Vael of the Ashmark

Backstory

Vael carries the Ashmark — a brand burned into their left forearm not by any human hand, but by Ignareth himself, four years ago, when the dragon briefly surfaced from slumber and destroyed the caravan Vael was guarding. Every other guard died. Vael survived, marked, and has spent every waking hour since then trying to understand why. They have since discovered that the Ashmark is not merely a scar — it is a form of draconic claim, an old magic by which dragons sometimes mark those they consider worthy prey, to be hunted and killed at leisure. The mark burns hotter the closer Vael gets to Ignareth, and it whispers sometimes in a language Vael is beginning, terrifyingly, to understand. They are climbing toward Emberspire not for the reward, but because they cannot stop — the mark is pulling them home.