#d&d background

Nicholaus, a dwarf, grew up in a small mining village in the mountains, far away from most other places of civilization. The mine had been in his family for generations, and though there was only a handful of miners, the ores and gemstones they mined had kept the village happily wealthy. Nics father, a dwarf, was the current mine owner and mayor of their little hamlet, which was more a title then any official position, and had been a very attentive, if often distracted, father. Though his work kept him busy at any hour of the day, he always made sure he had time for Nic, teaching him all he knew and supporting him in whatever he set his heart on.

Nics mother, a half-orc, stuck out like a sore thumb in the small dwarvish mining village, but though she seemed out of place, she was absolutely adored by everyone in the village. She was part of a traveling performance troupe, where she enchanted people with her songs, often literally. She was slowly growing tired of her nomadic lifestyle, and was just deciding to find somewhere to settle when she met Nics father, and fell madly in love. She took to settled life like a fly to honey, loving learning all the skill she needed for a quiet village life. She was over the moon when she fell pregnant with Nic, but due to unfortunate complications during birth, she was left no longer able to conceive. Though this devastated her to hear at the time, having one child was enough for her, and she devoted herself to Nic. She taught him everything she knew of the bardic arts, instilling him with a love of preforming, as well as cooking and gardening.

Nic's childhood was good and peaceful and yet from a young age he had felt that something important, something integral to him, was missing. He wasn't sure what it was, but over the years it grated on him more and more. He became restless and often irritated. He tried not to take it out on anyone else, knowing that it was no ones fault, and not wishing to push his problem onto others. There were times he was so frustrated he was afraid to open his mouth, worried he would just start screaming and not stop.

The older he got, the stronger the empty feeling inside of him became. It felt like he was missing a limb, but had forgotten what it looked like, and if he could just remember it, it would grow back. He found himself staying awake late at night, staring into nothingness, hoping that somehow an answer would pop into his head, that something would just click, and he would finally know what he was missing.

When he turned sixteen he plucked up the courage to explain how he felt to his parents, about how he felt he lacked something important, and how he wanted to leave to find someone who might have an answer. His mother, who had traveled in her youth, felt he just needed to see a bit of the world but his father was wary, not wanting to put his only child at risk in a world he himself didn't fully understand. After several days of private discussion his parents offered him a deal; If he worked in the mines enough to earn passage with Danaan, a trader that often came to the town to transport their goods, he could travel to the nearest town, experience some of the world, and return. If, afterward, he still felt like he had to leave, he was free to do so. 

So, Nic went to work. He found the mining itself almost as frustrating to him as the part he felt was missing, but found he had both a fondness and a knack for stone carving. In his spare time he taught himself how to carve stone, eventually working up to carving gemstones, and when he had earned his passage with the traders, took his work to town with him, hoping to sell some and show his father he could earn his passage outside the village.

The round trip to the nearest town would take a little over a month, taking the winding mountain roads. It was a peaceful trip, and Danaan took Nic under his wing, teaching him sword craft to pass the time. At night the traders would gather around a fire for a communal dinner, trading stories and songs and Nic enthusiastically joined in, showing off the skills his mother had taught him.

Their stop in the nearest town would be uneventful to most, but to Nic is was like experiencing an entirely different world. He hadn't seen half the races that were in the town, and was almost overwhelmed by the sheer variety of sights, sounds and smells. Danaan had said they'd be in town a week before heading back, and if Nic promised to help fun their little stall for one day (and sell his own wares as well) and always return to the tavern they were staying in by sundown, he could do whatever he liked with the rest of his time. His first day was spent wandering, seeing everything there was to see. The second he worked the stall, excitedly chattering away at everyone who came over (and selling all his carvings, which he was very proud of). The rest of the week passed by in an excitable blur of exploration and shopping, Nic absorbing as much new information as he could.

When the week ended, he considered seriously running away for the first time, but realized he couldn't do that to his parents. His experience of the past week and solidified his decision to leave and though he was afraid they wouldn't understand his need to leave, or that his father would forbid it, he knew he would never forgive himself for just running away. Danaan, having sensed something was wrong and sympathizing, bought Nic his own rapier, promising to teach him how to use it whenever he visited the village.

During the return trip, Nic practiced what he would say, running the scene in his head so many times it started to feel unreal. The closer he got to home, the darker his mood got, convinced he would never be allowed to leave, that he would never get the answers he so desperately needed. Danaan tried to keep his as distracted as possible, but there was only so much to be done while traveling the roads. After some prompting from Danaan, Nic finally opened up, all his worries gushing out. Danaan listened quietly, before offering the only advice he could; be true to yourself. His parents loved him, and would understand this was something he needed, even if they didn't want him to leave.

They returned to Nics village just ahead of a snowstorm, signally an early start to the winter. Danaan and his crew would have to stay in the village until the passes cleared, and Danaan promised Nic that once the passes were open, if he still wanted to leave, he was welcome to join the traders.

The air was tense as he entered his home, an awkward silence hanging between them all. His mother broke the silence, telling them all they could talk about it later, as no one was leaving until the end of winter. That winter was the most uneventful and most stressful winter of Nics life. They all knew he had made his mind up about leaving, and yet no one broached the topic until winter was almost fully over. When the time finally came to talk about it, his father was the one to break the silence, breaking down and giving his son the biggest bear hug he could muster, crying into his shoulder about how proud he was of Nic, and that even though it would pain him to see him leave, if it was what he needed to do then so be it. With similar sentiments, his mother helped him to pack essentials, and waved him goodbye when he and Danaan left.

Over the next few years, Nic traveled as far and wide as he could. He earned his passage as a traveling bard, sometimes preforming with a group, other times alone, never staying in one place for very long. He would write to his parents all the time, telling them about everything he experienced, and letting them know he was ok.

In one town, he discovered a semi-underground fighting arena, where people would put on a persona and fight each other, rarely to the death, but always in real combat. He felt a draw to it, and tried out, soon discovering that fighting in such a spectacle helped drown out the feeling of emptiness inside him; it didn't fill it, but when he fought, when the crowd cheered, it faded to a dull ache he could easily ignore. The thrill of the fighting, as well as the prize money, helped give him direction in his travels, and he found himself often staying in cities and towns for weeks or months at a time. When he grew restless, or the emptiness in him grew too loud, he would move on, finding another fighting arena, earning a small following and a reputation as a fighter.

One night, while journeying between towns, Nic awoke to a figure sitting by his fire. This figure offered Nic help in finding what he was missing, and pointing him in the direction of a town famed for its great library of medical knowledge. All he asked in return was a favour of his own, owed at an indeterminate time. Nic agreed, and promptly woke up to an empty campsite, the morning sun just breaking the horizon.

At the town the stranger had guided him to, Nic found the library, and finally believed he had almost found his answer. Inside, he met with multiple librarians, explaining his problem and asking for help, but none of them had an answer nor a direction to guide him in. The best anyone could do was point him towards a temple, to seek help of a divine magical nature. Devastated, Nic poured himself into his fighting, pushing his frustration and anger into a drive to be the best. It worked, for a time, and his notoriety in the arena circles grew, but eventually he couldn't drown out the emptiness, and left for the next town.

It was just a week into his stay at the next town when Nic, walking home late after his debut arena fight, saw what looked like an attempted robbery in an alley beside a bakery; a squat, broad human angrily pushing a teifling man against a wall, hissing angry words in his face. Nic, without thinking, stepped in, grabbing the man from behind and hurling him across the alley into the opposite building. Nic threatened the man, demanding he leave the tiefling along, emphasizing his threat with his bardic magic. The teifling, Jonah, curtly told Nic that he had the situation well in hand, and that he didn't need any help fending of his cranky ex, but if Nic came to the bakery two days hence, around noon, he'd have a proper thank you for him, and went inside. The next day was the last day they spent apart for the next few years.

As their relationship grew, Nic opened up to Jonah about the empty feeling inside him which had disappeared for a while, but like always, had come back. He was scared about what that meant about him, and if it would change how Jonah felt about him, but instead Jonah gave Nic his blessing to continue his search, even if that meant they had to be apart. Nothing would change what they had, and Jonah wasn't going anywhere, so would wait for him for as long as it took, as long as Nic promised to come home, and to write as often as he could.

So every few years, Nic would journey out into the world, often visited by the stranger he met in his dreams, who would give vague hints as to where he might find answers. He was never gone for very long, spending only a few months journeying before returning home. His arena fighting paid for his travels, and his fame within the fighting circles gained him many valuable contacts, though most proved ineffective for his personal search.