Riyan‘s most prized possession is his Cloak of Elvenkind given to him by his mother. This cloak blends into the background making Riyan seem to continuously appear and disappear with every step. The cloak varies between shades of gray, brown and green.
Riyan‘s childhood was particularly uneventful considering the company he keeps now. Like many other children it was spent playing around with his brother Larian and causing mischief. The only notable thing occurred when Riyan and Larian were extremely young and is clouded in the mists of memory than Riyan cannot seem to firmly grasp. Their mother, an elven ranger, had taken them into the forest. They were met by other figures who seemed to be friends of his mother. In some ceremony, which neither Larian nor Riyan remember, a strange symbolic tattoo was placed on their chest above their heart. The true meaning of the symbol was never known to Riyan and unfortunately, his mother was killed before she could tell them what it represents. In addition, it seems somewhat curious to Riyan that he has never again seen his mother associate with those present during the ceremony.
Once Riyan reached the age of sixteen he began training with his mother and brother to learn the ways of the forest. His mother intended for them to follow in her footsteps and become guardians of the forest, forever entrusted with the protection of their way of life; their home. However, only Riyan remained at his mothers side. Larian, having become very much intrigued with his elven heritage decided to leave home shortly after Riyan began his training. It would be years before they would see each other again.
During this time Riyan‘s knowledge grew as did his abilities. Soon his abilities and prowess increased and was welcomed to join the forest protectors amidst the ranks of the Free Geoffite army led by Duke Owen. He also met and fell in love with a girl named Zina.
Then came the Lords of Doom.
The Lords of Doom began their offensive destroying the forest. In one of the attacks BOTH Riyan‘s fiancee and mother were killed. Riyan‘s scout team did not arrive back in time to stop the massive casualties. Contemplation simply led to unspeakable grief and questions quickly arose as to the nature of their assailants.
The troop was comprised mainly of bugbears.
However, they were led by a small group of orcish mercenaries who were very well trained in the strategic planning of small military strikes. Riyan managed to get to his mother’s side just as she was felled by one of these mercenaries. He barely managed to fight off the orc just as reinforcements arrived. He did manage to leave a deep wound below the creatures right eye. The visage of the grimacing orc stayed locked on Riyan as he was slowly dragged from the forray by another surprisingly loyal orc. The face drifts into Riyan‘s dreams to this day…
Once the main reinforcements had arrived, Riyan took his scout troop and managed to track the perpetrators to their encampment. They alerted the army, waited for reinforcements and set up an ambush. Another massive battle ensued which left many of the invaders dead. However, despite the best efforts of Riyan and his companions two of the orcish mercenaries managed to escape. Among the gruesome bodies of the dead, Riyan did not find his mother’s killer. Riyan has vowed to hunt them down and kill them and his path was clear.
During the battles against the Lords of Doom, Riyan led many scouting parties and has fought many battles, mainly against orcs in hopes finding the mercenaries. His service with the Geoffite army ended when his long-lost brother, Larian returned and asked him to join him in his band of companions, loosely known now as The Ministry of the Blade. He did so with great enthusiasm, clasping his brother’s strong grip in his own.
And so begins the tale…
