T&A: Hope; Featuring Dezem

There's many tales of loss, of pain, of love, and of gain.
 

But if you listen to me today, you'll learn what each of those will eventually lead to. Hope. Even in the darkest of times, hope is what will come to show you the way.
 

It may be nothing but the lightest of sparks, but it's there. And if you give in to it, you'll find what you're looking for.

Let me tell you of a man I once- A man that was known once. By an advancing priestess, Velynn.

Now, I could tell you of many in this same place, going through near the same events, all in their own way. But tonight we'll learn of Dezem, druid of the claw. Seen both through his eyes, and that of Velynn's.

Velynn came upon Dezem more than a year ago. It was all perchance. And as Elune willed it, they met several times in the same situations. It was as it should be. Chaotic to most, but well known to these two.

You see, Velynn soon learned what Dezem believed to be. He was a calculated beast. As the spirit of a saber would take over him, he'd be one of the most vicious of foes. At the same time, one of the most loving of companions.

Never did Dezem harm those he traveled with... not until later that is...

Dezem was a killer to those that threatened his party. And Velynn stood back, watching the horror and carnage, providing Elune's blessings, Elune's light, and most of all, Elune's love. Elune smiles upon all her children.

Mm. Velynn learned after a time, that Dezem believed his path to be set in stone. He had never felt welcomed, he had never felt needed, and he had never felt accepted for what he did. He was a killer. It was all he knew. And he accepted this.

But you see, what one believes isn't always what is. It was true Dezem was bred to become great. That he was taught the way of the claw in order to use them in battle. "It is all I know." He had once said to Velynn when she had mentioned what she saw.

But she saw more. Velynn knew the difference between wandering a path aimlessly and fully accepting what one wishes. And it was by Dezem's side that Velynn spent her time. And Dezem welcomed the company.

When one deals with death on a daily basis, they oft find no one by their side. Not many will choose to expose themselves to it unneeded.

They were near inseparable. Velynn and Dezem. And in Velynn, Dezem was finding something more than just a priest to keep him on his feet. As time went on she wasn't just healing his mortal wounds, she was patching together the pieces that were torn in his heart.

Dezem was finding what it truly meant to be welcomed. Velynn gave to him, as she gave to all, but Dezem hadn't had someone care in a very long time. And a change began to occur.

Dezem was no longer fighting for the sake of fighting. He was fighting to protect the kindness he'd been offered.

He was no longer charging in without a care for his well being. He was entering battle in order to preserve himself, but most of all Velynn, because if he fell she'd fall as well. His thoughts were on her safety. And she on his.

It was through the compassion and acceptance she offered that he saw more of himself. And in his darkness, there was the light. The glimmer of the future. He could be more than he knew, not just a killer.

Dezem found hope. It was in every smile, every word, every prayer. It was all around him, and at the same time, it was founded in one being.

The tale could go on. I could tell you what came of the druid that hoped. I could speak of Velynn and the light that she spread. I could make the happy ending come to be, but that's not what I set out to do.

Everyone learns their lessons in life. There are times when all feel as if they just are, and there's nothing to look forward to. This is the darkness pulling at us. This is what is known as the brink before despair takes hold and perverts a being into the shadows.

But even to those so far gone, it still exists as an entity. Hope lives. It always shall. And this is what I give to you.