Legends of Belariath

Belson

Chapter 1 The beginning

Well so you wish to know a bit more about good ole Belson eh? well I can't quite understand why but here we go.... where should I begin? At the beginning you say? Well that is a long time ago but I will have a go at it and let me know if I am boring you alright?

Well I was born with the name of Thalin Everdark which Everdark being my families names and they took pride in it saying they were everdark for the dark lady but that is beside the point for now. I was born of the matriarch of the house and one of her ale slaves who happened to be captain of her guard and also did freelance jobs on the side as a guard for merchant caravans because there is always something in the darkness ready to jump out and take your head he said.

I grew up in all the luxuries of being born to the matriarch doesn't a thing about the captain of the guard I mean he was a slave and male after all. I was taught the inner things in life to read to write to do magic, the art of being two faced, and do not forget the art of how to stab the blade in real deep when your enemies back is turned toward you. In our little section of the Underdark our family was to be probably the 7th most powerful and fairly revered and feared by those below our station in life or so it seemed for the time being and the guard lapsed into laziness and complacency even though the warnings from my father kept filtering to my mother's ears she ignored assured by Lloth our house was in good standing.

As I grew up I took an interest into being able to sneak around and be stealthy. I realized that it allowed me to accumulate a lot of knowledge I was not supposed to have. You know like when the chef was going to be out of the kitchen so I could sneak in and lay my hands on a nice little morsel of sweets or some other thing that was to be found laying about in the kitchens at that time. Well when things started disappearing from the kitchens I caught my first glimpse of what my taking things that did not belong to me could garner if I was not careful.

I was in my room one day toying with a small silver knife I had procured earlier that day when I heard someone coming I slipped the knife under my pillow quickly and waited to see who it was. It was my mother who rarely visited and it was well known that she was disappointed in my birth and was trying again to have a daughter who would one day rule the house. She bustled in in all her splendor she looked every part the drow matriarch of the house I had always seen her as she stopped at the foot of my bed and scowled at me for a moment before speaking.

" Male " she said to me " Get up you are to see how this house handles dissension within it's ranks we have caught a thief. " Well I hopped up to my feet right away and followed her as I exited my room I had a knot in my throat for I wasn't sure if the thief she had in mind was me and if I had finally been caught or someone else. I followed her down to the courtyard and there in front of me I saw bound and gagged to the pole there used for executions and punishments a female I recognized as one of the kitchen staff's daughters though I could not place who her parents were at this time she had been stripped down and cuffed both hands and ankles to the post. I breathed a silent sigh of relief as I realized it wasn't me who was to be punished this day.

" Let the punishment commence " My mother commanded in that tone that no one would dare disobey. I watched as 2 of the guards walked over to the girl unchained her and tossed the to the ground where she landed on hands and knees. My father walked over to the girl holding a cat of nine tails in his hands as one of the guards stepped on the girls hands and one held her ankles as the cat of nine of nine tails lashed down over the bare skin I saw the marks it made and the screams that echoed and at that moment I vowed I would never get caught.

See the Legends Section for the complete story

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