Alyssa Taroh was a hero that stories were written about. Bards would even sing her name - including her own group of them. She'd gotten her start as a travelling Bard when the region her troupe was traveling through was threatened by a group of evil Tyrants. Over the course of a year, Alyssa gathered together a group of adventurers that didn't cower in the face of giants... And somehow, despite the odds, ended up driving those Tyrants away from the region with some minimal damage. This isn't her story, however. Alyssa found love on the adventuring trail, meeting a traveling merchant by the name of Darren. He was a blacksmith and cobbler and would be the one to provide her with the tools she needed to drive the Tyrants from the region itself... And through that dependency on each other, love blossomed and Alyssa became with child.
Jace Taroh was born out of such a union, and the Region celebrated his birth. He was the child of two new heroes that would go down in legend and everything was set up for success.. Time, however, marches on. New threats arrive and peace doesn't last. Jace's parents spent much of their time continuing to save the region itself, fighting against monsters, bandits, Tyrants... Anything that could be a threat. And because of this, Jace himself was often left in the care of his teacher. While many children would rebel out of the absence of their parents, Jace was different. He knew that what his parents were doing was incredibly important to the world... And he truly looked up to them. He began keeping a journal, writing down not only his own thoughts but the stories told to him about his parents, and others around him. He knew the importance of remembering them, of having your story written and your name remembered.
Not only them, but as he grew he found himself lost in the stories of other legendary heroes of the past. Saviors of different regions, founders of others, and he knew he wanted to be written into history in such a way as well - not as the child of Darren and Alyssa, but his OWN story, his OWN name. He followed in his mother's footsteps, learning the way of the Bard... But with a heroic twist to all of it. He wanted to try and become as much 'hero' as he could... Swinging a sword, casting magic, sneaking around, healing others, anything that he could do, he WOULD do.. Or at least he'd try. His luck wasn't always on his side, often getting hurt doing dumb stunts in order to show off for the locals and try to stop being 'the child' of the legendary heroes.. But it never seemed to be enough...
Until one night, Jace had snuck out of his room in order to practice his swordsmanship. He enjoyed the feeling of the night air, and had a specific spot in the woods near a set of ruins that his teacher hand said once housed the body of a local hero. He liked to sit and stare at it and wonder if he might have his own ruins some day as well, as morbid as it might sound... When he heard a voice.
'Wouldst thou like to prove thyself?' It called to him... A low glow emitting from the ruins itself. His eyes widened as he stood quickly to his feet and approached. 'Come. I shall show thee the way, o hero.' The woman's voice rung directly in his ears as he approached, his feet moving on their own as he stumbled closer and closer... And he saw a sword lying on a pedestal. A glowing blade that seemed to burn with a strange fire... and yet it didn't give off heat. His hand reached for the handle and then... It disintegrated. Nothing was left and the light faded.. but something had changed. His head began to pound.. The world around him began to grow blurry... And soon, he would pass out.. Now lying across the pedestal himself.
A dream would come to him. A beautiful woman would appear, and he was filled with a warmth. "Go to The Hammerlands." She stated, her smile one that could launch many ships. "Find your place there. I will be watching you with expectation. May your Blade be every sharp, little Hero." She stated and blew a small kiss... Which would lead to him sitting up on the pedestal, confused... But filled with purpose.
He had no reason to tell his parents - he knew they'd just want to go in his stead to make sure things were safe for him and so... He simply left. He left a note telling them he was off to search for his own destiny, and that he would make them proud... And would write once he found his place in the world, and established his own destiny.
And so he headed to The Hammerlands. He didn't know too much of it, but he did know one thing:
His Destiny was calling. And something new inside of him burned.. And he WOULD be a hero.