Greetings again everyone. Welcome to the third installment of the Loved by the Sun Character Biography series. Our next character is none other than the Chief of the Everdark Rangers, Falconnais Duskwalker.
Falconnais Duskwalker was born in Everdark City on the fifth day of Alloton, in the year 2720.
Falconnais comes from a long lineage of Everdark Rangers, and during his childhood, he was taught basic ranger skills. He excelled in tracking, foraging, and precision archery, while also learning the art of dual-wielding. Once he reached the age of sixteen, he began his official training with a forest elf who had been long time friends with Falconnais' father Fruven, master ranger Norice Silentread.
Typically, it takes an apprentice ranger eight years to complete official training, and some take longer to graduate from apprentice to official ranger, dependent upon their performance and their master's approval. Falconnais finished his training within six years, having proven to Master Silentread that he was more than capable of handling himself in the wilds of Everdark, as well as showing many leadership skills among his fellow apprentices.
For the next fifty years, Falconnais served as a patrolling ranger, ensuring the safety and well-being of not only the citizens of the kingdom of Everdark, but the health and welfare of both flora and fauna of the forest itself. He became well-loved by his fellow rangers, and those in leadership positions knew he could always be counted on to accomplish whatever task in which he was employed. In the year 2792, Falconnais was granted the rank of master ranger, thus stationing him in Everdark City with limited excursions into the forest.
Falconnais served as a master ranger for eight years, assisting in the instruction of apprentices, delegating common forestry duties to rangers, and handling political matters brought to the Everdark Rangers' attention. However, the call of the wilderness continued to echo in his ears, and he longed for the much simpler days of following orders and having a more hands-on role with the forest.
At the turn of the century, society around Everdark had fallen into a state of corruption. Kingdoms once allied with Everdark saw a spike in cruelty, as those in power began involving themselves in pursuits fueled by greed and lust for power. Lawlessness began to spread throughout the land, and none were safe from false charges of treason or a list of other heinous offenses, most often so that the governing body could seize their assets without question.
The Everdark Rangers knew it would be only a matter of time before war would ravage the continent, opening the door for outside invasion from other continents that held a constant watchful eye on Neotericus in anticipation for the perfect moment to strike. With this in mind, they formed an elite force known as Shadow Hunters, who would operate outside the borders of Everdark to root out corruption wherever it could be found. Falconnais was chosen to lead this unofficial branch of the Everdark Rangers, thus giving him the return to action which he had quietly desired within the first year of being stationed in the Ranger Quarter of Everdark City. Shadow Hunters were outfitted with magical gear that enhanced their keen senses, their reaction speeds, and an assortment of magical abilities needed to assist them in accomplishing whatever mission they were undertaking.
For the next one hundred and seventy-five years, Falconnais worked in the shadows with his fellow Shadow Hunters, toppling kingdoms and governments with a single arrow or thrust of a blade, and then vanishing like dreams from the wakeful. As order began to be re-established, the Shadow Hunters turned their attentions to most wanted criminals, hunting them down and eliminating them, or bringing them in alive to face judgment, whichever was called for. Throughout this time, Falconnais had become tormented by the need for the spilling of blood, often taking extreme measures when lesser force would have been sufficient. Due to the nature of the Shadow Hunters' existence, there were no laws which could hold him accountable. With him being the leader of the Shadow Hunters, he answered to no authority whatsoever. This unchecked ability to do as he wished slowly began to drive him mad.
In the year 2975, during a contract to remove a lord in the kingdom of Labyrinthis who was known for his cruelty and barbaric treatment of his subjects, Falconnais encountered the only forest elf capable of calming the Shadow Hunter's blood lust. Falconnais completed his contract, but instead of slaughtering everyone in the lord's household as instructed, he saved only this forest elf and extracted her from the kingdom. He returned to Everdark City to hide her among the forest elf population, and within months, he married the former slave Analise, forever protecting her from any backlash from Labyrinthis.
Analise was able to counsel the tortured Falconnais, opening his eyes to the source of his rage: his Shadow Hunter armor. The magic imbued had grown a thirst for violence, and through its connection to Falconnais, spurred him to ruthless actions. With this revelation, Falconnais made the motion to the Everdark Rangers to disband the Shadow Hunters and return all in service to the ranks of the rangers.
His motion was granted, with one stipulation: that Falconnais accept the position as Chief Ranger. This was the only way the Shadow Hunters agreed to retire their positions and return to serve Everdark's Rangers. Falconnais agreed, knowing that Neotericus no longer had the need for such a feared, unrelenting order.
Over the next eighteen years, Chief Falconnais served Everdark in the political arena, however accompanied other rangers during patrols or when vital missions were undertaken, keeping his wanderlust at bay. In the year 2994, an anomaly of a recruit caught Chief Falconnais' eye: a forest elf born with platinum blond hair and emerald eyes. Falconnais saw extreme promise in this recruit, and forbade all the master rangers from taking him as apprentice, wanting to train this recruit himself.
In the year 3000, Chief Falconnais and his apprentice ranger Qounan Wolfswift escorted Arch-Paladin Sir Rolandd Sunfire to the kingdom of Ivory Glen, as was the duty of the Chief Ranger. Yet this would turn out to be more than a mere formal accompaniment...
Thus ends the third installment of the Loved by the Sun Character Biography series. I hope all of you enjoyed learning more about the chief ranger, and has furthered your interest in the events that will unfold in the premier novel of the Pelmythia series, Loved by the Sun, set to release on November 30, 2018. Thank you for taking a moment to read my post, and I hope you look forward to the next installment. Have a great day!
Screenshots taken from Skyrim: The Legendary Edition (modded, PC)
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