Long before the coming of the Suel or the Oeridians, the Flan people lived in the Flanaess (the eastern portion of the continent of Oerik) in harmony with nature and with the Olve (elves), Dwur (dwarves), Noniz (gnomes), and Hobniz (halfling) peoples. While the Olve oversaw the forests, the Dwur the mountains, the Noniz the hills, and the Hobniz the river valleys, the Flan lived primarily on the plains hunting and gathering. There had even been Flan nations that arose and fell before the coming of the Suel and Oeridians over the western mountains over a thousand years ago. But these are barely even memories now and only pockets of the Flan remain. Gar’s tribe, the Wind tribe, live in a small village of thatched huts on small hammocks of land among the mistletoe shrouded oak and ash bottomlands between the Hool Marshes and the higher ground of the Dreadwood Forest.

Since time began, the Flan druids maintained the Old Faith, the worship of the Oerth Mother Beory. Growing up, Gar attended the festivals of his people among the sacred oak groves and ancient monolithic circles preserved and maintained by the druids. In Gar’s case, however, upon coming of age he felt especially drawn to Obad-Hai, known as The Shalm, named after his double-reeded woodwind instrument. In Gar’s dreams he saw him – a lean and weathered old man walking through the forests with his hornwood staff. Occasionally while rowing his canoe through the streams and creeks Gar heard the notes of Obad-Hai’s shalm. In the end, Gar sought out the Great Druidess of the Sheldomar Valley who lives apart with her acolytes in the Dreadwood. She confirmed that Gar had indeed been called to serve the Shalm as his priest and perhaps prophet.

After several years Gar completed his training. Among the priests of Obad-Hai he has learned to channel the positive energy of life, and also the arts of prayer and meditation in order to be empowered with the miracle of healing and other forms of divine assistance. Gar found that he was especially attuned to the natural powers of the wind and rain and the purifying and revitalizing power of the flash fire. Infused with such divine power, Gar was entrusted with the mission to preach to the people.

One sunny day in the autumn of 590 of the Common Year or the year 2740 of the Flan Tracking, Gar finds himself invited to attend the Great Druidess of the Flan of the Sheldomar Valley once more. She is a surprisingly young woman, for she came into her power early. Her soft skin is the color of a cherry oak, and her matching dark brown hair is wrapped into the traditional tight bun of the Wind Tribe of the Southern Flan. Her dark brown eyes regard Gar warmly. She sits across from him on a woven mat, clad in a long patchwork skirt and a matching long sleeved blouse that barely covers her breasts and leaves her midriff exposed. Around her neck is an impressive abundance of many colored glass beads.

“Welcome Gar. It is good to see you again. You have become all that we hoped you would. But now I must send you out into the world, for the good of the Flan, of our friends the Olve, and for the good of all creatures and living things.

“I have had dreams, my dear. They are dreams of something in those marshes; something unnatural that has long lain hidden. I believe it may have to do with the lizardfolk, for they have appeared many times in these dreams. I see them leaving their homes, whether by force or by choice I am not sure. In their wake, I see a great flood coming down the River Javan sweeping away all before it, a flood that engulfs the world. Though I cannot see them, I sense that there are dead things in that flood, or things that should have stayed dead. They would destroy all life, all harmony, and all balance.”

“Now recently I have been getting reports from our people that the fisherman, crabbers, and shrimpers of Westkeep have been going even deeper into the marshes in search of food. They have not merely been casting their nets into the waters but have begun setting many traps and even staking nets across many of the bayous and channels. They are desperate to feed their starving people, but they have forgotten the balance of nature. If they continue, especially year round as they are doing, they will destroy the very spawning areas the fishermen themselves depend upon, as no fish will be able to get through to them. This will be especially critical in the coming months of spring. I mention this because these nets are now being torn down by the lizardfolk, who see themselves as responsible for herding the fish to the hatcheries and who also use these waterways as the humans do a road or lane – as do many of the creatures in the swamp. The fishermen have even fired upon the lizardfolk and the lizardfolk have responded in kind. I fear that if war breaks out between the people of Westkeep and the lizardfolk, the lizardfolk will be driven away and the disaster I see will occur all the sooner. You must go to Westkeep and do what you can to restore the balance of the marshes, and find a more sustainable way to preserve the livelihood of the lizardfolk and the fishermen. Westkeep was once in the hands of pirates and slavers and then of the Scarlet Brotherhood who would enslave all to impose their own will upon the world – regardless of the Balance. But now the Keolanders have taken Westkeep. They are also unmindful of the Balance in their own way, but they do mean well and might be open to reason. Go to them. Bring them words of hope if they will listen and words of warning if they will not! That is the duty of the priests of the gods as you well know.”