Flashes of lightning, booms of thunder, those are the first images imprinted into young Eryk's mind. A highlander boy no older than 14, he had no recollection of how he came to be so far south of Norland, nor the 14 years that had preceded his arrival on that shore. Beaten and bruised, he made his way to the nearest settlement of Nevaehlen.. Yet his arrival was not welcomed, his need for aid not met. A foreigner to the people, very few would lend a helping hand to the boy. Yet with no food in his stomach, and no coin to his name, there were few places he could afford to travel to. Keeping him stuck in this environment which unwelcomed him greatly.
A crash is heard from outside the library, as a kid scampers out a window,
"Dammit Eryk, get back here!" A voice shouts from within the library's walls.
Eryk, now 17, has a sly grin on his face as he makes his was into the weaving streets of Nevaehlen, a book clutched to his side. Eventually, he found his way to a dilapitaded watch tower on the eastern side of the city. Making his way up the staircase, he found himself back at the little corner he has called home for the last three years. An apple crunches in the far corner of the hideout.
"The bookmaster isn't happy, Eryk." Says a sweet voice. It belonged to a young wood elf girl, Taela. She stood just about as tall as Eryk did, two inches shorter at five foot seven. He messy brown hair weaved in and out of dreads and unkept mats. Her piercing green eyes fell soft on Eryk as she took another bite of the apple.
Eryk sighed, "Yeah sure, go ahead and help yerself ta' one of MY apples." He walked over to the bedroll that laid facing the outlook of the tower, flopping the book down on it. Taela smiles, hopping up from the perch she had been resting on. Prancing over, she flopped herself behind Eryk, resting her chin on his head and peering over in front of him.
"Did you nab anything good?" She asked curiously. Taking another bite of the apple.
"Oh yeah. This is my ticket out of this place." Eryk replied ambitiously. He opened the book to reveal a history book on the many conflicts of Aevos. Flipping through until he landed on a segment regarding the Siege of Haverlock. "Check this out. I read about this conflict, and knew I needed to nab it. During the Urguani-Oreinian War, Haverlock fell undersiege for three days before the Orenian Empire finally won. But look at this." He points to a crest noted in the details of the battle. A crest resembling a boat sailing across waters, with wheat on either side.
Taela looked curiously, "Ooookay... what's so interesting about that crest?" She cants her head.
"This is the crest of The Ferrymen. A band of heros seeking to redistribute the wealth! Take from the rich and give to the needy!" He exclaims, raising a fist in the air. "They give to people like us..." He smiled.
"And thats your ticket out of here how?" talea snerks, lifting herself from Eryk's head and flopping back on the bedroll. "You don't know nothing about them folks, why would they care about you?"
Eryk looks out to the horizon, "One day, when I scrounge up the coin to make it, I'm gonna go lookin' for these guys. And I'll become a Ferryman too. Then I'll come back, and give you the life you couldn't get, Taela."
Taela chuckles, "Ha! Keep dreaming round-ear. The day you make it out of here is the day I become a Gladeguard."
Six years later, Eryk finally scrounged up the coin needed to survive the road. Odd jobs, loose coinpurses, and honest donations slowly built up. Although, the day he set out to the world in hopes of finding a Ferryman.
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