Bilbo Hardwood

Bilbo was born and raised in Elyen of Forreithel, an ancient forest city hidden deep within the misty groves and towering oaks.  Elyen was known for its beauty and its reclusive nature—wood elves living in harmony with nature, sworn to keep their borders secure and their secrets even more so. But not all of  Elyen residents led such virtuous lives; the city had a hidden, shadowed underbelly. The elven council’s strict regulations and the city’s isolation left many elves feeling trapped, so some turned to crime, operating under the dense canopies and ancient roots.

Bilbo was one of them. His family had long lived on the fringes of society, fallen nobles who had lost everything. Determined to provide for them,  Bilbo became adept at subterfuge, theft, and deception. By the time he was barely of age, he was working as an informant and spy for Elyens underworld, slipping through militery ranks and reporting on rival factions and the movements of the council itself. His skills became popular, and his contacts grew to include powerful figures across the elven lands.

One of Bilbo’s close friends was Lord Aubron Ulajor, a family acquaintance. He used to visit Bilbo’s parents on occasion, bringing scrolls, foreign tea, and laughter that filled the corners of their modest home. Aubron would ruffle Bilbo’s hair—when Bilbo still had long hair—and tell him stories about skyborne caravans, wandering monks who fought dragons with their bare hands, and sea-spirits that whispered secrets to those who listened to the tide.

There was a small event once—Bilbo remembered it vividly. He had been caught trying to sneak into the archives of the Duskspire Monastery, curious to see old scrolls about the “Veil of Echoes.” The monks had been furious, but Aubron had appeared, as if out of mist, and smoothed things over with a bow and a coin pouch. Later that night, he had sat beside Bilbo near the Moonroot Fountain, and told him:

“Curiosity is a sword, little sparrow. Dull it, and you live safe. Sharpen it, and you just might change the world. But either way, someone will bleed.”

Bilbo hadn’t understood then. He thought it was just another one of Aubron’s metaphors.

Bilbo’s life was forever changed one night during a fateful mission after he pleaded and asked freedom from the families that held his family captive in debt and subservience. Bilbo, renowned for his agility and subtlety, was hired to steal a relic and burn down the estate of a reclusive noble near the edge of Elyen’s southern forests. The contract was delivered through a masked courier, with a seal he believed to be from the Silent Leaves, a known elven intelligence branch. The instructions were direct:

“Retrieve the artifact hidden in the vault, eliminate all traces, and leave no structure standing. The targets harbor demonic corruption.”

Bilbo had to infiltrate the estate rumored to hold the artifact and, efficient and stealthy, broke in, and after a quiet infiltration, secured the artifact. But in the light of dawn, he discovered something horrifying: his own family was captured and placed in the building he burnt to the ground and the artifact was cursed, binding Bilbo to the memory of every life he had taken, even of the ones he loved through cursed dreams.

For years, Bilbo roamed from city to city, working as a mercenary, spy, and informant for those who can pay. Though he tries to suppress his past, his dreams are plagued by memories of those he has or harmed. Each job he takes now serves one purpose: to gather information on ancient artifacts, curses, and prophecies, anything that could possibly free him from the haunting The elusive clues  of the curse of the artifact drive him, making him alike a ghost on a relentless quest to forget.

Bilbo life has become a solitary path shrouded in shadow, one filled with calculated risks, secret alliances, and endless searching. His heart is bound to Elyen by memories he can’t forget and the hope that he may, one day, find a way back to the life he abandoned… or to some semblance of peace... and to pure unadulterated revenge.