Ibri Heavensblessed

"What's a Drow doing up here on the surface? Well, I'm not a bogeyman, although if you keep glaring at me like that I can't promise I'll be polite. If my skin is that offputting, maybe it'll put you at ease to know that I'm only a half-Drow - second-generation, to be precise (I'm frankly not sure why my skin is purpler than my father's, but I digress). My grandparents fled the Darklands when they realized - not a moment too soon, might I add - that the demon-worship and other obviously evil nonsense that happens beneath the earth is neither a great place to raise children, nor to spend your adult life. They settled on the outskirts of a little town in Varisia, sharing a mutual suspicion with the surface-dwellers nearby and, being possessed of a general distaste of sunlight - as is the typical disposition among Drow - they preferred to live in the shadows of the forest regardless. Nonetheless, they found themselves drawn to the beauty of the night sky, and they chanced, on occasion, to leave the seclusion of their forest home and stare up at the beauty of the cosmos."

**Ibri shuffles through a large bag of starmaps next to him before pulling one out.**

"Ah, but I can hardly blame you for asking questions - your sign is the Lantern Bearer, is it not? Chuckles softly Oh, no need to answer - I can see it in your eyes; suspicion, curiosity, love of family and friends: these are classic traits of a Lantern Bearer! Now, for a small price, I can..."

**Glances upward and grins**

"Oh, you'd like to hear more of my story? You know, I say that I charge for this sort of thing, but I can hardly help myself. I will insist that you pay for that tea you're sipping, though - I don't know why Kura thinks he can simply hand out my wares; frankly, I don't know why I keep him around..."

**As the customer turns to pull out a few coppers, Ibri winks at his partner, Kura, as the monkey runs over to him and sits in his lap.**

"Anyway, you might be wondering how my grandparents, two Drow in rural Varisia, might have survived unmolested by their suspicious neighbors. Well, it turns out, it was not without some help... when rumors began to spread about their starlit outings - mostly claims of Diabolic rituals in the moonlight (as if Drow have the humility to bow to Asmodeus - ha!) - some particularly feisty humans began to prepare to force my grandparents from their home. Fortunately, a passing Desnan Cleric caught word of the plan and decided to investigate for herself and found that rather than two guerrilla Diabolists bent on the annihilation of the surface races, my grandparents were simply frightened refugees with a fascination with the night sky - in other words, the sort of people Desnans fawn over. Sympathetic to their plight, our beloved Cleric intercepted the would-be mob on their way to my grandparents' home and, with a bit of divine magic, persuaded them to accept the truth that my parents genuinely meant them no harm."

"Afterward, while I don't mean to be dull, my grandparents lived more or less happily ever after. Although the priest was the sort who prefer to do good without praise, a villager sought out my parents one day and directed them to her before she set off, and they became so close that our Desnan friend chose to remain for a bit longer and help them convert. Over the years, they became well-versed in astrology - a family tradition at this point, as you may have noticed - and their reputation as seers spread much farther than they expected. Eventually, they set off, their fear of surface folk somewhat diminished and their wanderlust enhanced in that peculiar Desnan way. Eventually, they had two children - a tremendous number by Drow standards - one of whom set off on his own and, in time, married a misunderstood halfelven woman, with whom he defied all elven convention and had four children - I am one of them. Anyway, now we're all one big, happy, very scattered family. I inherited the purple skin, penchant for astrology, and good looks, and my siblings inherited the leftovers."

**Takes a deep breath, then exhales**

"Whew. Now that we're caught up, care to see your forecast?"

**The customer grins and takes a seat.**

"Great, now, being born under the Lantern Bearer..."