The Story of Siolenas Darkleaf

by David LaSelle

A sage, withered by age, sits down at an old oak table. In an unstable hand he writes:  The future of this boy is to be unknown even to the gods.  He takes a sip from his canter and continues.

Siolenas was born of a simple family of marauders and raiders.  Then he pauses for a second and take breath and whispers to himself, “If only this boy would grown up in a town that treasures magic instead of disdains it”. 

He continues to write: Valenar, he writes, is a village that was used in the great town, more or less a barrack for the neighboring kingdoms.  They trained the elves that dominate that town to do battle with a scimitar and bow instead by spell. He sighs. Siolenas was born in this town and like many in Eberon born with the wondrous gift of magic. 

Needless to say, Siolenas was beaten and subjected to many forms of punishment, that on any good day that should have claimed his life. He often wishes it would have.   He smiles to himself, and thinks, Siolenas was strong and knew himself.  Siolenas grew more disfigured by the day, after many beatings, you could barely tell that he was an elf.

Siolenas eventually took comfort within his beatings and the pain become he source of survival. Many nights Siolenas clung to his old tattered spell book to do nothing more then to memorize that one spell that could grant his freedom. Little did the fates defer, Siolenas would get his chance.

On a chilling night, Siolenas conjured up a small fire out of air.  The guards shaken by this act opened the gate that prevented his retreat and restrained his freedom.  The guard rushed with a clinched fist and swung only and sent Siolenas stumbling to the floor, leaving a distinguished scar across his brow.

The sage took a drink from his canter, and with a heavy sigh turned to his wife whom just entered the room and whispers, “I still recall the look of horror on the guards face, my love” His wife came over and hugged him closely, He continued to write, as his wife eyes followed silently:  Siolenas regained his composer, and in only one swift move grasped the guards hand with resolute and utters the spidery language.  Sparks raised up the guards hands and coursed through his veins until he became limp” 

His wife whispers, “Which spell was that dear,” and he replied, “Even though the spell was is only that of an apprentice, in the hands of Siolenas it very well could have been one of great power.  They called that spell, “Shocking Grasp”

The wife smiled, “At least the boy finally stood up for himself”, but with a hollow smile the husband replied, “The effects of that one spell changed his composition forever”.

The force of the spell along sent Siolenas flying through the air and hit the wall with incredible force.  Weakened by the spell along, Siolenas somehow managed to climb to his feet and claimed the guards bow and a few arrows.

Siolenas limped out of his cell and heavy on breath and desperate for a rest, he continues to duck in and out of doors and around the various tents that made up that encampment.   The sage whispered, “What happened next not even the wisest of scholars could have predicted”.  He refills his pen and continues, a young guard just introduced into the family of marauders came across Siolenas, and rather unluckily I must.  The guard not raises his sword and rushed Sioleans.   He evaded the first attack with ease and fellow to the ground awkwardly.  The old sages sighs, and whispers,” Sometimes even the gods can be fickle you see what I am about to explain only I could see from my tend window as I bandaged up many of the wounded from the war.”

“As I was”,  Siolenas notched an arrow and sent into the kidneys of the guard who fellow weakened to the floor.  The guard begged and pleaded for his life as Siolenas took his hand and utter that dark language, and once again bolts of lighting sprang from his hand into that guards body, but here's what was strange instead of incapacitating the guard   and killing him somehow the currents back flowed and brought Siolenas to his knees. 

The guard reached for Siolenas neck this ill intentions of killing him only to rip his pendant by accident.  Tears flooded down the guards face as he buried his face into the soft green grass.  He whispers, “ I am sorry brother, if I would have known before hand”

For the first time sense Siolenas parents sent him off for his love of magic. He found family that day”  I rushed out their immediately and ran to both of their aids.  Aniond and myself took the wakened boy and hid him well within a supple carriage that was heading to Freeport. 

The effects of the spell backfire drained Siolenas of any extra strengths and power the dwelled within. The gods I can only defer decided that Siolenas power could not be used against his own blood and therefore stripped him of it.  Even though Siolenas would have a good career and possibly become a great wizard some day, He would have to do it with his own whims, not by powers that were given at birth.

As he signs the book with a fluster, “Perhaps one day I would like to meet up with this lost child and see the man he grew into.”