The Story of Talos

Talos Aldaron was born in a small Elven village on one of the smaller islands between Nightfalls Island and the City of the Steel Lotus. Talos' tribe of Elves had been guardians of the island for several thousands of years, allowing only creatures that did not upset the balance on the island to migrate or settle there. When Talos was a young child, the village elders' egos swelled and they lost touch with an evil growing on the island. The Elves believed themselves to be too powerful to be overcome by the trolls, giants, and orcs on the island because they were disorganized and fragmented; that is until a powerful mage appeared.

The creatures eventually overcame his tribe, reducing the village to ash and slaughtering the majority of his people. Talos tried to take up arms against the invaders but he was not prepared for the onslaught. After the slaughter, his mother and father were never found. When Talos came to, he was being driven to a slave market to be sold to a powerful sorcerer's estate. The remaining members of his tribe (including his brother and sister), also taken to market, were dispersed among the various bidders.

After learning of Talos' arcane Elvish bloodline, the sorcerer who'd purchased Talos had originally planned to rend his physical form into components for magical rituals and potions. Upon reflection, the sorcerer instead decided to model him in his image as an apprentice. After living as a servant in the fields of the sorcerer's estate, the young apprentice came of age and his master sought a new apprentice. He brought Talos and several other children to a large hall where various magic items were strewn about and then summoned several large bears and wolves to attack them. Many of the children were ripped apart in a matter of seconds before they even realized what was going on. Talos dodged several of the attacks and managed to grab a wand. With the threat of death looming, he was able to channel a few simple spells from the wand blinding and confusing the animals. The sorcerer, realizing the potential in Talos, ordered the animals to stand down. The few remaining survivors were ordered back to the fields, some severely crippled by their wounds.

Unknown to Talos, centuries prior to his village's invasion and his own abduction, his master had made a pact with an evil being of great power from another plane in hopes of power and longevity. This demon soon returned to collect on his debts, enslaving Talos' former master and slaughtering everyone in the estate. Amidst the chaos, Talos fled east into the Glitter Flame desert in search of sanctuary and a new beginning.