Arwen Vahr's Autobiography
I come from a place unknown to me. I have no memories of having a
mother. I only know that my father was a merchant, and that I had
two sisters. How I got from there to here, I do not know. I do not
even know the names of those once dear to me. It pains me greatly
to not have a past, and I have long sought out those who may give
me some answers.
My life in this realm was unventful at first. I found myself in this
realm in rags, and a long overcoat. A dagger was in my belt, and a
silver ring in the pocket of my coat. I became a thief, a skill that
kept me alive, and eventually brought me respect as one of the best.
I had few friends during that time of my life, amoung the best of them,
Verissa Vahr. I began to have suspcions that she may be one of my
sisters, but before I could explore this possibility, she was gone.
Away on business, for the Boundary Wardens, was the official word. A
time later, however, the Boundary Wardens were disbanded, and Verissa
was nowhere to be found.
Try as I might, I could not find Verissa, nor any other who may know
about my past. When Daenus, leader of The Guild, came to me one night
with an offer of membership, I jumped at the opportunity. It took me
several days to prove myself worthy, but I became a member. Once a
member of The Guild, I hoped to find someone who knew my father. On
every assignment, I asked, for The Guild was known to many merchants,
and the fear and respect that I now commanded would make them speak
if they knew anything. But they did not.
The enthusiasm with which I did the work of The Guild soon brought me
even more fame. That, combined with the fact that I brought more gold
to the clan than they had seen at any time before me, soon brought me
to to the attention of Daenus once more. Our other leader, Elyna, was
seldom at The Guild's home, for reasons I still do not know. This made
it possible for Daenus and I to spend many long nights in conversation.
We formulated many plans for The Guild, most of which cannot be
discussed in this book for matters of secrecy. The rest of the clan
was enthused about the ideas. Elyna was nowhere to be found to vote,
or to approve or disapprove, or even to pay, for at that time she was
holder of all of The Guild's gold. After a while, we decided to go
ahead without her. Using my own money (apart from the donations I had
made to the common funds) to finance the venture, and Caharin's designs,
our plans were put into action.
At exactly this time, when construction was already under way, Elyna
returned. She promptly, and secretly, put a halt to construction. We
were all informed of her actions, however, when the gods became angry
with our indecision.
Elyna and I were henceforth on uneasy terms with each other. She
did not want to take ideas from members, and thought that it the job
of only the leaders to make plans and designs, and order the building
of new things. I, on the other hand, believed that it was a group
task to make our home the best it could be, whether it be designed by
leaders or members. In time, the rivalry between us extended to the
rank and file of the clan, and Daenus asked Elyna to step down from
her leadership position to ease the tensions. Hurt, Elyna resigned
from the clan all together. She asked that BrightNight, our founder,
be given leadership in her place. Daenus told her that he would
consider it, but do not hold out hope for it, for BrightNight had
been long gone from the clan.
The very next day, Daenus came to me and asked me to lead The Guild
with him. However, I was still young. I was the youngest member of
the clan, and the most recent aquisition. I still had much to learn
about the world before I could feel worthy of such an honor. So I
insisted to Daenus that he should offer the position of ledership
to Caharin. I asked at that time that Daenus continue to listen to the
ideas of all members of the clan. It was agreed, and Caharin was
promoted. I was then given the position of Treasurer, to accept
donations from all members and give payment to anyone we owed money to.
Life was good, and uneventful, for a long time after this.
However, after a time, Daenus had to leave the realm, and without
consulting with anyone, he simply left us a note saying that he was
leaving, and promoting Wele in his place. Now, by this time I had grown
much, not only in age, but in power, in fame, in popularity, and in
wealth. I was highly upset with Daenus's decision. Even moreso, I was
upset with Caharin, now Daenus's equal, for allowing such a thing,
since it was I who was responsible for Caharin's leadership. I left
The Guild's home and went exploring the world, to find myself, and
discover what it is that I needed from The Guild.
What I needed was power.
Conveniently enough, when I returned after this realization, I found
that Wele had left the realm as well. I had a conference with Caharin,
and discovered that Caharin had never known of the favor I did for him.
Caharin offered me the second leadership position at that time. A vote
was held, and the rank and file of the clan concurred.
Together, Caharin and I accomplished what few have been able to with
a clan. Six members were given a title, and an office. These members
became, together with the two leaders, a council to prevent corruption.
Most decisions were to be referred to this council, for voting. Many
improvements have been made to The Guild's hall, and within this time
Caharin became a hero of the realm, and started his merchant business.
Wele came back to the realm, and was given the title of Lord, alongside
BrightNight, who also returned to us.
Although members have come and gone, our home and our riches have
continued to grow. I still have not found Verissa again, nor have I
found any hint of where my father and sisters may be. But all is right
with the world. When it is time for me to find them, I will.
-Arwen Vahr