Thomas Brightbrook

Thomas 'Tom' Brightbrook, is a citizen in the Kingdom of Savernia. He is the steward of the city of Ashbury and owner of the savernian newspaper, the Hearthport Herald. In his free time, he likes to wander around Haven to find inspiration for his stories and poems.

Pre-Rathnir
Thomas Brightbrook was born as a small, vulnerable child. After his first breath of air, Tom’s mother died, leaving him all alone on this planet. As nobody cared for the baby without a father nor a mother, Thomas was dropped off at the Brightbrook orphanage. Here the baby grew up together with a bunch of other kids. At the age of seven the orphanage had to close and all kids were thrown out onto the street. Lost and abandoned for the second time, Tom slept under the dark skies, begging for food on the streets and occasionally resorted to stealing to keep him fed.

Dagger incident
Life as a homeless orphan was hard. There were the cold nights, the days without anything to eat and constant patronizing looks. These hardships made several people with the same fate flock together. It did not take long before Tom got recruited as well. Together with his new found family they scoured the streets. Though quickly after, Tom saw how his fellow gang members became more reckless and violent every day and he searched for a way out. Then came the inevitable day that one of his companions drew a knife and attacked a citizen he was trying to rob. While guards quickly rushed in to catch the thief, Tom was trying to assist the wounded person. Though to no avail, as the man died soon after. Thomas was caught and locked up in the dungeon. He was facing a heavy punishment and would probably never see the light of day anymore.

Guerardo Hassendor
Though before Thomas got sentenced, he was bailed out by someone. A person who had seen the incident and testified that Thomas was not to blame. That person was Guerardo Hassendor. In return for his freedom, Tom would become Guerardo assistent. Guerardo was a historian who had close contacts with the local rulers. If Tom would run away or ending up not the person that Guerardo thought he was, he would end up back in jail. Guerardo hoped to help the kid become a better person, so he started to teach Tom how to read and write. This opened up a whole new world for Thomas, and very fast he picked up a new set of skills. Thomas eagerly started to read the many books his master had collected. Stories about long forgotten days, about kings and queens, knights and princesses. But also, about dead and war, religion, politics and strange cultures. Beside the books, Thomas had to help keeping the house clean, do the many deliveries for Guerardo and make sure that everything in the house was always in perfect condition.

Lily Lockmoore
As Tom grew older and gained more knowledge, his master even let him write the many commissions that Guerardo had. Sometimes small letters from citizens who could not read or write themselves, trying to contact their family abroad, sometimes official letters from politicians or officers. It was this way that Thomas met Lily. To the normal eye, Lily Lockmoore was an average girl, like you meet in every town or city. But to Tom, Lily looked like an angel sent from above. The first time he laid his eyes upon her, he was so distracted, he made a big mess out of the letter he was working on. Guerardo noticed it and called him out. This made Thomas turn as red as a tomato. When he looked back towards Lily, so only smiled at him and then disappeared back into the crowd.

Stung from head to toe
Not long after they met again, now on the market as Thomas was getting new supplies for his master. Soon after they would meet up regularly and she would even be allowed to visit him at his master’s house. While both of them didn’t want to admit that they were completely in love with each other, Guerardo insisted on them going out of town for a couple of days. Tom and Lily hesitantly accepted the proposal and one morning they both rode off for a small excursion in the local area. Though Thomas had never rode a horse before, Lily was very insisting on learning Tom how to. In an empty field, she carefully helped him sit in the saddle and led the horse for a couple of circles around the field. As Thomas was getting more courageous, he told Lily to go faster, Lily laughed, but increased the pace slowly. After several rounds more, Thomas was sure it was going well. But suddenly the horse was startled and ran away with Thomas on his back. Lily, as surprised as Thomas, saw the young man desperately clinging onto the saddle, but unfortunately, he was thrown off in the end. With a loud bang he ended up in the with nettles overgrown ditch. Lily ran over shouting at him, to see if he was okay. Tom responded, “I’m stung from head to toe. Oh, and I think I broke my leg.” After lots of struggling, Lily helped Tom out of the ditch and together they went back to the city. It was on their way back that Thomas knew that he loved Lily, and by just looking into her eyes, he knew she felt the same way.

Dark turn of events
Fast forward a year, Lily and Thomas were still seeing each other, still feeling like the first day they met. Guerardo, was slowly making sure that Thomas could take over his work whenever the need would be there. He was very happy with the choice he had made in the past, giving this young man a chance in life. But as well as everything was looking fine, the future would bring only pain and sorrow. One morning the terrible news of war in the south arrived in the city. Many people panicked and fled their houses. The enemy was marching straight to the city Thomas was living in. Guerardo decided that he would stay, as an old man, he would be able to travel that far and stay ahead of the incoming armies. Thomas wanted to stay with his master, but Guerardo ordered him to take Lily with him and flee to the north. Reluctantly they both left their homes and Guerardo behind, to never hear or see them again. Together they walked from town to town, through rain and through the darkness of the night. Desperately they tried to keep ahead of the scouting parties of the army. Everywhere they passed by, people had left their homes undefended, ready to be looted to whomever passed by. If they looked behind, there were only dark plumes of smoke, hiding the sun as it would never be daylight again. It was then that Lily quickly became sick. Every day on, they progressed slower and slower, and the oncoming predators were already looming over there next pray. Lily begged Thomas to hide her and leave her behind. But Thomas could never do that. He carried her on her back as far as he could, until his leg, once broken when he fell of the horse, started to give in.

A last farewell
That night, hiding in an abandoned shed, they could hear the scouting party’s approach. The light of their lanterns shining through the holes between the planks of the wall. The next day, Lily was feeling light as a feather, but hot as new melted steel. Thomas put her on his back, but she would not say a thing. Things were going worse. A couple of hours later, passing a lonely tree in the open fields, she suddenly lost her grip and fell down into the grass. Thomas kneeled beside her. “We are almost there, the lands in the north, the armies will not go there.” Lily smiled at him, looking at his face, she opened her mouth, but Thomas could not understand what she said. He leaned forward and listened. “My journey ends here Tom. But I will always travel further alongside you.” She gave him a kiss and closed her eyes. Thomas looked at her, while tears from his eyes fell down upon her dress. Lily was gone, forever. Thomas looked at the horizon, towards the world that he was born in, he had lived in, but was not part of anymore. Thomas laid down beside Lily, holding her hand and slowly he as well closed his eyes.

Much later Thomas stepped onto the road carefully looking at the sign in front of him. “Savernia” Would this be a new start? A new home? A place where he would be accepted? Tom put one foot before the other, and continued onwards. New hopes and second chances. He nodded and took a deep breath. He'll do this, for Guerardo, for Lily.

A home in Volandia
After Thomas walked for many more days, he arrived in a town. The strange fellow in charge looked at him and saw an exhausted and grieving young man. He asked him if he would like to have a place to stay and rest. Tom agreed, though he wasn’t fully aware of all the things happening around him. The man showed him a small house and lead him inside. Thomas laid down on the bed and slept for three consecutive days. In his dreams he saw his former master, Geurardo, writing and smoking his pipe by the fireplace. He was running through long wavy grass, behind a girl in a light blue dress. He saw the beautiful smile of Lily, who was still alive.

When he woke up, Thomas carefully got out of the bed and went outside. The sun was shining brightly and people were walking through the streets. Quickly he learned that he ended up in a town called Ducklandia, part of the Kingdom of Savernia. Names he had never heard of before. The strange man greeted him again, while he was busy building new houses for the many new citizens who joined the town. They talked for a moment and afterwards Thomas ended up being the librarian of a town he just joined and was totally not familiar with.

Time flew by and Tom worked hard. He met many new people and expanded the towns library as much as possible. In his free time, he started to write again. The many walks he did throughout the area slowly brought peace to his mind. He would not forget the past, but slowly manage to live with it. He had to continue with his live. That’s what Lily wanted him to do.

With the new found home, Tom experimented in all directions, to give an outlet to his creativity. He got the task to write and research the history of the kingdom, he wrote poems and stories, made maps of the kingdom and he started a small local newspaper, the Hearthport Herald. Tom tried to help and assist everyone who asked for it. Slowly he grew quite fond of his new home and the people who lived there. Tom hoped that the future would bring more pleasant surprises and fill that one hole in his heart.

A field of Gold
Some years had passed and Tom lived a quiet life. After some time, he had left the town of Volandia, previously called Ducklandia, and traded it for a small home in the neighbouring town of Goldenfields. Between the flowers and fields, Tom had put more effort into his writing, but had not managed to write that one book that would give him peace inside. Though he did come to terms with the new turn his life had taken, he was still missing a purpose, a goal that could make him excell. Was he in search of more responsibility, did he want more power or wealth? Or did he simply search for love, the ungraspable feeling of knowing you belong to each other. Goldenfields was a nice place to stay, a quiet town belonging to the Flameheart family. Tom carried out his tasks with diligence. But the place couldn’t give him what he was missing.

A looming threat
Then one day a message came in, Savernia was under attack. A coalition from the east had set his sights on savernian territory and was willing to do everything to take it. The Horde was at the gates. Thomas, who had sworn of hostility towards his fellow man, took this opportunity to help in with the preparations for the upcoming battle.

While brave men and women put on their armor, ready to defend the walls of Antlers Rest against the devilish fiends. Thomas sat on a wooden bench. The last couple of days, he had been assisting in getting the city defenses ready, making sure the armor was ready to be worn and the swords were sharp as a razor's edge. Though he would not be part of the battle itself. Others would defend the kingdom, the people and Thomas. While he knew he was letting his fellow countrymen down, he couldn’t break his vow to his former mentor. The day passed into the night and the night passed into the day. Tom was still sitting on the bench when a group of cavalrymen showed up at the horizon. His heart skipped a beat. They were carrying the savernian banner. The war was won, the evil was overcome.

Lady Starlyn
With Savernia back in peace, and the immediate threat passed, Tom carefully started again on his inner journey. The land he lived in, would never be the same as before the war. A new king was ascending the throne and the former queen, Hazel Starlyn, had made it clear she would take a step back from the politics in the continent of Haven. Together with a new ruler, Savernia joined the Federation of Uldarash and the kingdom would undergo a big facelift. And for Tom, it was clear that the threat of war and being forced out of your home was ever present. While Thomas already had a good relationship with Lady Starlynn, before she vacated the throne. Her taking a step back gave him the opportunity to meet her on a more regular basis. Though he was still aware of the difference in status, as she was a former queen and he was just an orphan from a foreign country. Lady Hazel was always very informal and made him feel like an equal. During many long discussions and even longer walks around the Ashbury lands she told him about her history, her experiences in leading the country and in meeting the many people of Haven. Tom listened carefully and enjoyed every part of it. The stories made him think back of the many books Guerardo had. Full of tales from far away countries and descriptions of places no one had ever seen. Travelling the foreign nations had never looked so appealing before.

The city of stone
One morning a formal letter came in, Lady Starlyn had summoned him to her castle. Because Tom had never received such a formal request before, that morning he arrived a little timid at the Ashbury gates. Though the news he got to hear was surprising. Hazel Starlyn, Duchess of the Ashbury citadel, had appointed him as the steward of the city. Tom was elated. Never before was such an honor bestowed upon him. He thanked the Duchess and started on his new task, the rebuilding of the citadel. Making Ashbury the grand place it once used to be.

It was a couple of weeks later that Tom looked out over his desk. Many parchements with architectural plans were spread out in front of him. The sky was dark, barely lit by a couple of stars. The candle, lightning up the room, was almost burnt up. And a small thought in the back of Tom’s head was lingering. Was this the next step towards something big or did he take the wrong turn?

The steward
As a steward of the city, Tom had many tasks and great responsibilities, which he carefully followed up. Together with overseeing the construction of the city, he had to handle the day-to-day requests from the citizens and its visitors. This resulted in a lot of time spending together with Hazel in her office.

While he slowly started to form an image of what the former queen of Savernia was, something else also lingered within. He often found himself distracted while he was looking at her writing letters or reading documents. He enjoyed her explaining the history of every stone and corner in the city. And he loved seeing her walk around her farms outside of the city.

The smile she gave him, when he first tasted the honey of the bee she tended, warmed his heart. And from then on, he knew, that he could also find happiness in these new lands.

Home is where the heart is
From work on Ashbury, Tom moved to overseeing the construction of the Hearthport castle. As of this time, he was considered one of the main architects in the country. Next to his studious work on the many historical books and writing his own poems and stories, Tom often travelled to nearby cities to meet new people and form international contacts.

These travels brought him all around Haven, and even beyond the border of the continent. He saw foreign people, learned about different cultures and visited many important places. Though after every trip, his heart swelled when he saw the walls of Ashbury at the horizon. Knowing that his home was there, his friends and Duchess Hazel.

Heartfelt years
Years passed, live happened and Tom became older. His hairs slowly became grey and the glimmer in his eyes slowly faded. The many hours of work on his books and on buildings, slowly started to take their toll. He wasn’t the young man who arrived at Savernia anymore.

His mind often times started to slip, his hand trembling. While he was around Hazel, he oftentimes felt particularly stronger or sharper. But without her presence he knew that time had flown by. And soon his time would come.

Darkness…
On the return of his last travel, Tom felt very weary. Arriving at his home, he fell into a deep sleep. Darkness fell upon him. A variance of images haunted his dreams. Waking up the next day, he felt sick. Hazel visited him, but he soon he was too tired to actually listen or talk about his latest adventure. She looked worried and wished him a good night’s rest.

That night nightmares kept him from sleeping sound. Days became nights and nights became days. Losing track of time, Tom felt into a deeper and deeper circle of blurriness. Sometimes he thought he saw Nyx and her lantern, then he saw the white Stag disappear at the horizon. Trying to keep grasp at reality, he reminisced long gone events. Slowly but surely, life had happened.

… and light
Suddenly, after an uncertain number of days. Tom opened his eyes. There was a rare clarity in his head. He had seen what had to be done. But where? He stood up and searched his books and notes. Somewhere he had seen this before…

After a careful walk out to the farms of Goldenfields, Tom sighed. With a last look at his surroundings, he walked between the corn stalks. Beneath to the lonely tree he sat down. There was nothing left to be said. Nothing left to be written down. The sun slowly sank behind the horizon. Tom felt the last warmth on his face. He closed his eyes. He smiled.