This is mostly a true story about my brother Hygeia. If anyone finds this hard to believe, then ask Branwenne, for she was there.
Hygeia was born in the realm of Norrath on the same day that many others drew their first breath and saw their first sunrise in this wondrous land. He was born in Qeynos and was a cleric, following the teachings of the temple of life. To him, this was a wondrous place that held seemingly endless realms of possibilities, and he was ever so eager to explore it! Many times, Hy tried to enter Qeynos Hill, only to have a large firebeetle chase him back. However, slowly and surely came the day when that firebeetle went to chase him back, but Hy noticed that there was something different; there was fear in the beetle's eyes! The realization of this was a powerful drug to him, the knowledge that soon the whole world would be his to take, even if it was one step at a time.
It did not take long for Hy to expand his horizons. He traveled to Erudin to study in the library, hoping to find some books that describe the history of this new world. Although he did not find the books he sought, he met people like Morpheos and Eliwen, whom he was glad to call friends. He traveled to West Karana where people like Noslo, Daldor, and Gelerium fought bandits with him, and battled in the depths of Blackburrow with friends such as Zambien, Selgus, and Sparrowhawk. Hy had also battled alone, his most memorable battle being in Everfrost. There, he was traveling to cross the icy terrain when he spotted a woolly mammoth spider that came to attack him. Hy felt that his chances were fair to meddle in whether he would win, but it ended up being the longest battle in his life! Hy cast a dd spell to attract the spider's attention and then went out to meet it, but unfortunately, the battleground was on top of an ice floe. The battle was pitched and fierce between the two, but both were swinging, missing, and then slipping! "You've done 1 non-melee damage!" This battle raged for nearly twenty minutes with neither side doing more than a bubble of damage to each other. In fact, if the truth be known, they hurt themselves more by falling on their backsides than anything else! Finally, after very sore arms and even sorer butts, Hy had gone unconscious. By the time his RPG had revived him, the spider sat on the other side of the ice floe with a bit of a dazed and confused look about him. Both looked at each other across the distance, and then Hygeia stood up and saluted his adversary. The battle had neither been won nor lost, but honor had been satisfied, and each went on their separate ways.
Hygeia had also experienced his first chance to help others. There was a guy named Tarjan or Trynod, I'm not sure which, who had shouted that he needed some help killing scarecrows, and he asked Hy to help. The scarecrows were red to Hy, and in fact, the guy he helped was yellow. What he asked Hy to do was to cast whatever buffs he had and then just keep healing. There was no experience for Hy in this, yet it excited him to no end, knowing that it was his efforts that made it possible for this guy to win! When the guy had actually gained a level, Hy knew that his purpose in life was to help others as often as he could. So, he helped others such as Fingon, Zederick, Triton, Arbelac, and many others, and as such, his world expanded.
At this time, Hygia traveled past Karanas to newer realms. With friends such as Harokin and Toplar, and with the aid of worldly travelers such as Gwern and Annuit, Hy went and experienced traveling high along the wall in the gorge, visiting the little people in Riverdale, and on to the Commons where they met orcs, dervish thugs for the first time, and of course, the dark elves! Hygeia's experiences with the dark elven race were not always his best. The first time he entered the Nektulos Forest, it became his first encounter with deceit. He made it as far as the bridge when the guards attacked him! By the time he realized that these guys really did not like him, he was dead. Many times, Hy tried to approach the bridge to recover his body, but it was to no avail. The guards were not going to let him back. As he stood near the forest entrance pondering what to do, a female dark elf approached him and asked if there was some way that she could help him. Hy, being a trusting soul, gave her consent and then stood there and waited for her return... and waited... and waited... Finally, Hy realized that he had been had. Everything he had was gone, and so was the dark elf that took advantage of him. Surprisingly, Hygeia started to laugh. Everything he owned and that was important to him was gone, and why? Why simply because the dark elf had followed her nature, just as Hygeia had followed his. He could have raged and probably petitioned to the gods' minions, but he felt that was the wrong approach. So instead, he called to the elf and wished her good luck and hoped that the stuff he had, whether she kept it or sold it, brought her nothing but happiness and joy as long as it could. Too bad she was no longer online to hear this, but Hy felt that if there was ever a way to fight hate, it had to be with love.
Love, however, was hard to find in Hygeia's heart the day he went through the hardest trial of his life. Hy had just reached 18 when he decided to return home for a visit. As he was passing through South Karana to return, he was asked to join a group that wanted to take on Paws. Paws, in those days, was not as it is now, but still, there were many dangers to watch out for. Hy became very aware of this when he fell off the land bridge and landed in the pool below. He tried to find his way out when he ended up going deeper into the caverns, and he finally ended up in a deep well and drowned. That was when he became the personal slave of Zixx Nenix. Zixx was a dark elf necro and had no love at all for Hygeia. Every time Hy would get close to finding his body or actually find it, Zixx would hunt him down to kill him again! Many months passed with Zixx doing his best to torture Hy and to stretch to the limits any faith that Hy had in himself and in the gods. In fact, it was during this time period of Hy's life that I was born, and I had reached 5 by the time Hy was finally able to escape the clutches of this madman. By this time, however, Hy was only 13, and some of the drive that was in him never shone as brightly as it once did before.
I was nearly in my teens when the proud day of Hygeia finally reaching his 20th birthday came about! He was in Highpass Hold, fighting orcs with friends such as Harokin, Angrond, and EWiryk when this event occurred. Hy had spent many a day consulting with his RPG as to what was the most suitable name when it came to him with some clarity. He had just cast a heal on another person who was not in his group but looked to be doing poorly, and he had time to cast a spell on a friend when the leveling came. Hy knew then that the only name that was possible was the name that best described him, for he had throughout his life dedicated himself to helping others. Hence, he became known as the Samaritan's.
Now about this time, my family had expanded. Branwenne, my daughter, and my adopted son Salvor, who was later to become my son-in-law, Sledic, my other son, and my father Virken, had all decided to join. The complication arose when some wanted to go to what is called another server, which I believe means another realm of existence, while others wanted to stay where they were. I approached Hygeia with my problem when he told me he had just recently had a vision. He was traveling through the Kithicor Woods when he was approached by a dark elf woman. She told him her name was Betha Br'Nnyn. She appeared slightly taller than most, and her face... well, her face was that of a young woman, but her eyes belied an agelessness. But the most commanding thing about her was her voice! This was a woman who knew that her word was a command that you had to obey, and it mattered little whether you were a mere mortal or a god; her words were to be obeyed, that's how much respect she commanded. She told Hygeia that she was aware of something that was occurring within his own family, and that although the dark elves were many things, the one thing that was strongest among them was the tie of blood. There, she would see to it that all in the family would stay in this realm, and that Hy was to make sure that all in the family were to reach the age of 5, but once this was achieved, he had to give himself up in sacrifice to do her bidding. So finally, that day had come. With me and Branwenne as his witnesses, and with many ales that we shared, Hy told the two of the story of his life and the reason as to why what was to come to pass had to come to pass. With a final farewell, Hygeia made me make these three promises, which I will relate to you now.
1: Always help others, no matter who they are. You have the ability to heal, to cure, and to buff. These spells were not meant for your own personal use but to be shared with others. Use them often and use them well, never shirk your duty to the other citizens of Norrath, and you will feel that much better for it.
2: Be civil to all, no matter how you feel in your heart. Let the knowledge that honor and love are truly good guides to follow, and never let hate defeat you. There will be many out there who will do you a slight or wrong, but be man enough to turn the other cheek. You do not know what the other person may be thinking or what may influence his actions, but let the faith you have in yourself shine and guide you.
3: And finally, explore this world! There are many wonders that I have seen and many yet that I have not. Go and discover what there is, and never let your ability to be amazed become limited, and the world will always be a special place to be.
With these final words, Hygeia threw himself into the Qeynos harbor, never again to be seen. It has been several years since my brother has departed. My family has grown up, and there have been many places that I have seen, even places that were not here when Hy was alive. I have had many moments that I would consider high points in my life, and I have also had some days that were in darkest despair. So when I am overcome by those days, I think back to what my brother had shared with me and the challenge that he asked me to live up to, and I find myself getting stronger and feeling better because I know I have a goal to accomplish. Fear not, brother, that moment of despair has passed, and I am ready to once more carry on the family tradition to achieve the standards you have set, for I am...
Yours truly,
