When one considers being reborn to darkness a fate worse than death, particularly to the Elves of Thoria, that fate is all the more torturous when it takes you from the nature and light you have loved all your life. Such was Galen Silverdrake of the Dragonsword Clan. Years before the nightmares inflicted on the war with Darkfall he chanced upon one whom he thought was merely a young mage that called herself Skye Redfire. Someone in need of assistance at the borders of the Realm. Being of the mindset that evil and Darkness would not venture this far from the Borderlands, Galen assisted her and was thus drawn to a man who would be the undeath of him. Immamar Shade, a servant of the Shadow Emperor sent to find minions to serve in the coming war, he was a mage gone dark and granted the immortal kiss of the vampire, and he suffered Galen to become his servant and made him a vampire to strike against his own kind. Unable to resist commands of his Master, Galen brought suffering to his former friends and Clan, he aided, with the minions of Darkfall, the attempted decimation of the Dragonsword Clan, and all that was considered good. Once Darkfall was defeated, however, Immamar chose not to have his own minions, whom he refereed to as a 'pack', return to the Emperor's service and fairly allowed them to go their own ways unless some whim amused him so he would summon them to him. In these times of brief and agonizing liberty from his Master and new fellows, Galen sought to sequester himself in the Wildwoods bordering his old Clan's lands. He despised what he had become, the blood he had shed, and that which his new nature demanded of him. But fear of ancient myths and evils stilled his hand when the thoughts of ending his own life arose. There were things far worse than being merely undead. In these times of seclusion, for decades after the Darkfall wars, he sought no one out for fear of what harm he might bring them, but Fate, the fickle Goddess she is, is nothing if not a twisted mistress. It was pure chance that led him to meet the fair young Elf named Rayvenn Stormshadow. And perhaps Fate's own twisted design that the two would fall in love. And Galen did all in his power to keep her safe from the former pack he ran with (willingly or otherwise), if they found out about her, it would mean her death for sure. But Fate, again, as many know, has a cruel sense of irony and humor. Skye, the mage that brought Galen to Immamar, found out about his relationship with Rayvenn and reported it to her Master. And, one day, while Galen had been suitably distracted by Skye, the rest of the pack descended upon Rayvenn and brutally murdered her. It was in this act that they sealed their own fate...at Galen's hands. When he discovered what had been done, there was no question as to who was to blame. With a fury and wrath to rival any dark spell hurled at him, or any weapon that would further shed blood, he took his vengeance on his former Master and companions and left them to scorch in the Borderlands under the highday sun. It has been ages now since that day of blind rage has passed him, but his memories of Rayvenn remain. It is his self-presumed betrayal of her love which lead to her inevitable death he blames himself for, and now he seeks only the solace of shadows. Occasionally the inhabitants of the Thorian wood, the Realm or other areas will whisper tales of a fair woodland Elf cursed with undeath, who seeks a Paladin of one of The Nine to end his suffering. Who draws no blood from beings other than the woodland fauna and does what good he can...to pay back the evil he suffered upon his kin. ~~~~ Rendered in DAZ Studio ~~~~ Michael 3 Griffin texture Cuffed Tail hair Wildenlander Costume High Fantasy Costume Boots - Naiar texture Victoria 3 Ravenna texture - Daio Amarseda hair Wildenlander Costume - Northlander texture DM's Elaya's Asylum - building, torches and tree Lights, poses and facial morphs (for Galen) by me