Orphaned mere hours after his birth, Mikal was raised deep in the southern badlands by a clan of barbarian humans. Found in the remnants of his parents trading caravan, Mikal was strangely untouched – by the Orc raiders responsible, by the exposure to the cold, southern winter chill, and by the flocks of ravens picking at the bloated remains of his kith and kin…
Adopted by the stubborn wife of the Chieftains youngest son, Mikal’s upbringing was rough and hard; food was often scarce, and the other children of the tribe mocked him relentlessly, for both his strangely shaped ears, and his lack of ‘real’ family.
It was during his coming-of-age trial that Mikal gave the tribe another glimpse of his otherness. According to his account, after days of walking, he stumbled upon a lush, green glade, filled with the sounds of bubbling streams, the unearthly calls of unfamiliar birds, and strange, deer-like creatures grazing in the dappled shade. Despite the fact that he knew that no such place belonged in the harsh, barren landscape of the badlands, Mikal was drawn deep into the centre of the glade…
Though he refuses to speak more of his time in the glade, it was clear to the tribe – and most especially to the tribe’s Shaman – that Mikal was changed. Taken under the raven-feather cloaked ‘wing’ of the Shaman, Mikal was inducted into the Mysteries of the Raven Queen, and groomed to become the spiritual advisor to the tribe.
Having finally found his place, and slowly – bedrudgingly – being accepted into the tribe, Mikal almost felt happy.
Until the night the stars fell from the sky.
Under the geas laid upon him in his time in that fey glade, Mikal knew what he had to do.
With a heavy heart, Mikal left the tribe in the dead of night, driven north by an implacable force…
Joined with a party of ragtag adventurers in their efforts to stop a Priest of Orcus from opening a portal into the Shadowfell. As a result, became the somewhat reluctant bearer of the Rod of Ruin, a potent artefact and symbol of Orcus!
At the same time, another member of the party, Joreb Innitu, became the wielder of the Slave Sword, and is now inextricably linked to Mikal as the bearer of the Rod of Ruin.
Time will tell if this twist of fate is in conflict or concordance with the whims of his fey mistress…
