This is to provide some backstory for Xiao Lin. It was submitted to the old forums but got wiped out with the conversion, and there wasn't a saved copy. I'm sure there are some slight differences between this and the old one, but I think the main points are the same. This will serve as background material for possible CDQ's in the future.
Thaddeus Boorhaven is a name lost to its owner. There was a time when he answered to that name, but it was long ago, when he traveled the lands with his parents, Marcus and Eeliyah Boorhaven. Marcus, a human barbarian, and Eeliyah, an elvan ranger, were constantly on the move with their young son, Thaddeus. It seemed to the young boy they were always looking over their shoulder. They had trained him that if they were ever separated, he should return to the last place they had rested together, and wait there for them to return.
A short time after his seventh birthday, the small family was trekking through a hot desert when a sandstorm swept over them. Thaddeus thought he could make out the shape of a huge worm up ahead, and his mother turned and commanded him to retreat as he was taught, and wait for her and his father to come for him. Then she and her father charged at the shadow of the beast and were lost in a flurry of sand. Thaddeus did as he was told and turned back toward the oasis they had camped at the night before.
The sandstorm made it difficult to find his way, however, and Thaddeus was soon lost. He took cover in a small enclave and decided to wait it out there. After what seemed like days, the sandstorm subsided. Sadly, the landscape had changed so drastically, Thaddeus had no idea where he was in relation to anything he had seen with his parents. Armed with a single canteen and a few rations, he marched out into the desert, hoping beyond hope to find his family.
The desert almost got the better of him. He had run out of rations hours ago, and had just sucked the last drop from his canteen. The sun seemed to be growing larger and larger in the sky, and Thaddeus was starting to feel like an ant under a child’s lens. He laughed sadly to himself, and swore he would never do that to another ant. He came to a steep hill, and decided silently to himself that it would likely mark his grave, as he doubted he had the strength to make it over.
As he was sitting at the base of the hill, he heard an inner voice he did not recognize. He knew it was not his own, for it was serene and comfortable, with no fear of imminent death. It did not speak in words he understood; rather, it beckoned to him with warmth and love. At first, he thought this might be the spirit of his mother, helping him out of the desert, but he didn’t feel that was it. He rose and started to climb the hill. It was most difficult, but, the more he wanted to give up, the more the voice urged him on, encouraging him. The closer he got to the top, the more words he began to recognize. At first, they were simple; “yes”, “strong”, “closer”, “survive”, then they began to form more complete thoughts; “you will make it to the top”, “your legs are strong, son”, “salvation awaits at the summit”. Thaddeus found himself growing stronger with renewed hope. Miraculously, he found his pace quickening. He knew more fervently with each step that he was getting closer to his savior. When he finally made it to the to the top of the hill, he was shocked at what he was seeing.
Down below was a small-statured man, with simple robes and a crude looking walking stick. He was sitting cross-legged and looking right up at Thaddeus, smiling. His eyes seemed to shine with an inner light. He had no signs of any provisions, and he simply said, “Welcome, young son. I have been expecting you.” With that, Thaddeus collapsed from exhaustion, knowing he had deluded himself into thinking he would ever make it out of this desert alive.
When he woke, he was in a simple room with a single window overlooking a simple, yet exquisitely beautiful garden. He was lying on a plain mat, in clothes he did not recognize, except the colors were the same as those he had seen on the old man; a deep and rich shade of red. He felt no hunger or thirst, and, even more surprisingly, he actually seemed quite comfortable. In the far corner of the room, the man from the desert was sitting just as he had been before, smiling at him. On either side of him were two men in similar attire, and they stood calmly at attention.
“Yes, yes. Finally awake, I see. Sleep is the golden chain that ties our health and bodies together. Yes, it does. You will need your rest, for your training begins this very day, my son! Much time to make up for. We are getting a very late start, and so I much teach you myself!” The two men at his side seemed a bit surprised at this last remark, as a slight raise of their eyebrows hinted at. “Remember this, my young pupil; learning without thought is labor lost, and thought without learning is perilous.”
As the man rose easily to his feet, he exclaimed, “Oh, heaven’s me! We have not made proper introductions. I am Luon Lin. The men with me are Shen and Tuan. You, my son, are henceforth to be referred to as Xiao Lin, and are now in the house of the brotherhood of the red tiger, where you will spend many years walking the path you have begun this day.”
So began the life and training of Xiao Lin. Over the next 11 years, he learned to gain control of his body and mind, and to defend himself effectively using only his hands and feet. As hard as he trained, he knew he was nothing when he compared himself to his master, Luon. He lamented to Luon about this one day, to which Luon replied, “Learn as though you would never be able to master it; Hold it as though you would be in fear of losing it"
Not long after his 18th birthday, Xiao was tending to the garden when he noticed Luon speaking with a hooded stranger at the front gate. He could not hear what they were saying, as they were making an effort to keep their tones hushed. He thought that once or twice they looked in his direction, and tried to appear as if he was focused on the gardening, oblivious to the conversation. It was very rare that the monastery received visitors of any kind, so Xiao wondered as to the strangers purpose, especially when he saw the same one appear two days later, as he looked out from his window. The stranger was looking up at him, and quickly disappeared around a corner when Xiao spotted him. Later that day, he approached Luon and asked him who the stranger was. Luon turned to him and said, "Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage." Before Xiao could ask him what that meant, Luon put his hand on Xiao’s shoulder and said, “Fear not, my son. Sleep will bring all the answers you need, as always.”
That night Xiao awoke to the sounds of struggle and chaos. It seemed very sudden and close, and he wondered how anyone had managed to sneak past the brothers on watch, without them alerting those resting within its walls. As he rose in the darkness to help defend his home, he was struck sharply in the back of the head, and fell unconscious.
When he came to, he found himself lying on a strange road. He was alone, and confused. What had happened? Where were his brothers? How had he ended up here, seemingly unharmed? Who had invaded their peaceful home, and why? And how had they managed to infiltrate it so quickly and quietly? These were all questions Xiao asked himself as he walked down this strange path. Would he ever find answers to these questions? Only time would tell. For the time being, he had to find out if that large beast up ahead meant him good or ill will. He had read of such creatures in the monastery’s library. If he remembered correctly, he was walking up to a dragon. Perhaps he would get some answers this way…
