A long-time contributor to Peldan Star News, my friend Ser Valarian Iskra was one of the many casualties in the fight against the Bonemancer Titan. Even as the seasons turned icy and soldiers started falling from the cold, he and his compatriots fought a brutal struggle to prevent the bonemancer from rising the cadavers of ancient titans and dragons, which would have let him carve an unstoppable path through the Commonwealth.

Even as these mythical beasts rose from the dead, Valarian kept fighting and, eventually, they managed to assassinate the mage in his thrown inside the dead titan’s mouth. His undead army was left to crumble where they stood, and each of these elves were heroes.

I first met Valarian in Cy 217. I had been traveling around the Pocket, reporting on interesting things, and had just published an article about a security scandal in Avenwood. The militia wasn’t doing their jobs patrolling the roads against faebeasts.

Then this young punk in Avenwood’s militia confronted me and told me everything that was wrong with my article, and how misinformed I was. He talked my ear off about everything, from recruitment to population collapse and everything in between to explain why don’t have the numbers to keep faebeasts in check.

I issues the correction just to shut him up. I liked him.

He later left Avenwood and started a warband to help fight off faebeasts around the Commonwealth and we ran into each other every so often. He often sent letters to my news offices, which were converted into articles. He was an expert in the mercenary lifestyle and gave all the best tips and tricks to my readers.

And now he’s gone.

He always said he’d be happy to die in battle against Peldor’s enemies but I still miss him.