The Light That Burns

The Light That Burns

A long backstory for Bram Ironfoot

The Temple of the Dawn

Bram was born in the shadow of the Great Rift, in a dwarven stronghold that had stood for millennia. His family had served Lathander for generations, and he was raised to be a priest of the Morninglord.

He was a good priest — diligent, faithful, and strong. He prayed at dawn, he tended the sick, and he smote the undead with holy fire. He believed in the light, and he believed that the light would always triumph.

The Question

But Bram was also a thinker. He questioned the doctrines of the church, the politics of the temple, the policies that kept the church from intervening in the world's affairs. He saw the yuan-ti spreading across the Shaar, and he asked his superiors why the church did nothing.

They told him that it was not their place. They told him that the light would find its own way. They told him to pray.

He refused.

The Exile

He was excommunicated. His name was struck from the rolls of the faithful. He was cast out of the temple, stripped of his rank and his robes.

He did not beg. He did not weep. He simply walked away.

Now

Bram walks the Shaar with a holy symbol in his hand and a fire in his heart. He has heard rumors of the yuan-ti's activities — rumors of ancient stones, forbidden rituals, and a voice that speaks from beneath the water.

He has come to the Shaar to prove that the light can reach even the darkest places. He will burn the corruption from the land, no matter the cost.

"The light is not a gift. It is a weapon. And I will wield it."