Craithstream

Born on a cool summer night, Craithstream wasn’t heralded as the next champion of his people, a savior or even to make it far in life. He was in essence, a runt. His parents thought he wouldn’t make it past his first year, but through sheer determination and grit, Craithstream made it.

Growing up was rather plain… that was until his 16th birthday. When his entire hamlet was burnt to the ground by Humans. He was out hunting and foraging for food and when he returned, the village burned and his people slaughtered.

He went to the capital to seek redress and justice for his village but was laughed out and cast out of the city. He saw firsthand the racism of the empire not just against his people, but to all the other awakened. So he began helping them escape the empire. He was taught to be a pacifist by his family so he never used violence.

Eventually his group was caught and he sacrificed his freedom for theirs and held off the guards so his group could escape. Craithstream was held in prison for the next 10 years. Though prison sought to change him and mold him into something he wasn’t, he held his resolve. He was still the noble badger his parents had raised, except for one thing. Pacifism didn’t work, the strong would trample the weak. So he would seek to be a shield for them.

After 10 years he was conscripted in exchange for his freedom. He was put into a criminal battalion. But he was still not considered an equal in the eyes of the empire. Time and time they threw him and his comrades in the vanguard, to be used as fodder and meat shields. One by one his allies… his friends fell. The last battle he was in, he was one of the sole survivors. He looked around the war torn field, and then a voice called out to him, in his head, “burrow and hide. Escape to fight another day, a more worthy day”. So without thinking he did. He stayed underground for two days surviving off of grubs and worms. He uncovered himself and made his way back to the home continent.

He set out to Tosima on the boarder of the empire. To start anew, to help his people, and to get his revenge.