As promised, character backstory...
Arun's Tale
When the Enclave was attacked and destroyed by the Dragon, Arun was in Plexus attending his wife's initiation into the clerisy of Cadic. As Tultipet was so heavily focused on the worship of Larissa it was determined that the best training Ankristna could receive would be at the Temple of Cadic in Plexus. So once Arun completed his training and took his vows as an Initiate, the newly married couple travelled to the city in the south of the Coryani Empire. Although the final days of the Coryani Civil War engulfed the Empire, no one bothered the pair of dwarves on their journey. They posed neither a military threat nor had obvious wealth worth robbing. So despite the rigors of travel over such distance, they reached their destination unmolested.
The night before the attack both Dwarves were troubled by evil dreams of fire and death. They knew not what they meant, but they sensed trouble was ahead. As soon as her initiation was complete and her vows as a cleric of Cadic complete, the couple hastened home. They hoped they could consult with the seers there and learn the meaning of their dream. As they got closer to home they encountered travelers who told them what had happened Tultipet. While they wanted to deny the truth, they sensed the worst had indeed happened. All they knew, all their friends and relatives, the homes they grew up in and the home they hoped to share into old age, were gone. Seeing the still smoking crater filled with ash and cooling magma confirmed their fears. For all they knew they were the last of their kind.
Upon seeing the Enclave's destruction, the couple debated it's meaning for days. Had they proved unworthy of the Goddess that she would visit upon them such a hideous fate? Who could have released the beast from its bonds and why? What should we do with the rest of our lives? These would seem to be short because it would appear that the Heartstone was destroyed with the rest of the Enclave.
They concluded that their respective Gods must have a Plan in mind for them. Why else spare them this fate? To believe otherwise would be to give into despair and hatred for those that released the Dragon. Going down that path would have them become worse than Reavers. No doubt the beings that released the Dragon deserved the worst punishments possible. But their fate would be determined by the Judgment of Nier.
When the crater had fully cooled they found they could descend into its depths and miraculously still bathe in the Heartstone's glow as it welled up from beneath the earth. Apparently even a True Dragon could not destroy what Illiir had created. This confirmed in their mind that the Gods had a Plan for them. But what?
Arun's Heirloom Weapon--Madchenstich--Maiden's Sting (Side Sword)
Madchenstich was my mother's weapon. She was a priestess of Larissa. While protecting a group of Milandisian pilgrims en route to the First City she fought off a group of bandits. One of the pilgrims commented that for a maiden (madchen) she had quite a "sting." Thus the sword was named. After she married and began raising a family she retired from the priesthood. She gifted the sword to me when I took my vows. With the destruction of the Enclave it's the only part of her I have left.
