3. The History of Handur

The History of Handur

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    Handur is an orphan raised by human foster parents. His history before that time is sketchy.

    He was born to elvish parents of an unknown origin. His birth parents took ill and could not care for their newborn son. They left him in the care of an uncle who, because of financial problems, sold him to a slave trader. This slave trader was captured soon afterwards and Handur was sent to an orphanage.

    During his first months there, he contracted an illness that ravaged his body. The doctors and priests gave him no chance of surviving, but somehow he was able to recover. The disease took its toll though. It damaged his muscles and his lungs. His skin would turn an ashen white. It took him years to build up the strength just to stand and, even then, only with the aid of a cane.

    He made very few friends at the orphanage. The other children shunned him because of his condition. He also had trouble performing his chores, which did not sit well with the headmaster, Kasamula. He felt that Handur was now a useless shell, an unproductive pest, and treated him as such. There were even incidents where Kasamula forced Handur to perform vigorous physical tasks till he collapsed believing that he was simply 'good for him'.

    On the grounds of the orphanage, there was a small school where the children were educated in writing and languages. Handur excelled in all aspects of his schooling. His particular favorite was Faerun history. He would spend almost all of his free time in vigorous study at the local library.

    Eventually, a human family who was having trouble conceiving a child arrived to the orphanage and took pity on him. They quickly adopted him and took him to their small farm just north of Ilmwatch. There he was treated well and encouraged in his academic pursuits. A few years later, they were blessed with a male child named Guyle, and a year after a female, Lana.

    Guyle was a strong and health child. He became mighty and quick. Lana was small and thoughtful. She grew to become a fair student and musician. Handur and Lana grew close. She idolized his intellect and he, her vibrancy and character. Guyle, on the other hand, found his brother to be weak and wordy. He was also jealous of the attention Handur would get from both his mother and sister for his accomplishment which he considered pointless and lacking in grandeur. These quarrels were mediated and usually halted by his parents, which tried to satisfy both involved.

    Handur never really had many friends. Most of the children shunned him or his illness. If they did converse with him, it was out of pity which he hated more. There was one though who neither pitted nor shunned him. Her name was Janda and she had a thirst for history, just like his own. She would listen for hours on end as Handur tutored her on historic events and his theories on other topics.

    Eventually, he began to display his feelings for her which was initially accepted. But, soon enough, there was another claim to Janda's heart. This man went by the name Hammish. Handur became irate, he built up the courage and strength to confront the boy and challenge his claim. It was a futile effort though, even the weakest person was more than a match for poor Handur, and he was thoroughly beaten.

    Disgraced, hurt, and heart-broken Handur left the field and returned to the only comfort he had, his books. He was so ashamed of his defeat; he removed himself from the school and was not seen publicly for several years.

    Only after his class graduated and most of his former classmates moved way, did he eventfully build up the courage to come out of his elf-imposed exile. Now his foster father was too old to work much, and Handur needed a way to help. He was able to find a job as a proof reader at an Ilmwatch publisher. This was a job that required a great deal of language skill that he easily could match.

    Of course, he could only work half days and sometimes not at all. The days he did work he spent in complete silence at his desk, which was littered with parchment, making the corrections in red ink. This paid him about fifty silver pieces a week, enough to help his family and, with his brother's and sister's wage, they lived quite well.

    It went on like this for over a decade. Handur would spend most of his time at his job and the work he couldn't finish there, he brought home with him.

    Guyle, now a successful businessman and landlord, had moved out of his parent's home and took up residence in Ilmwatch.

    Lana had begun to follow in Handur's footsteps by continuing her studies at the local college.

    In the midst of her schooling she fell for a boy, a fellow classmate, whom she courted for a short time before marrying. She quickly was with child and had to remove herself from the academy.

    These turns of events distressed Handur, but he realized it was out of his control. These events were not nearly as distressing as her choice to leave the family home to move her new family to Lyrabar.

    During this time, the rift between his brother and himself became even greater. They would frequently argue over matters of trivial importance.

    One evening Handur returned from work to find only ashes where his home once stood. His neighbors tried to aid his parents, but the fire was just too great. They had both perished in the blaze. There was also no cause for it to have happened. The fire had come suddenly and fiercely and again, Handur was orphaned.

    Guyle arrived, but instead of grief, he was consumed with rage. He accused Handur of everything save for actually striking the match. He blamed Handur for allowing them to stay in a wooden house, filled with his parchments, in rural Ilmwatch. If they lived with him in a stone house, in the city, this could have been prevented. The now glassy eyed brother turned and left, but not before informing Handur that he would no longer be welcome in his home. Several weeks later, Guyle packed up and left Ilmwtch for parts unknown. Handur would never see his brother again.

    Lana never came back to Ilmwatch, she never replied to the messages Handur sent. Having nothing left, he took leave of his job and traveled to Lyrabar. After searching for days and finding no sign, the exhausted elf returned to Ilmwatch to try and piece his life back together.

    When he returned to his now empty house, he took up his proof reading job once again. He filled all his lonely hours with either work or literature. Eventually, knowledge of his skill was noticed by a local noble. The noble had business to attend to abroad.

    He was offered a position of translator which was graciously accepted.
    Handur spent the next couple of years traveling throughout Ilmpumtem with his new job. He was party to many wondrous things and wrote a detailed account of his adventures.

    30 years would pass. Handur was becoming well known and respected for his skills amongst his clients. For the better part of three decades he spent traveling the countryside offering his services to businessmen and merchants.

    Soon he began to feel odd, alone, unwanted. He would return to his empty home and sit alone in his chair waiting for the next day to come. Handur eventually decided to leave his home and travel abroad. He sold all his possession and purchased a horse and cart. Then he headed north.

    It was soon after he arrived in Jiyyd that he was accosted by bandits and, although they left him unharmed, stripped him of every item he had.

    Now his story continues, alone, penniless, in a foreign land…

    Account: Zandarx
    Ingame: Handur


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