's cloak over his body, took what food remained and grabbing his fathers axe, ran to the shore where he stole a boat; pushing it out to sea.
 
The storm from the night before remained and the waves were rough and deadly, as the boat began to make speed, Soldin had to battle against each wave, exhausting himself and eventually succumbed to the ocean. Capzised, he realised he knew not how to swim or even how to act in this situation such as this, so tried to take a breath, which compounded his folly in the form of the vile salt water that filled his lungs and stung his eyes; he was drowning.
 
As his body hit the bottom of the ocean, a calm seemed to wash over him and a bright light began to appear. In the distance, Soldin felt a hum and soon… a low and deep voice...
 
“You seek justice child and justice shall be done…Rise”
 
Soldin awoke, on a shoreline he had never seen before drenched, retching up salt water that should have claimed his life, but alive. Before him stood an old man in rags holding onto a long staff to prop himself up and surrounded by seven gold canaries.
 
“Come” The old man said.
 
Soldin, with out thinking, rose, with an unknown renewed strength, by some miracle his will had returned, The old man had disappeared into the dense fog surrounding a lush green forest and he ran quickly, hoping to catch up to him. Instead found himself alone and lost.
 
He began to wander the forest for what felt like days. Angered and frustrated, the pain across his eye had returned and soon the fear as well.
 
Eventually getting the better of himself, Soldin fell to his knees again, clenching his fist he screamed out in anger and hit the ground, only to feel a rush of unknown energy escaped his body and brake the trees down in front of him and clear the surrounding fog.
 
Shocked… he stood and looked around himself the old man facing him once again; as if from no where.
 
Nothing was said, but a faint smile rose on the old mans face and he led Soldin to a clearing.
 
A bright yellow light radiated outwards that blinded Soldin briefly and when he was able to gain sense of his vision he found the old man standing on a ruined elven plinth astride a small waterfall, running into a river. The bright yellow light, flashed and shone through the old man who instantly transformed into the visage of a gorgeous and majestic dragon.
 
Soldins eyes widened in fear, the canaries themselves had transformed into golden great wyrms and they encircled Soldin cautiously, The great blue dragon stood still, it’s tail washing in the river below.
 
Leaning towards Soldins face, he could feel the warmth of the dragon, its breath almost blowing him down… Instead Soldin stood his ground and moved slowly to place his hand on the dragons scales. A warmth washed over him that he hadn’t felt since he was a child, reaching for his mothers hand. He felt at home once again.
 
The voice returned
 
“You seek Justice...”
 
“But you are not ready to deliver it.”
 
“Train, study, become my justicar”
 
Without even giving Soldin a moment to take in what was happening, a golden great wyrm had transformed into a stone golem and charged towards him.
 
Reacting as before, he dropped to the floor and panicked, the golem kicked Soldin flinging his body across the forest, the tree’s breaking against him as he went.
 
“TRAIN!” The dragon cried
 
Soldin rose to his feet and the golem charged again, he did not fall this time, but instead panicked, tried to dodge the charge and misstepped. Once again taking the the full force of the blow and crashed again into the tree line.
 
“I SAID TRAIN!” the dragon roared, fire bellowing from his snout and mouth
 
Soldin, bruised and fairly sure something was broken within his body, rose to his feet, he felt a copper taste in his mouth, took a gurgle and spat it onto the ground. His scarred eye emitted a yellow hue and exuded a light trail of smoke, determination took hold and the dragons eyes narrowed.
 
The Golem charged once again but this time Soldin planted his feet and closed his eyes, his breath was slow and with every heavy step he felt the ground vibrate and hum, his eyes opened on instinct, his arms moved as if he had done this a thousand times and He roared with vigor as a holy light blasted the golem back.
 
The Dragon looked on and the golem transformed back into a great golden wyrm, joining his brothers surrounding his kin.
 
Soldin, bloodied, broken and exhausted took a breath and collapsed. Inthe darkness he heard the dragons voice
 
“Your training has begone and by its end you will become my justicar”
 
For 10 long and grueling years Soldin trained in the clearing, each day started the same, with rigorous drills and trials, when not practicing with the golems, Soldin would spend his time studying ancient draconic tomes. He needed and wanted for naut as the Great Wryms would provide.
 
Days had became weeks, weeks had become months and months had became years.
 
It was on his 28th Name day, Soldin arose, expecting another grueling day of drills and had prepared himself as he had done countless times before. But instead of his usual literature he instead found a note laying on a royal blue tabard instead... it read;
 
“Justice shall be done” as Soldin looked up, he noticed a new clearing within the forest, with a warm bright light leading the way.
 
Soldin looked down at the tabard and pulled it up to the light, upon the crest was a white dragon head, beneath the head were the draconic words “Bahamut”
 
Soldin put on the new tabard and braced his belt and appearing at his side a gleaming bright sword with a golden hilt decorated with a dragons head pommel.
 
Without hesitation, He walked down the clearing and set off on “the path.”
 
Nothing occupied his mind, it was clear and resolute “I seek justice and justice shall be done” he repeated to himself.
 
 

A Paladin Rises

 
Finally Soldin made his way out of the clearing. Day had turned to night, and in the distance, down the valley he could see the harsh glow of fire and taste the acrid aroma of smoke. Faint malevolent laughter and cheering could be heard and with it faint screams and cries for help.
 
As Soldin carefully made his way to the base he could see a party of five men drinking at a campsite, two women were locked in a poorly made wooden cage, petrified at what fate awaited them.
 
One of the raiders took a swill of grog, his face broken, teeth missing, one could easily mistake him for an orc he was so ugly and he approached the cage.
 
“Ohhh, we got som’fine lookie ladies ere lads”
 
“I think I’ll have the one with the bigger tits, always liked bigger tits”
 
The man took his grog and slurped it, half of it spilling down his face; the stench was unbearable.
 
Too preoccupied with what was infront of him, the man thought little of what was behind him and then it was too late.
 
The girls screamed as a gleaming sword pierced the chest of the drunken man and shadowed figure arose behind him; a yellow eye beeming with light.
 
“No”
 
Soldin ripped the sword from the first man’s chest and turned. The noise had startled the others and they raced towards Him, in panic they hesitated, Soldin was outnumbered 4 to 1… he liked those odds.
 
“You should have brought more men..”
 
Soldin said, calmly and with confidence
 
The men laughed, they may be drunk, but they knew the odds were against this stranger and they charged headfirst at the would be hero.
 
Taking a knee he plunged his sword into the earth and muttered words under his breath.
 
A radiant light broke apart the earth and heated the ground, one drunken man fell first, breaking his leg and shrieking in pain, Soldin removed the sword and walked forward, Dodging the first blow from a blunt club, he placed his hand on the mans chest, radiant light filling his body and blasting him away, blood spewing from his throat.
 
A second swing came from a heavy axe, Soldin parried and countered with a sharp swing of the blade, decapitating the man instantly.
 
The final man stood before him, the biggest of them all.
 
He carried with him a great axe, clearly the muscle of the group so Soldin planted his feet, he held his sword out, watching the steps and reading the mans every move. The man charged in anger; that was his first and last mistake.
 
As he charged Soldin ducked the swing of the axe, slicing at the mans legs, Hamstringing him so he could no longer move and dropped to the floor. Trying to turn himself over and move to his weapon that laid close by, Soldin promptly finished him there and then with a sharp thrust into the mans back.
 
Taking moment to survey his first victory he heard
 
“Fuck”
 
Of course, Soldin forgot about the first, the one who broke his leg.
 
He calmly walked towards the enfeebled man who was holding onto his leg, trying desperately to stop the pain and the bleeding.
 
“What do you want?!” he cried
 
“Take our gold… take our fucking whores, just let me live”
 
Soldin stood still, his eye still beaming with light..
 
“What do you fucking want!?” The man bellowed once again.
 
Soldin looked up to the sky and it began to rain. The silent hum of calm he had trained so hard to master and the sensation he felt 10 years ago when he sank to the bottom of the ocean, was washing over him, conducted as if by the falling rain.
 
Turning to the man, his stern eyes locked on the fear filled ones of his opponent he said:
 
“I Seek justice”
 
And with one lofty strike with his dragon blade Cut off the head of the whimpering man.. the mouthed word “no” present on his staring, lifeless head.
 
“And justice shall be done”
 
The wooden cage fell down, a swift slice from his sword soon took quick work of that.
 
“Run home now ladies” Soldin said calmly.
 
“Who are you?” Begged the girls, wanting to know who their savior was
 
“The Justicar of Bahamut”
 
And with that, he turned and faded into the darkness of the night, his eye still beaming with yellow light still.
 
 

The Fall of Soldin Solitaire

 
The Fall of Soldin Solitaire