The Thief wasn’t much before he found my dagger. He was not a knight or mage, not a great lord or warrior prince, he wasn’t even a particularly skilled rogue. He had no lands, no titles, not even a hoard of stolen spoils. How he made his way into that deep tomb of mine hidden in the mountains of Helvia is beyond me. Yet there he stood, a thoroughly unimpressive squirrel, unaware of the great power he held in his paws until I appeared before him, however I will admit he showed no fear despite not knowing what that dagger was. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen him afraid of anything...

I was angry at first. I expected an eldritch knight or adept necromancer at least. My last patron had been the Ivory King of Azerick, who united a nation and rebuilt it from the ruins of its ancestors. I was the dragon who flew Lon Buchart himself into the heart of Bascendanta, and watched him run his spear through the False Prophet Aaron’s still beating heart during the War of the Wildfires. I thought myself far above some lowly thief from Fyrhall, for I was Vayne, God of Resurrection, Prince of the Darkdrakes and son of Death itself, the skeletal Tehll.

But eventually, though not intentionally I imagine, my time with this rogue named Katauni made me realize the dangers of my own growing bravado, a disease of self-appreciation that festers in the chest of all gods, the kind of poison that led to tragedy and devastation, the very thing I swore to never be. My brother, Zairoth the Reaper, had fallen to such a plague of assumed righteousness, and in the end I had to sever his head from his body, and now his soul resides in an empty half skull. My twin sister promised to do the same to me if I went astray, and now, at the end of things, I wonder how close I was to slipping over the edge.

Over time, I came to admire the simplicity of Katauni’s ways. He was a hopeless dark mage, so I resided to only teach him simple shadow magic’s that would assist in his true field of expertise, escape. Not thievery, agility, or knife-play have you. No, the squirrel has an uncanny, unexplainable way of getting out of any scenario using any means necessary. Talking, haggling, offering his body, offering his skills, and if none of that works, he will simply run away and vanish in a second. I’ve seem him escape a well guarded Lonian bastille in minutes using nothing but his paws and the most basic of shadow magic.

However, even more impressive than his ability to vanish is his ability to make very powerful allies. Before I’d even met him he’d already become dear friends with Jayceon, a fellow god masquerading in the mortal world as the son of the High Chieftain of Karkanos. In my time with him he has also managed to befriend the kings of Adryvahl and Seros, was acquaintances with Lazarus Rhuin, better known as the Bloodhound, and the Inner Circle of the Druid Order of Bascendanta, AND even received a total invitation to the deeply isolationist empire of Illidia by Prince Airo Tsyra himself. And that’s not even half of them. Whether this has all been dumb luck or Katauni is just that unbearably charismatic, I’m not sure, though I’d bet more quickly on the latter.

In the end, I’m thankful he found my dagger. He’s managed to make a true friend out of me, despite my early efforts to avoid it. He is a fascinatingly simple individual who defies all logic and faces impossible challenges with a quip and a smile. Of course that’s when his severe laziness, intense libido, or impish nature aren’t getting in the way, which frankly is rather often. Still, I’m excited to see where the story goes from here, and what role Katauni will play in these ever so vital days to come.

Signed,
Vaynerai’Neroh, God of Ressurection, Prince of the Darkdrakes, Slayer of Zairoth and son of Tehll, God of Death and King of the Whitelands.

- To be sent to Kaliko for his memoir of the Dragon Patrons.

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A truly breathtaking pic done by my friend Plive, who you can find here: https://twitter.com/_Plive
I wanted a picture showcasing the relationship between Katauni and Vayne more, since it's very important to the story of both and i haven't really dwelled on it much here outside ramblings in various descriptions. So! Enjoy this gorgeous pic and the tale i wrote to go with it!

If you're interested in learning more about the fantasy universe of Iyr and how many of my characters connect to it, or even the history of the land itself, let me know! I like doing these lore snippits and if i see an audience for them i might do a lot more ^^

Thanks for your interest and enjoy!