Arcade Featherblack

(Posted on behalf of Matthew, who's having computer issues.)

In the northern mountains of Punjabar lay the kingdom of Mandira. Its capital city was Moltair and this is where I was laid as an egg. Mandira was an ideal place for kenku to settle down due to its high mountain ranges. However it was still part of Punjabar and therefore was not safe from its many conflicts. While I was still an egg, Moltair was under siege by the Army of Delpharan, a kingdom to the south. My parents were at the market when all chaos broke loose; they tried to get back to the house but were killed by invading forces during the siege. A band of four mercenaries from Laurynvale happened to come across my egg and raised me when I hatched. They waited till I was older to tell me the fate of my parents and about how they had found me wrapped in warm blankets in an abandoned home. It was only years later that I found out the mercenaries were hired by the Army of Delpharan, but by that point I was one of them. They raised me to be a mercenary and taught me everything I know. The group was led by a dragonborn barbarian named Tazmer. His second-in-command was a halfling rogue called Zefina; she was the brains of the group. The medic of the group was a human wizard called Samish Hasif. And the fourth member was a gnome bard named JoJo the Excitable; he didn't actually do anything but write songs about their adventures and sing. At first they found me to be rather bothersome due to my speech impediment, but slowly I grew on them. Each member wanted me to be like them. Zefina was my natural mentor; she trained me to be a rogue and made me what I am. My entire life has been spent fighting for one army, then overnight I'd be on the opposing side. But I always fought on the same side as my mercenary allies and they had my loyalty. By the time I was 16, we were fighting some very intense wars and it was taking its toll on us. The year before, Samish was hit by an exploding trebuchet blast and lost his legs. After that he retired so now we were down to four members. We were fighting for the Mandiraian army against the Hanjat royal army in the farm lands of Delpharan which was being puppeted by Hanjat at this time. We thought we had them on the run but it was a trap. The royal army leveled half the city, killing most of the soldiers we were fighting beside. I myself was almost killed, and would have been if it wasn't for Zefina, who sacrificed herself to push me out of the way of falling debris. That same day Tazmer was attacked by Hanjat assassins. He managed to kill them both but at the cost of an arm and an eye. The next morning Tazmer decided to go home to Laurynvale but was captured by The Holy Army of Helmerica; he hasn't been heard from since. After that JoJo quit the group in search of "better adventurers who don't die". At that time I was stricken by sadness and anger for the loss of my mentor. With revenge in my heart I took every contract against Hanjat I could find. Remnants of the Delpharan army hired me and partnered me up with a half-elf fighter. I didn't think much of her at first, but we made for a great team. With the help of some other mercenary groups and Delpharan's army we broke down Hanjat's royal army. Hanjat's economy crashed; as a result, they can't afford war anymore. I was about 19 when the half-elf told me she was going back to Helmerica to be with her dying father. The defeat of Hanjat didn't ease my anger or vengeance, so I stayed behind. For the next 7 years I spent my time killing and fighting in wars and battles. All the fighting and killing had become a blur. I felt the need to fight for something I believed in and finally use my skills for a good cause. I am now twenty-seven and after contacting my old half-elf partner I’m on my way to Helmerica to start an underground revolution.