Backstory

The story of Vianin's life began when his parents, both former adventurers, decided that they had had enough of that life and that it was time to settle down and start anew. Sadly only one of them would live long enough to see Vianin become the man they both dreamed he would. His mother, Tahllea, a paladin in the service of Ragathiel, died a few months after delivering her son, but not before she graced him with his name. This left Vianin's father Gavven, to raise his son on his own. Gavven Eldoran, a fighter of some skill, was able to secure some land outside of the small town of Sandpoint when he agreed to serve in their militia. There the man built a small home for himself and his young son. Sadly the farming life did not suite Gavven well, but the man devoted himself to doing everything he could for his son. Vianin's childhood was happy as a result. When Vianin was only eight years old he began to learn how to use weapons from his father. But it was another skill his father taught him, how to read, that proved to be Vianin's preferred way to learn. He would spend hours each day reading over the holy text his mother had left behind for him and whatever books or scrolls Gavven was able to find and afford. When he was ten he began to attend the Turandarok Academy, Sandpoint's local school. Vianin excelled at the school, proving to have an aptitude for learning that exceeded a fair number of his fellows. As Vianin grew he found himself falling ahead of many of his peers, at least physically. Most of the children of Sandpoint were human, so by the time they had reached their teens they were far more smaller than him and often picked on him for being larger and having pointed ears. This caused Vianin to withdraw somewhat and he spent much of his day studying alone, reading, training with his father and, eventually, praying. He wasn't sure what drew him to prayer, but he always felt better when he asked Ragathiel to guide him and protect him. By the time he was twenty he found that he was able to summon some minor powers when invoking Ragathiel's name. Vianin continued studying at the academy until he was twenty two, at which point he devoted himself to furthering his study of Ragathiel. He sought assistance in this from Abstalar Zantus, the foremost cleric in town after the chapel had burned down. Luckily Abstalar was more than willing to help Vianin with his spiritual quest. While Vianin possessed the only holy text devoted to Ragathiel, Abstalar was able to help the young half-elf understand the connection to his god further. He spent hours each day in prayer and contemplation, balancing that with further study and training. During these years he also trained more with his father and the town militia, learning how to wield blade, spear and bow. Things changed drastically for Vianin when he was twenty five. Gavven, now in his fifties, started to weaken drastically. Vianin prayed over his father for many days and nights, seeking to heal him. While his prayers seemed to keep healing him for some time, Gavven's health eventually failed entirely. Shortly before Vianin turned twenty six, his father passed away. Gavven gave his son all he owned, including the bastard sword that had once belonged to his wife. Vianin built a pyre for his father, having invited the few friends Gavven had to join, and spoke prayers to send Gavven into the afterlife as his father burned. With the last of his family gone, Vianin sold his home and the processions within. He took the few things that mattered to him, his father's old armor, his mother's holy text, and temporarily moved into the academy. There he aided the headmaster for awhile, teaching the younger children and aiding in the care of the orphans. All the while he was trying to decide what to do with his life. The clarion call finally came for him when he overheard the town's need to track down "Black Fang", a creature which had been causing chaos at the edge of town. Vianin agreed to aid anyone else that would take part in the quest and left town to seek the creature.