Finally, they could stand it no longer, and abandoned me. I knew not how I came to be in Morbidton, but that was where I ended up. Survival on the streets was no easy thing. I taught myself to how to steal. Noone spared a glance for another child on the streets, let alone any money or food.

As I grew older, I started to set my sights to stealing more than just food. I would take anything of value that I came across. As the years passed, my collection grew bigger, and I kept having to find new places to hide it all.

Then one day, to my surprise, I found that my work had brought attention to myself. It would seem that Madame Zuniga, Queen of Assassins had heard of me and wanted to talk to me. I was escorted before her, my knees shaking with nervousness. This woman was only ever talked about in lowered voices, she was to be feared. What she wanted with me, I had no idea.

There was no small talk, she got straight to the point. It would seem that she wanted to train me as an assassin. I had no family ties to worry about, and life on the streets had hardened me. I was a prime candidate.

Not wanting to turn down this opportunity, nor wanting to anger her, I accepted her offer. I was seventeen years of age.

I spent the next six years of my life training to be an assassin. It came naturally to me. I held no love for life, whether it be my own or that of someone else. After my training was over, I was set loose. Each assassination was an adventure to me. I learned to love dealing out death. Some I would kill quickly, others slowly, watching them die in agony.

During these years, I did not give up my thieving ways. The few times I had spare time I would go out onto the streets and blending my training with my hard earned knowledge of the streets. The two blended well together, and I was able to use this knkowledge to my benefit.

Then one day, my life was changed.

I was in between jobs, and had decided to spend the time checking out my old haunts. Whilst walking down a dark alley, I was jumped by a group of men. Pulling out my knives, I tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them. They laughed at me, and pushing me to the ground, ripped off my clothes and forced me. One after another. I struggled and fought, yet this just caused them to laugh harder and beat me till I was almost senseless.

Then they made a mistake. They used their names. Even as I was fading into unconciousness, I vowed that I would have my revenge.

When next I woke, I was back in my room, lying on the pallet that had been my bed for the last eight years of my life. Aching all over, I struggled to sit up. As I managed to look around, I saw Zuniga sitting in a chair, watching me. Fearing that I was in trouble, I cowered down before her.

She just watched me, then spoke, her voice void of emotions as usual.

"Do you know who it was?"

I nodded.

"Then you have permission to do as you will. Seek your revenge, then return to me."

With that, she stood and left. I breathed a sigh of relief, she was allowing me to hunt the men down and kill them. I lay back to sleep and drifted off, thinking of the ways that I would get my revenge.

I spread it out over the next year. Carefull not to make it obvious who was doing it, and careful not to leave anything that would link the deaths, but making sure that as each of them died, they knew who was doing it, and why.

All care and love of life had been ripped from me.

When it was finished, I returned back to Zuniga and assassinating. My ways became crueler as I was given harder and more demanding tasks.

The last job that I was ever given by Madame Zuniga was that of killing a black wizard who had not paid her for a job he had requested. I had killed my share of wizards and felt no fear of this one.

The room I entered, seeking him out, was full of books. Books on the black arts. I had dabbled occassionally in the arts, but had never seen such a treasure trove of information. This trove was to be my downfall.

Lured by the thought of learning more magic, I forgot the reason I was in this house. Time flew by as I read book after book, sucking up the knowledge. I could feel a well within me being filled. A well I had not previously known of.

So engrossed was I that I did not hear the entrance of the one whom I was meant to kill. The next thing I knew, I was unable to move. He confronted me and demanded to know who I was. I refused to speak, but he managed to gleam who I was somehow. Maybe it was the knives or the fact that he knew that sooner or later someone would come after him, I know not.

Seeing that I was interested in the black arts, he decided not to kill me. Instead, he placed a curse on me. A curse that would last my lifetime. I was cursed to be a banshee.

He left me as I was, unable to move. It was many hours later before I was able to move. Instead of seeking him out straight away, I turned back to the books. I could not leave till I had learnt all that they held.

I closed the final book and sat down to think over all that I had learnt. I did not understand it all, but it was all now in me, and as I learnt more it would come to the fore, and I would understand it. It would always be in me, a part of my soul. A thought insinuated itself into my head. One that caused a shiver to run down my spine.

I would summon the God of Darkness. Nelgath.

I prepared myself and all that I needed. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I set about working the spell. It was not long before I felt a prescence around me. One that darkened the room, seeming to cut out all light.

No words were spoken, but I felt a sudden urge to travel to the Darklord's keep. I was being drawn to it. To my destiny. The prescence dissapeared and the light returned to normal. Shaking from the feelings I had just experienced, I left the house.

I went straight to my pallet and fell asleep. That, I snuck out and finished the job I had been sent to do. I killed the wizard quickly, in his sleep. It was the only thanks that he would ever recieve from for having opened up my horizons. A quick, painless death.

I returned to Zuniga, and walking in and facing her as I had never dared before, informed her that I had a new master and would be leaving. She gazed at me with a soul searching look, then nodded. I let out and inaudible sigh of relief and left.

I made my way to the Darklord's castle, and there, finished my transformation into who and what I am today. Raven Swiftdeath, black wizard and banshee.