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It's been over a thousand years, and I still have not surpassed the Gods. Sad to think I should not be here, when the rest of my kind are long dead. Fortunately I was one of the first... superior to my inbred cousins that came about during the centuries of imprisonment. I was hated for refusing to follow in their footsteps, but that just goes to show how far they had already fallen in such a short time. Our Elven blood, mixed with the fiendish blood of demons, made us more powerful than any mortal race... but the universe compensates never-ending. Humanity flourished, with their short lifespans and rush to fill the 50 years of health they have. I pitied them then, thinking the universe would ground them down and remake them into something more. But they were a godsend to war. Oh, how they fought on the battlefield! A pitiful thing such as them brought shock to my system when I witnessed them fight firsthand. Then other, more exotic, races appeared too, and the world seemed to grow but never fill... Of course, I was late to all this when my brethren and I finally were free of our prison in 1369 DR. So fortunate we were jailed in our own homes... I used my time wisely. Slowing my years farther was a simple thing, expanding my knowledge of the arcane a pathetic workout of my intellect. The infinitely powerful artifacts we had used to make our bargains and crush our enemies were nothing to the power I held when I was free. My mind turned to terrible things I could do to further my studies, but again I thought to the original plan; to become the most powerful of all races, to transcend the Gods power themselves. How to strengthen my blood further... So many curses, boons, and benefits abounded in the new world. Luckily when I absconded from my former home, I took a few of those "useless" artifacts. They would be needed to further blend more curses and boons into my blood. I always forget these days to remember what I was. A Fey'ri, Sun Elf and Demon blood combined. Our beautiful bronze skin turned to fine red scales. Our eyes of brightness turned to fiery red orbs. Additions of bat-like wings and pointed tails didn't help ease our looks, but the gift of shape shifting was glorious. It was so easy to forget what I once looked like. Powerful dark spells came also, but their abuse led to my races downfall. After seeing the world for a year and trying many looks and personas, I settled on a Half-Elf. My hair became a long, lustrous blond, eyes a brilliant blue, skin a light silky tan. My body was by design of course; the half elves were loved for their beauty that came from human and elf blood mixing. My curves are... exuberant to say the least. They wouldn't help me fit into armor any better, but that could be fixed with a simple ritual to any armor or weapon. I would need to be bewitching in this new world to find what I wanted. I was fortuitous to forsake the path to being a sorcerer like my brethren, and go for the more learned arcane path of the wizard. A sorcerer at my level could bring hellfire to a city; I could send 10 miles of earth towards the heavens with these powers acquired through study! I always liked the slow and steady path. To hurry was to dirty my noble blood, what little was left of it anyway. I used my education to seek even more for around fifty years, my looks getting me by at first, when little money was to be had. Then I applied my trade towards continuing my research with a bit of fool's gold here, and a bit of lockpicking there. Buying my supplies through honest money was my way of making sure I didn't imbalance my alignment; didn't want to attract the attention of the Gods now. Looking into changed curses proved fruitful. I found many candidates... but lycanthrope was perfect. My intellect wouldn't stop someone from bashing my brains in. It got even better when I found evidence that sun elves could become the strongest lycanthropes of them all! I didn't even have to experiment, it had already been done. Finding a strong suitor for the best results wasn't hard with my teleporting and tracking spells. Unfortunately the strongest were feral, and would require me to become meek and innocent for it to take me without too much magic involved. I didn't want to risk damaging my subject and altering the curse in any way. I spent a couple weeks living like a beggar and doing good things and using no magic to get the smell of trickery I most definitely would have smelt of before. Oh was he strong! He took me without any second thought and paraded me through his pack like a prize. I enjoyed some of the most pleasurable days with the alpha that was my suitor... If he could have survived the transformation into civilized living I may have fallen for him and finally settled down and died off. But my transformation was the breakthrough that turned that path away. The pain was nothing underneath the unlimited power I felt when the curse took, co-existing with the demonic blood in perfect harmony. I succumbed to my bloodlust and... I killed them all. Oh, how I mourned the loss of the creatures that made me into my current form. With my shapeshifting abilities I could transform into my Lythari form any time I wished, even taking just the physical traits I needed for the occasion. The head for biting and sight in pure darkness; legs for speed and athletic challenges; tail for stability in air and on land, and manipulating objects and people like a third hand; and arms for the power and claws for digging into things that needed the not-so-subtle touch. I was physically stronger even without them thanks to the blood ripe with the power of regeneration. I settled back to my luscious form soon after field testing my new being, but I kept the wings missing. My buxom body was a bit more muscular and my nails were a bit deadlier, but they seemed to only bring me more affectionate losers. I was finally there, thousands of years later with incalculable knowledge in all things and the physical body to literally rip a foe in two! I had broken my rule for lying low at the worst moment, and it cost me my life. A rather promiscuous God-turned-mortal had fallen for me, but hadn't been given the right looks to peek my interests. He got too close too fast, impeding my home one day with that high and mighty attitude all Gods have, and I attacked him. He'd lost little in his transformation to being mortal, and dealt me blows I could not recover from with my healing blood. It wasn't lackluster though, I assure you. I was missing and ear and an arm, though he most likely received help from his exarch lackeys. Maybe that's why another God showed mercy on me. The Raven Queen barred my passage to the afterlife. With her hands she rewove my body into something else now, not entirely undead but most certainly not living. A Revenant I was to become; a shadow of my former self, with a slender but more powerful body, skin slightly ashen, sunken features, and eerie blue orbs for eyes with glowing red pupils. I could feel my memories slipping... my unlimited knowledge fading into nothingness. My soul wept for an unknown time. Then The Raven Queen made me a most peculiar offer. "Grow." She said in a deep and wise voice. "Evolve past the limits Gods have set in the universe and end this cycle of weak and strong. Make the Gods weep when they realize too late that you have become more than them without casting off the binds of mortality. Bring the cycle to a close; challenge the Overgod himself and bring ancient feuds back into existence that will erase history and begin all things over again." Still I wept. This new form was made to bear no children. How was I to accomplish my mission now? Again The Raven Queen knew my thoughts. "You will find this finishing touch I bestow upon you to be... flawed," she said in amusement. "Your races dabbling in genes, coupled with your own curious ventures, were not made to become this new creature of my own doing. As your new form withstands time even better than before, the limits it imposes will most certainly disappear. And if you or the world cannot wait for that, I'm sure you will find some way to make through it. You have more knowledge now than most of the deities of this era, very few are even close to your age." My mood was joyous but also disturbed by this news. Was time passing by while I was here and not here? "You are correct, old one. It wasn't a God that had slain you. It was a God slaying another, and in doing so set forth a disaster that shook the cosmos." The Raven Queen almost sounded sad saying this, even after that first speech. "The Spellplague happened in 1385 DR; Killing, transforming, and annihilating everything in the universe. Abeir, mirror world to Toril, has collided into its other half. Primordials have joined the universe once more to wreak havoc and renew their battle with the Gods." "This is The Year of the Ageless One; 1475 DR." The Raven Queen Continued, the speech coming to an end. "Fitting name for the year you make your return, I believe. You'll find your abilities untouched, your dabbling painstakingly kept intact. Do not lose track of your goals again. My protection will not keep current Gods from testing their mettle against a being as powerful as you." I woke, thankfully in my body, in the middle of some grassy plains. At the moment of consciousness my body immediately tried reverting to the form I had come to adore, and it came just as I remembered. Running mental checks showed gaps missing of history I had certainly been a part of. My strength was lesser in a sense. If not for the bonding of the Revenant rebirth, I would be much weaker. This was discouraging, but then a conversation surfaced in the forefront of my thoughts. "Limits it imposes will disappear, huh?" I thought out loud, shocking myself for a moment. This was a good restart after my run-in with the surely now-dead God. I would need time and resources to become the ultimate being, and it would be best to find a more permanent solution to my housing problem. Money would come first, then a house; or maybe... a business, even? Numerous ideas ran through my genius, settling on a stunning and rather grand plan. Why split my time between research and finding items and knowledge when I can hire others to do the other things for me? I would need a name first. Simple would be best, since a nickname is usually what you become in history. "Sorrow, for my beloved world long gone." I thought aloud. No need for a persona this time; I was going to just be myself. I thought it best to see if any of my scattered belongings survived. It was surprising to find teleportation, or any other spell for that matter, worked how I last remembered them. It took days to get even half my spells back under my control. That time also led to one of the blessing and curses of my new form; I did not need to eat, drink, or breathe. Thanks to a wayward rat I found I was immune to disease as well. My motivation for the future was getting better with all the discoveries I made just by stand around in a grassy field. My motivation took a hit when I found few things of worth left standing. My magical artifacts were destroyed, leaving me with a load of ancient tomes, which in the right place might solve all my problems, and a simple outfit I bartered for with my broken possessions. I made off with a blue hooded cloak, rather small black scale corset that left open a bit much around my waist, scale leggings to match, and knobby black buccaneers boots. I didn't mean to look so... daring, but these items were potentially powerful magic items that the owners had no clue about. After gathering what I could, after sweet-talking a deal for a shoulderbag of holding, I gathered all that remained and headed for what I heard sounded like a good place to start: Baldur's Gate. With the old but powerful magical map I absconded with, I found my teleportation spell had diverted me into a forest called the Cloaked Wood. As the map quickly sketched a hundred mile range onto the map, naming large blotches of places known, I noticed Candlekeep to the south. I had remembered something about the place; they were a keeper of knowledge. They would certainly buy or trade for some if not all the tomes I had. Slipping the map in its protective tube and dropping it into my bag, I headed south noticing that my straight path seemed to run with an actual path that was just covered enough to not make out from a distance. To my surprise, fortune had put me just inside the forest, as a long grassy plain stretched out in front of me, and right there was the tall towers called Candlekeep. Walking onto the rough stone road just in front of the keep was disturbing at first. I had picked up from various sources the major roads were no longer solid trails of stone or gravel, but broken up from the events of the Spellplague. Pity nobody bothered to fix them in the hundred or so years it had been since. Turning my attention to the keep made me overjoyed to say the least. It was a fortress sitting on a crag about a hundred paces from the Cliffside. An ornate stone bridge led out over the sea to the fortress gate, lightly guarded and, at first glance, very welcoming. The Eladrin guard gave me a nod as I passed by into the large circle surrounding the many towers. Buildings for housing, stables, warehouses, temples, and shrines were complimenting the fortress walls. In the center lay a large garden circling the towers. Stopping to gather in the scenery for a moment, I made my way up to the Keeps door. A rap at the huge twin doors brought a middle-aged human to the door. "May I help you?" The man said after giving me a long look. Scowling, I gathered my cloak about me and brought my shoulderbag around, reaching in for one of the oldest tomes I had. "I hear you take tomes as an entry fee to the Candlekeep library. What is this worth to the grand Candlekeep fortress," holding out the old but cleaned tome. I had also made sure to scribe copies of all the tomes in a matching set. I was picky about uniformity. "This is quite old looking indeed. May I verify that it is original or a copy?" The man was questioning my tomes, next he was probably going to 'inquire' as to where I got it, after calling the guard of course. Before he could call anyone I whipped my hands out over the book, giving an ancient incantation used to show a books house mark or who wrote its signature. Upon the cover a mark appeared from one of the ancient sun elf houses. Hopefully they had at least some of the records of ancient days, or else this was going to get complicated fast. Sure enough the old man panicked when he saw the mark. Mumbling an apology and handing the tome back, he quickly made his way to fetch who I could only guess was a higher person than himself. After a few minutes another aging man, this time an Eladrin, appeared in a very formal looking robe. "It has been some time since this tower has been graced with such old lore that it does not possess. I am the Keeper of the Tomes, Erathis." The man gave a deep bow, making me blush a bit. I hadn't expected royal treatment looking as I did, nor from the highest person in the fortress. "Please, you spoil me with your greeting. My name is Sorrow." I said in a bit of a fit, giving a lady like bow in return. It was the first time I had given someone my new name. "I understand tomes are required for entry and lodging. I was hoping that I might entrust Candlekeep with more for-" "More tomes," The Eladrin said unbelievably, "from the same era? That would be terrific! I imagine there is much to discuss. Please, follow me." Opening the door wide, the Keeper led me into the tower. The first floor was a long hallway to stairs leading up and to other towers. Along the sides were little cutouts in the wall with small metallic discs on the floor. Seeing my confusion, the Keeper explained. "It's a sort of teleporting device for getting around large places such as this. Anyone trained in the Arcane can use them easily, others with practice. Will you come with me to my study?" He asked right out, as if he had forgotten to. "I'd be glad to accompany you Keeper." I answered happily. If this went well I might be able to start my research much sooner than I had anticipated. Stepping forward onto a disc with a label for the Keeper's study, I was instantly moved to outside what had to be the study at the end of a long hall with stairs but no other doors. The Keeper came through walking as he probably was used to straight for the study door, opening it and moving to his desk, setting the book down softly. The study was immense in size, a smaller cylinder than the ground floor meaning this was at the top of one of the towers. The walls were nothing but books and tomes on bookshelves. "I imagine you want payment for said books of such rare quality," the Eladrin said bluntly. "We do not get many guests with such large amounts of rare books often. One may come with a person just for entrance to the Keep for a few days. I wouldn't ask that of you for even this. So getting down to business, as they say, as I'm sure these books must be yours, what is your price?" Pulling my hood down I loosed my hair and started to pull out my collection. As a researcher I had read all these and memorized them by heart, the copies I made just in case another memory lapse would occur. Fitting 50 large tomes onto his not-big-enough table gave the Keeper a pale complexion and beads of sweat on his brow. "I assure you Keeper, that these are mine. I have been out of touch with the world for some time and in doing so I came back to a world that had forgotten what upkeep meant. My studies were all demolished, but luckily I was able to save these from the grave." Patting the books for good measure to accentuate I had a connection to them was not just for show. Just like what I said, I felt I had no reason to lie about these things. "I am looking to maybe start a small village, or build a fort nearby. The Keep here is an invaluable resource and the sea opens up opportunities to make a successful port. The people in today's world look like they need help, and as my blood tells me, I can do it best myself. The problem is materials for the spells I would use to make such a place," I admitted with a sigh of resignation. "I could make the fortress within a month's time with great materials and assistants. My map shows a peninsula right beside the Cloak Wood. It would rely heavily on port trade but a ferry could be made and the road dug out to make a path from the main roadway." The look on the Keeper's face was of admiration and terror. Perfect. "If you would not need the gold right away, there is a possibility potential shopkeepers in Baldur's Gate would be interested," the Keeper said after he calmed down. "I'm sure a great many would fight to have shops so close to port, if you were making the port on all three sides that is. Might I suggest if it is in your powers, to cut off the peninsula entirely from land?" "I could use that land to make an earth mote above the town, giving shelter to all, or make the island longer to the west. That way ships coming and going from Baldur's Gate couldn't miss us," I thought aloud. My plan was getting out of hand, and very expensive... but potentially very profitable. A lot of traffic would mean new goods and fresh information from the world daily without me having to go anywhere. "It's settled then? As noble-born and an elf, I do not usually rush things, but the plans were already drawn decades ago and the opportunity is just outside this Keep. Let's make it happen," I said as the Eladrin started to write out a settlement and letters to be sent to Baldur's Gate. The plans were the blueprints for my family's original castle, with a bit of improvements. Militia had gathered from far and wide to grab a chance to the guard at Sorrow's Island. It was the first time I had gotten one-on-one with many of the different races that had been brought with a crash to Toril. Erathis had known master stonework magi from his people, and they erected the walls around the island in less than a month. All this attention was grabbed right after the first lump sum, which I used to cast one of the most powerful rituals I knew to grab a ten by ten mile plot of land connecting the peninsula to the mainland and hoisting it into the sky, to then put down on the west end of the now island. I had never used it before with this magnitude, mainly because then I couldn't, but the view reinvigorated me from the sky. I was looking down at Baldur's Gate in all its glory just as dusk was approaching. The Keep was as magnificent as it had been from the ground of course, but the sea also filled my heart with joy. The plot of land I had moved had taken some of the Cloak Wood, which would make it easier to make the island sustainable the first months until the island could be fastened with magic. It helped bring people in for support of the new port as well. Just as I could see Baldur's Gate from such a far distance, so could everyone there see me, and people out at sea and on the roads. A month went by as the initial building started. The walls were now being shapen to strengthen them and to make towers for the guards. Unfortunately that meant the space I had made in my castle for them would be empty. The port was finished first on the side facing Baldur's Gate so that supplies could get in reliably. After those two was the planning for what was now going to be a city. Keeper Erathis begged for me to allow the magi to make the whole town in magic wrought stone, to compliment the Candlekeep... or be complimented by the island. The shops would be in a grid pattern to minimalize useless alleyways and to make the entire city uniform. That I couldn't argue with at all. The merchant's district was against the walls, to maximize time it took for people to get to shops to buy or sells wares, and to minimalize traffic from the core of the city. A second and third wall would go up after the rest of the city was completed, separating the merchant's, houses, and the castle. Unfortunately the island becomes full with that, so any temples and inns will be among the Merchant's district, or outside on the port. All buildings were made to be able to grow up to five stories. Most of the planning for the city came from the magi, as well as the money for it. It seemed they were using this as a down payment to have their own business on the port! Nothing prepared to workers again for when I went to work. The castle was my sanctuary, and as such I wanted it to be bound to me, which required me to build it myself. What I ended up with was more of a palace than a castle. After seeing how bright and clean the city would be, I didn't want my shoddy castle to ruin the looks, so I revised a bit, getting rid of the guards quarters. I made large rooms for high officials from all around and, of course, room enough for my servants and soon-to-be adventuring heroes. It took two months in isolation at the heart of the palace to make it. For the endurance I would need, I summoned my familiar after possibly a thousand years. Out of nothing came a medium sized midnight black cat with bright blue eyes.

(End of Unedited first writing, Property of Ainrev White. Sorrow is an original character written by Ainrev White. All rights reserved.)