Background

Rory Kiplinger was born in the city of Drondar, just east of the orc-infested Malek mountains. His father, a soldier in Leonay’s army, spent long stretches of time away from home. This left Rory’s mother with the day to day responsibilities of raising the youngster. As strongheart halflings, Rory and his mother were somewhat outside of the usual social circles dominated by the human wives of Leonay’s military men. As such, Rory often found himself running the streets with some of Drondar’s less virtuous young citizens. Though never crossing paths with the law, there were several instances when the young halfling very well should have. His mother realized that there was potential for trouble, but was unable to convince the strong headed youngster to alter his path.

As Rory’s young friends grew, the mischief that they participated in also grew. One evening, while Rory and a young human friend named Clyde jumped from rooftop to rooftop, Clyde suggested that he knew where they might find a magical talisman. Clyde had seen a man sell such an item to a local merchant that very same day. It wasn’t tough to convince Rory that they could break into the shop, pilfer the magical trinket, and make off before they were discovered. Though Clyde coveted the talisman, Rory was motivated by a desire to execute the perfect burglary.

That evening, Rory scaled the back wall of the three story shop. Entering through an unlocked window, he had no problem slipping into the business and padding down to a side door to admit Clyde. The entire scheme was working well, until Clyde lost his footing while climbing a shelf. Clyde fell to the floor with an alarming crash. Rory, fearing that they would be heard, slipped stealthily behind a drapery. After several tense seconds of silence, Rory emerged to check on Clyde’s condition. The young man was bruised but not otherwise injured. As they both prepared to make a quick exit, Clyde grabbed the Talisman. Rory suddenly got the feeling he was being watched. Then, almost imperceptibly, he felt his neck hairs rise. His chest registered a vibrating sensation half a second before his ears heard the sound. A deep, nearly inaudible growl resonated from behind Clyde. Oblivious, Clyde stepped from the shop’s display case and was hit full force by a 90 pound guard dog. Leaping to his friend’s aid, Rory jumped onto the animal’s back. Clyde managed to scramble away, leaving Rory wrestling with the angry beast. As the halfling struggled to keep the hideously strong animal away from his face, Clyde searched for something with which to pummel the dog. Amid the grunts and growls, both young men heard a door slam. The shop keeper, awakened by the commotion, was coming down the stairs from his third floor residence. Calling the dog, the store owner bought Rory just enough time to slide free and make for the store’s side door. He and Clyde both slipped into the night, narrowly escaping the ravenous canine.

As the two young men made there way to a safe alley in which to rest, Clyde was shocked to see blood streaming freely from Rory’s face. During the frenzy inside of the store, Rory hadn’t noticed that the dog had opened an impressive wound along his right jaw line. Now, after collecting his thoughts and settling his nerves, Rory know that the gash along his cheek would leave an impressive scar. He was also sure that copious amounts of his blood now decorated the shop’s floor. At that moment, realizing that too many clues had been left at the scene, Rory knew that he’d have to leave the city. Rather than risk implicating his friend and humiliating his parents, he would flee.