Role

Chapter 4

There was no way he could have survived that onslaught. Not on his
own anyway. And as the life faded from his body, and he drifted in
and out of consciousness, he began to see and hear things that he
himself was not sure of. The only vision that was vivid was that
of a single drow, wielding a deadly scimitar and lashing at his
slaves, in a place so dark and vile it would make anyone shudder.
The heat was intolerable, produced by the forges that churned out
this strange, unknown substance that swallowed even the faintest
trace of light. One of the slaves, a dirty but otherwise beautiful
human girl, caught his eye. He heaved her onto his shoulder and
carried her off into his chambers, and the hopeless screams of the
unwilling girl echoed into the distance.

With this, he woke up, gasping for breath, sweating profusely. The
birds that had been resting on him flew away, and the snakes that
had wrapped themselves tightly around his body slithered into the
grass. A strange green glow emanated from the surrounding shrubs,
and he found his wounds all healed without a scratch. He looked
back at the prison that kept his love from him, and vowed to grow
stronger, and burn every rule and tradition to ashes. He felt a
strange power draw him east, over the oceans to an unknown
destination. Following his instinct, he set off in search of this
mystery.

As he left the vale, he heard a whisper on the wind, 'From whence
it began, so it shall end.' Deep into his own thoughts, he
dismissed it as a figment of his imagination.