Salizaar L'Anguis

***‘Our lives will end, but our family name will last forever’***

# The Origins

## § Serenity §

*Autumn. The golden rays of the sun illuminate the garden behind the manor. Children's laughter is heard underneath the apple tree. Falling leaves are slowly dancing in the air. It looks like time is frozen at that moment, and then...*

*A cold voice comes from the manor's porch:*

* Timothee, Salizaar... It is training time, and you are already late!
* Oh, Dear, give them some more time to play, they are just kids!
* They can not waste time on a play! I said now!

## § The Jawbreaker §

*Winter. The lonely apple tree shivers in the bitter wind, naked branches adorned with snow. Half of the garden has been converted into a training ground.*

* Aaaand strike!

*Wooden sword hits right into the jaw of a man. Crunching sound has been heard for a moment, and then silence…*

* Wow! Sali, you are a jawbreaker! *\*Little Timothee shouted, raising his hands, and started laughing\**
* Dad, look at...*\*Salizaar, turns over with a smile on his face\**
* Shut up! What a shame!

*Cold voice shouted from behind and a man started to walk toward Salizaar. Each of his steps synced with each of his words*

* Do. You. Even. Understand. What. Have. You. Done?

*Strong hand grabbed Salizaar for his neck*

* If you will cripple the man who tries to teach you, how do you plan to learn from him? Do you realize how much it will cost to us?!! Raw strength never leads to power. You have to be smart, but all you are doing is just wasting your energy...and don't call me dad, I'm your Father! Go to your room! Immediately!

## § In the shadow §

*Summer. Manor's hall. Two teenagers leaned against a giant wooden door, trying to overhear barely perceptible voices behind it.*

* ......Timothee is doing great, his results in Vortiger's history are fascinating. And in Logic lessons, he always shows the sharpness of his mind and asks nontrivial questions…
* Good, I never doubt him.
* But...My Lord...*\*Man lowers his voice, trying not to displease his interlocutor\** Talking about Salizaar, I'm afraid he is not doing so great. He...He can't think out of the box, he is always...straightforward...And he easily succumbs to aggression...Which may lead to unpredictable behaviour...

## § Trap §

*Autumn. The sky is hidden behind the clouds. It looks like the surroundings lost their colours and became blank. Only barely visible light from the hut, hidden in the Knagel mountains, catches an observer’s eye. A young man surrounded by two guards sits at the table. A group of people dressed in robes sits opposite him.*

* So, young Salizaar… *\*elderly man speaks slowly, looks like he is pondering each of his words\** What are the guarantees and profits of our Union can Vortigern provide? You should understand that war with Marlia is something that Gauthier I, our Grand Duke, always tried to avoid and he expects a valuable reward for his service. So, please, choose your words wisely!
* Yes, great sir, we The Privy Council fully understand the significance, that’s why I was instructed to deliver you this document…

*At this moment an arrow strikes through the window. Sound of shattered glass, a quiet breath, and a body hitting the ground.*

* Look, it’s a black arrowhead! It’s Vortigern's steel!

*One of the robe men shouted*

* What is it? Are you trying to betr…

*Another arrow strikes and kills the shouting man*

* It’s not us! Hide! This is someone’s setup! *\*Salizaar shouted\**

*But no one was listening already…the blades were drawn, the clank of metal fulfilled the room, the men shadows were dancing in the mortal dance behind the blood on the windows*

## § The born of the fallen §

*Heavy rain is knocking on the manor’s roof. The lonely apple tree is creaking with its branches somewhere in the dark. The main hall is filled with men in rich clothes.*

* Instead of having an ally! *\*The Great Duke sounds gravelly\** Now we are on the brink of war with Knagel! Earl L’Anguis, give me at least one reason not to kill you and your son, right now!
* Yes, my lord, I understand your anger, but we can not be swayed by emotions right now! Someone is framing us in favour of Marlians interests. We must investigate and underst…
* Silence! All this time, your house served well to The Privy Council, that is why you are still breathing, but now guillotine is hanging over your neck. The Council directs you to find out who is standing behind this. And it is better to do it as soon as possible! We are done here!

*After The Grand Duke and other Council members had left the manor, Earl L’Anguis turned to Salizaar, who was sitting in the hall this whole time.*

* Father!…
* Oh, for fuck sake, I’d prefer to send Timothee instead of you, he’d never let this happen!
* Father, at least, I’m alive and…
* No, shut up! Shut! The! Fuck! Up! You are NOT permitted to speak! I’d prefer you to die in that hut!

*Silence hung in the air like the suspended moment before a falling glass shatters on the ground*

*After this moment that felt like an eternity, the old man has continued to speak. His lost eyesight is drawn to fireplace*

* Our lives…Will end…But our family name…Will last… Forever…

*He lowered his voice*

* Redeem your name or stay out of my sight. I take away your title… Dismissed!

# Adventure

## § Crows in the sky §

Lost and despaired, walking through streets, as a dull shadow of himself, Salizaar thought his life had ended, he wanted to look into Death's face, and the best way to commit suicide was going to The Imperial Dungeons. Luckily for him, Corvus Vectis were looking for a new companion.

In dungeons, instead of death, he found friends.

Arkil, Freja and Liadan showed him a different attitude to life, which, at the start of of a journey has led to conflicts. But the real turning point was when Salizaar had been stoned by one of Gorgonas, slowly turning into stone, Salizaar was thinking that he is finally looking into death's eyes. After a short blink of contracting darkness and internal emptiness he found himself standing in the middle of a temple, breathing, with soft skin, alive. The party spent all their money to return him to life, which at first sight was a stupid waste of money, he'd never did the same in the same situation. But somewhere deeply inside new thought came to life: nothing similar has never been made by his family for him. That became a lesson that people can care about others without any self interest. [Salizaar changed his alignment from **Lawful Evil** to **Lawful Neutral**]

## § The parting soul §

In the dungeons our party met Mjolnir and Kalor, two warriors who asked for help in their quest in exhange for a good amount of gold.

But the real value of this quest was an Almanac of Marklight. This book became a cause of a journey to The Cloven Lands - the land teared apart by a civil war. In Old Wending party found out that Almanac describes a family tree that leads to a lost heir of these lands. Finding this lost rightful ruler will stop the war and bring peace to the whole region. So the quest continued.

In the search of a lost heir, during the endless miles in The Cloven Lands, Salizaar had to make taught decisions in almost each encounter. All sides of the confilict were sons and daughters of Vortigern - land he ought to protect. Quiet often he didn't know what to do and how to react. With each new conflict Salizaar saw that lords of this land doesn't really care about people but more about the power and status. The turning point for him became a meeting of his uncle, who was ready to kill him because father claimed Salizaar a heretic for helping people who turned out to be a members of the Church of The Inner Sea. But they are still... people of Vortigern.

Salizaar who lost his title now became an outlaw.

## § Name lasts forever §

The meet with uncle had it's divine purpose - saving Edina Wooley who was a rightful heir of The Cloven Lands. Helping her becoming a ruler of these lands, stopping the war - the best thing ho could do, but unfortunatelly he's been destined to never see this. Salizaar was killed by a powerful Necromancer, who took his heart as a component for a ritual of unknown prophesy.

But story of our fighter doesn't stop here, he and Edina had a sparkle of love, which led to a birth of Salizaar II, who honourably carried his father's name trough the time, thanksfully he had nothing in his character from other L'Anguis family members.