The Twisted Brothers
My name is Thaan Irigorn Ravelst. I am an Elven thief. I am 169 years old. I come from a wealthy family. There are times in my life that I have to remember and keep track of it. So every few decades I keep a journal to keep track of my life, to see where I am, how I am growing, how people change around me, and to see just how close to my goal I am.
I grew up in Osilon, an Elven city deep in the wintry forests of the north. Many Elven cities and villages exist in this region, but Osilon is the biggest and full of some of the wealthiest members of the Northern Lands.
My mother was Salora Restl and my father was Markum Ravelst, now both are deceased. I have an older brother named Foror Ravelst, who is an incredibly powerful wizard. I used to have a sister, a little younger than I, but she also died.
I grew up in Osilon, but my adulthood is a different matter. I was very intelligent, which was obvious even from a young age. I am known for my elegant usage of language and ability to understand people. I also had an amazing ability to tame even the wildest of animals. I was also an excellent writer and problem solver. My parents hired the best teachers in the city to teach my brother and I. I excelled in my studies. The teachers taught us ancient history, 8 languages, six of which I speak fluently, reading and writing, and herbalism, among many other things. We were also taught sword play, how to use bows and arrows, swimming, acrobatics, direction sense, tracking, survival, ancient languages and boating.
When I was 23, I was walking through the woods outside of Osilon, when I came across a Gold Dragon. He was sixty feet long with a wingspan of one hundred feet, easily. We spoke a few words, but then, I watched as he morphed into a six foot tall man who ran off into the forest.
By age 30, I decided I wanted to travel among the peoples of the world. And so, I became a wanderer. I traveled throughout the land, learning the philosophy, culture, customs and religions of the people of the world. I never told anyone my true name. I always told them I was Irigorn Degel. I embarked on many adventures, but ultimately, I returned back home after 73 years.
When I came back to Osilon, my brother met me at the gates saying that our mother and father and our sister had died in a horrible fire at our childhood home. He said that, being the eldest, much of the fortune went to him. And that some was passed on to me.
I was saddened by this news, and I grieved for 3 years. When I came out of my grieving, I realized I had not gathered my inheritance, and so, I went to the Safe Vaults of the city and requested my inheritance. I took it. Among the things I Inherited was an enchanted sword, it was a hand-and-a-half sword, which can be hidden in the form of a staff, a collection of bows and arrows and I also received hundreds of scrolls, books and artifacts, and a large amount of precious metals and stones.
Later that day, I was nearly killed by an assassin. I was only saved by the fact that the assassin did not know about the sword. I watched the look of surprise spread across his face as my five foot long wooden staff shortened into a four foot long sword. I took it upon myself to find out who was trying to kill me. So I investigated, met up with some old friends, was nearly assassinated three other times, and after a year of searching, I discovered that my brother had set our home on fire and trapped our family inside. This also explained why assassins were coming after me, he obviously wanted the family wealth, and magical artifacts.
I was so angry; I visited him with the plan of killing him. But he knew of my hidden knife, and my staff-sword.
First he told me to leave the staff by the door. I argued against it, but he said, "Thaan, I know you are here to kill me. Just hear me out, please."
We talked for a bit. He explained why he wanted our family dead. He was a powerful wizard, and in order to become more powerful he needed certain artifacts, scrolls and books which our parents had not allowed him to see or use. So he killed them. He also said that some of the jewels I had inherited were full of magical power. He said that if I just handed everything over, that he would just leave me alone, and he would give me the jewels that were not magical in nature. It was a tempting offer. I would still be able to live a normal life as a wealthy man. But then I wondered why our parents would not allow him to use these treasures. I finally understood why, he was full of greed, enough greed to kill our own family.
I took out the knife and tried to stab him, but it just shattered against his chest. He laughed and said it tickled. He stood up and said, "I just need the relics, the books and the scrolls. That is all I need."
"Why?" I had asked.
"Because, I must discover something. I need these artifacts to discover the secrets of the First People and their magic. If I can discover their secrets, then I will become the most powerful person in the world. Together we can build a new world, a world where it is better. No corrupt kings, no thieves, no orcs and goblins and monsters. There can be peace between the races, no more war. No more evil, Thaan. No more evil."
"Funny how you use these things to achieve your goal. If that is your goal. If you intend to make a new world, then you will be the corrupt king."
He said, "I cast this spell in the name of Corellon Larethian!" His faced turned red with anger, and he cast a spell. I ran from the room, down the main hall. A ball of red light three feet across followed me. As it came closer the rugs and tapestries began catching fire. The tables caught fire. I grabbed my staff and it transformed into the sword. I slashed at it and it disappeared with a thunderous boom.
I ran from the city, pursued by soldiers my brother had hired. I ran deep into the woods and became a wanderer once again. I had left many of my possessions back in Osilon, including most of the magical items, books and scrolls. I brought with me leather armor, an eight inch dagger, my sword which I named Avenst, or Secret, I also brought a bow. I brought a bag of jewels and that was all.
I stayed away from the Elven Northern Lands for decades. I traveled from city to city, country to country; no place struck as "home".
After 57 years, a friend of mine met me in a bar in a dwarf trading village. He said that Foror was one of the most powerful wizards. He said that his home had become an impenetrable fortress. There were guards posted every ten feet, the walls he had constructed were made from solid stone which he raised from the depths of the earth. Not just that, but anyone who killed a guard would be instantly struck by lightning, or they would catch fire or they would die a terrible, painful death soon afterwards.
I realized that my brother was paranoid. He was searching for the secret of the First People's magic, and he was paranoid. Those two things did not go together well. Many a wizard had searched for the First People's magic, and only one other had discovered it and used it. He died after a dragon attacked him.
I realized I had to kill my brother. I had to kill him with a dragon.
I would have a dragon take me to him, and with the help of the dragon I would kill him. So, first I entered a dragon's cave and asked a dragon for help, it was a Gold Dragon, similar to the one I had encountered in my childhood. He said no, that I was too full of hatred.
I hatched yet another plan (pun intended). I would have to steal a dragon egg, then raise the dragon myself and ride into Osilon and kill my brother.
There was a problem, only the most achieved thieves in the land could steal a dragon egg, let alone one powerful enough to kill my brother. So I had to become a thief. And so, I delved into the world of thievery.
My goal was to steal the egg and in my adventures I would search for knowledge regarding the First People and their magic. After all, that was what my brother was searching for, why couldn't I as well? I may not have been a magician, but I had to at least know what he was searching for. Then perhaps I could use it against him, that and the dragon egg.
