The Dragon Slayers. Introducing Kalayo

My friends and i are Starting a dungeons and dragons campaign, and so i plan to document our progress here in this blog I've had sitting untouched for ages.  i will start by just posting my character back story here and a summary of the sessions event. since i am the bard of the party i wanted to write this through his eyes. so i introduce you now to Kalayo Baalem.

     My name is Kalayo Baalem. I am a Tiefling. I was born in a dark and deceitful world twenty three years ago. My mother passed away at the time of my birth. She too was Tiefling. My father was afraid that if people knew he had fathered a devil people would shun him, or kill me. For the first 14 years of my life we lived in the woods. My father would hunt, and he taught me how to use a bow. We had almost all we needed out there, but occasionally my father would travel to the city. I always loved his stories upon returning. It seemed to me that the city was a magical place with new sounds and smells. I craved to travel there. I desired nothing more. So I made a plan.

Late one night when my father had returned from the city I slipped out. It wasn't difficult, father was always drunken on the night of his return and would often retire early to bed. The journey seemed to take an eternity, and i was afraid that I would not make it back before father awoke. I almost turned back till I heard a sound come down the road, I took hiding into a bush. The sound got closer. It was like the roar of a bear mixed with the crack of flint. Then I saw it, 4 beasts running from a cart carrying humans. My young mind instantly knew they were horses, I remember my father describing them to me in his tales. I followed the path the horses trod until I crested a hill.

There it was. My destination in all it’s grandure. The city of Tigbauan. I never planned to enter the walls that night, but I was a bug attracted to the flame. Something beyond my power drew me in. I found a small opening in the wall where the river entered the city, and so I too made my way in stealthily. It was dark out, with a very few candle lit windows dotting the streets. I mostly stuck to the shade not knowing what to expect. Not knowing how to talk to people, or how they would talk  to  me. Every now and then a cloaked person might wander by, or a drunk man would be heaved into the muddy streets. I eventually passed into sleep, forgetting my former fear of how my father would react.

The next morning I was awoken by the great noises that frequent a place fo trade. It was wonderful, quite different from the chirpings of the forest, the city was a drum, and intricate beats all interacting together driving it forward to progression. 

As I wandered, lost in the tapestry  of this new world I stumbled over a bucket of apples. There was a  girl about my age that had been selling them, “Oooh! Why don’ you watch wh’re y’re goin’?” she said.

“I’m sorry! I’ll fix it!” I said as I picked up my humiliation. I cleaned in a hurry, and gave the bucket back to the girl. “I’m Kalayo,” I stated, “who are you?”

“Jess”

“Well where are you goin with those?”

“I will sell them at the market. Honestly, I’ve never heard of a dumb Tiefling before.”

“Are there more Tieflings here?”

“There are a few.”

“I’ve never met one before.”

At that moment a voice called out, “Jess! Get away from him.” A woman came up to her and grabbed Jess by the arm. “You know he’s beneath you.”

“What do you mean by that?” I said.

“I mean you are a second class citizen; you shouldn’t even be near this market!”

“I’m sorry; I am not accustomed to your ways. I grew up in the nearby woods, and this is my first time to the city.” A plan began to develop in my head. “You see, my mother died at my birth and my father raised me alone, but he recently passed on,” I lied. “I was hoping to find a place here in the city to work for my daily bread.” I don’t fully understand how this worked, but I seemed to soften the old bat’s heart. She advised me to go to the “pit”, and that I could find someone there to take me apprentice and teach me an art. She even let Jess escort me there.

Jess, somewhat begrudgingly began to walk off stopping for a second to make sure I was following. I ran to catch up to her and said, “Well it looks like I got you the day off, what would you like to do now?” She was silent. “You don’t actually think my father is dead do you? I can assure you that I am in no need of employment.”

“Are you mad!?” she exclaimed, “My mother would kill me if I spent time with you.”

“Well she doesn’t have to know, it can be our little secret.”

Jess just gave a small nod as a smile broke across her face. That day was a memorable one, we ran in the streets, she taught me a few games, and I picked some bread and cream for us to eat. It wasn’t until dusk that I realized my folly. My father would be furious when he found I was gone.

“I must leave for now, but I promise I will return.”

“You’d better.” Was the response I merited upon my departure. And with that I was off. I ran the whole way to our campsite, but upon arrival I was not greeted with anger, nor with blows or reprimand; I was left with a bow and a knife, a loaf of bread and a sack of water. No words of love or tears of remorse. Deep down I always knew my father was ashamed of me. He may have regretted leaving me alive after the death of my mother. And now that an opportunity had presented itself, he took it.

I stayed in that campsite for a week hoping for his return. The bread only lasted a day and a half, and I was afraid to venture out to find him. After my young heart had been broken, I dried up my tears, and set forth on the path back to Tigbauan.

Inside the city again I found Jess. We made a plan and she snuck out of her house to meet with me that night. That night was the first time I kissed a girl. I was wrapped around her finger, and she was wrapped in mine.

The next day, I went to the “pits” and found an elfin mage named Tobus willing to hire an assistant. We were to leave Tigbauan the next day to begin our journey. How was I supposed to tell Jess that I might not see her again? I went to her window to talk to her. And inside told her that I was leaving. I rehearsed to her a lyric I had written for that night, and at the time, the words rang true in my heart, and I had full confidence that I would follow them.

In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing
And the sky is clear and red,
When the summer's ceased its gleaming
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure's lost its meaning -
I'll be homeward bound in time

If you find it's me you're missing
If you're hoping I'll return,
To your thoughts I'll soon be listening,
And in the road I'll stop and turn
Then the wind will set me racing
As my journey nears its end
And the path I'll be retracing
When I'm homeward bound again

I never did return to see her. She had probably moved on by the time I was able to return to Tigbauan, and my ideals had changed by then thanks to Tobus. I had experienced those same feelings for others, and I realized it was just lust. Love was a game, a fairytale told to children to give them hope in a world designed to shatter dreams.

My time with Tobus was enlightening. He was a peculiar fellow, especially for an elf.  His hair was often unkempt, and he smelled heavily of the herbs he used to “meditate” and increase his “natural abilities.” He began to teach me the secrets of arcane magic, but it did not come easily to me. It was a challenge to cast even the most simple of prestidigitations. To counter this he had me study the stories of old and I enjoyed my time reading as well as the stories of the heroes. My favorite heros were those that tricked their opponent, or outsmarted the system. One of my favorites was the story of the king presented with a child with two women claiming to be its mother, so the king being wise summoned for a sword and said ‘We will split the child in two and each woman can have a half’ the true mother said the other woman could have the babe. And thus she was rewarded. Every chance I got I would read these stories and memorize them, occasionally writing lyrics to reiterate the tale.

 It wasn’t long before Tobus had given up hope of me becoming a mage. Until one day while I was on an errand for him. I left my journal open, and he caught my writings out of the corner of his eye. When I returned he had a gift for me. It was a lute. He taught me a few basic chords and told me to focus my energy as I was playing this simple melody. I began to play, and a burst of arcane energy was released knocking over his studying table. He continued to teach me magic in this way for the next year, and after that year he said that he had taught me all he knew of music and told me I must continue my study alone. He gave me a scimitar to protect myself with and taught me that every blade has a song; that I should learn the song of every weapon I hold, and of every friend I make.

So I began my journey in the world. I frequented many a tavern on my road, and laid with many women. Each of them I left with a promise of return.

Recently, I have begun to have dreams. I see fire and cane taste the brimstone in my mouth. I hear voices that I cannot understand. In these dreams I feel that a greater power is calling me, but it is not Correllon. There is no art or beauty that I can interpret from these visions. That is why I start this journal. I will write my own ballad, and hopefully make peace with the demons that haunt my soul.