Zeb - Origins, Part 2

My experience left me with not one wound, but two. Evidently, my killer fired a second arrow that caught me in my left wrist. At first there appeared to be odd scarring around each wound. Now I know it to be the sigil of something unholy. Something that makes me feel perpetually unclean. Something that itches.

Fortunately, I was found floating in the river, by a huntsman employed by an enclave of Erathis that was somewhat near. He took me to the priests that were in charge of taming the wilderness that was my homeland.

I don’t remember much from those first few days. Fevered dreams? Maybe other visions? What I do remember was the presence of two figures hovering over me during my recovery. I remember these figures arguing. I don’t remember what they were arguing about, but one phrase uttered sent me reeling into consciousness.

“He has been marked for Her, but I fear bound to Him”

That was that. For the next few years I became an initiate of Erathis, earning my education at the hands of demanding masters. Living in the wild is tenuous at best. Sometime, after several years, financial support stopped flowing to our little enclave. With the lack of funds, the desertion rate became high, even among priests. Not long after that, there were only a few of us left at the enclave. The abbot decided to pull us back to an established city so that he could divine Erathis's will further.

Hiding my powers during this time has not always been easy, but I’ve managed. I never actually felt the presence of Erathis, though I was able to bluff my way past senile old priests. Mostly. While I have the best intent, my actions don’t always come to pass as I plan. That particular talent is what resulted in me traveling to Winterhaven to investigate possible cult activity. Orcus to be exact. Cults, demons, and devils, are something of my specialty, you see.

Since Erathis isn’t flush with coin for someone like me, assisting the guarding of a wagon train of goods to the town was how I earned my passage. That’s where I met Gethrok.

The road to Winterhaven was the first time I flaunted my powers. Not just flaunted, but reveled! Of course, that didn’t quite endear me to the drovers. They steered clear, even while welcoming the protection I gave. Not Gethrok. He didn’t judge the way the others had.