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Few -- named after the light scattering of clouds on the day of his birth -- was born into the Floatfar clan of River Elf traders. His eldest brother had already established his own boat and family, but the brothers Orca and Downpour were still around. About 70 years later, their younger sister Cricket was born. Few was very protective of all his family, but especially his sister.

It was a prosperous family, wealthy enough to afford a fine boat, a pet monkey for Cricket, and rarely suffered hardships even in lean seasons and bad weather. They traveled widely across the seas, more or less in an established pattern of trade, never spending much time on land. River Elves are unused to walking on land, dislike crowds of strangers, and even other Elves stare frankly at their wild green hair and unnaturally casual clothing. With their reputation for bringing exotic goods from distant lands, they hardly have to set foot on a dock before buyers and sellers appear.

The clan had two elder shaman, a seer woman and a healer named Azure. Azure came from a clan that had been wiped out a few years before Cricket was born. He convinced Few's parents that, with one son married and gone, Orca likely to follow suit, and Downpour serving as his father's second, a higher education would do Few some good. Few thought of Azure with respect, but was never entirely comfortable around him and didn't like answering his questions. Still, at around age 90 he came under Azure's wing and learned such things as clan history and a tiny bit of magic. (He can cast one cantrip per day, from a choice of Prestidigitation, Dancing Lights or Purify Food/Drink).

One of the things he learned was the legend of the Elders, the noble race from which Elves descended. In all the clan's travels they had never seen one, but legends tell of a floating island where these Elders live.

One day the ship was attacked. Black ships, silent, and moving far too fast. Swift as the clan's ship was, it could not outrun or outmaneuver the attackers. Without a sound, nor any glimpse of the pirates themselves, a roiling blue gas washed over the ship.

When Few came to, he found himself under a pair of corpses, bleeding from the face and with a nasty headache. He also found several other bodies, including his father's (who was one of the few who seemed to have put up a fight). He didn't find his sister, nor any of the other children, nor Azure. The masts had been broken, the sails ruined, the supplies gone, not even so much as an oar or a biscuit left. No sign of the people who did this.

He wasn't sure he wanted to live. He wanted to find his sister, but what could he do? As the ship drifted, he didn't bother to fish. It didn't take long to fall back into unconsciousness.

He awoke in the cabin of another ship, crewed mainly by Humans. After some reassurances from one of them about helping him out because of a favor some other River Elves did once, he lapsed back into slumber.

On awaking again, he found that his boat had been towed to the docks at the City of Green Hope. Not knowing what else to do, he sold it for a decent sum of money (River Elf boats are well made and highly prized) and wandered down the beach for a contemplative walk. He met a human building a sandcastle, with a fishing pole jammed into the sand a little ways away.

The stranger explained that he was busy building this magnificent sandcastle, and could Few gather some driftwood for him? Ingrained with politeness and an ethic of helping out whenever it was needed, and not really having anything better to do, Few agreed. It took quite some time to gather the driftwood, as there was none nearby.

He returned with an armload, seeing that the sandcastle was now larger but still very lumpy. The stranger asked if Few would set up a firepit, and so he did. The stranger continued working on the lumpy but steadily growing sandcastle. He mentioned something about getting a bite, and could Few take care of it? At that exact moment, the fishing pole started twitching and jerking. Few brought the fish in -- a nice large one that normally can't be found so close to shore. The stranger thanked him, but could he clean and gut the fish for cooking while he finished the sandcastle? Few did so. The stranger kept working on the "sandcastle," which was lumpier and larger than ever. He explained that he changed his mind and was not actually building a castle, but was almost done, and could Few cook the fish?

Just as the fish was ready, the stranger finished his creation. Not a castle at all, but a horse -- somehow staying together in the right shape without falling apart as it should. Some kind of glue, maybe. Seashells for eyes, cowries at the hooves. Most of the body was white, but for a black mane and tail.

The stranger thanked Few for his work, introduced himself as Keldor, shared the fish and began asking him where he was from, and so on. Few told the man his sad tale. Rather than simply making a show of pity, Keldor asked Few what he was going to do. He suggested seeking divine aid in bringing the pirates to justice. Few was taken aback, but the man then told his own story. He was a paladin of Eluned who died 500 years ago (he showed Few his death wound, still fresh) and had been sent as an envoy to approach Few. He said Eluned was calling him, and while there would be no divine retribution for not heeding the call, this was an opportunity to exact rightful vengeance.

After a little thought -- it didn't take much -- Few accepted. Keldor congratulated him, said he'd be seeing him again and then faded away, just as the sand horse came to life. Very strange watching the thing move, but Few swallowed the knot in his throat and climbed on. The horse ran exceedingly fast, directly to the local temple of Eluned, a large houseboat-like ship docked a little ways from the main harbor. The sight of a River Elf on a horse made of sand was something even for the Clerics and Paladins to stare at. When Few began to dismount, the horse collapsed into a pile of sand, leaving a large conch shell behind. (Few keeps the shell with him; he has the feeling it's special even though it doesn't detect as magic, and in any case there's the sentimental value.) After explaining that Keldor sent him, the temple took him in.

His training as a paladin lasted for a few years; no time at all to Few, though the first part was difficult as he had to become acclimated to the land-based culture and the torment of not knowing what happened to his sister.

Finally they equipped him for adventure and sent him off into the world, with the recommendation that he not seek these pirates until he honed his skills and gathered powerful allies. All he managed to learn about them is that they never put in to port, and their attacks never leave survivors behind (himself excluded). Several of the temple clerics had performed divinations to try to find his sister, or the pirates, and could not determine anything.

He and his horse Greywing wore matching blue-green scale mail. Horse and rider alike wore gilt wooden holy symbols of Eluned around their necks, the dolphin sign echoed on Few's shield. Overall, entirely too clean and shiny and unscratched to impress any veteran.

He set out west and a little north for Journalai, the capital city of the Elves. He was told he could find there the most talented wizards and others to eventually aid him in his quest.

He was camped beside a wide meandering river one evening, just sitting and watching it go by, when an obscuring fog rolled in just ahead of a barge. A green-haired figure stood on the deck. The barge actually stopped beside Few's camp. He or she -- Few could not tell which -- turned toward the paladin and tossed something toward him. Few could not move, fascinated as if in a dreamlike state, as the barge resumed floating slowly down the river.

Some minutes later when Few came back to himself, he looked to see what the figure had thrown. It was a deep green gem, swirled with blue, inscribed with symbols Few could not decipher. He reached to pick it up, but the instant he touched the stone, he fell unconscious.

He awoke to find the stone embedded in his left palm... and that's where the campaign begins.

Eluned adapted from DragonRealms, © 2001 Simutronics Corp

Goddess of the seas and water, master of arcane and ancient wisdom, patron of learning and knowledge; chief deity of the Elotheans. She, along with her sister Peri'el, keeps the oceans moving and singing. Eluned is the creator of speech, as Meraud is the creator of written language. Eluned and Meraud sometimes coexist, but mostly do not see eye-to-eye enough in their motives to do so. It is Eluned's infinite wisdom that guides sailors at night.

Her usual form is a tall, pale woman with seaweed for hair, wearing dark green robes. However, to some followers Eluned consistently appears in male form, bearing a trident and a conch shell.

(Adaptation for D&D: Neutral Good, favored weapon Trident, domains Ocean (FR), Water, Knowledge, Magic)

River Elf info to come... later?