I have worn many names over the years but the one I answer to most often is Mandor. One name is as good as another to someone who was raised without one. Still, I guess I’m luckier than most orphans.

I was raised by Markham, an elderly but kind man who worked as a teacher and a sage. We lived in Pelargir, a city located in the river region north of Harondor. Markham was the only parent I ever knew and it was he who gave me the one thing I treasure most, a path to limitless knowledge, a gateway into places undreamed of…he taught me how to read. And read I did. Any book or scroll, on any subject, that crossed my path was devoured. At the end of each day Markham and I would sit in front of the hearth fire and discuss one book or another that I had recently read. We enjoyed the arguments that came out of those discussions almost as much as our calmer discourses. That was how I grew up, and time passed.

Then, almost suddenly, I was alone. Markham went to sleep one night after one of our discussions and never woke. I remember that the topic of the previous evening was over the existence of an afterlife, or lack thereof. Perhaps he knew.

A wanderlust, born out of my desire to see all that I had read about, came upon me. I answered it’s call all too eagerly, seeking to put my sorrow far behind me and to learn all I could of the world. I headed south into Harondor and soon found myself in the lands of a Duke Tahlann. Soon after my arrival I was approached by the Duke’s men and ‘invited’ to an audience with Lord Tahlann. Upon meeting the man it became clear why I was brought before him. His son, Galiard, and I looked like mirror images of each other. It appeared that the Duke had learned of a plot to kidnap his son during the Year’s End celebration and his plan was that I would take Galiard’s place. Not having much choice in the matter, and the fact that I was to be paid quite well, I decided to take advantage of the situation. In the three or so months that followed I learned many things that were necessary for me to play my part: hawking, swordsmanship, etiquette, heraldry, archery, horsemanship as well as the names and faces of Duke Tahlann’s court. All this and more I absorbed like a sponge.

Finally, the year’s End celebration came and my kidnapping was a complete success. My captors turned out to be agents of a rival Hardain Lord. Because of the advance warning months before, lord Tahlann had had plenty of time to prepare. Barely a week later my captors were found and captured. Consequently, I managed to survive the ordeal and collect my reward. Unfortunately, other agents of that rival Lord had discovered my part and I was offered yet another ‘invitation’. I chose to decline that particular invitation. An argument ensued during which there were several fatalities and I decided to leave. I happened upon a mercenary company that was heading in the same direction I was, that is away from the area.

That was how I came to join Eshrao’s Stalkers. At first I looked upon it as a way out but I soon realized it was another opportunity to learn something new. So I stayed, and I learned, and almost two years later I still learn something new everyday…