Viore Ephrah is a Varisian Half-Elf Rune

Wizard. He has come to the stolen lands as a

lore seeker and settler. He hopes to scape
his past, but also to forge a new future for
his people.
His mother was a Half Elf that hailed from
the wild frontier of Varisia. The untamed
lands of the region are composed of rural
communities, independent city-states,
cyclopean ruins, uncharted wilderness
and gipsy like communities, in one of
which Viore was born. The Varisian
gypsies are a primarily nomadic human
ethnic group known to favor the open
road over permanent settlements.
Sometimes called the people of the
road, their traveling caravans can be
encountered throughout Golarion,
but are most prevalent in their
ancient homeland of Varisia, of
course, but also in their adopted
homeland of Ustalav, and in the
human-dominated lands west of
Lake Encarthan. They can also be
found in larger numbers in the Lands of
the Linnorm Kings, shadowy Nidal, and the wild lands of Numeria.
The Varisian people typically possess deep, olive-colored skin, and long hair that
comes in an incredibly large range of colors from platinum to the darkest black. They
often have large, expressive eyes that come in a variety of unusual colors such as violet
or gold. Varisians tend to have lithe bodies with long limbs, and men often have trouble
growing beards. And Viore was an ordinary specimen for his race, except for the fact of
his, and his mother’s, pointy ears. And that was a subject of frequent inquiries from
strangers, and even from Viore himself at a young age.
Questions like these were always used as an excuse for his mother to tell
outlandish tales to strangers, as she very much liked, but sometimes she would also
grow somber and would tell him the real version of events. He never listened to a story
so attentively as he did on that first time that he heard about how his grandmother was
raped by a drow (a purple devil with pointy ears as she would say), after a raid on their
caravans one sordid night, and then, nine months later, gave birth to a pointy eared
gipsy girl. It was because of that, that his mother was the only Half Elf of the group, but
despite of that she was considered her whole life to be an important and cherished
member of the community having been raised alongside the other kids and even
receiving a role of great importance to the caravans later in life, that of the storyteller.
And so, Viore grew up listening to this one and a great many deal of other stories about
his mother’s family, people and land.
On top of that, he also had to hear
a lot about how varisians were
scoundrels and rogues during his
time alone on the roads, an unfair
reputation based on outsiders
interacting with the criminal
Sczarni gangs, would the elders of
the caravan constantly tell him. But
his mother would always put it
differently, in a way that he quite
liked: “That despite outward
appearances of frivolity, the
Varisian people were fiercely loyal
to family and friends, and keepers
of a rich culture steeped in history
and tradition.”
She would also add that one very vivid example of this rich heritage was how,
occasionally, Varisian children would be born with unusual, often elaborate and
colorful, birthmarks known as birth tattoos. These could represent physical objects
such as a map, a sword or a unicorn, but could also be unknown runic letters such as was
the case of the marks that covered Viore’s body. While these birthmarks would appear
small and undefined at birth, they would change and become clearer as the child ages
and would reach their full size and detail with adulthood. No definitive explanation for
these birthmarks has yet been offered even by Absalom academical circles, but his
mother story was enough to comfort the little gipsy for a time.
Perhaps because of that, or another entirely different reason, from a very early
age Viore showed magical aptitude and was trained in the mystical ways of his people.
Varisian mystics would often also serve as keepers of their people's history and lore and
the young pointy eared gipsy would suck these lessons up, as these were his favorites.
This knowledge would typically be gathered from numerous sources, compiled from
stories and pieces of text gathered during a clan's travels, as well as insights gleaned
from occasional art and writings that remain intact within ruins. Given that, it was
necessary that these keepers would be trained in the same ways that many adventurers
are: to survive the wilds, to fight evil creatures, and to avoid the dangers of old ruins.
And our hero received no different treatment.
Viore led an idyllic life with his people, but a thought always gnawed in the back
of his head: Who was his father? His mother was always very cryptic about that subject
matter and no one in the community would answers his questions about it. Until, one
day, it became impossible to hide the truth any longer. It was clear from the start how
his magical gifts were very different from the other wizards in the camp as his birth
tattoos would shine very brightly as he manifested his powers, a trait never before seen
by his people. And then, on one sleepless night, in which their caravan had settled near
a small village, he met an old sage who explained to him how his powers were different
from most:
“Magic is learned in many forms.” Said the elder.
“From the lengthy incantations of a wizard to the
pious chants of a cleric, the method by which magic
is cast can be just as important as its result.
However, typical spellcasting is employed in the
same manner regardless of its source: a sorcerer
whose power comes from his draconic ancestry
still uses the same words and motions that a
studied wizard will, and produces the same
effect. Nonetheless, this is not true for a caster
that draws his power from magical runes, such
as you, for its magic synthesizes and builds
upon itself in ways that current magic cannot
hope to accomplish.”

The next morning Viore approached his mother and demanded to know the
origins of his father. How could he be so different from his kin? Who was this mysterious
man that he never met, but yet had so much impact on his life? How could he have
dominion over such an ancient way of magic?
After some thought his mother sighted and started to tell a new tale:
“The Thassilon Empire was founded ten thousand years ago, in the lands of present day Varisia,
by First King Xin who had been exiled from his homeland of Azlant for promoting heretical beliefs.
As the prosperous empire grew beyond the bounds of Xin's ability to control, both militarily and
administratively, he appointed powerful wizards as governors to oversee his lands. The mightiest
of these were the runelords, seven of the most skilled (and power-hungry) wizards in Thassilon, if
not all of Golarion. But their greed knew no bounds and so they decided to assassinated Xin and
seize power for themselves. After a successful coup d'etat they subjugated those loyal to the former
king — including his own son, who became a puppet emperor — while each plotted within his or
her own lands to become ruler of all Thassilon.”

“These runelords ruled Thassilon for many centuries, but nothing lasts forever, and the apocalypse
known as Earthfall didn’t spare them from the devastation it brought to the rest of the world. The
runelords had forewarning though, and each used extreme measures to survive, but due to a series
of failures in their contingencies, it would be thousands of years before they began to rise again. As
the risen runelords clashed and heroes stepped in to oppose their return, time itself strained and
tore, and an entire Thassilonian city, once sheltered from the passage of the eons, emerged once
more into the world along with an entire populace of time-displaced citizens.”
 And at that moment it was revealed that Viore’s father was one such man of
great power which had come from this strange city and happened to live a love affair
with his mother. And in that moment, he decided that he needed to finally meet his
father and finish his magical training with him. He learned that day that his father’s
name was Ephrah and as was custom for his people to have both a given and family
name, he decided to use his father name as a surname, seeing as he long wished for a
second name to indicate his parentage.

A long journey led Viore to his father, who, when they first met, didn’t share the
same feelings of euphoria at finding a long-lost relative as the young gipsy did. As a
matter of fact, the man was a brute! He barely showed any kind of emotions at all, and
when he did it was mostly anger. Viore knew that it could have something to do with
the same rune magic that flowed through his blood, as it was often called “sin magic”,
and so he remembered a passage of tome that he read on is way here:
“Xin began with relatively high-minded intentions. He focused his research on seven powerful
runes that he believed represented entire schools of magic, and on associated mental schemas and
mindsets that would allow a wizard to truly master those schools. Xin taught these seven mindsets
as virtues corresponding to each of the seven schools of Thassilonian magic, such as confidence
rooted in humility, and passion steeped in love. Later, he offered a list of seven rewards for the
appropriate usage of magic from each school. But Xin's experimentation was built on a shaky
foundation, and the runes offered a powerful temptation to lose control, turning virtue into vice.”

Nevertheless, the young Half-Elf had his mind set on this, and begged his father
to take he on as a pupil. The now old man accepted, seeing as the young gipsy was his
own blood after all, even though of dubious origins. But this was a decision that Veore
would come to regret greatly in the future. The training of a runelord was brutal!
Unending practice with polearms, long hours of studying old tome in foreign languages
and to top it all of: the violence that his father so freely handed out over every little
mistake.
It was years until Veore finally saw his father for who he truly was: a sadistic,
uncaring, broken man. He would rant about how power was the only thing that
mattered in life, how Veore would need to destroy anything or anyone on his way to be
able get it, and how the only joy in life is the pleasure of defeating others. All of that
seemed so antithetical to his mother teachings that the young elf at times would feel
torn between two: An optimistic and happy gipsy who longed for good and a murderous
power-hungry wizard.
Eventually he walked out on his father, he couldn’t take anymore beatings, and
heard words that he would never forget: “I regret making such a pitiful excuse for a
man”. He returned to his caravan only to find out that on his time away his mother had
died of some kind of disease, perhaps, if he was here, he could have saved her, that’s
what he thought at least. But the problems didn’t end there, it seemed his community
was in very bad shape, a lot of people were getting sick and food was getting hard to
come by. They had these kinds of problems in the past, but never this bad.
And in that moment, when everything seemed lost, he heard of a proposal from a
country down south:
“Enter the Stolen Lands, a wilderness claimed by bandits, and beasts alike. Into this territory the
magnanimous country of Brevoy sends its emissaries, tasking them with subduing the lawless folk
and deadly creatures that have made it a realm of savagery and shame. Claim the Stolen Lands,
bring their dangers to heel, and lay the foundations of a new kingdom!”

It seemed like the perfect solution for his people plight, ample fertile land and
the possibility to start anew. And so, Veore descended down south with no second
thoughts. He was set on forging a new future for the gypsies, and all the while he would
have a chance to right his wrongs in the process. And on the way there he remembered
of some old tales of his people that his mother used to tell him:
“Though now largely nomadic,
the Varisian people believe that
they originated in a land now
devastated by some forgotten
tragedy; some stories claim
that the Varisian people were
the rulers of this land, while
others tell of an existence of
servitude, but they all seem to
agree that the event that
brought this life to an end also
heralded the beginning of their
life as wanderers.”

“Many stories also tell of a mythical savior of the Varisian people known now only by his nickname:
Vyush'baro, the Cunning Wolf. In a time known as the Golden Age, it is told that Varisians were
slaves to a nation of devils for thousands of years. Vyush'baro is said to have drafted a masterful
document which tricked the devils into freeing the Varisians. These devils hunted the Varisians
after their exodus for countless generations, destroying them wherever they were found, but were
never able to bring them back under their control. Some believe Vyush'baro to have been an angel
or a servant of Desna, who will return one day to lead the Varisian people to a promised land.”

Can this be Veore’s fate? Can he be this chosen one? Or will he succumb to his chronic
worry that he might fall to evil influence?