Greetings, tis I Martiel Fellowsmith, and I'm going to tell to all of you who I am and why I do the things I do (for the most part).

I was rescued by a Giantman Shaman from a small tribe far off in the mountains up in the Northern Steppes. I was born into a small clan of dwarves living in the mountain. One day the chief of a nearby tribe of giantmen heard a rumor that a Dwarven Clan had settled on an ancient giantkin burial ground. He riled up his finest warriors and sallied forth against the blasphemous Dwarves.

Well, when all was said and done, there weren't any adult dwarves left alive. Nor were there many children either. The shaman and his kin came through to inspect the lands as he thought that the burial grounds were on the other side of the mountain. It turned out he was right. The Chieftan had gone against the shaman's advice and now the shaman would teach him a lesson. But how? In the wreckage of building, he heard something like a baby crying. He searched through the wreckage and found a little baby dwarf. A plan came to his mind. He would raise the baby as one of his own.

That baby was me.He raised me along side his two other sons. One named Bercilak, who would grow up to be a warrior and the other, Aeolis, who would become dedicated to the service of Koar. I learned many things. I learned how to fight (imagine growing up a dwarf in a giantman village) and I learned how to get around without being seen. I learned to aqcuire things for myself and how to get into locked doors and containers. I had to be self-sufficient.

When I turned 30 my adoptive father called me into his tent and told me the truth about my past. He didn't just rescued me from the bare mountain like I had grown up knowing, but the true story. He told me about the mistaken raid. The bad blood between him and the Chief. He told me the reason he rescued me was to train me and hope that one day that he may exact his revenge upon the chieftan through me. He felt I should know the whole truth and that I was free to go discover my own life. It seemed that "Da" was getting ill. He thought he might've been poisoned by the chieftan and he wanted to confess to me why he had done what he did before he died.

I was hurt, upset, angry and confused. My whole life had been turned upside down in the space of a few hours. What was I to do? Where was I to go? My true family was gone. I had no one left in the world. The shaman's other sons had gone out on their own to find their own destiny. It occured to me then that Da, the tribal shaman had been my family. He treated me fairly. He Did raise me and taught me to honor life and to live in harmony with nature. Not that I could half the time, but... He was like a father to me and I couldn't really blame him for what happened. What should I do....

It came to me then. Recounting all the injustice done to me growing up. All the abuse I suffered, the fights, the insults, the petty tauntings. I would get my revenge. I went back to Da. I told him I held him blameless for my parent's death. I told him how I felt and that I would be his revenge. I also told him I could no longer live in the village, with the same people who murdered my family. He understood and said that when I was ready he would help see me off to someplace better for me. We hugged and I went off to be with myself for a while.

After awhile, night had fallen and I had pulled myself together a plan began to formulate in my head. I would acquire all that I needed as reparations from the others and I would teach that oaf of a chieftan a lesson not to mess with the dwarves ever again. I snuck into one of the warriors huts and "borrowed" some weaponry. A dagger here, a short sword there, and maybe a handaxe for good measure. then sneaking past the guards (My, being a dwarf does has it advantages sometimes) and sneaking into the chief's hut I hid. The chief was out partying that night and I would make sure he had one heack of a headache the following morning. After a while, the chief's guards dragged the chief back into bed as he had gone and passed out as was his perogative. I waited till the guards had left and I counted to one thousand. Well, maybe aI counted to one hundred a few times. It's a little blurry and a thousand is a lot of numbers. I wainted till what I felt was a good amount of time and then I struck.Well, let me tell you this. I tied him down to prevent struggling. The following details may be a bit too graphic, but when I was done, well, things were in a bit of a disarray. I snuck on out of there as best I could.

I snuck back to Da's Tent. I couldn't believe the guards were that inept. Or maybe they just didn't notice the dwarf as usual. That'll teach them for ignoring me. I told him what I done. He was happy and scared for me. He didn't really want me to kill the chief, maybe maim him for life, but the deed was done. He had arranged for some gear for me and a bit of silver for food and such. He knew of some halfling merchants traveling through the area. He gave me a scroll and some silver to pay them to take to the place written on the scroll. That place was called Whenimer's Landing. I caught up with the merchants. They were glad to have some one skilled in fighting and spying sneaky things. They took the coins and said they were heading that way anyway. By the time I had made it to Whenimer's I was good and sick of tarts, althought they still make fine fare every now and then. I had learned to enjoy other drinks, learn of other races and learn of what I might be best suited to when I got to town.

Geez, what a strange place! There's people running around looking for a "runner"? I end up in this inn called The Raging Thrak. There's this abattered and worn-down Warrior there (Reminds me of the ex-chief I deposed). He tells me all these things I probably could've figured out on my own (whats a turnip farm?). A follow a few other younger people to this cul-de-sac. I hang around and listen in on what's current. They talk about this and that, about this rat problem in the sewers.... I get out my axe and shield and go see what it's all about. After awhile guess who I should run into but Da's sons, Bercilak and Aeolis. They give me the lowdown on how things work here and I go register as an adventurer and get my locker space. I noticed a sign saying those who wish to join a higher tax bracket can get, yada, yada, yada.. I go for it, what the heck. I figure I can always find a way to get the money....

This hunting stuff is fun, but even more fun is using my skills with lockpicks and traps. People pay good money for this stuff (most of the times). and those traps can sometimes realllllly hurt you. I've gotten to know the touch of a cleric's god a few times. I even got to participate on a quest helping some scholars find out about some artifacts in their collection's past. I got to meet some wonderful people on that quest. Some not so wonderful people too, but that's another story. I met this older rogue by the name of Gowain and his wife Sianan, a wonderful Cleric. Their daughter Branwyn, a, shall we say, charming and interesting young lady. Zodier, Roelon and a few others. From that quest I managed to form a friendship with Sianan and Branwyn, and I hope Gowain too, although I don't see much of him and I am rather in awe of him. On a more personal note, I managed somehow to impress someone enough to get invited into this guild of Rogues and am close to achieving what I am told is my lord's title.

That's most of my story. Anything else ye wish to know? Find me around the lands and ask.