Early Childhood
On the 27th day of spring 458 years after the Valterrian, a child to be named Rian was born to the loving union of Nicholas Vale - a hard working magecrafter of the working middle class – and Amelia Galdeforde – first daughter of a family tied to the Sylaris Knighthood. Free of defects, and showing no signs of health malfunction, the two were gifted with a beautiful baby boy.
The union between Amelia and Nicholas, while not utterly praised, was founded in love, and such was the environment under which the boy was raised. The Vale family greatly embraced the fruit of the union being more welcoming than the Galdefordes who ultimately hoped to preserve a pseudo-purity of blood and continuation of legacy. Amelia’s siblings, Vincent and Lucrexia, accepted her son as family, but involved themselves little more beyond. Robert Vale, elder brother to Nicholas, encouraged the interaction with the young child already having two girls of his own. Under the Vale name and work, Rian developed as a baby and toddler to a young boy with security of a loving family and what might be the world’s greatest fortress-city.
Being all of Sylaris holds value in work force, Rian soon found himself being taught early the basic arithmetic, linguistic, and writing skills in conjunction with his father’s work, magecrafting. The intertwining of magic proved a glorious thing to him which guided his interests. Being a young boy, stories of the Tallshade artefacts provided greater motivation. Even then, Rian was pushed more toward basic schooling and thoughts of knighthood, especially by his uncle Vincent, wishing to see the best of his sister’s son. It might have been Robert’s slight mockery of the ways of the knights’, but it remains uncertain, that Rian’s interest remained with that which was magical.
Rian inevitably grew to a young, active lad helping in the home, workshop, and neighbourhood. Being so far into an apprenticeship under his father and co-workers, his life’s purpose as a magecrafter seemed set. However, like many magecrafters, Rian still had much to learn of other personal magic to further strengthen his chances and capabilities at work. With a greater deal of his basic teachings complete, Rian’s time was free to spread between work, play, and study of all that is magically acceptable within the city limits for the betterment of the people.
It was also during this time Rian would be enthusiastic about the coming of another sibling. However, his mother miscarried; thankfully she survived.
Such an education continued vigorously into his teenage years.
Teenage Years
Without a doubt the most dramatic in every sense, Rian’s world changed in many ways. His aunt, Lucrexia – a woman who held study above all else – began to see greater potential in the boy and offered to Amelia an opportunity to teach him in other magic types. Consultation with Rian himself lead to his apprenticeship through her as well, and her friends. Rian’s sense of self control would be pushed to its limits as the power he possessed became taunting. Lectures remained enough to keep the young boy in line.
By his 14th year, the most traumatic came. Freak accident, planned, or just fate, it remains unsure, but the day Rian left for study while his parents remained home was a day they perished. The consequences that befell the culprit remained unknown precisely to Rian. His Galdeforde roots, though refusing to abandon him in study and motivation, did little to help him cope through. Robert and his Konti wife, D’Orali, stepped in. Rather than leaving him to the orphanage, they took Rian as their own, though knew full well they could not replace the void. Through his studies, Rian kept reminders of his parents, and often wept for their loss.
As with all teenage years, the body too underwent great transformation. Questions of fate and self discovery drove Rian in many directions of romantic and thrill interests. His aunts above all helped him the most to keep on the tracks of values, one seeing greater value in love and family, the other knowledge and power.
Many great firsts came to him in this time, great gain and great loss, all of which shaped the young man stepping into the bold world.
Early Adulthood
Rian had made it far enough in life to begin self practice of his talents to further teach and hone his capabilities. Friendship and betrayal became the lessons of this time. He soon found it easier to withdraw from people entirely and focus more on his work. Still, he did indulge in pleasures of the flesh from time to time.
A greater detail of research in old stories drove Rian to what he felt was a greater purpose. Rumour and text of the Tallshade artifacts and other great hidden treasures of the world drove curiosity and soon will for Rian to leave Syliras to study abroad when possible.
Between rumour and study once more, Rian was also lead to what he believed to be a cause of death to his parents, and perhaps even the murderer. After some relentless efforts, he eventually started on the track of vengeance. He even went so far as to begin up taking a weapon skill to ensure success. Rian eventually was driven to great lengths of rage and frustration and dared to lash out against a minor follower of chaos who was lead to be the murderer. His success was undeniable and probably fruitless as no one missed the suspect thereafter. Vengeance was not enough, and his mind wavered in many directions to make sense of his life. Ultimately he cursed the chaos of the world and fate within and outward at times. His research in Tallshade artefacts...even her crafting methods, became the apple of his eye.
His life’s pursuits ran astray from those of his youth.
Adulthood
Having lost hope of love and finding a greater deal of betrayal present in the world, a dire contract from his otherwise sheltered life style, Rian turned more toward the teachings of his aunt Lucrexia in personal pursuit for power and self fulfilment. For years, he passed over the lands in search of knowledge and learning in the highest institutes and more sceptical locations.
Rian managed to make a living over the years in his travels by both teaching and crafting for those who had what he required of them. From students he demanded a greater passion for which he recalled in himself, and for customers, the proper tools, security, trust, and money. Rian made few friends, but good ones over the time. He never settled down, and remained driven by the grand question. Why? Mixed feelings overtook him on many occasions, and contracting opinions of his fate and the workings of the world. More severe questions surfaced as well, such as what it would be like to stand in the face of a god with Zariath in hand...?
Presently
Growing a great deal older, yet still seeking answers, Rian is becoming more desperate and self destructive than ever. He feels compelled as well to return home after so long to revisit family who he might have not seen for decades in his more recent travels. It is now that he will learn what the worth of one man’s life is or could be.
by Rian Vale on December 3rd, 2011, 9:41 pm 