Forsaken

*Forsaken* was a White Drakken Paladin of Anora. They were known in life as Jund Thrymm, though were disinherited by their family before coming to the Surfacelands. Due to these circumstances, as well as the circumstances leading to the paladin's death, they underwent a crisis of faith, and chose the name Forsaken.

## Description

Forsaken made an imposing figure whether in or out of their armour, though clearly felt more comfortable when protected from the world by a hefty set of metal coverings. Their tall, broad figure on its own was impressive, and their bellowing rage a frightening sight to behold.

The young Drakken had little else but their armour in the realm of worldly possessions. Due to this, they cared greatly for what little they had - including the custom suit of armour that they purchased for themself prior to enlisting in the Groundsguard. The armour was fashioned around the spikes covering Forsaken's body, and allowing their horns and massive tail to be free. The result was a complex, but thoroughly comfortable set of armour that they spent much of their time in.

## Life in the Skylands

The Junds have always venerated Grimm’s ideals of caution, reason, and patience. For the past 500 years, Junds have acted as pillars of society where-ever they are found. Whether acting as judge, guardsman, teacher, doctor, or engineer, their family line is as well-respected as any family could be, in such dire times.

Yet despite a reputation for levelheadedness, one child - Thrymm - stood apart. Not all Junds were brilliant pinnacles of logic - but at the very least, Junds were expected to be devout, hardworking, and attentive. Thrymm, on the other hand, seemed to inherit no such temperament. Despite their parents’ best efforts, Thrymm oft acted without thought. Even still, as they grew, and learned to express themselves, they expressed awareness of cause and effect, and were able to rationalize their decision-making as good as any other Jund. Yet, they acted hastily, messily, and according to some, incorrectly.

One such early incident involved schoolyard conflict; when Thrymm, at age 7, encountered a couple of their peers threatening an especially small Caracol, they neglected alerting a teacher as a well-taught Drakken should. Instead, Thrymm immediately scooped up the Caracol and blew frost in the face of her bullies. Though Thrymm was too young for their breath to injure, they were expelled as a result of the reckless attack. When questioned, Thrymm said that they had acted on “instinct”, a word that their parents recoiled in horror at.

Hoping to teach Thrymm caution, after one too many outbursts, the Junds sent them away to a smaller island that housed a temple to Grimm, called the Isle of Equilibrium. There, Thrymm finished their schooling, making slow but promising progress all the while. Yet on the eve of their graduation - just before their intended re-entry into proper Harizen society - Thrymm announced to those in attendance that they would not return. Instead, they declared they must “head to the ground”.

Alarmed, the head priest of the Isle asked what Thrymm could possibly mean by such a declaration. It had been years since the Drakken’s last outburst, and all at once, it seemed as though their progress was unravelling before their family’s tearful eyes. Then, Thrymm said the unthinkable, confirming the one thing that the Junds had always silently feared, “Anora wills it”. With Thrymm’s ultimate rejection of Grimm’s virtues becoming clear, their parents turned inconsolable. The Junds insisted that the temple continue to house Thrymm - the family’s singular shame - until he was willing to forget about such passions.

The head priest, on the other hand, felt more compassion. He too, had once been called. Though their gods were different, Grimm and Anora were by no means enemies. Thinking over the choice before him, the priest eventually agreed to keep the now-adult Drakken at the temple. Yet, that evening, when Thrymm hatched a plan to escape the Isle of Equilibrium, the priesthood made no move to stop him. As far as the Junds know, Thrymm continues to remain in quiet contemplation on that floating island in the sky. In reality, the Drakken left to serve the Groundsguard, and more importantly, the will of Anora.

## To Be Forsaken

Thrymm had lofty goals when they came to the surface, signing up for missions wheresoever they felt they would be of use. During their first true outing into the world, they came to meet a pair of wizards, whose intellect the Drakken respected, and an Ersine, Valdroundt, who over the course of the mission Thrymm came to respect greatly. Despite promising starts, their mission together ultimately failed due to recklessness, and in their shame, Thrymm insisted none of them ever speak about the events leading to their failure. They also agreed to tackle the mission once more, after Thrymm returned from a second mission - this one a supply run.

It was on this supply run that Thrymm's overconfidence proved to be their downfall. Again ignoring their instincts, they chose to press on with their group and were summarily destroyed by the savage forces of the desert. The rest of their party dead, Thrymm drafted a letter to Valdroundt, confessing their admiration and their failings at once, and knowing in their heart they would die out in the desert. Realizing that their faith could not save them and that they had foolishly stepped into the den of their own demise, Thrymm discarded their family name and chose instead the name of Forsaken to recognize their realization.

It is unknown how Forsaken ultimately met their fate, but as their Hearthring returned - alongside the letter for Valroundt - it became perfectly clear that the Drakken had met their end.