Tatura Rimehide
Countless magical beasts dwell in the realm of Teleria. Many are true monsters, predators for whom men and elves are nothing but livestock ripe for culling. But among the myriad creatures mothers use to frighten their unruly children into obedience in the dark of night, benevolent entities exist, whose wisdom rivals even the most learned mages. Alas, that same wisdom drives them away from the lands where mortals dwell, lest fear - or greed - open the way for bloodshed.
Tatura Rimehide lived for many millennia and had seen much: from the first wars between Lumaya and Siroth to the rise of mortal kingdoms in the South. He had chosen not to interfere in the lives of others unless the righteous were faced with a dire tide of Darkness. Even then, he had always retreated to his snow-swept home in the far North when his task was done. Thus few mentions of Tatura’s appearances remain in written history and myth alike, albeit the barbaric Norr tribes still remember a strange chimera that was said to appear in the deadliest of blizzards to guide travelers to safety.
But as centuries passed, the evil of Siroth grew stronger across the land. Countless sovereigns, mages, and warriors fell under the Dark Lord’s sway, and his shadow enveloped Teleria. There was no escape from it, not even in the furthest reaches of northern wastes. Demonspawn hunters came after Tatura, hounding him through the snowy desert with wicked determination. Many of them fell, torn asunder by the ancient chimera’s claws, or frozen to death when snowstorms caught them in the open. But there were always more of them.
Day and night, the pursuit went on until Tatura was finally cornered and prepared to face what seemed to be his last battle. But just like Tatura aided the mortals in their hour of need, so too his plight did not go unnoticed; a pillar of bright light erupted in the middle of Demonspawn formations, and a magnificent Lightbringer fell upon them with the grace of a falcon. Gliseah Soulguide descended from the heavens, and none could stand before her wrath! Caught between Tatura’s untamed strength and Gliseah’s blade, the servants of Siroth perished in droves or scattered in panic.
When the battle was over, the two warriors of Light thanked one another and spoke at length about the grim tidings from the South. Though Tatura was always reluctant to meddle in affairs beyond his ken, it was clear now that the Arbiter - Lumaya’s chosen herald, tasked with defending Teleria - would need all the help she could get in the battles to come. And so he pledged himself to his savior, Gliseah, whose righteousness and the cold hatred of all evil set her apart even from her fellow Lightbringers. Together, they journeyed into the unknown, convinced that they would find a worthy soul in need of their aid against the vile schemes of Siroth.