Prologue

Thunder boomed and lightning struck in the dark hollows of the forest of Anaar. Rain poured down from the heavens; trees groaned in apparent agony as the pounding drops beat heavily upon their trunks. All of this noise overshadowed the faint wailing of a baby. Closer inspection reveals this baby to be a boy, clearly abandoned by his parents. A man, stumbling through the damp darkness, hears this crying and investigates. Stumbling, he finally encounters the child, wrapped in a red cloak, holding a strangely-wrought pendant in his hand. The man stares at the child, noting the slanted eyes and the pointed ears, and thinks to himself, "Elf. At least half, by the looks of it." He ponders what to do for moments. Then, as another bolt of lightning strikes the ground nearby, he comes to a snap decision, reaching down, seizing the boy and then running off into the woods.

Moments after the man has fled the scene with the young child, several riders, all dressed in black, bearing swords and torches, reach the clearing. They pause, and then, finding nothing, ride away.

The Beginning...

This is a story of the life of Brian, a young individual, conceived of the strange union of a human man and an immortal elf, destined for a wondrous fate, should he live to adulthood. Listen closely, and listen well, to this tale...