Session Zero - Taylor

• Are there any topics that you would like for us to avoid during the campaign? Is there anything that you are okay with but would prefer not to roleplay yourself? 
• Are there any topics or storylines that you really want to happen during the campaign? Anything from Tyr's backstory that you would be disappointed if it didn't get resolved? 
• Do you have any questions about the world or the campaign before we start?

You are 8 years old, in the backyard of your childhood home in Agorá. The sun is shining overhead, as it often does this far south, and you can hear the calls of the seagulls from the coast mingling with the buzzing sounds of summer insects hiding away in the grass. Your father, Tyranny Sr., is dressed down today - wearing a simple short-sleeved shirt and pants - although you can still see the dirt smudged on his arms from the smithery. For the first time in a long time, he's home before the sun has started to set. And he's teaching you how to use a sword. 

"Tyr, eyes on me." You're holding the wooden training sword he made for you. You felt so proud when he gave that to you just an hour before, with a warning not to play around with it before he got cleaned up and joined you. "So the stance is the most important thing to master," he says, demonstrating the way that you should put your feet and hold your arms. 

After a bit of back and forth, Tyranny Sr. will take Tyr's hands in his own and say, "I know you won't get it all today. Don't worry, I didn't either. But I believe in you and I know with practice you'll be a great swordsman, Tyr. And one day, when you get into the Simera Guild, you're going to do such great things for the world. I'm so proud of you." 

Before Tyr can say much in response to that, his mom will poke her head out the back door and tell them that supper is ready. 

We pick up again at age 18. You've just graduated from preliminary school and you're living with your grandpa Kathos in Kamari during the summer before starting your very first year at F.L.A.M.E. Academy. It's a quiet night, although not as quiet as you're used to from living in Agora. Kamari is a busier city and your grandpa lives in the heart of it. It isn't ever really quiet here. 

But it's quieter than usual, because Kyr isn't home tonight. He went out hours ago to meet some friends at a new tavern that had opened, and you had decided to stay in - still feeling tired from the last party. Grandpa Kathos is sitting in an armchair by the fire, reading a book with his glasses perched on the edge of his nose, but when you come in the room he stops and dog-ears the page. 

"Ah, there you are. Come, come. I have something I wanted to show you." 

Grandpa Kathos will ask Tyr how his summer has been and if he has heard from his parents at all. He'll mention visiting later in the month. But while he's talking, he's rummaging in the closet by the doorway. He pulls out something long, wrapped up in cloth and hands it to Tyr. If he unwraps it, he sees a familiar sword staring at him. Heart's Fire - the sword that grandpa Kathos told them all the stories about. 

"I've told you the story of that sword, haven't I?" He has, but he doesn't always remember. "Heart's Fire. A good sword. Got me through many a battle during my time with the guild, that it did." As he talks, he moves back over to his chair and lowers himself back down. "She's a beauty, isn't she?" 

"You're going to be starting school soon. Combat track. You'll need a good weapon." 

If Tyr protests: "None of that now! I'm an old man. That beautiful sword deserves more than to be collecting dust in my closet. And besides, I know that you'll do great things with her. No matter what you decide to do with your future, I'm sure that sword will make a fine companion for your many adventures." 

Tyr, when you look down at the sword in its gleaming golden glory, you can't help but let your eyes drift to the hilt where the inky black gem embedded inside suffers from a long, deep crack through its surface. You know the story as your grandfather tells it. The sword was cracked when he found it, likely damaged in the fight with the dragon. But your eyes linger there for a moment, entranced. And when you stare so intently at the gem, there's a moment - a trick of the light - where you would almost swear you saw something deep within it move. 

The scene fades and we pick up again a couple years later, at age 20. You are in the winter semester of your second year at FLAME, and you've recently been very torn over your future. Everyone knows that you're going to graduate from the combat track and apply for the Simera Guild. You've been training for that since you were 8 years old. But lately you've felt a pull from a different direction. With your head confused and your heart torn, you turn to the two people who you know can help you make this decision.

The three of you are sitting under a tree on the field by the Rose Stage; the large outdoor amphitheatre where the school drama club hosts its performances. Winrey Crewe just finished up at rehearsal a few minutes ago and has joined you and Lail Ravenwood where you're lounging on a blanket that you stole from your dorm. 

She plops down beside you, a bit of paint still smudged across her forehead from working on the set design, and pokes you in the nose. "You've got a thinking face. What's on your mind, love?" 

• Let them have a discussion about Tyr's future and guide him towards joining the healing track.

We jump forward again to the following year. You are 21 and nearing the end of your third year at school. Excitement is high! The year-end intramural mage tower tournament is just around the corner and you're already hyped up for varsity try-outs in the summer. You plan to stay on dorm this summer with Kyr, so you can make the most out of practices. 

You're at a practice now, just finishing up a scrimmage match with your own team. The game is a close one, but you pull through in the last minute with a play that sweeps the other team out from under their feet. Their mascot is in your tower before they realize what happened, and your team cheers for you. Lail winks from across the field, a grin on his face, even though he was on the losing team. 

You get some slaps on the back from your teammates as you head back to the benches, but someone else catches your eye that distracts you from their accolades. One of your professors, Mira Sylinore, is standing by the benches. You know of her. She's a professor for the combat team and specializes in spellcasting. Her short bobbed hair is a bright silver, but she herself is quite young -- probably in her late thirties, if you had to guess. Most importantly, though, you know that she is the coach of the varsity mage tower team. 

She looks at your appraisingly as you approach and gestures for you to walk with her. 

"Tyranny Jr, isn't it?" She asks. 

• Mira will tell him that she has been watching their practices and is impressed by his abilities on the field. She's been scouting for next year's varsity team and she thinks Tyr has a good shot at making it. 
• She thinks he might even make captain, if he keeps up the way he has been. 
• However, she has seen his grades. She warns him that the school won't let him play on the varsity team if he fails any of his classes. She tells him that he needs to get his act together next year.
• She suggests the QUEST program as a way to help with his grades -- something hands on might be more his style. She thinks he would make a great candidate. 

• Getting acceptance letter to QUEST