Legends of Belariath
Ian Macross
Ian Macross is from the far north, and when he says that, he -means- far north. Not the local woods a few miles north of here, but at virtually the other end of the continent. His tale is a short one, if you ask him...but if you are one of the close few that he would tell the entire story, it is quite the opposite.
He was born to a simple family in a simple place...a forest nation of felines that had very little contact with the outside world. They were significant only for the mild reputation for producing fine minds among their numbers...not in book learned skills, but in cleverness, craftiness, and contemplation. Wisdom over Intelligence, was their motto.
He followed this path throughout his young life, with his family guiding his footsteps as he went...eventually he learned from a tribal shaman that lived in the area, learning part of a legacy that had been passed from shaman to shaman for countless generations.
But soon enough, Ian had learned what the shaman could teach him...all of it. Either he was too limited by his experience to gain the craft of more advanced spells that were known to the shaman, or he had already learned as much as he could of a simpler spell. The shaman recomended that Ian either stay in the area, practicing his lore, and studying the arts...or leave, and seek his fortune with one who could possibly teach him further.
His choice, oddly enough, was to stay...but that proved to be a disastrous event. For a few months later, before he could make significant progress with his studies, a band of slavers happened upon the happy community, slashing down their few warriors with ease, and kidnapping entire families at a time. Ian escaped through not his own skill, but by the noble sacrifice of his mentor...buying him enough time to get to the deep woods, to freedom.
From there, he managed to trek south, hoping against hope that in the realms that he knew nothing about, he would find something of use...a tome, a spell, a helpful archmage...anything that would aid his quest...what quest was that, you might ask? He simply wants to recover his family...an extended one, probably mostly dead or enslaved by now, but he hopes against hope that he could rescue them someday.
But it will be a long time before he can handle them...as it is his training has been slow. A few adventures partaken on the journey to his new residence, and a few missions afterwards, along with an occasional duel. His studies are woefully behind...but he means to remedy that. Someday, somehow, he would find a way...and avenge his family.
And the chances were, he would have to wait a long time...for recently, he made an attempt to rescue one of his family members, an uncle, from some slavers...he failed horribly in the attempt, and not only was his uncle slain, but he barely escaped with his own life and freedom. This has weighed heavily upon him, shattering his ego in some ways, though he keeps it hidden. He now trains with a zeal and vengeance, ready to wreak havok upon anyone that crosses his path or those of his friends with malevolence in their hearts...