Well, my backstory comes in 2 parts. He's a human vengeance paladin that inherited a mysterious box.
The first part is how he introduces himself and the second is some details revealed when he deals with a family of ghosts in the house he's sharing.
Sorry, it's a bit long.
Intro
Well now, I got a story to tell y'all so sidle on up while we get some refreshments.
As y'all have probably figured out by now, I'm not from around these parts but I do trace my roots back to this here region. See, my great great grandpa was my namesake Beuregard Thompson, paladin of Tyr and my other great great grandpa was Tempus. They were folks that helped found Thorton. Well Beuregard's son Jebediah ended up marrying Tempus's daughter Laura. Along with Anna and Randi Thorson (children of Corwin, another founder of the city, Anna is my great grandma) they decided they was going to explore the world. That would'a been, oh, around 1119. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, and they planned on bein' back in 5 years to settle down.
They ended up gettin' on a ship in Quag's Keep. Not knowin' a ship from a shithole they partly paid, partly worked their way. In any case, when Ragnarok started in 1122 they found themselves and the crew stranded in a land far away, a place called Cosatoria, on the southern shore, with no way to make it back home. So they started up a small ranch and did the best they could.
Well, they did pretty well for themselves everything considered, and my family survived if they didn't always prosper. That original ranch is still in the family and the old ranch house needed some renovatin'. That's where my story really starts.
See, we was tearin' the old place down to the studs like you do and not sure why but one night I decided to work a bit late. Everyone else had left and it was just me and the fadin' sunset. That's when I tore down a section o’ wall and found this here box.
There was a note attached, but mice and what-not had gotten to it long ago and most of it was eaten away. What I could read was a bit at the end about how when the time was right, when it was necessary, the right person would find the box and it was their destiny to figure out how to open the thing. It was signed by my very own great grandpa and grandma, Jebediah and Laura.
So that's why I'm here now. The moment I picked up the box and read that note I knew I was meant to inherit this here box. What with my namesakes being proud founders and members of Thorton, along with the symbols o' Tyr and Thor I knew where I had to go to find answers. So here I am.
A Ghost Story
Beauregard checked to make sure that both of his housemates were asleep before pulling out the box he had carried with him, unopened, from Savannah. Carefully prying it open, he gently removed the contents and placed them on the blanket he had spread in front of the fireplace.
The only light in the room was the glow from the slowly burning logs in the fireplace, but it was enough to see by and Susie seemed to be more likely to appear when there was less light. A rosy glow reflected off the ceramic pieces in front of him as he sat cross legged on the blanket and waited, deep in thought.
“Is that a tea set?” came the young ghost girl's voice “It's just my size!”
Beauregard surreptitiously wiped the moisture from his eyes before responding. “Yes it is, I bought it some time ago for a little girl your age.”
“Ooh, so pretty and pink with unicorns!” Susie clapped her hands together before shyly asking “Can I play with it? You’re sure it’s not Erwin’s? It’s just his size.”
“No, it’s fine. That’s why I brought it out.” Clearing his throat before continuing “It’s about time someone played with it.”
The pair played with the tea set pouring out imaginary tea. Susie giggled when Beauregard showed her the proper etiquette of raising your pinky when drinking and calling each other “Good Sir” and “Madame” like aristocrats. The paladin was a bit alarmed when Susie was able to lift the teacup, but if Susie noticed she didn’t mention it.
Playing tea party became a ritual for the two over the next few nights, Beauregard would tell some story like the time Thor dressed up as a bridesmaid. It allowed Beauregard and Susie to discuss topics silly and serious. Susie and her family had died in a magical plague. She had been the first to die and hadn’t wanted to leave her family behind.
One night Susie scrunched up her face and in a serious tone asked “Mr B, who did you buy this tea set for?” Susie always called Beauregard Mr B because Mr Thompson was just too formal and Beau was not formal enough.
The paladin hesitated for a moment, silently cursing how much it still hurt to talk about. This was why he had pulled the tea set out of storage. There was a small part of him that knew this would also end teatime with the young girl he had become fond of.
“It was for my daughter, Violet.”
Cocking her head to the side while staring into the distance “What happened to her?”
“There was a war. A very bad guy wanted to take over everything but was stopped.”
The confusion showed on Susie’s face “That’s good right? The good guys won?”
Beauregard paused. How do you explain that sometimes nobody really wins in war? “The good guys won, but it took a while to hunt down the last of his troops.”
“I had gone to market to sell some cattle we had been raising. Because things had settled down it seemed like a good time to go. Even though it would take me away for several days.” His voice cracked a bit “I thought it was safe.”
Beauregard lowered his head into his hands and sat in silence, roiled by guilt.
A different voice, the voice of a woman’s ghost that had only seen briefly spoke “Is that when you bought the tea set?” The words were paper thin and echoed as if spoken from far away.
Beauregard looked up, hiding his surprise to see both Susie’s parents standing behind her, Tommy holding his father’s hand. Their forms were not as distinct as their children’s and he had never heard them speak. They were starting to fade. He was running out of time. Practically all spirits eventually fade or went insane if they did not pass on to their final destination. Sooner or later the same would happen to Susie and she would forget what it was like to be mortal. She could fade away entirely, become a poltergeist, or worse.
“Yes. She had wanted to come with me. I thought she was too young, so I wanted to surprise her with a gift when I got back”
Susie looked at her parents and back “What happened to her?”
“There was a band of marauders. Soldiers from the evil emperor’s armies.” The next part came out in a rush “They had made a last stand at our ranch. The pursuing army had finally caught them.”
With tears now streaming down his face “When I got there they were just cleaning up. The marauders were all dead, but so were my wife and children.”
Wiping his face with the back of his hand he spoke to Susie’s parents “I need Susie to do me a big favor and find my daughter.”
Both parents looked down at their children, a look anguish and guilt obvious on their faces before giving a silent nod of assent with understanding showing on their faces.
“Susie, I need to you find my daughter. I want her to know that I love her and miss her, I need someone to tell her about the tea set, and that I think of her every day. Can you do that?”
The little girl finally looked up at Beauregard “But I like it here, and I really like our teatime. Do I really have to go? Maybe she’s one of the children I hear singing.”
Confused, the paladin asked “The other children? What other children”
Tommy spoke “We hear them sometimes. Susie hears them better than I do.” Glancing between sibling and parents he continued “But I don’t like them. There’s something wrong about them…”
Susie interrupted, standing and silently stamping a foot “But I like it here. An’ I don’t want to leave you Mr B. You’ll be lonely without me!”
Not bothering to hide a small smile. Beauregard responded “I’ll miss you, but I have my new friends. Someday I may come join you, but I really need you now. You’re the only one I can count on to find my daughter. Besides, I think the two of you could be really good friends.”
The little girl thought for a moment, absently twirling her hair. “I s’pose.” Shooting a sideways glance at her brother “It would be nice to have a girl to play with.”
Tommy replied by sticking out his tongue before asking his parents “We’re all going, right? We’ll be together?”
Tommy’s father kneeled down, putting his hand on Tommy’s shoulders. Again, a whispery voice echoed “We could never leave you behind, we were waiting until you were ready.”
The woman held out her hand to Susie. In a voice stronger than before, filled with conviction “We’re ready, what do we need to do?”
Beauregard gave a silent thank you in relief. Now that the family had decided to move on, he could perform the ritual.
“In a few minutes a Valkyrie will arrive to guide you. I’ll stay here by your side until she comes.”
Normally a ritual would not be necessary for the spirits to go to their final destination but because the ghosts had waited so long Beauregard wanted to be certain they had an escort. He would also have to do some research on these other ghost children. For now though, he busied himself with the ritual as the family chatted quietly nearby.
The ritual nearly complete, Beauregard asked the small group of ghosts “Ready?”
Getting nods of ascent from all members he continued “Your guide should be arriving any moment now.”
Closing his eyes, he reached out with his senses, the paladin could feel the Valkyrie he had summoned even if he could not see it. Worryingly, there was also a flicker of something else. A malevolent force in the distance, just at the edge of detection radiating rage and something else. Hunger.
Shaking his head, he opened his eyes. A glowing door had opened outlining the ghosts as they stepped through. Susie looked over her shoulder and gave him one last little wave and a “Goodbye Mr B” as she stepped through. As the glow started to diminish Beauregard could see a faint outline of a winged female warrior nodding her head in silent thanks before it too was gone.
Half an hour later with the tea set packed once more and tucked under his arm Beauregard stood on the bridge over the rushing river that bisected the town. He wanted to throw the small crate into the black water in rage but held himself back. He needed to direct his guilt and anger, not simply lash out. He had failed to protect his family, had not even been able to see the guilty punished.
But by Thor he would seek vengeance on all those who would cause such suffering and pain to yet another innocent. Susie would never have a chance at a full life, never play teatime again. He swore an oath then and there. The time for guilt and tears was in the past. From now on he would be Thor’s hammer on this world.
So he continued on in the night to drop off his package at the steps of the temple with a small note indicating his wish that it be given to a child in need of a simple pink tea set decorated with chubby unicorns. He could do nothing to save Violet or Susie. But at least some other child could laugh and have fun with the set, even if he wasn’t the one to show them the proper etiquette of raising your pinky while drinking the pretend tea.
