Vorelloex Vaecaesin Ledir was the bastard son of a Kellid huntsman and the only elf who could ever enchant him. (She was actually a gold dragon, but neither father nor son ever knew it.) She bore the child, named him, and in the few days after vanished, forever to haunt the mind of his hardened father. As Vorelloex grew, his countenance began to shine with an effervescent golden glitter, and he began to speak in a guttural tongue that none knew, save himself. (It's draconic, but how many Kellids know draconic? Not too many.)
One of a band of four mammoth hunters, Vorelloex was stuck between a proverbial rock and a hard place. It started as any season before it, with great thrills, great risks, and even greater hauls of quarry. Vorelloex's band comprised of a tall orc named Gorthez, Vorelloex's full-blood kellid halfbrother, Relthas, and Relthas' muse of passion, a half-elven woman named Selrisya. The crew had been together for a three whole poaching seasons luckily, without managing to succumb to the many terrors of the Tusk Mountains.
During one stalk, the band journeyed to the far southern tip of the Tusks, tracking one of the oldest-and largest- mastodons the Ledir brothers had seen in a span of 9 years. If they landed this haul, they would have enough food to last the rest of the season, and enough hide and bone to trade for fortunes, and realize their oft discussed but ne'er truly considered youthful fantasy of retiring as hunters, and living off the 'fat of the land, and the blood of our enemies'.
They were as far south as they had been in about 5 poaching seasons, where more people roamed than they had seen in a long time. Night fell on the small hunting camp, and it was Vorelloex's turn on the watch. He would always curse himself for his weakness on this night.
The camp was surrounded by slavers of unknown origin, flooded. They came in silent as death, but woe to the one who tries to pull fast tricks on those of Kellid blood. Their eyes and minds were caught unawares, but their fury and steel were ready to inflict. Blood was hewn that night, but in the end, there were far too many of them, and in the Tusk mountains, only the strongest can survive. Selrisya was taken by the slavers, and those lucky four became a barren three.
But what the slavers did not know would harm them. The Ledir were of only the proudest of kin, and would not lay down without reprisal. The three at Relthas' inflamed directive dogged at the heels of the slavers, to reclaim his lost love, praying to every god he knew that she was kept safe. At the end of their chase, the three huntsmen rampaged through the dark Shudderwood, down the Senir River, and the party met their fate at Lantern Lake.
The Slavers had caught more people by this time, many unlucky Ustalav people had joined the ranks of their chained. Selrisya was not seen among them. The brothers swore, and in their swearing, a vow of revenge. The fury of the Ledir clan was felt that night, but it's ichor hate was not the only presence present. From the lakeside, there emerged a swarm of undead, arising from the water, taking all present by deathly surprise. All who drew breath were doomed to undeath that night, with only one survivor, a certain brooding half-elf with golden eyes.
Devastated, Vorelloex did only what he could do. Roam on, and survive.
