If you were to ask James about his past, he would tell you to bug off, for he doesn’t like much of what happened to him as a kid. He was born around the Krelgar Keep in the Underworld beneath Rybalka. His family were merchants, not a fighter among them. What the House of Gullion came to see as good sacrifices for their crystal house. James’ mother sent him on a mission to Rybalka to pick up some merchandise for their store. Unfortunately, that would be the last time James saw his mother for once he returned, he found out that his family has been culled. More souls for the House of Gullion.
James was still young then and still had the supplies he was sent to get. Instead of waiting around for the House of Gullion to come back and take him, he returned to the surface and tried to get as far away from Krelgar Keep as he could get. His escape brought him to a ship bound for the Inner Sea. He barbered away most of what was left of fated day to Rybalka and he gained passage on the Golden Squirrel. After just one day, he regretted his decision to get on this ship. He quickly found a home at the keel of the ship, emptying his lunch for most of the journey. Just shy of the Inner Sea, the Golden Squirrel lost any luck it had as a huge storm sprung up and caused the ship to go way off curse, further north and ended up wrecking on the Hellmouth bay.
James was lucky to swim to the shore, where he spent several weeks traveling in the wrong direction and ending up in Pezzack, a port city in Cheliax. This is where he was able to get a break as the Chelish army was looking for new recruits to join the army. Upon joining, he was hazed for being a Drow, something that isn’t seen often in Cheliax. He quickly became stronger and meaner, beating all of his fellow soldiers in duels. He was quickly promoted to Captain and was given a platoon to command. His first mission was to clean up a band of outlaws near that have been plaguing the town of Pangolais in the Uskwoods.
It was once again on the seas going north. He made the Captain of the ship stay close to the shore on threat of death. The Captain didn’t argue, since it was easier to get to Nisroch that way anyways. Once they reached Nisroch, they had to chart another ship to take them up the stream to Pangolais. Once there, he set out to find the bandits and to eliminate them.
The skirmish with the bandits lasted longer than he would have liked, but he finally was able to get them cornered in an underground cave system, hidden in the forest. Being underground again didn’t affect James, since most of his youth was spent in these dark tunnels. But his sight wasn’t what it use to be. Living up on the surface for too many years has ruined his night vision.
Soon his troops started to come across bodies drained of all of their blood. As if something was living down here that they didn’t want to face. His troops were joking around that it might be a vampire, bound to these caves by its master. The truth was much worse.
The group of bandits was able to summon a demon from the abyss. A huge mistake for the bandits as the demon was too powerful for their control, slaughtering the last of them as James and his platoon found them. The demon didn’t care that his platoon didn’t summon him, it was just happy that there was more blood to feast upon.
The battle was bloody and James really didn’t remember much of it after the initial valley of arrows were launched and batted aside by his front line. The next thing he remembered was the bone fingers of the Hellknight standing over him, as they traced over his face. Given the option to join his fellow platoon members in the afterlife or become one of the few members of the Order of the Crux was offered, James took it.
That was fifty years ago now. Since then he has been wondering the lands of Varisia. The Hold of Belzken and the Worldwound, fighting and getting stronger. He needs to get stronger, for he still needs to go back to Rybalka and settle his score with the House of Gullion.
