Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2002 4:23 am
Tayanna Spellbane
Little Lilly was longingly looking at the round green apples that Master Hambit was selling today. The street urchin’s belly was rumbling loudly, but there was no way she could snatch away an apple without the halfling noticing. As she watched, a hand took away just the apple she’d been staring at and threw it to her. Catching it nimbly, Lilly looked at the woman in awe, recognizing the steel frame and strongwilled face of the famed Tayanna Spellbane. Presently, she was smiling at the little one who would stare after her until she went out of sight. Everybody round here knew Mistress Spellbane’s tale, she was respected and even a little bit feared.
Tayanna had once been just such a little street urchin as Lilly now was, surviving on whatever she could find, begging and stealing to keep herself alive. As she grew, she soon became a thief of some skill, mostly stealing from nobles and rich merchants, partly because they made the most lucrative targets, partly because she didn’t want to steal from people almost as poor as herself. One icy night in winter, she had broken into a warehouse and planned on spending the night snugly inside, but the city watch disturbed her rest and she barely escaped being caught.
Walking through the streets, freezing, she finally found a little porch where she would protected from the cold wind. Settling down in her uncomfortable corner, she prepared to wait through the night as she did not manage to open the intricate lock on the door. Hour after hour passed, the cold seeping into her bones, making her numb, but she did not budge as the wind was carrying icy snow now and she would freeze to death even faster if she left her cover.
In the middle of the night, she suddenly heard unsure footsteps approaching her hiding place and then a gnome was already upon her. Trying to escape, she stumbled and fell, her limbs frozen by the cold, flailing helplessly as the gnome bent down and helped her up. He had obviously drunk a bit too much, but was still sober enough to see that she was half frozen to death already.
“Now… now, do-don’t be a-afrai-afraid” he stammered and unlocked the door. “G-get in. It’s too c-cold outside.”
Tayanna suffered herself to be pushed inside and soon found herself in the clockmakers living room, a cup of hot tea in her hands. Fascinated, she sat there, looking at the clocks ticking all around. After a quiet night, she slept long and was only awakened when the gnome came down and introduced himself as Gishnar. Looking Tayanna up and down, he sighed, wishing that he could do more for her and told her so. His shop hadn’t been going good of late because an mage had found a way to enchant hourglasses so they worked forever and thus the gnome had barely enough to survive. Thus they talked happily for an hour or two and Tayanna showed much interest in the clockmaker’s work. Finally, they parted, but since then, Tayanna visited Gishnar often, picking up his trade surprisingly fast.
They soon became good friends, Gishnar replacing her father, Tayanna the girl he had never had. Still, Grishnar’s trade went worse and worse, but Tayanna was now a skilled enough thief to steal whatever they needed to survive. Grishnar though became more and more depressed as his trade had been his whole life and Tayanna began to hate the mage responsible for their ruin. Finally, Tayanna came home one day and found Grishnar dead in his workshop, he had not been able to live any longer.
Furious at the mage, Tayanna broke into his house that very evening and the next dawn found a very dead mage in his bed. Unluckily for her, she had made the mistake to stay in town and was caught and condemned upon the testimony of the very mage she had assassinated. As she saw him, she couldn’t believe it, somebody had resurrected that bastard whereas her good mentor was already buried and forgotten.
Still, she was lucky enough not to be sentenced to death but condemned to serve in the border patrols. Thus, she joined the rough troops at the border and soon became a skilled and feared fighter. Day after day, she witnessed the injustice of magic. Those who had skilled healers as friends, those who could pay for resurrections, for enchanted armor, for personal battle mages and so forth, survived, whereas other, more skilled warriors where doomed to die.
Tayanna became disgusted with magic, in her eyes it was the origin of all injustice. More and more, she abandoned all magic, honing her body to perfection, relying solely on her own skills. Soon, she found herself rejecting all magic, even hunting it down wherever she could, building herself a reputation as a Forsaker, respected by all, feared by magic users across the country. She would not rest before all magic had disappeared from the face of the world and with it the injustice plaguing the lands.
Yet, in the beginning, she had been but a little street urchin, not unlike the one she had just given an apple…
Little Lilly was longingly looking at the round green apples that Master Hambit was selling today. The street urchin’s belly was rumbling loudly, but there was no way she could snatch away an apple without the halfling noticing. As she watched, a hand took away just the apple she’d been staring at and threw it to her. Catching it nimbly, Lilly looked at the woman in awe, recognizing the steel frame and strongwilled face of the famed Tayanna Spellbane. Presently, she was smiling at the little one who would stare after her until she went out of sight. Everybody round here knew Mistress Spellbane’s tale, she was respected and even a little bit feared.
Tayanna had once been just such a little street urchin as Lilly now was, surviving on whatever she could find, begging and stealing to keep herself alive. As she grew, she soon became a thief of some skill, mostly stealing from nobles and rich merchants, partly because they made the most lucrative targets, partly because she didn’t want to steal from people almost as poor as herself. One icy night in winter, she had broken into a warehouse and planned on spending the night snugly inside, but the city watch disturbed her rest and she barely escaped being caught.
Walking through the streets, freezing, she finally found a little porch where she would protected from the cold wind. Settling down in her uncomfortable corner, she prepared to wait through the night as she did not manage to open the intricate lock on the door. Hour after hour passed, the cold seeping into her bones, making her numb, but she did not budge as the wind was carrying icy snow now and she would freeze to death even faster if she left her cover.
In the middle of the night, she suddenly heard unsure footsteps approaching her hiding place and then a gnome was already upon her. Trying to escape, she stumbled and fell, her limbs frozen by the cold, flailing helplessly as the gnome bent down and helped her up. He had obviously drunk a bit too much, but was still sober enough to see that she was half frozen to death already.
“Now… now, do-don’t be a-afrai-afraid” he stammered and unlocked the door. “G-get in. It’s too c-cold outside.”
Tayanna suffered herself to be pushed inside and soon found herself in the clockmakers living room, a cup of hot tea in her hands. Fascinated, she sat there, looking at the clocks ticking all around. After a quiet night, she slept long and was only awakened when the gnome came down and introduced himself as Gishnar. Looking Tayanna up and down, he sighed, wishing that he could do more for her and told her so. His shop hadn’t been going good of late because an mage had found a way to enchant hourglasses so they worked forever and thus the gnome had barely enough to survive. Thus they talked happily for an hour or two and Tayanna showed much interest in the clockmaker’s work. Finally, they parted, but since then, Tayanna visited Gishnar often, picking up his trade surprisingly fast.
They soon became good friends, Gishnar replacing her father, Tayanna the girl he had never had. Still, Grishnar’s trade went worse and worse, but Tayanna was now a skilled enough thief to steal whatever they needed to survive. Grishnar though became more and more depressed as his trade had been his whole life and Tayanna began to hate the mage responsible for their ruin. Finally, Tayanna came home one day and found Grishnar dead in his workshop, he had not been able to live any longer.
Furious at the mage, Tayanna broke into his house that very evening and the next dawn found a very dead mage in his bed. Unluckily for her, she had made the mistake to stay in town and was caught and condemned upon the testimony of the very mage she had assassinated. As she saw him, she couldn’t believe it, somebody had resurrected that bastard whereas her good mentor was already buried and forgotten.
Still, she was lucky enough not to be sentenced to death but condemned to serve in the border patrols. Thus, she joined the rough troops at the border and soon became a skilled and feared fighter. Day after day, she witnessed the injustice of magic. Those who had skilled healers as friends, those who could pay for resurrections, for enchanted armor, for personal battle mages and so forth, survived, whereas other, more skilled warriors where doomed to die.
Tayanna became disgusted with magic, in her eyes it was the origin of all injustice. More and more, she abandoned all magic, honing her body to perfection, relying solely on her own skills. Soon, she found herself rejecting all magic, even hunting it down wherever she could, building herself a reputation as a Forsaker, respected by all, feared by magic users across the country. She would not rest before all magic had disappeared from the face of the world and with it the injustice plaguing the lands.
Yet, in the beginning, she had been but a little street urchin, not unlike the one she had just given an apple…
