What’s in a name? Familial bond? A divine hope for the future? A promise? All may very well be the case, so it’s a shame Charlemagne hates his.

Call him Char. A child of two artists. His father, Finn, a Bard who has performed for royalty and poppers alike. His mother, Amaryllis, a high caliber musician in her own right but a painter by trade. Their love for each other, and their talent, could move mountains and stop armies. It is a shame that Char inherited neither the skill nor desire to walk the path of his parents. Finn and Amaryllis loved their child. They were happy, but there was always an air of dissonance, a brick wall between Char and his future. Luckily, there was a reprieve from Char’s unknown fate- a girl of Saltspire, his best friend, Zemira Kaltain.

Time passed. Priorities shifted. Eventually, Char’s lack of desire to climb the social ladder caused his path to divert from Zemira’s. Though friends they still were, Char was alone again. At school, he was an outcast. He didn’t care to mold to the majority beliefs. And what do people do when they don’t understand the actions of someone? I’m sure you can guess. His fellow classmates and their parents refused to believe that he was the child of Amaryllis and Finn. Thus, he was a pariah even outside of the classroom.

Char took a job with a local glassworker and blacksmith by the name of Gideon. It lasted for 4 years while finishing up school. Char worked day in and day out, even skipping school some days because he felt at home there. He enjoyed it, but still, there was something nagging the back of his brain. Was this all there was? Should he lock away his desire for more? Allow complacency because it is easy? And then… a new opportunity. An invitation to train at a monastery: The Garden. The night before he was to leave, Char was ready to decline the offer and instead stay and work with Gideon.

Gideon was more an adult than anyone Char had known so far. Gideon called Char out on settling for a life of mediocrity, and said he had to pursue life, to judge it by the future and to not settle. So, one conversation with Amaryllis and Finn later, Char set off for The Garden- smashing through the brick wall between him and his future, taking his first steps toward his destiny.