Ursus Ahrahl

Name: Ursus Ahrahl
Class: Fighter (Thayan Knight hopeful)
Birthplace: Mulhorand (by way of Thay)
Age: 27
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Deity: Hoar
Alignment: LN

Ursus Ahrahl was born in a small city state in Mulhorand located near the Thayan border. His father, Moulok, was a small time merchant trading in inexpensive, but quality weapons and armor. He was also a politically ambitious man with great charisma. His speeches were always regarded as inspiring and it was whispered that he would one day be local governor. His no-nonsense attitude, coupled with his unwavering honor, only gave more weight to these whispers and rumors.

Moulok had two business rivals in the area. One, Gowran, traded only in locally-made merchandise which was close in price to what he sold. These two usually considered their rivalry to be friendly competition even though they specialized in slightly different item. The other rival, Saban, sold only top of the line, imported weapons and armors. His business, while lucrative due to selling mostly to young nobles and the wealthy who wished to impress their friends, was usually a bit slower than his other rivals. While he seemed to think of the business rivalry as friendly like the others, his political ambitions were great. Saban was the village mayor and had his sights set on the governorship. He had many public and private debates with Moulok concerning the future of the lands. In the vast majority of these debates, Moulok came out as the victor.

One evening, after a series of political debates, a commotion was raised in the streets. Gowran and his family had been found murdered in what appeared to be a gruesome human sacrifice ritual. The culprits had left behind many valuable items, negating robbery as a motive. The authorities said it had been a demonic ritual. They believed it was designed to call upon the evil power to aid the one performing it in gaining power for themselves. To add credence to this theory, a few small, personal items, one from each family member, were missing.

Moulok and his family were in shock at hearing his friend had been killed, let alone in such a violent manner. Their shock was even greater when the authorities appeared at their doorstep not three nights later demanding to search their home. Moulok, in utter dismay at being a suspect, gave them permission to do so. He sent his wife and son into the street to wait while the soldiers searched.

When the exited the house, they almost ran into Saban. He had been standing outside listening in. He had no look of shock or curiosity on his face as they stopped before him. In fact, he had a look of smug satisfaction.

“No! This cannot be!” Moulok exclaimed from within. “I know nothing of these things or how they came to be in my home.”

The next moment, Moulok was lead out of the house by the soldiers. His hands had been bound tight and he had been gagged. The soldiers made no attempt to speak to his wife or son as they drug the bewildered man by on his way to the guard house. A priest followed with a small bag. A dark liquid stained the bottom of the bag. It appeared to be blood.

Ursus’ mother turned to Saban. “What is happening here?”

Saban looked at her with an almost amused look. “It would seem, my pretty, that you have chosen a demon worshipper for a husband.” He shrugged slightly. “Perhaps you will choose better for your next.” He then ran his hand lightly across her cheek and turned to make his way back to his home.

Ursus, not really knowing what had just transpired, broke free of his mother’s hold and followed Saban. He did not stop at his home. Instead, he went to a dark alley near his shop. There, Ursus saw him meet with a pale man dressed all in black. Saban handed him a large pouch which jingled with coin as the man took it.

“I do not know how you managed to get those items into Moulok’s home unseen, but you have done better than I had ever hoped. Your fee was quite high. But with both my rivals out of the way, my profits will easily make up for it. And, as a bonus, I am now the only one in line for the governorship next year.” Saban smiled. “As a regional governor, I may have future need of your talents. Please stay in touch.”

With that, the pale man vanished into the shadows of the alley and Saban turned to leave for his home. Ursus remained hidden for some time to ensure neither saw him leave. He had to tell his mother what had happened. He made his way home as fast as he could.

As he passed Saban’s home, he heard a familiar voice. He quickly ducked behind one of the statues near the neighbor’s house and peered around it to see who was talking. There, in the doorway of the man who had just set his father up to be executed, stood his mother. Her head and face were covered, but he would recognize her frame anywhere. He watched and listened as they spoke quietly.

“I truly did not believe you would ever find a way to be rid of him, Saban,” his mother said softly. “And to do it in a manner that will leave you as the sole weapon and armor supplier for the region…pure genius.”

Saban smiled wickedly and beckoned her inside. “Quickly, my love. Wouldn’t want the genius to be found with a married woman, now would we?” With that, they both disappeared into his home.

Ursus, anger boiling inside him, ran home. He found the place in a shambles from the earlier search. He went to his mother’s hiding spot…the one she thought no one knew of…and opened it to find a pile of papers. As he read through the love letters from Saban, his rage grew more intense. The entire plots of various ways to get rid of his father so the two could be together were detailed in these notes. But, none mentioned anything about framing him as a demon worshipper. None would be able to help him find justice. Nothing would save his father.

Ursus was sitting at a small table facing the door when his mother returned a few hours before daybreak. The letters were scattered about in front of him as he glared at her. He said nothing. He just glared with rage burning in his eyes.

The sheer hatred in his eyes caused his mother to pause a moment. She quickly gathered herself and asked what he had there. He picked up one at random and began reading it aloud to her. It was one that was quite racy and her eyes widened in shock as she grasped what he had found.

“My son…I can explain…”

He slammed the letter down hard on the table. “Explain?” His eyes flashed. “Yes mother…explain how you could let your husband…my father…die for something your lover made happen. Explain that to me, mother.” His fists clenched. “Explain it to the soldiers.”

Horror washed across her face. If this was made public, not only would Saban be executed, she would be, too. Her mind raced with thoughts. Before she could say anything coherent, Ursus jumped up and headed for the back door. His mother chased after him in a panic, but she was no match for the speed and agility of her teenage son. When she lost sight of him, she immediately made her way to Saban’s house.

As Ursus ran, he began to come to his senses. He noticed he had left the letters at home and he knew he would need them to corroborate his story. As he ran back home, his way was suddenly blocked by two rather large men. Behind them, the pale man from the alley stood smirking. “Guess I’ll get to make a bit more coin on this job, boy,” he sneered. Pity your father will have to go to the axe man knowing his son died before him.” To the other men, he then said, “Take him boys. Quick and quiet like.”

As the larger men drew their scimitars and moved forward, Ursus quickly ducked down the closest alley. He heard the pale man yelling at them to get after him or it would be their hides. He did not turn to see how close they were. He just ran as fast as he could. He ran and kept on running until his legs would no longer carry him. When he finally dropped, he fell into the sand of the desert. His lungs, legs and chest burned like they were filled with alchemist’s fire. He could not catch his breath. His vision began to fade. His eyes slowly closed.

Hands grabbing his from behind. The ruffians had found him. He tried to thrash, but his muscles were on fire and refused to work.

“Easy, boy,” a soft voice called to him. “You are in no shape to struggle.”

The hands carefully rolled him over and his eyes opened to star light. Something cool touched his lips. “Slowly, now…drink.” The soft voice again. Ursus drank, choked, and tried again with more success. His eyes followed the voice to a face. It was not one of the ruffians that had chased him. This face was much older. It had a look of deep wisdom and caring. It was enough to make him relax a bit just before he passed back into unconsciousness.

Ursus’ eyes opened to the flicker of candle light. He smelled the aroma of bread and herbal tea. As he looked around wearily, he saw the face that had been in the desert. When he saw that the young man was again awake, the wise old face smiled warmly.

“Thought we had lost you to Kelemvor’s halls, lad,” the man said. “Be a shame for one so young to pass into the hereafter. Especially due to exposure in the desert.”

The man raised a brow. “What made you do such a fool thing as run off into the desert anyway? Someone after you, boy?”

The thought of his mother’s betrayal and the foul deeds of Saban finally overwhelmed the young man. Ursus just let loose and laid out the whole, sorted tale of murder, betrayal, and adultery to this total stranger. He left nothing out. When he was at the end of his story, Ursus asked if the man would guide him back to save his father.

The man’s face slowly grew sad and he shook his head. “I am sorry, lad. Word has reached even this far of the demon worshipping merchant that was put to death not two nights ago.” The man’s head dropped a bit. “You are too late, lad.”

Hopelessness fought with rage to control Ursus’ mind at hearing this news. Both emotions seemed to be evenly matched with neither gaining the upper hand. He simply stared at the old man as if he had all the answers.

Luckily, he did…in a manner of speaking.

The old man was a priest of Hoar, The Doombringer. He told the boy of his lord’s power and teachings of poetic justice. He said if there were ever a case for justice, this was one.

Ursus was taken to the temple in Bezantur where he was taught combat skills alongside a few others who had been wronged. His strength, agility, and resolve to see justice brought to those who had betrayed him and his father helped shape him into a warrior in a short time. His skill with the longsword grew and he eventually began to wield two blades, sacrificing defense for an overpowering offence. When his skills were such that he was deemed worthy to go forth and seek vengeance, he was introduced to one who would change his life and way of thinking forever.

The bald mage with the tattoos and flowing red robe stood before Ursus. He had in his hands a long, thin box. He held it out to Ursus with a slight smile. Inside the box was a matched set of fine longswords. The edges gleamed in the light. Ursus took them and twirled them a bit to get a feel for them. They were perfectly balanced and felt “right” in his hands. The perfect tools with which to extract his revenge.

The Red Wizard asked only a small favor in return for his gifts. In return for the swords and a few wards to aid and protect him, the mage wanted Ursus to lead an attack on his old homeland. To sweeten the pot, the mage told Ursus of a certain newly appointed governor named Saban and his beautiful wife. The heads of the government were prime targets to be captured for interrogation. The mage promised the young warrior that the process would be slow and painful should he bring him to them alive. Ursus, knowing that the mages had no real wish to interrogate Saban and that the offer was simply to win favor with him, refused to bring him back alive. He would, however, lead their attack. But, instead of a frontal assault, Ursus suggested a more subtle approach.

He put forth a plan to frame Saban as a Thayan sympathizer. This would allow the Thayan troops to move in and take what they wanted as well as making Saban a target for execution as a traitor. Ursus still had a few friends that could help him get intelligence on their strengths and weaknesses. An assault amid a scandal would both give the Thayans the upper hand and further implicate Saban as working with enemies of the state.

The mages liked this plan. It was dirty and underhanded, but had wonderful potential. Besides, if it failed, they could simply blame it on Ursus and his thirst for vengeance.

The plan went off without a hitch. The information on fortifications Ursus received from his friends proved dead on and incredibly detailed and valuable. With it, the Red Wizards were able to devise a plan to quickly take the area with little losses on both sides. This saved them troops and allowed for more captives for slaves.

The force caught up to Saban and Ursus’ mother as they attempted to flee. The mages blasted the guards as the Gnolls cut down any who approached the Red Wizards. Ursus leaned over to one of the mages and whispered something to him. The mage smiled wickedly and nodded. He then moved towards Ursus’ mother. He was mumbling an incantation as he reached for her head. Eldritch energies surrounded his hand as he lightly touched her forehead. She screamed in fear…but there was no pain. She gave a confused look and turned to run with Saban. She did not notice the slight, black tattoo forming under her hair. She probably didn’t even notice it until the authorities caught Saban, aided by a “Red Wizard” woman, and executed them for treason. Funny how easy it is to frame someone for being…well…what you are.

As his last act of vengeance, Ursus was allowed to face the pale man who had framed his father years before. The man was given a weapon and told to fight. If he won, he could go free.

The man sneered and lunged towards Ursus. His attack was sloppy. Whether it was due to fear or the fact he was not used to such a heavy weapon is unclear. Ursus’ strike was both precise and viscous. His blade sliced across the man’s stomach. His guts spilled out, but he did not die immediately. As the pale man watched his life blood pour onto the street, Ursus leaned over and said softly: “As you tore out my guts so long ago…I now tear yours out. I wonder which of us will live longer.” He then walked back towards the last of the battle. Vengeance had been served…and it had been poetic.

Upon his return to Thay, Ursus offered his services to the Red Wizards. To test his mettle, he was sent to the Sundren valley to draw the attention of the enclave there and, hopefully, join them as one of their knights.

Ursus no longer has family. He no longer has vengeance. He is alone. All he has is his honor and the hope that he will one day have purpose again.