My tale begins as a warning to all those treading the line between good and evil, chaos and order. The divide between the two is small and undefined, and without a cause to follow the descent into darkness is tempting.

“DO NOT RIDICULE OR BELITTLE THE POWERS OF DARKNESS, FOR INDEED THE POWER IS GREAT, RESPECT THEM AND EVEN FEAR
THEM, FOR TO DEFEAT AN ENEMY YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THEM” QUOTE :- TANNIX

Born from an Elven mother and Human father, life was sometimes difficult, as half breeds are rarely accepted into society being neither human nor Elven. If it wasn't for the fact that my father was a Captain of the Elite Qeynos Guard, our life may have been more of a hardship. Life was fairly good, I had learnt to ignore the endless mocking and name calling, while studying and learning the ways of combat from my father.

I wanted to join the Qeynos Guard and become like my father. That is till that fateful day. It all started late at night with a banging on the door of our home. I was in bed, but was awakenned from the commotion. I heard some woman screaming that she had seen two city guards kill a man and dump his body in the lake. My father grabbed his sword and left with the woman to investigate. I thought no more of it.

When morning came my father was talking to a striking, powerfully built man wearing the most impressive golden armour I had ever seen. His shield leaning against the wall bore the crest of Commander of the Guard. This man was to change my life forever. My father and him were talking about corrupt guards and the murder that took place the night before.

Life continued normally for a few weeks, but my father became obsessed with revealing these identities of the corrupt guards. It became an obsession. Late one night my trust and honour was ripped from my heart in one foul stroke and the journey into a dark time of my life had begun.

It began in the early hours of the morning an almighty bang like the heavens exploding woke me from my sleep. I jumped from my bed and rushed into the living quarters, what I saw will stay with me forever. Four masked men had entered the house, slumped against the wall lay the lifeless body of my mother, and father was covered in blood with one arm hanging limply to his side. He was valiantly fighting off the intruders. Upon seeing me he screamed for me to run, to run for my life. I hesitated; my father grabbed hold of me and pushed me towards the door. In doing this his guard had dropped and one of the intruders struck his sword into my fathers body. My fathers eyes shall haunt me forever, the look of betrayal, surprise and pain, still gives me nightmares to this day. His dying words spoke “its then Tan its my commander, run, run for your life and one day you will avenge me”

I looked up and saw the open door, and there were the intruders moving towards me. Time stood still for what seemed like an eternity, and then suddenly sprang back to life. I bolted for the door, narrowly escaping the clutches of the intruders, upon leaving the house I ran, I ran into the city, I ran towards the gates and into the wilderness beyond. My father had warned me of the dangers of Qeynos Hills but I didn't care I ran and ran until finally exhaustion took me and I collapsed under a tree. I fell into a nightmarish sleep, filled with demons, murder and those eyes, those pain filled piercing eyes of my father.

Upon waking I was surprised to smell the burning embers of a fire and the smell of cooking food. I had dreamt it, thank god it was a dream. Then feeling the wind against my face and the dampness of my clothes I realised it wasn't a dream, but it had really happened.

He found me while I was unconscious under the tree, a travelling halfling druid by the name of Across. He had stumbled upon me and using the powers nature had bestowed upon him, he cured me of my exhaustion and guarded me against the creatures of the night.

Over the next few months I befriended Across who taught me not to rely on others and that man is capable of surviving alone in this harsh world. He taught me to live off the land and harness natures’ power to control the elements. My studying continued with Across until the time that his journey took him to further parts of the world.

The inner turmoil inside me was starting to show, I began hunting gnolls of Qeynos Hills, shunning the company of others and staying as far away from Qeynos as possible. Occasionally I'd see the guards patrolling the hills and the temptation for revenge was great. Many a night was spent watching the guard tower from afar all the time fighting the desire to take my revenge. I used others to accomplish my desires, raiding the Blackburrow dungeon was a dangerous task and finding companions was a necessity. I distanced myself from them, unwilling to forge friendships, I wanted no debts owed to me or me owing any. I was capable of looking after myself, who needed others, only for them to betray me and I won't willingly place my trust in anyone else. The closest I came to befriending anyone was a human named Fardar, he showed the same attitude as me, look after number one. Together we aimlessly slayed the gnolls of Blackburrow in endless search of something that was missing from our life's.

As we became more powerful our journeys took us further a field, to the West Karanas, where a group of bandits were plaguing the area. We took it upon ourselves to cleanse the area, perhaps committing ourselves to a good cause without actually realising it, not that I cared either way.

All the time I was honing my battle skills developing nature’s power for the day, the day when my revenge would be fulfilled.

For a few seasons we continued our destruction of the bandits, all the time out unintentional friendship developed. I actually began to trust Fardar with my life and me with his. One day while making a trip back to Qeynos Hills to sell our bounty we had collected, I saw that man, the Commander of the Guards. Fury erupted within me, knowing I wasn't powerful enough to take my revenge, Fardar pleaded with me to leave with him. Although I couldn't care whether I lived or died I realised that revenge would wait till a day when I could take him down.

Many a week were spent aimlessly travelling the Karanas until a day when a fellow druid showed the true power of nature by magically teleporting us the other side of the continent.

Fardar and I travelled to a wilderness known only as the Oasis, along the way making a new friend called Namokski a little gnome cleric, whose annoying habit of always stopping to help others, plagued my eternal quest for revenge.

Together we took on the might of the orc hoards at a vast desert area called orc highway. Although we slew hundreds the numbers never ceased. In my mind doubts were starting to form, all this evil throughout the world and my loss seemed small against the endless suffering of the normal folk of Norrath. One particular day after a heavy battle on the orc highway, I was resting and offering prayers to the gods of nature in return for her blessings when I happenned upon two dwarves by the names of Dika and Nabot. Many an hour over the next few weeks were spent in conversation with Dika and Nabot, they taught me that by joining efforts with others evil could be defeated on a larger scale, I learned that my anger was consuming me into a uncontrollable entity walking the thin line of evil itself. They mentioned of a growing family of like-minded people who went under the banner of Forces of Light, who together battled evil on a far larger scale then I could ever accomplish by myself.

They recommended me into this family and within a week I meet with an officer of this guild. At first my trust was wary, remembering how my father was murdered and betrayed by one he trusted. But the goodness flowed from these people, their intent obvious and his willingness to protect me knowing me a short while calmed my fears. I accepted the conditions and rules of the guild and within days a darkness had been lifted from within me. For the first time in my life, I felt at peace with myself, although I'll never forget the way my parents were murdered, and I will exact my revenge, one day. I now realise there is more to life than myself and there is gratification in helping others.

I came close to following the path of darkness, not because I’m evil but, the self consuming anger inside me was turning me into a monster the same monster I have given my life to slaying.

“REMEMBER LIGHT AND DARK ARE ONLY BUT TWO SHADES OF ONE COLOUR. THE PATH BETWEEN THEM A THIN DANGEROUS ONE. LET LIGHT LEAD YOU AND DO NOT BE TEMPTED INTO THE WAYS OF DARKNESS, OR YOU WILL BE LOSS FOREVER” QUOTE: - TANNIX