Grave

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Grave awoke in a shallow grave after the Second Deotakas, alone and with no memory of who he might be. Wandering, he came across Sir Dagger Arkenstone at the city of Berg, belong to Glacikaldr. Warmly welcomed by him, Grave joined and devoted himself to the good of the kingdom. As time pass, he discovered he instinctively knew how to do some things and from his skills he had been a follower of Cavilon in his living life. However, he never explored his connection to Cavilon, preferring to follow Wintival due to his status of being undead and living in a kingdom that mainly followed Wintival, even if worship of other gods is allowed if one gives equal tribute to Wintival.

Grave took responsibility of the Forge at Berg, ensuring the citizens could buy wares of metal and busied himself repairing damaged gear for others. He participated in wars and fights against Glacikaldr's enemies. He became involved with the Ordinites (an ancient faction of Zelphairians) after one of them came to Berg in search of information regardingthe Four Keys to Ankah'Sul, an ancient pyramid containing a Divine Artifact known the Feral Spark. Grave had gradually been feeling more and more of an outcast among the people of Berg, one undead in the sea of the living. He had been considering leaving Glacikaldr and had been spending much time wandering Templehelm, but helping the Ordinites gave him a chance to busy himself and put such thoughts out of mind.

Grave journeyed far and wide, the Ordinites passing information to aid his search. The Ordinites possessed one Key already. He visited their Hall of Winds, journeyed to the Bulgatar Monastery to prove himself to the Bulgatar in order to receive information of the location of the Kuinjai's home city, breaking into the Kuinjai City to gain a Key to Ankah'Sul. Grave learned from the Ordinites that an ancient Wintival faction had possess the third Key and he went to Dagger for help. Together, they searched the ruins of Frosthall and fought off some Monolites and retrieved the third Key from under Winterstar.

When Wintival fell to Zeolix, who rose and took her seat on the Pantheon, Grave protested to Dagger about how quickly everyone abandoned the goddess of the snow and ice, especially considering how important she is to Glacikaldr. He could not understand it. However, minutes after speaking with Dagger, Grave found himself arrested by Dagger, under the charge of not giving equal worship to Wintival. He was arrested and taken to Dal'Kaldera to stand trial. The trial dragged on, and Grave was not allowed to defend himself, despite the spurious claims. Dame Sylair was assigned as his defense and she focused on the Law not being applicable or updated with the times or that Grave's service and fighting for Glacikaldr should not be forgotten, rather than whether the charges were true or not. Eventually Zeolix spoke out and the trail came to an end, with Grave being decided as not guilty and the charges dropped.

Grave began drifting more and more away from Glacikaldr. He felt betrayed by Dagger, whom he had regarded as a good friend, having fought alongside him. He threw himself into helping the Ordinites. At least they hadn't betrayed him.

He traveled, spedning time away from Glacikaldr, He visited the Monolites and spoke with their Queen, searched the Sunagakure and Upper Deserts to meet the nomadic Srik'tlan to retrieve a Key of Ankah'Sul. Once he finally located the Srik'tlan at their camp in the Upper Desert, Grave tried to convince them to give him the Key, but they refused. Soon after, Deserma spoke to the Srik'tlan at their Temple, warning them of the Zeolite Sundrie and others coming to take the Key and that they had gotten the other Keys. The Srik'tlan, Grave, and Davigar (a warrior of Deserma) all tried to defend the camp but they were overwhelmed by Sundrie and his warriors. He called for aid from Commander Brown, a Zelphairian helping the Ordinites and Solomon, a loyal Cavick, switched sides and began to aid them. In the midst of the fight, an ancient tomb opened under the Temple. Both Sundrie and Grave managed to get a copy of the Key.

Grave and Brown rushed to Ankah'Sul, fearing the Zeolites might rush and take the Feral Spark. Finding they weren't there, Brown and Grave and his friends tried to get into the pyramid but failed to before another group arrived, with Jace Legendslayer leading. Ofthe group were Jace, Seraphina, Sundrie, and Solomon (having returned to their side) and a few others arrived and a reluctant cease-fire was created. Working together, they managed to open the Pyramid and entered its depths. There, they found a book on the Primordial Gem, another Divine Artifact, and the Feral Spark behind a magical shield. The pyramid having opened, the shield soon faded and the struggle to get the Feral Spark began.

Wild Spirits and Spiritling appeared, fighting those who came, but soon fell to the flurry of blows and magic. Far longer, was the attempt to gain the Spark, as it caused immense pain and hurled away those who were near it. Eventually, Solomon managed to get the Spark, while outside Ankah'Sul Carr lead his Zeolites against Ordinite forces. Taking advantage of the confusion, Solomon disappeared into the Deep Woods outside and the Spark was lost to Grave and Brown.

Having failed to retrieve the Feral Spark, at lost how to find it again, and gravely wounder from his attempts to get the Spark as it repelled others, Grave took to wandering the lands. He spending much time mapping the Deep Woods and other lands in his travels. Eventually, he came across a massive trail. Surprised he hadn't discovered it earlier, Grave began to travel it, seeking to find its end.

Time seemed to crawl and hurtle by as he traveled on the Endless Trail. Years passed, hours passed, mere moments passed. The Trail faded at times, disappeared at others, but as he continued onward it would always reappear under his feet. Grave was fascinated by the Trail. At times it seemed straight as a rod yet at other he felt he was going in circles. The trail would carve apart hill and dale along its path yet at other time there was absolutely no sign of it.

Finally, a little west of Berg, the trail well and truly was lost. The ground dipped into a small value, and despite the hill scarcely a 50 meters ahead, the trail did not reappear.

Grave felt like he had lost something dear to him. Looking around, he finally found some remains and searched them, finding the gear of someone from Glint. A masterwork Glint Sword, a blessed Glint Bow, a pair of shoes worn to rags, an old compass, and a journal of someone else who had traveled the Endless Trail to its end... having started just in the beginning of the Cult showing itself and reaching the trail's disappearance as months passed.

The spirit of the fallen man came to itself, having met a Fellow Traveler of the Endless Trail. Grave and the Spirit discovered the Spirit's name from the journal and they spoke.

"The Trail you follow has been destroyed. Man has destroyed the Trail." warned the Spirit

They spoke of many things regarding the trail. Grave confirmed the Trail indeed started in the Deep Woods, but the end was lost and thus endless. Destroyed, as the spirit warned, though he didn't know exactly who had done so or why. The Spirit asked of the Cult and Grave answered the best he could, how the last he heard was the Cult being driven back to their stronghold, behind a magic shield known as AEgis. The Spirit was surprised to have met a fellow traveler, as the trail would change those who traveled it. They'd be dead, alive, somewhere in between, they go insane, and loose track of time.

The Spirit was the Last Traveler, until Grave came along. He wished he could reach the end of the Trail, but the Spirit knew it was impossible. Grave gave his remains a proper burial and a gravestone and the Spirit passed on, leaving on his Heart. As Grave held it, the wanderlust the Spirit had held was so strong, he could feel it.

This was a chance. A chance to change himself, to be born anew!

Using the heart and supplementing it with magic from the treasures he had collected in his travels, Grave managed to return to Life. All of this was possible due to things he had experienced, both good and bad. He had been hurt and damaged, his bones directly bombarded with waves of magical energy from a Divine Artifact, spending weeks among the life energy emitted by the constant growth in the Deep Woods, traveled the Endless Trail, insert a Heart infused with magic from a Spirit, and strengthened by the magic from large amounts of artifacts he had gathered.

Grave grew flesh, he grew hair, he grew organs, and he grew muscles. Now, he could well and truly leave his old life behind him. Now he could start anew. it was as if he had been going around with cloth wrapped around his head and now he could truly see and breath. He could feel his Heart pusling and the wanderlust rising as he took a deep breath.

No longer was he Grave, of Glacikaldr. Now, he would take the name of the Spirit that gave him his Heart and his chance to truly Live.

Now, he was Dave Oreheart, the Explorer.