Richard Fayne was born to two aspiring parents in the city of New Reza. His father was a soldier, his mother a tavern keep. He had an older brother, Henry, who also served in the military, who doted upon his little brother often. The family got by, and Richard was never without a satisfied stomach or a roof over his head. Whilst his parents could not afford to send him to one of the expensive schools of New Reza, he was instead taught by both his father and brother in soldiery and the basic survival.
At ten, whilst hunting in the woods with his father and brother for a great family feast, they were apprehended by a local lord for trespassing upon his lands. The words of that heinous greedy lord echoed through Richard’s life of ordering his father to be dragged away by a few of his underlings. He never saw his father again, his family fearing the worst. During this time, his brother, once loyal to the kingdom, turned rogue. Henry had grown cynical against the justice there, and took to common banditry after some years from his fathers disappearance. Richard, now grown at sixteen, was conflicted due to the loyalty he had for his family, and his kingdom.
He chose to confront his brother, inviting him to the city one day to speak out the quarrel. As his brother entered Reza however, the world darkened and large chunks of debris and balls of burning meteor came streaming down into the city. His brother was gone amidst the smoke and he was forced to flee among the crowds rather than search for his brother, unsure of whether he got out. Perhaps the Creator was punishing him he thought, or there was no creator at all.
