Side Story: The Tragic Tale of Bryce's Half-Brother

(I recommend reading this in game mode.)

Even as Bryce takes his place on the throne, another young man took his place at the oars. His name was Brian and even though the two men had never met one another, or even known of the others existence; they were the most closely related family that either had left. King Bryce's father, although a good and honourable man, had betrayed his marriage vows once in his life while on fighting in a campaign far from home. The woman had been an elf who had offered some degree of comfort to the homesick king but it wasn't for months later that the elf had realized she was carrying his child. Determined to raise her new son to be a man to be proud of, she had raised him to follow a strict code of ethics and taught him the flowing, dance-like sword fighting style of her people.

Brian's first ten years of life were quite happy until the slavers came, tearing mother from son and tossing him into the fighting pits. Here Brian seemed to thrive, learning to supplement his natural agility with strength that came from his human heritage. Fighting with a hatchet in one hand and a light elven longsword in the other, Brian became a name of renown all across the underworld. The brutal environment **** him to trade his mother's strict ethics for a more practical view of the world that involved fierce loyalty to those close to him, though he never lost his fundamental sense of right and wrong.

It was this sense that allowed him to escape the senseless **** of the pits. Brian fell in with a group of mercenaries, joining with them on a series of skirmishes with Dark Elves in the tunnels that riddled The Kisten Crags but his heart was never settled when he fought for coin.

For a while he wandered until he came across a massive half-giant in a tavern on the coast. Clad only in bear skins, the man smashed a huge great axe against the oak table as he bellowed "Is no-man in this village is brave enough to join my crew?"

The local men all looked down into their beers, afraid to look up. Finally Brian spoke up from his table at the back of the room.

"Well, where are you going?"

The half-giant looked him up and down and seemed to respect what he saw.

"We're heading down South, we've a hold full of ore we're looking to sell to the Frostfall Knights. We could use a strong lad like you."

Brian had heard stories about the famed Knights of the Frostfall and since he had nowhere else to be, he volunteered to go.

The half-giant put his arm around his shoulders as they walked back to the boat.

"The names Shargar. Can you use those?" he asked, pointing at the elven sword that was strapped to Brian's back and the hatchet that hung from his belt.

"I can handle myself pretty well," Brian said cautiously as they approached the boat. He could see half a dozen people of all races on board preparing to set off.

Shargar seemed to sense his caution and laughed.

"There's no need to be so cagey mate. You're one of us now lad."

And with that, for the first time since he was ten, Brian felt at home.