Tegan
"You sure about leaving the Watch?" Mains asked. He was stoking the forge-fire bare-chested, and sweat ran down his face and torso in rivulets.
"Aye, I'm sure," Tegan replied with a nod. "I've served out my term of enlistment honorably and well, rising through the ranks to Senior Sergeant, as you know. But without political patronage -- which isn't in the cards, obviously -- I don't see myself rising any further. Plus, I have observed some heavy-handed dealings from the Stormcrows that I have issue with. I think that it's time for me to choose a different path for myself."
"You're welcome to join me here. You've your mother's way with words, so you could run the shop whilst I work the forge -- and train you up on smithing, along and along. I've always hoped that one day I would change the name above the shop door to 'Mains Adalondor and Son, Smiths'."
Tegan shook his head. "I know that, Father. And believe me, I have considered it. But too many times I have seen you bow and scrape to lesser men than yourself -- merely because they were rich or held positions of power -- and ask, 'How soon do you need this order, Sir?'"
Mains looked a little hurt. "A man does what he has to do in order to sell his wares, Son. These days, that sort of thing is expected."
Tegan's expression softened. "I know that, Father. And I meant no disrespect, believe me. But . . . that just isn't the sort of life that I see for myself."
"And what sort of life do you see for yourself, Son -- I mean, with your leaving the Watch, and all? A man has to eat, you know."
Tegan hesitated, and then shrugged his shoulders. "I have been giving that a lot of thought, Father. And I haven't come to any decisions. I don't know . . . I guess that I just need to keep thinking about it."
"Don't take too long, Tegan," Mains remarked as he turned away to tend his forge-fire. "Time waits for no man, as you well know."
Tegan nodded as he turned to leave the forge. "I know, Father . . . I know."
Later that night in his room, in what must have been the small hours of the early morning, Tegan had awakened with a start -- or, mayhap dreamt that he had awakened -- because of the blinding light that was shining in his eyes. Shielding his eyes with the flat of his hand, he sat up in bed and took note that although his entire room was lit up with a startlingly pure, white light, an area about the size of his head -- and at head-height, more or less, from the floor -- over by the window seemed to somehow be brighter than the rest of the room.
Tegan sensed that he perhaps should have been frightened, yet all that he felt was an overwhelming sense of warmth and calm -- with an indefinable undercurrent of great, massive power. He gasped when he heard the words (he wasn't sure whether they were spoken out loud, or were somehow just suddenly there, in his head), "Your Spirit has been judged upon the Scales of Reckoning, and found worthy. Prepare yourself."
"What . . . h-h-how?" Tegan managed to stutter. "H-h-how do I prepare myself? And f-f-for w-w-what?"
There was a short pause, and then he heard more words. "All will become clear, in good time. Remember, evermore, 'Blood and Honor'."
Suddenly Tegan was sitting alone in the dark. After the warmth that he had felt while in the presence of The Light, he suddenly felt cold, and a chill ran down his spine . . .
Tegan is a Half-Elf male in his mid-twenties. He stands right at six feet tall, and weighs around 200 pounds. He looks to be strong and athletic, and although he can sometimes be a bit reserved, he also seems to be quite well-spoken.
When traveling on the open road or equipped for battle, he wears chain mail armor, carries a shield on his left arm, wears a longsword at his left hip, and carries five javelins that are attached to his backpack by leather loops. At his neck he wears a steel holy symbol that does not bear the sigil of any of the known gods -- it most closely resembles a sun-burst, or mayhap a radiant ball of light.
Tegan was born and raised in Darkwall, and is the only child of a Human father (Mains) and an Elven mother (Khelessa). Mains is a well-regarded blacksmith, and Khelessa was a bard who performed in Darkwall's better taverns.
Khelessa delivered Tegan to Mains when he was but a babe, and said that she would be leaving him and traveling on. When Mains asked Khelessa to marry him, she smiled wistfully and told him "Lover, you might as well try and give a ring to the East Wind." Tegan was raised by his father and thinks of himself as more Human than Elvish, although his eyes, mouth, and ears (which are often hidden by his long blond locks) hint at his mother's blood-lines.
Once he came of age, Tegan enlisted in the City Watch. He took to the Watch's martial training and discipline like a duck to water, and with his combination of strength and leadership skills he rose steadily through the ranks until he became a Senior Sergeant in command of his own squad.
However, it soon became evident that since he was of common birth and was not backed by wealth or political power, he could not reasonably expect to rise any further in the Watch. Plus, he observed some unreasonably heavy-handed actions from the Stormcrows that soured him against the leadership of the organization.
Now that he has left the Watch, and as a result of the awe-inspiring visitation by the Entity whom he thinks of as "The Light", Tegan looks forward to discovering his truth path with a newfound sense of wonder and of purpose . . .