'Tis true that we are in great danger;
The greater therefore should our courage be.
-Henry V
The strange and arcane had always fascinated Faisal Ethelwyn. That had been the main reason he had decided to train as a mage . . . well that and the fact that his adoptive father, Belben Graros was a minor practitioner of the wizardly arts.
His father was a sage and a historian that used spells to bolster his studies and help with identifying the objects that he would find on excavations and then later sold in his shop. Faisal, however, was not satisfied merely cataloguing his father's discoveries, he wanted to be making his own. So, with the blessing of his father, Faisal studied for years with wizards as well as soldiers to mix steel and magic.
Day after day he longed for the adventure he read about in books that his father kept. So, when the chance came to join up with a caravan leaving the city, Faisal signed up to work as a guard. Time passes quickly on the road and within a year the young elf had matured greatly. His sword and skill as a wizard had, on more than one occasion, saved his life and the lives of those he traveled with. Brave and fearless (some would say foolhardy), Faisal is never happier than when he is crawling through the darkness in search of this artifact or that treasure.
Save for his spell components, a journal, and supplies for the road, Faisal carries little else. He learned long ago, through hours of training, that a heavy pack only gets in the way and slows one down. One possession, however, never leaves him.
The ring is made of silver, the stone of onyx. It was a departing gift from father to son. Having been passed down for generations, Faisal was told that the ring held powers that, in time, he would learn to use. A comfort in the dark, lonely parts of the night, Faisal often speaks to the ring. He speaks as if it was his father, telling of his latest battle . . . his latest find. He knows that it is silly and he often chides himself for it, but doing so makes him feel like he is not so far away from the one he loves most in the world.
