Qualla Windfall
Qualla's life was modest, but happy in the port city of Southmarsh. He never knew his mother, but his father, Karn, was a strong and seasoned sailor, and a man that truly loved his son. When Qualla was born, Karn abandoned his well-paying contract on the seas, and stayed ashore with the boy, working as a dock-side merchant and leveraging his old contacts.
Money wasn't always plentiful with his new living, but Karn always did his best to make sure that Qualla was fed, could read, and was able to experience moments of fun and joy that their life allowed. They lived in a simple home (more like a shack if Qualla is being honest) a half mile from the docks, that Karn rented from his old sea captain, and orc named Gro Magrish.
When Qualla was 12, his father fell ill, and after only a few short weeks, passed away. Struggling as a boy to live on his own, it was around that time that Qualla started hearing voices: first in his sleep, then during the day on the docks. Sometimes the voices were helpful -- a little tip on how to haggle for just a little more, or to call his attention to a fishhook poking out of the planks of the dock that he would have stepped on. But sometimes, the voices felt... darker. But in neither case did Qualla have any control over them. The voices would come, and then they would leave.
When Qualla was 16, Gro Magrish, who had been generous with the boy up until this point, gave him an ultimatum: pay reasonable rent for the home his father leased, or get packing. So when Qualla saw a contract for honest work to the Northwest, it was difficult to ignore, especially when the cacophony of voices all spoke to him at once to draw his attention to it.
Qualla packed a single bag with his possessions, and set off towards Castle Adlehyde.
Money wasn't always plentiful with his new living, but Karn always did his best to make sure that Qualla was fed, could read, and was able to experience moments of fun and joy that their life allowed. They lived in a simple home (more like a shack if Qualla is being honest) a half mile from the docks, that Karn rented from his old sea captain, and orc named Gro Magrish.
When Qualla was 12, his father fell ill, and after only a few short weeks, passed away. Struggling as a boy to live on his own, it was around that time that Qualla started hearing voices: first in his sleep, then during the day on the docks. Sometimes the voices were helpful -- a little tip on how to haggle for just a little more, or to call his attention to a fishhook poking out of the planks of the dock that he would have stepped on. But sometimes, the voices felt... darker. But in neither case did Qualla have any control over them. The voices would come, and then they would leave.
When Qualla was 16, Gro Magrish, who had been generous with the boy up until this point, gave him an ultimatum: pay reasonable rent for the home his father leased, or get packing. So when Qualla saw a contract for honest work to the Northwest, it was difficult to ignore, especially when the cacophony of voices all spoke to him at once to draw his attention to it.
Qualla packed a single bag with his possessions, and set off towards Castle Adlehyde.
Children
