An excerpt from Shadicus Kavien’s journal:
I was born and raised in the city of Cair Coradon. My father is a high ranking member of
the War Party. I have always been a lot smaller then the rest of my country men. Something
my hulking brute of a father has always despised me for. He has felt humiliated that he
should produce such a small child. My father made sure I didn’t ever forget his
displeasure with me.
Luckily my mother was a kind woman, although she had a temper that dwarfed any Cineran
male’s and is one of the traits she has passed along to me. Always a loving mother
she had tried to redirect my father’s attention away from me when possible.
My father had nothing to do with me, as I grew up within our home, except to take out his
anger upon me if I happened to pass him in the halls.. Because of this I never was able to
learn the fighting skills as the other young men did, I had to learn from watching others
and the basics my mother was able to teach in her spare time.
One night I was called to his meeting chambers. Something that had never been done before
and I was scared. My mother was there also and seemed to be as confused as I. My father
looked upon me from his chair and sneered. "I have finally found a use for you
boy!", he exclaimed to me as I entered. "You will be sold to Adicus to seal a
deal that we have been working on to unite our forces. He has wanted a nobleman’s son
for a slave and I am more than happy to be rid of you!"
I watched as my mothers face reddened and a gleam entered her eyes. "You will do no
such thing", she said in an even voice but I’m sure my father could feel the
rage that emanated from her. "He is my son and he will not be sold."
Without even glancing at my mother, my father said, "It is already done. If you
don’t like it maybe I’ll sell you to one of the other War Lords." He then
turned and smirk at her.
I believe she took him by surprise when she leaped at him, her fighting dirk wielded in
her hand. She slashed at my father and left a gaping wound across his cheek. At that my
father sprang from his chair, while drawing his own dirk. He brought the gleaming blade
down in an arc and buried it deep within her heart. At the sight of this a sprang upon my
father also......but I only had a small knife of my own to wield. My father turned and
slashed his blade across my throat and I fell to the floor in pain and shock. I lay in a
pool of my mothers and my own blood and felt my life slowly oozing out of my body. My
father must have thought us both dead as then proceeded to leave the room calling for the
guards.
I managed to get a piece of cloth, that I ripped from my mothers dress, wrapped around my
wound and crawl out a side door. I slept in a dark alley that night and lucky had enough
strength to make my way to the city gates. I was able to secure passage with a merchant
that was heading to Iridine. As we left the city I heard the news that was just beginning
to circulate throughout the city. My father had decreed that I had killed my mother and
tried to murder him. He was offering a large reward for my return......dead only.