Tavrin Callas: Rebirth

[Voxra]

In the aftermath of a great battle, one of the warriors on the losing side stumbles aimlessly through a dense forest. His clothes snag and rip at the undergrowth, and soon he falls to his knees. He struggles on, pathetically, on all fours, until finally he slumps forward and moves no more.

As he wakes up, he finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings. The bed underneath him is hard, the blanket thrown over him, rough. He's wearing some kind of mask, all other garments have been stripped from his body. Suddenly panicked, he tries to move and finds his wounds stitched and cleaned by a skilled hand. He rips the mask from his face and stares at it, dumbfounded.

”It's a Death Mask, stone brother”

The voice belongs to a robed figure sitting on a pallet in the far corner of the room. Something about his robes and markings seem eerily familiar, but the thought slips from the Warriors mind.

”When we found you in the woods, you were on the brink of death. Some of the others wanted to leave you, not to interfere in what they perceived as the natural order of things. I saw something different, and had you taken here. Your wounds mended. But even I will not interfere with the will of our Lord. Had it been your time, you would now be facing Him, your name written in the Great Book and then.. the Long Rest”

Months pass. The Warrior, his own name forgotten along with all memories of his past, works alongside the monks. The monastery lies hidden in a valley, in the middle of nowhere. Life there is simple. He might even feel happy at times, but something is tugging at him, and he knows that this part of his life will not last forever. So he works hard, rebuilding his body and resharpening his mind.

As his time among the monks comes to an end, his saviour pays him one last visit.

”Your progress has been astounding, stone brother. You are in better shape than before we found you, I imagine, and you have shown a great understanding of our teachings about the Lord, His will and the work we do in His name. Tomorrow you will leave us, and never return. Your future is shrouded in uncertainty, but I am sure of this, at least. My last gift to you, before you leave, is a name. A new name, untainted by history. When you set your feet down outside our walls, you will think of yourself, as Tavrin Callas.”