Everyone knows of the fall of the Dragonborn ages ago. The once proud dragonborn Zacharai civilization is a cautionary tale throughout the realm. A tale of hubris and the downfall of those who fall prey to it.
Since then, remnants of that civilization have scattered throughout creation. Shadrash’s parents would tell him stories of his once proud heritage and told him to always live with honor and make his ancestors proud.
As his parents aged and became infirm, he found a home for them in a small farming village outside of Wellerby. They made a meager living, his father foraging and hunting, his mother weaving cloth. Times were good. The townsfolk were all mostly simple people, farmers and laborers.
There was, however, an old woman who called herself Lady Ishmay that always stood out to Shadrash. A human woman, clearly very old and always looking somewhat dirty and disheveled, she seemed mystical, otherworldly almost. He felt a distinct unease when she was around. Ravens seemed to follow here wherever she went. It wasn’t unusual to have one - several even - perched on or near her.
Shadrash had always been intrigued by magic and the art of manipulating The Weave. He was conflicted. He wanted to learn more but the only source of knowledge available to him was Lady Ishmay. She seemed to sense his interest, always making little bits of fire appear in her hands when he would walk by, sometimes animating the little dolls that she carved to sell. He also noticed that she seemed to talk to herself a lot.
Late one night, Shadrash came home to strange lights coming from the home of him and his parents. He opened the door to find his parents, Lady Ishmay and a portal to some otherworldly place. He lept at Lady Ishmay, who seemed to be magically swaying his parents to walk through the portal. It was of no use as Ishmay held Shadrash firm with her magics. As he came firmly into her grasp, she revealed her true self to him - The Raven Queen. She put forth her bargain, one that he could not refuse. Serve her and his parents would live, refuse and they die.
There was, of course, no real choice but to say yes. The Raven Queen smiled and said “Wise choice. To remind you of your pact. I will forge this weapon for you, one that will always remind you of why you fight.” With this she reached out to Shadrash’s mother and father, plucking out one eye from each of them as they screamed in pain. She then fashioned a black blade from a feather plucked from her back. In the crossguard, she placed his parents’ eyes, one on each side of the guard. They moved in unison with his parent’s remaining eye’s movements.
His fate was sealed. He was an agent of the Raven Queen.
