Sigmund, named after the great King of Haense, Sigismund, was found on the doorsteps of a peasant woman and husband in the Haenses Rural Distrct. Under any normal circumstances, the farmer couple would have been horrified at the discovery of a dark elf within their presence, and absolutely disgusted at the sight. However, these were not normal circumstances.
You see, the young couple had been enduring periods of immense famine and thus, despair. The two had lived in the city previously, before running away from their lives in the city to start afresh with one another. They found themselves within the Haenses Rural District, where they struck up lives as farmers, but had no previous skill or experience in the craft. Eventually, the woman found herself with a child, yet in the ninth month of labor, lost the unborn babe.
That following night, as she cried herself to sleep, begging to the Creator to rid her of her misfortunes, and grant her an opportunity to better her life, she heard a cry. The sounds of a wailing babe came from outside the front doorsteps as her husband laid asleep. She opened the door cautiously, and upon finding the dark elf child laid in a bundle on the ground, experience a swell of emotions that years later she would still fail at explaining.
In that moment, she declared the child was a sign from the Creator, and as the beginning of an opportunity for a better life. She made him her child and named him Sigmund, after the King, teaching him the lifestyle and ways of the Highlander-centric Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska.
Sigmund faced discrimination from the surrounding community, harassed by the children and adults all of his life for his appearance. They threw slurs at him, insulted him, spit at him, and on several occasions, cornered him and beated him until he fell unconscious. Yet, throughout all of this, his mother taught him to keep his head up, worship the Creator, and follow the rules set out in front of him. His father taught him to work the farm, instilling in him a sense of hardwork, and continuously supported him despite the prejudices and conflict they had within the community.
Life continued this way, with the Highlander children cornering him day after day to beat him to a pulp as he worked in the farm, and his parents doing their best to ensure he maintained his worship, did his best to improve relations with their neighbors, and offer him continuous love and support.
Soon enough, the neighbors became accustomed to his presence, and although not welcomed or appreciated, they learned to live with him in the community. Frequently still, they would spit at him, rob him of his belongings, and refuse to acknowledge his existence. But Sigmund also grew used to this, and followed his parents teachings with hopes that one day, the Creator would grant mercy and give him and his family a lifetime of happiness.
At 45 years old, this never came. His parents now deceased for over a decade, he remains in the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, determined to prove his worth to the Creator, King Sigismund of which he is named after, and the Highlander children that tormented him all of his life. Yet, a part of him cannot shake this feeling of contempt against all those he has aspired to please, for the miserable livelihoods him and his family endured.
