Jorah

Background
6 years old – I realized I was a little different than the other Genasi. The colony still received my mom and me anyway and they were generally pleasant…if not a little stand-offish. I didn’t really look like the other kids. My mom said I was special. The smell became more noticeable. Especially when mad.

10 years old – My mother gave me the book. It was a large old dusty thing. It traced my lineage back nearly 500 years. When the elf woman Enelya was ravaged by a Demon. His name and breed has been lost to legend. Many said it was a mighty Balor named Bar’tu. Some say it was just a random rank and file soldier. Whatever it was, it began there. The first generation were half-fiends. They were grotesque and mistreated. Eventually the blood line became less pure. The Elf side gave way to Half-Elf, which eventually became Human because let’s face it, Humans will breed with anything. And all this time the remnants of the Abyssal influence on the blood line became less prominent. I found out it was my dad’s side who carried it. I wish he was around then. He could’ve explained a lot to me then. I learned that most Genasi bloodlines were influenced by the elemental forces like Fire and Earth and Water, but mine was different. I learned about my manifestation. It wasn’t as cool as shaking the ground or flying…but it was neat nonetheless.

18 years old – I learned why the colony didn’t like Abyssal Genasi. Most of the time the tainted bloodline wins out and the person becomes violent and destructive. Over the 12 years I was there about 15 or so Abyssal Genasi joined the colony. They were always more hostile than me. I typically didn’t associate with them, but I got along well with the Fire Clans. My mom loved the Wind Clans and spent most of her time with them. I got somewhat involved with a ‘windy’ for a couple of months but her dad put a stop to it. Inevitably, Abyssal Genasi were always asked to leave. Sometimes by their own volition, sometimes by force. I learned that the Elemental Genasi are generally very pleasant, but they know how to fight when it was needed. Even though I was Abyssal never acted like them. My mom said it was because I was special. About this time was when I learned to suppress the smell when I wasn’t manifesting, but I still can’t control it when I get emotional.

20 years old – I requested permission to enter the Mages Academy but the Archmage refused to have a ‘stinky’ under his tutelage. I’m wasn’t near big enough to be a sword swinger like the fire and earth guys. Nor was I quick and agile like the little water and air ones. So I resigned to let myself be sent to the library and apprentice there. I learned a whole lot while I was there, but something was missing. I didn’t have an outlet for my accumulated knowledge. Luckily, Master Olwe and his wife, Lady Linwe called on me.

21 years old – The beginning of the best 5 years of my life. I studied the new art with 7 other students. It was amazing. It mixed blade magic with arcane magic. It didn’t matter what you manifested. It didn’t require muscle. It had nothing to do with muscle. You muscle was your knowledge of the arcane arts. I placed defensive wards on my friends and I teleported from foe to foe. It was like being a mage, but with balls. We didn’t stand on the back line and shoot little missiles of eldritch force at our enemies, we ran up and hit them with our blades empowered with eldritch wards. We stood toe to toe with mountain creatures and protected each other with our spells while hammering them with scimitars, bastard swords and falchions. I remember asking my mom what on earth I did to deserve to be this happy. She said it was because I was special.

26 years old – It was time to move on. With the blessing of my mother and Master Olwe, I left the university and the colony. At the bottom of the mountains I parted ways with them. Master Olwe gave me a sword he had forged for his eight ‘swordmages’. He had taken to calling us his ‘swordmages’ and the name stuck. My mom gave me a kiss and a small scroll sealed with magic. It had the symbol of one of the Wind Clans on it. She said that one day, when the time came, I would be able to open it.

28 years old – Work was kind of hard to find. I took some mercenary work but I didn’t like it. I wasn’t trained to start a fight. I was trained to protect my allies during it and then end it. I eventually found my calling as a security escort. I know it’s not much, but it was fun as hell. I saw a lot of the region, learned a lot about the world and the monsters in it and made lots of friend. At least the ones that weren’t put off by my looks.

30 years old – My world changed. She was a dwarf named Teana, and she was my world. She was studying at a university in the Dwarf High City of Overreach and showing extreme promise in summoning magic. She was growing bored of the slow training at school and asked if she could practice at home. I had developed a small reputation so her father hired me to watch over her during her summons. She started with food, summoning it from the feast halls around town. Then small animals, like rabbits, turtles and dogs. Eventually she wanted to try larger heavier things. I suggested inanimate objects, but she insisted on living things explaining that they were more challenging. It became a game for us. She would summon a bear or boar and scurry away while I would subdue it, after which she would send it back. She was never in any danger. My wards were more than enough to protect her. But, like most children, she didn’t know when to stop. One evening I went to our summoning cave to see her in a different sort of circle. It was as design I hadn’t seen before. There was a dead bat burning in a brazier, snake blood was used to draw a crude star into the ground, and in the air was as tinge of brimstone. That smell. I knew the smell very well. It was the odor I gave off when I was manifesting. She was all but done with the ritual by the time I realized what she was doing. She had hinted at it earlier but I didn’t catch it till now. She wanted to summon something from another realm. Another plane. She never realized she was calling on the Abyss. She summoned an Evistro, sometimes called a Carnage Demon. They are notorious for being the easiest to summon, but the hardest to control. He came through and devoured her before my ward even went up. He then turned on me.

32 years old - I now live life one day at a time. Sleep does not come easy, if at all. I can still hear that scream. I made some new friends. They seem like a decent sort. There's a wizard and a priest. A fist fighter and a warlock. There's even a warforged. We fought some lizards in a swamp and had some old hero training us to work together. They tend to look out for one another. And they like to fight. I need it now. The fight that is. It's the only way to keep the pain away. With that pain comes anger and I can feel that bad blood in me boiling. I won't succomb to it. I'll fight every evil I can find on this world but I won't relish in it. Except for one thing: demons. When I find a demon, one of us is falling. But before I send it back to that smoldering hellhole they call the Abyss I'll ask it's name and if it says Fen'ra-tu, or knows how to find him...well, that's when things get interesting.