Pardon me... Yes, you're the one. My master and mentor told me you would be here. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Castinar Eleas. You may call me Castinar. As I said, my master sent me here. He understands you are looking for "adventurers"; his auguries portended you might need one of my skills?

What are my skills? I am a Druid. My master is Jasonovi, Guardian of all under the Stormhorns and Thunderpeaks. Yes, under. We are those known as the Grey Druids, keeper of the ecologies of the underground. Yes, it is a bit unusual for an Elf to seek the underground, but not unheard of. I serve a dual purpose in this endeavor...for I am also a Ranger... and I keep guard over the underground and watch over my "cousins" the Drow Elves. There have been several raids in the past made by these elves; with my abilities and my knowledge of the Underdark, I seek to put a stop to them. Of course, I also seek to put a stop to all who would upset the ecological balance of even these darkest of realms.

While I am barely past my apprenticeship, my master has given me many skills which will keep me, and any companions I travel with, alive; that is, should we find ourselves in the underground areas. While not as good as a Dwarf in detecting stonework traps and the such, I am easily able to find fresh food and water while underground. I also have many friends among the animals of the underground. I can track the passing of creatures, or avoid the same creatures, as circumstance dictates. (Yes, even in darkness, creatures leave traces of their passing in their heat signature, which I can pick up with my infravision). And I can speak the tounge of certain underground creatures.

Let me warn you; should our paths chance to cross with those of the evil Duergar (underground dwarves, they are to dwarves what Drow are to elves), I may have to take certain steps of my own. These creatures disrupt all natural life within the Underdark, building their mines without thought of the consequences of what they do. Normal dwarves are bad enough, but they don't usually delve as deep as the Duergar; consequently, the are a lesser danger to the balance of the ecology.

What do I expect to gain out of this? Mainly, experience. As I indicated earlier, I have just finished apprenticeship to my master. He thinks that working in your employ will 'broaden my horizons'. As if travelling to the Spine of the World didn't do that. Now that trip really opened my eyes. I had grown up with an unfathomable hatred to the Drow Elves; and who did we meet? None other than Drizzt Do'Urden. It was he who taught me to use my scimitar; and he who softened my heart to the plight of the Drow. Always before, the stories said that the Drow were unredeemable; yet here he was, as selfless and good as an elf can get. Now don't get me wrong, he warned me and I believe that most Drow elves are still truly evil; he just makes me wonder if our cousins might one day, centuries down the road, see the light (no pun intended here) and return to our ways and our Gods and forever renounce that dark Goddess of theirs. I hold to that hope; in the meantime, as I travel through the underdark, I seek others of those who might be as Drizzt is; longing to be free of their dark heritage.

I see it in your eyes, so I will ask your question for you. How did an elf grow to seek the underground areas. Let me explain a little of my early childhood. I was born to a clan of elves that inhabited the forests around the slopes of the Stormhorns. My parents were both guardians of the realms. When I was but a young child, our forest came under attack from orcs. (I was not in the village at the time...as a child, I was well... where I wasn't supposed to be (of course). I had found a friend on the mountain slopes; and though I wasn't supposed to travel up the mountains by myself, I occasionally went up to meet my friend). Anyway, as I was in the mountains, our village came under attack. When I saw the smoke rising from the forest and the vile creatures on the slopes below me, I panicked and ran. A few hours later, I made my way back in the direction I had come from (somehow, even in the mountains, I knew my way back). What I saw then made my heart stop... an army of orcs camped on the slopes. There was no going home that way. I wandered around for a couple weeks trying to find my way around the encampment, and finally made it. I snuck into the village only to find it deserted Near the outskirts of town, I found out why... a sigil left on a trunk indicated that at least part of the clan had survived. Unfortunately, the sigil was the sign of the Retreat; my family had left for Evermeet. (I can only hope that my family is with them; I have no way of knowing).

At a loss, I fled back to the mountains. I was unable to locate, much less activate, the gate which would take me to that blessed place. And, more than likely, the gate was destroyed anyway. I wandered back into the mountains, trying to decide what to do. I could try to contact another elven tribe, but at my age, I wan't sure about making a long trek. Eventually, I found a cave to take shelter in from the weather. While not my choice of shelter, it was defensible for a single individual.

After nearly three weeks in the mountains, I chanced upon an individual who eventually became my master. Jasonovi, (my master, as you recall) was catalouging the wildlife within the various caves and underground caverns in the Stormhorns. When I described my plight to him, he acknowledged that the orcs had been on the rampage recently. He, however, didn't blame the orcs for their behavior (an opinion which nearly made me take up arms against him). He explained how a race of evil Dwarves (the Duergar) forced the Orcs out of their underground sanctuary. He also explained that several elven clans in the local area (thought admittedly not all) had 'mysteriously' left. I understood that they had probably made the retreat to Evermeet, but the knowledge didn't help me much. With the Orcs about and the Clans gone, I realized that I was on my own. At my age, that was not a welcome prospect; therefore, when Jasonovi mentioned he had need of an assistant, I welcomed the offer.

What followed for the next eight years was amazing. He realized upon our initial meeting with me and my friend (did I mention my friend was a badger with whom I could communicate?) that my skills would compliment his own. While uncomfortable in the darkness of the underground, Jasonovi worked with me and gradually I grew accustomed to it. I took well to the training of the Druid; in addition, his previous training as a Ranger gave him the background to teach me still more. Many were the days we would range through the underground tunnels and caverns; many were the wonders he showed me. I came to realize the diverse ecology and abundance of life that was present in the darkness. I grew fond of the old Druid and decided that I would serve him as long as he would have me.

In the years that followed, we ventured throughtout the region. Occasionally visiting villages and towns for supplies, but usually sticking to the mountainous caves and underground regions. Twice, we visited Elven villages. In both cases I was told I could make my home with the Elves and get away from the Underground, a place I was told "no Elf has business in". I wouldn't give up what I now saw as my purpose though... Jasonovi had taught me too well. I did make a deal with the Elves though... I would keep tabs on the movements of the underground races (Drow, Duergar, Orcs, goblins, and others) and would let the villages know when to expect raids. In return, I had a place that I could visit to provision myself (one that didn't cause me too much discomfort; I hated the crowds of even the smallest human towns).

My training was nothing if not complete. In the darkness, we would spar with each other. Jasonovi would teach me how to anticipate the direction of an attack by sound or even the slightest breath of wind. Fighting in the darkness became second nature to me. He also showed me how to track the passage of creatures both with and w/o light. I was amazed... he showed me that even in darkness a creature could be tracked, using the special Infravision I had been gifted with as an Elf. (He himself had acquired a ring which granted him the same power). Since almost all lifeforms leave a trail of heat in their passage (which dissipates at a slow rate), one can track their passage and determine (knowing what the creature is in advance or finding some other physical signs of their passing) how long ago they passed. Jasonovi also showed me how to find food and water while in the caverns (not as hard as I'd thought prior to his teaching). Lastly, he showed me the habits of various animals which made their home in the underground. All in all, my training was very informative.

One event did happen which might be important to you... I'd mentioned my hatred of the Duergar to you, and you might assume it was due to them precipitating the attack on my city. That is not entirely true... I'd come to realize that Mileikki had a place for me in her service (under Jasonovi) and no longer mourned the passing of my family. One day while underground, we chanced upon a small Duergar raiding party (a group of four dwarves). This party included a shaman or two with them. We followed them for a while (at the time, neither Jasonovi nor myself attacked anything without reason). They soon stopped and set up a camp. These dwarves were taking part in a strange ritual (which we found out shortly was the creation of an Undead creature). When the finished the ritual, an ethereal spirit formed in the air in front of them, and 'entered' the body of one of the Dwarves. This dwarf 'became' Undead at that moment. Unfortunately, its unnatural senses noticed us and attacked. Jasonovi led the attack with his scimitars, which literally passed right through the creature. In the middle of my advance toward this creature, I froze. The evil and unnaturalness of the thing paralyzed me momentarily. I wanted to do nothing more than run away... but I wouldn't leave Jasonovi here. Fortunately, he had the same idea, and together we fled. Days later, we returned better prepared to deal with the menace. What we saw made me sick... whole caverns had been made lifeless by the passage of the beast. Grimly we tracked it down... Jasonovi dealt with the creature using a spell granted to him by Mileikki, one which had the power to hurt the creature... while I dealt with the other three Duergar. When we were finished, not one creature remained alive. Ever since that day, I have been especially wary of the Evil dwarves, and have sought to slay them when I may.

My time here is at an end now... I shall return in a day or two and hear your decision. Please consider carefully; I have strengths which may aid you, but have weaknesses which may hinder you. I have been as honest with you as a being may... the decision is yours. Until we next meet.