Aldren Sallow

Aldren was raised in the Mud caves of cliff side which clung to Sharn like a child to a mother. A sentiment Aldren never knew when he lived in the orphanage there, but despite this, he was an affectionate and quiet child, who's eyes and heart gazed on the squalor and beauty around him, and saw that it could be better. While he scrambled and scraped to survive the aging of his body and mind, unbeknownst to him, his soul was growing colder as the requirements to survive kept creeping higher and higher, until on one night too much was asked of him and he vanished. Leaving behind that place.

His inflated and bloated pride would not allow him to beg on the streets to survive, and so he joined the army, as war was still raging through Khorvaire, and there he found his place. He would dismiss the killing of war, as a small consequence of the art of battle, which he found beautiful as it came easy to him. Though, deep down, he knew he was wrong.

On the Breland-Aundair border, he was injured in battle and left for dead as both sides retreated.He shed his heavy armor and any indication that he was from Breland and through grit and stubbornness, he managed to survive long enough to see the outskirts of Marketplace, but he exerted too much effort and blacked out, knowing he could not move on, he lashed out against certain death and cursed, because he had so much more to do.

He awoke in the house of a prominent farmer named Gwen, who nursed him back to good health in exchange for an extra hand around the farm, and it was here that he discovered he had a talent for baking. This arrangement wasn't comfortable for him, as he had killed many of her fellow countrymen, but in no position to argue, he accepted with silence. Months passed like this, as his strength rose, not just in his body, but in his affection for Gwen. She nursed him to good health, often with good humour and motherly perseverance. They would have discussions for hours on end without getting bored of each other's voice; he would tell her of the cities, she would tell him of the countryside. She educated him on all manners of subjects that Aldren never heard of: such as music, fashion, nature and people. For the first time in his life, he felt at peace, and for one very special occasion, Gwen gifted Aldren a suit that belonged to her father. It was an old thing, but it was imbued with her love. He wanted to settle down with Gwen and live a life here in Marketplace. This was not meant to be. One night, Aldren told and showed no secrets. She was disgusted, and in the morning, he was gone.

He drifted for a time, heartbroken and lonely and he fell back into old habits in order to survive. Whispers and rumors of a wonderful land, which he could call home began to drift into his ears as he traveled from tavern to tavern. One day, he decided to act upon it, and he took a ship to Riedra, where he knew people like him would be accepted and loved. And all of his hopes, wants and more came true.

A few years passed while he was in that land, and while he departed from Khorvaire with ambitions to never return, he found himself doing exactly that. His time on Sarlona changed him, but he doesn't know if it's for the better.

He moved back to Aundair, the place of his old love and previous enemies. He did his best to fit in and not be suspicious, and using his saved up money from his soldiering days, he founded a bakery and whiled away many years, serving pastries and desserts. It was here that he made friends with a charming and very serious librarian named Ebinir, who in the year 998 YK, came to him with a very curious proposition.