Next bio (coming soon)
Name: Tialdo
Race: Elf
Date of Publication: Tenth Season of the New Era
Age at time of publication: Approx. 200 summers
Occupation: Mentor to Arius; Advisor to the Governor of Sartanae
Family: all deceased, incld. dragon Dalsho
Tialdo was born in the icy grip of the Frozen Lands to a father named Sorryol and a mother named Leyva. He had two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister, both born within five summers of Tialdo. His brother would go on to become a Ryù, but perished in the internal fighting among the Order; his sister and parents left Exoter shortly after Tialdo joined the Order, intent on returning to Alderdor, the elves’ ancient and ancestral home across the seas. Their whereabouts are unknown—it is believed that they were either successful in their voyage or perished in the attempt.
As a child, Tialdo enjoyed exploring the snow covered plains of his home, often staying out for days with his friends among the icy hills in search of adventure. There was rumored to be a golden dragon egg hidden somewhere just outside the boundaries of Exoter, and it was Tialdo’s dream to find that prize and return to the city a hero of discovery and expedition. However much he searched, however, he never was able to find the fabled and elusive treasure.
His passion for dragon eggs did not end with his failure, though. He turned his attention to the Order of Ryù that was in its peak of prowess and prestige during Tialdo’s early years. He applied for admission into its ranks, but was first denied due to his age [approximately fifteen summers]. Refusing to be discouraged, he trained on his own in sword fighting and spell casting (though the latter was frowned upon by the Ryù and city authorities, as independent spell casters were likely to hurt themselves or others due to their lack of instruction).
Tialdo’s efforts were to prove rewarding, and, upon his second application to join the Ryù, he was accepted and presented with a dragon egg. The egg hatched, and Tialdo named his dragon Dalsho, after the dragon of legend that defeated a malevolent sea serpent. Together, they began their training; they quickly excelled both in academics and in physical agility. Such strengths would soon become essential, as the decline of the Ryù was but ten short years away from Tialdo’s reception into the Order.
As an Order Member, Tialdo often patrolled the skies of Exoter atop Dalsho, and, when the Elven-Human Trade Accords were forged, extended his patrol duties into the human lands of Farahdin. He also helped established several elven outposts in Farahdin, including Landshold and Sartanae. “I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to serve others,” Tialdo explains. “The best moment in all of my years as a Ryù is most certainly the day when I rescued a young elf from the Precipitous Crags, a jagged mountain pass along the Rondail Range that claimed many a life, both elf and human. The young lad had been tracking a caribou, hunting to feed his family, and lost track of his path. Thus stranded upon the crags for several days, he was awaiting a rescuer to lift him from death. To be the one to provide such a rescue is truly a rewarding experience.”
Soon after that incident, the leader of the Ryù, Navarro, and his dragon, Faleor, disappeared. Tialdo witnessed the devolution of the Order with a saddened heart, watching his brethren and comrades fight bitterly against one another over power and prestige. The dragons declined as Tialdo looked on, helpless to stay their near extinction. Contemno rose to power, and Tialdo, seemingly the only one to notice the despot’s evil, broke from his fallen Ryù and journeyed back to the Frozen Lands. Motivated by rumors of dragons still living beyond the now-abandoned city of Exoter, Tialdo left intent on finding them, renewing his search for the golden dragon’s egg that promised peace and prosperity to the one who found it and to all the land. He traveled for miles into the depths of ice and snow, but his quest was fruitless and his efforts in vain.
Thus failing a second time, Tialdo returned to the Rondail Mountain range, where he could glean information about Farahdin and its affairs. It was here that Lodus found him and recruited him into the Guild. At this time, Tialdo was the only living Ryù in Farahdin, and most of the dragons had died out. Tialdo was given a high ranking position and helped craft the defenses and safeguards in the city of Sartanae, perfecting the Illusion Gateway and forging the Guild Rings that became a crucial element to the communication, interaction, and identification among Guild members.
Tialdo still did not give up his search for dragon eggs, though, and continued his weekly patrols in the Frozen Lands. It was during one such search that Contemno sent his Morgat to ambush Tialdo, capturing the elf and bringing him and his dragon back to Helsguard. Here, Tialdo was tortured and Dalsho was forced to bend to the king’s will until his death.
Mad with rage, Tialdo planned his escape the moment of Dalsho’s passing, fueled by the loss of his friend and partner. He killed his jailors when they brought him food and, stumbling upon a room filled with dragon eggs, was prepared to carry as many eggs with him as he could. He was stopped, though, by a beautiful woman who instructed him to take only one egg—only one that wasn’t tainted by Contemno’s sorcery. Tialdo obeyed and, with the woman’s help, escaped Helsguard and returned to the Guild where his efforts to overthrow the evil king continued, culminating in his instruction of Arius, the Ryù who he hopes will continue the line of riders and restore the Order to the glory and grandeur of which it once boasted.