Hríd's Lost Story

Hríd Taqir was the illegitimate child of Satya Vishqar, the ruler of a powerful nation known as The Khanate, whose true name has since been lost to time. When Satya’s secret was discovered shortly after Hríd's birth, the Khanate's wazirs demanded the child's execution. However, a kind servant named Talis defied their orders and fled the Khanate with the infant.

Tragically, Talis met her end when she, along with two banished inventors, was captured by orcs. Before she died, Talis entrusted the inventors with Hríd, her final words: "One day, he may change the Khanate forever."

Hríd was raised in a small village by his adoptive father, Iroh, Even from a young age, Hríd displayed strange abilities. Whenever he said something out loud, it often seemed to manifest. If Iroh locked cookies in a cabinet, Hríd would suddenly have the key. If he insisted he didn’t need a scarf in the cold, a scarf would magically appear around his neck.

Despite a happy upbringing, Hríd always felt different and yearned to know where he came from. Iroh could not bear to tell him, the truth too painful. So, on Hríd’s twentieth birthday, he set out to discover his origins. As a parting gift, Iroh gave him a magical metal lute that could never break—an invaluable tool for his journey.

After traveling for some time, Hríd eventually arrived in The Kingdom, a neighboring nation to the Khanate. There, he met a group of companions. They were soon framed for a crime they didn’t commit and became entangled in a mysterious plot involving doppelgangers, a cursed druid, and traitorous guards. To clear their names, Hríd and his friends were forced to join a mercenary company.

As they worked together, more secrets were uncovered, and Hríd’s powers continued to grow. Soon, they caught the attention of a shadowy faction with a particular interest in Hríd. One of his companions, Rhyvan, even foiled an attempt to kidnap him, sparking feelings between the two.

Eventually, Hríd’s identity as Satya Vishqar’s illegitimate son was exposed, and the Khanate took a sudden interest in him, especially as his powers of creation grew stronger. Hríd and his companions were recruited as mercenaries for the Khanate and sent to investigate the desolate region known as The Wastes.

After some time, Hríd met his mother, Satya, now a cold and distant figure. Her husband had recently passed, and the wazirs governed in her place while she remained silent, even as terrible decisions were made.

During another mission into the Wastes, Hríd uncovered the truth about the second half of his heritage. He learned that the Wastes were once home to a society of dragonbloods—beings born from the union of mortals and dragons, who possessed the ability to infuse objects with powerful magic, much like Hríd himself.

Hríd and his companions also discovered a sinister plot by the wazirs to destroy both The Kingdom and The Empire, neighboring nations. When the wazirs attempted to drain Hríd’s powers for themselves, they failed. In desperation, they tried to corrupt him, but with the help of his friends, Hríd broke free from the Great Wazir’s control.

Realizing the scope of the impending war, Hríd and his allies traveled to The Kingdom and The Empire to forge alliances and warn them of the wazirs' plans. Ultimately, the wazirs had transformed Satya Vishqar into a mechanical monstrosity. She was beyond saving, and Hríd and his companions were forced to defeat her, as well as imprison the treacherous wazirs.

With the Khanate’s corrupt government dismantled, Hríd was the rightful heir by blood. However, instead of taking the throne, he and his companions transformed the Khanate into The Free Republic, abolishing slavery and cruelty, and paving the way for peace across all three nations. It took years, but eventually, peace was secured.

Yet, Hríd’s story didn’t end there. As the years passed, he noticed something unsettling—while his companions aged, he did not. Even as he approached 30, then 40, Hríd showed no signs of aging. His partner, Rhyvan, aged gracefully, and though Hríd cherished their time together, he knew it couldn’t last forever.

As Rhyvan grew older, Hríd’s heart grew heavier. When the time finally came to say goodbye, Hríd was heartbroken. But on that same day, he uncovered his final gift.

The gift of life.