Changes [Black Rose][2/3]

On a normal day Sefkar went to the meeting point to meet up with Amanar, the first meeting since like two months. Amanar wasn't there. Instead of Amanar, Zeros stepped back from the shadows of a tree, and above him was Turiya sitting on a branch. "Where is Amanar?" asked Sefkar. Zeros reply was short: "gone.... me and Turiya are taking over". Sefkar looked at Zeros, then at Turiya, and back at Zeros. "Gone??" he spoke. Turiya jumped from the tree and nodded "Now leave, and continue to develop yourself as you did when Amanar was still around.. you are the only druid left now." For months he was alone now. Traveling, fighting, practicing, learning. He didn't see Killian or Sularin during these times, and he made a long journey by ship across the sea of swords to get to know the Forgotten Realms continent. After about half a year he returned back to the vicinity of Westbridge to meet up with Zeros and Turiya again for instructions. They both seemed to have changed a bit. The thick armor of Zeros showed his changed position, as did some of Turiya's equipment. "It's now time to show what you learned and can" spoke Turiya. "We both have some quests for you. If you complete them, you will be our new druid. If you fail you will be banished and will face death when you meet us again". Sefkar nodded as a sign that he understood it. Both Zeros and Turiya gave him a small letter. "First open Turiya's, once you completed them open mine." said Zeros, "We will meet again here in five months. Not showing up then means banishment". Sefkar nodded and left the scene.

Introduction [Black Rose][1/3]

How long ago was it? Ten years? Twenty years? He remembers it as it happend yesterday. Leaving your place of birth, your home, your everything.. the Underdark. The drow, known becouse of the vendetta's between the independent houses which populate the Underdark again took arms against each other. Instead of joining their sublime forces against orcs and otherlow races they slaughtered each other, 'just like the humans' he thought. House il'Gatha was on the wrong side, at least if they wanted to survive it. That didn't happen, an ambush by two other houses who joined forces (and fought over the loot afterwards) made an end of the elite force the house had. Sefkar survived this. Although he wished he could've been there to assist his family, a wound from a previous battle kept him home, while the matron and the other drow went out to search battle, they found it, just not at the place they expected. As Sefkar heard the news he knew he had only two options, stay and die, or leave and die later on. He chose the latter option. He left the Underdark and stayed in caves and mazes less deep underground as the Underdark for years. Eventually he went out during the night to gather food and steal new equipment, and accustomed himself with the little light from the moon. More and more years passed, and Sefkar stayed out of the caves longer and longer, sometimes even when the sun already started with his journey along the skies. His eyes and skin adapted themselves at the sunlight and made it possible for him to travel during daylight now. A long period of traveling and building up knowledge about the outside world started. Totally unknown about what happened on the surface he started to travel. Those travels strengthen him, he had to fight animals he never knew about to survive. Sefkar started to love the forests as he loved the Underdark, and started to become one with nature, like the pure elves are. As a druid, his knowledge based on experience, he traveled along the realms. He did not just fight animals to survive, but also other races to obtain tools and money. Slowly but steadily he got his strength back his body once had. Then, on one of his rare trips to an urban area he met Amanar. This human was a druid, just like Sefkar, but he also was the leading force behind the Black Rose, a fear spreading cult. Amanar helped Sefkar developing himself for years. He gave advice and training, but also made sure Sefkar kept improving himself on his own. He got to know other people who were much further in their training. One of them was a Strider, sublime in combat in the forests and a master of tracking going by the name of Turiya. The other was a master of combat, wherever this combat was. His power in combat was not just his speed, but also his intelligence. The name of this gladiator was Zeros. The training continued, and Sefkar kept improving himself. He noticed that he wasn't alone anymore.. there were other Initiates who got their training too, fled from the Underdark, or left at their own will, they were now trained in the art of surface battle. One of the was named Killian, the other Sularin. Sularin was more a sort of lone wolf in his task, as he left the Underdark at a low age and lived in the forests for almost twenty years. Killian though was more a co-operative person, and soon Sefkar and Killian went out to fight side by side, developing a friendship.