Chapter One
Meet the Odims
The little house sat upon a misty hill, the shutters in need of a few patch ups and the roof creaked in the perpetual wind that ran through the mountains of old Gilneas. From within the abode came the sounds of a minor explosion and shattering wood and glass. The faded yellow door crashed open and out tumbled a very smudged elven red head. Nad'rael Odim coughed and looked back over her shoulder at the acrid fumes trailing out the door, "Oh dear... Farrson is not going to like this. That was the third kitchen table this month."
She brushed bits of glass from her short mane of crimson locks, sighing morosely, "I just don't understand why the peacebloom, of all things, reacted so violently."
Nad'rael continued to ramble to herself as she dusted her dingy robes off, making her way back to the house, past the dismayed stone drake who stood on the lawn, shaking his head in disgust. Once back within the warmth of her home, Nad'rael surveyed the damage: one shattered table, one alchemy set in shambles on the floor, and her ingrediants in various states of destruction. She shook her head softly and righted an aged chair, summoning her enchanted notebook into her lap, scribbling furiously.
Nad'rael was so enraptured with recording her findings that she missed the tell-tale thump and groan of the front door. Heavy plated boots stomped across the floor and stopped in front of the absent-minded woman, "So... this is what happens when you say you are going to take it easy, huh?"
A pair of faintly glowing jade green eyes peered over the top of the stained and singed tome, a small gulp being heard in the relative silence, "Hello dear, you are certainly home early."
Nad'rael brushed a few stray locks from her forehead as she watched the man in front of her remove his battered rust colored helm. Farrson looked down at his wife, his shimmering golden eyes knitted together in an expression of resigned amusement and Nad'rael stood, wrapping her slender arms around him. He held her close for a few moments before gently pushing her back and brought his hand up to brush away the soot that sat on the tip of her nose, laughing, "Well at least you have your eyebrows this time."
"At least I have some!" She shout back childishly.
Farrson tilted his head, putting a hand dramatically on his brow, "Oh no, when did I lose them?! Right... I'm dead, so what's your excuse?"
"Oh shut up..."
Farrson reached out and ruffled his wife's already tousled hair, smirking, "Now then... where is everyone?"
The doctor looked around the cluttered kitchen, thinking hard for a moment before a loud squeal came from the second floor. Farrson grabbed his wicked looking sword and raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time, skidding to a sudden stop in front of their daughter, Karina's room. He threw open the door, the heavy wood banging against the wall and stomped in, weapon at the ready.
On the small bed, bounced a little three-year old girl who was about the size of an adult tiger. She was giggling loudly, her long golden braids in disarray and her large expressive cerulean eyes glinting with mischief as a creature that resembled a cross between an octopus and a blind monkey swung from the hanging candle fixture by it's inky colored tendrils, "MrffFarrKar!" it screamed at the Undead.
Farrson lowered his weapon and sighed softly, "Karina, were you playing "Toss Vlad" again?"
Karina looked up at her adopted father with an innocent expression so reminiscent of his wife that Farrson had to master himself to keep a stern frown, "But Papa, Vlad likes it!" It asked me to throw him at the ceiling and Mama says brothers and sisters help each other!"
Vlad, the creature in question was a creation of Nad'rael's, a shadowfiend formed from her blood and her husband's flesh, knitted together and brough to life by Shadow magic. The lovely Sin'dorei woman had insisted from the moment of the creature's "birth" that it was to be considered a child and member of the Odim family, much to Farrson's dismay. The thing slid down from the makeshift chandelier and landed on Farrson's head with a thick plop, tendrils waving and slapping him across the face, "Farrmrrfll!" It cried.
Farrson sighed once more, the sound rattling through his old bones like the creaking of ancient tree boughs and he looked back down the stairs at Nad'rael who had followed him up to investigate the commotion, "Dear, isn't there some way you can make this -thing- more intelligent?"
"That is a horrible way to talk about your son... err daught-... child!" She exclaimed crossly.
"You don't even know what it is, do you?" Farrson shook his head in bewilderment, "Are you sure it's even safe to be around Karina?"
Karina walked up behind her father and pried Vlad off of his head, cuddling it close in her arms while it batted at her braids with a flailing tendril, "Papa, Vlad is a good boy, he is just very happy to see you." explained the little girl in confident tones as the creature proceeded to drool all over the half Vy'krl child's arms.
Farrson just shook his head again, sending his long black war braids dancing and sheathed his sword, "I can see I am outnumbered... well then, who is up for a picnic?" he asked, bracing himself for the explosion.
Karina jumped up and down in excitement, swinging Vlad in her arms and Nad'rael immediately started prattling on about the different herbs she could acquire at what locations and plotting her "accidental" trials of her potions on unsuspecting travelers. Farrson just stood back and watched his rather odd family with a bemused smile and said, more to himself, "...Welcome home."