Xavier Linwëlin Xavier was raised amidst a caring solitary family of wood elves in the far reaches of the Wildlands Forest on Dregar. Xaviers parents taught him the ways of nature and saw at a very early age that Xavier was destined to do great things out of his passion for the earth. He would spend days as a youngster caring for the forest and its animals. The animals loved him and would come from the foliage to follow in his path as they loved him for removing their parasites. He would do this for the plants too, for he felt that these parasites held something in nature that he could study. He would bring back jars of huge tape worms. He would collect large quantities of fleas and mosquitoes and keep them in neat little piles within his room. His friend Lonnarin jokingly used to tell him that such strange behaviors would certainly never get him a weeee elvin lass. One typical day, Xavier was home alone. The tree that they lived in was an ancient oak tree thought to have been meeting place for a circle of druids who protected the Wildlands Forest. And it was on that day just like any other that something was attracted to the energy?something far worse than any tape worm or leech. It entered without trace and lurked through the great tree scanning it as if looking for something that it had left behind. Xavier was in his room and sensed something wrong with the world all of the sudden?something terrible was screaming from the forest. That's when he heard the most terrible sound he had ever heard?a high pitched dark gurgling moaning. He rushed into the druid circle and saw this thing fiddling with the greenstone set in the center of the circle. Its ever glowing green light was fading into a blood red swirling mass of demon faces. This creature he looked at was a snarling mass of spikes and blood with fluid skin. Eyeballs with teeth swam around in the folds of its skin defecating on themselves and laughing. It looked at Xavier and tilted its head to the side with a demonic smile then plucked one of the eyeball creatures off of its arm and began to chew on it. Xavier watched as it continued to fiddle with the greenstone of the forest?he didn't like that and knew something had to be done. This creature was on a mission, sent by god knows what. He began hearing strange sounds?the forest outside all at once began letting out screams of pain?and trees began to creek and break. Xavier began to panic and grabbed a jar of tapeworms and offered it to the creature. It looked at him with vacant white pupils. It opened its mouth and let its slug like toungue siphon out the contents of the jar. It grinned in appreciation. It was then that Xavier saw the worms appear on the flesh of this creature. Xavier watched as the tape worms began to fight with the eyeballs with teeth creatures. He had never seen such a horrid entity in his life?It looked up at Xavier waved its finger left and right then said in a low voice. ?I am full now, you are very fortunate that I did not eat your soul?I will return for it and you will offer it to me?I am not done eating souls in this forest?I am the plague that will open the portal to the darkness. I am a Shepard to all that never was. Good day.? The creature ripped its own flesh open with its claws then sucked all of its appendages into the wound and vanished into thin air. Xavier walked outside to a forest once green and vibrant now grey and vacant. The animals there were soulless clumps of rotting meat. That creature had stolen the life of the forest and had promised to return. There was still some life left as Xavier saw, this made him somewhat happy. He waited for his parents to return from their nature walk, and they never did. He looked at the green stone and saw that a huge crack had appeared in the greenstone, flesh teaming with maggots had magically appeared there. The greenstone of the forest had been invaded, the very life essence of the forest itself was now at stake. His parents were dead and that meant that he now had to uphold the druidic will of the greenstone he had vowed to protect. It was his duty his father had told him. Xavier set out the next day in disguise as a badger?..he made his way to a town called Hurm. It was there that he asked where he may find someone of great wisdom and power. They told him to sail to Hlint on Mistone where he would surely come across folk of such nature. They asked what was wrong?.and he said ?I really don't know, but I must find out.?