You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.” ((How do you respond?)) Example: *Thinks to himself, making a perplexed expression as he wrinkles his eyebrows together* (How does she know who I am?). *As he hesitantly bends down to sit on the cushion* he says: My story is not why I am here." *After a brief pause while he makes himself comfortable, he glances at the old hag, noticing her disappointed expression* *He sighs, figuring the tough guy act will get him nowhere and proceeds to discuss his story and current state of affairs*
Shaw mutters with a bit of a chuckle: "Though it seems you already know much about me, I will give in to your wish and start from the beginning." "I come from a family cultivated by a mistake. I'm sure you've NEVER heard of the Random Family of That Insignificantly Normal "Town Name". Well, my dad, Nobody-Special Ernald Elye had a child he did not want. My lineage spawns of a bastard child. A mistake. A child who would get swept under the rug, abandoned, in hopes to be forgotten. Unfortunately, my dad was unable to erase his mistake because my mother proved to be resilient, for better or for worse. After having a secret affair, he got a woman pregnant, and in his hope to keep his reputation upstanding as a random npc in the realm should, he abandoned his pregnant partner and sent her into the slums with a threat that he will have her killed if she causes him any trouble. With that warning, and scared for her life, this woman fled out of sight of this insignificant man's ruthless goons. So after scratching and clawing to stay alive, barely surviving the life of a pregnant outcast in the slums, eventually I came around. I started my life, a babe with the bloodline of a nobody, out on the streets in the Kingdom of Norland, having to learn everything in life through trial and error. Life was hard, and many times I wanted to give up. However, my mother along with a new set of "adopted" family members from the slums put a tremendous amount of pressure on me. They believe I am the one who will set our family back onto the path of a respectable life and lineage. They have made countless sacrifices on my behalf, ensuring I learned the skills of reading and writing, how to socially conduct myself, how to properly present myself and what sort of attire is acceptable, and all the lessons one would need to learn to survive the "real world." They spent every penny they could gather on me." *Shaw's eyes begin to form a glossy layer as he reminisces* He said: "Just when they were preparing to celebrate my 18th birthday and officially send me off to a place of learning, a local thug, Boris, barged into my home demanding money from my "uncle". Supposedly he owed him. Long story short, when I arrived home from my tutoring session, I was met with the horrors of my entire family slaughtered. According to neighbors, my uncle refused to be bullied around, and in turn, a fight broke out, which led to an over-reaction of the gang-leader's thugs. Before Boris could regain control of chaos, my small, but strong-willed family had been killed by his goons. For what it's worth, the witnesses said he was furious at his crew for killing the women, and made sure they paid with their lives. So not only was my home filled with my dead family members, but it also was littered with a handful of his goons. Though, I'm sure it was his way of retribution, it didn't make the clean up any easier." *He chuckles as he makes eye contact with the old hag, who is giving him a look only a mother could make*. He continues "And through all this, you'd think I'd have animosity towards Boris, but no. He is the same as me, a product of his environment. Me and Boris are not too different, born into a crumby world, playing with the crumby hands we had been dealt." *A look of determination fills Shaw's eyes* "No, my anger is with the Kingdom. The royalty who forget the people who aren't important or "noble" enough to matter. My anger is with the Church, who is too focused on political power that they can't help the needy. (And you would think that those of the Red Faith would be any better, but many don't seem to act as they claim.) My anger is with the people who walk the streets turning a blind eye to all the calamities brought on by those in power, but are too scared to stand up for themselves. And through this anger, I am going to follow the wishes of my family, avenge their deaths, and make the privileged folk feel the pain of me and my people." *He stares directly into the hag's eyes* "I came to you in search of the power to do so! I need your guidance, your knowledge, your connections. I need to meet those who think similarly to me. I need those who not only have the same desires, but the power to do so. Power in status, power in numbers, or both. No religion, no culture, no race is of importance to me. Anyone can be my ally and anyone can be my foe. So tell me, woman, where can I go to find my allies?" *The old hag begins to snicker, which slowly turns into a bellowing laugh as she reaches over into her bag, pulling out an oddly colored piece of parchment, with a bright red 'X' displayed on the back*. *After taking a moment to scan through the parchment, she dipped her finger in a black gooey substance to her left, and proceeded to circle a name on the paper*. As she hands me the faded parchment, she says "This is all I can do for you lad. The rest is in your hands."
