A shrill woman’s scream rang through the stormy night, punctuated by the boom of thunder; then the first cry of a newborn followed, announcing the arrival of a newest resident of Essembra. Esvele Dundragon cooed softly as her baby boy was laid in her arms, gently rubbing her thumb across a faint spot on his forehead only to find that in would not wipe off, it was a small but distinctive sign that would mark him for life, as she gave voice to his name for the first time; “Toran”. At a table in the corner of the Silver Taproom, just across Rauthauvyr’s Road, Respen Ealoeth raised his eyes from cards in his hand as his sensitive elven ears detected the newborn’s cry. Mere moments later a young boy arrived to confirm the news; Esvele had given birth to his bastard son, the product of a drunken night he could not even remember. A child he would dismiss as casually as he did the messenger, while he turned his attention back to the more important matter at hand... his card game. Born with a natural gift for the Art, a penchant for finding trouble, and the distinctive mark that, too many of the townsfolk, either promised greatness or cursed him to villainy, Toran always stood apart from his peers; never acknowledged by his father or his noble sun elven house before they withdrew from Faerun in the Retreat. Not that he would ever seek Respen’s recognition, approval or name. To many in Essembra house Ealoeth represented the worst of elven arrogance and disdain, while his mother’s family name marked him as an heir to a much greater legacy. Dundragon, according to many of the town’s elders, meant child of the dragon; marking him with the blood of Essembra herself, the legendary song dragon for whom the town was named! ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** This is the beginning of a new series of images and narratives based on a solo Dungeons and Dragons adventure set in the Forgotten Realms which will feature characters, locations and histories from published materials. I will make an effort to provide enough background with in the narratives for those unfamiliar with the setting to follow along. However, my version may differ from events and mechanics detailed in the official material. For those not familiar with my pervious series, the titles of each image in the series will begin with the alphanumeric sequence “EB1”, representing Essembra’s Blood “book” one, followed by the number of the installment in the series, and you may also notice that each image’s name will feature “The Art in The...”. I hope you enjoy the tale!