I am Vadmar Barmaric (Those of the empire call me Ezra). I belong to the Kradramak and was born in the mountainous region TheMilar call Talifra. The Talifra (Talifra?)is a section of the Talfri'rajmi due west of city Lie'lm. These mountain have always been home to Kradramak. Successive empires have tried to tame us, control us and convert us to their Gods. However, we still honour and follow the Cadre and hear their whispers in winds. The mountains are sacred to us and are home to our ancestors who have joined the Kadram?. There, our forefathers and foremothers watch over us.

Currently we nominally lived in under the thumb of TheMilar and have done so for over three hundred years. In truth we have no use for them or for Chal and they have little real influence over us. Perhaps the Kradramak are too difficult to conquer, or perhaps we our territory are not worth the effort. Despite this the zeal of the Church of Chal or questing ShadowMages reach into our mountains.

Ten years ago one such Church lead incursion became the source of my great shame. At that time I was living in a village with my father, and two sisters. My father was a mercenary and moved into the village after several years of serving a Mi'lar noble. He was considered a man of great temper and I inherited that from him. However, I always knew him to be a considerate, temperate man. I have been told I must carry his anger with me. Story says that he returned to the village after taking revenge on another man, who had wronged his best friend.

After several years a man came and lived in our village, he was known as the Old One. Apparently he was considered old and wise even when my father was a boy. It is from the Old One I learned my letters. However, one day the church came and accused him of evil sorcery, of violating the dead and calling them to do his bidding.

None of the villagers believed the priest and his delegation and chased him off. It was not long after that the Church returned in force. There were members of the Fist, two of the Silimiri (the hunters of mages), a blessed priest and regular priests and soldiers of the Church. At first the village tried to stand up to them and prevent them from taking the Old One. However, they could not be stopped, my father and I gathered up the women and the children and tried to take out of the village to safety.

Then out from beyond the village came shambling corpses, animated skeletons and shades of the dead. The village became a swirl of fire, steel and bodies. I could not believe my eyes. The village burned, my neighbors and friends killed, even those who surrendered. Then I saw two of them catch the Old One near our hiding place. They were about to kill him, I screamed and burst from the hiding place, waving my sword like a drunken fool. The men turned as I killed the first one, the second sent me sprawling and then we both stared in amazement as out of the falling robes of the Old One flew a crow. I was the first to recover and scrambled back to where my father was.

The soldier called and invaders turned on us. My father called to me and I ran after them and caught up to them at the hanging ledge, our path to freedom. However, we were moving too slowly and the soldiers were gaining on us. My father told me to go with the women and children. He drew his great-sword and sold his life to allow us to escape. I was the reason that my sisters and I have no father, I was the reason that he had to sacrifice his life to save ours. My own stupidity cost him his life and only 12 of us escaped that day.

The leader of TheFist took his great-sword, a weapon that is two hundred years old. I spent my life seeking Yarizar of TheFist, to exact vengeance and reclaim my father's sword. I have also sought the Old One, who goes by many names, to exact from him the price of the lives of the people of the village.

Latalas SruHaro has undertaken to care for my sisters in Lie'lm (LielmMap), he has educated them and is finding good matches for them. In return I seek to serve him as I can for his kindness. I took my sisters out of the Mountains because I was ashamed to be seen there. It was many years before I set foot in the Talifra again. By then my sister's had established their lives in the city and were gaining new opportunities.