It began a long time ago, on an undiscovered island somewhere on earth. In an ancient monastery, hidden away from the cycles of strife and conflict, the island's monks honored their respective gods through study and quiet contemplation. Since the island's population split in half many years ago, the monks maintained a constant vigil across the land, forever watching for anything that may threaten their life of peace and tranquility. One day, everything changed. On this day, it was the job of a young acolyte named Grettirr Strongheart to take his place at the lookout post. As Grettirr kept watch, an unsettling feeling began to well up inside his gizzard. He could sense something was wrong. Suddenly, without warning or sound, the egg thieves attacked. The hideous creatures stormed into the monastery, ruthlessly ransacking every hatchery in their path. With the cries of his brethren echoing throughout the halls, Grettirr fought valiantly to help them. but it was too late. The monastery was lost, its hatcheries emptied, though a few eggs survived the attack. Managing to escape, Grettirr was plagued with feelings of guilt and confusion. How could he have missed the invaders? Rumors began to spread about his negligence, with many branding him a coward and a traitor. Unable to bear the shame, Grettirr isolated himself from the world, wandering alone in search of inner peace. Eventually, Grettirr found a second chance at life and a means to move on from his past, deciding to cease his solitary wandering, settle down and start a family with his mate Llyggeia. Unfortunately, however, this time of joyfulness was to be short-lived. On a fateful, dark and stormy night, just 3 days after Grettirr and Llyggeia's firstborn hatched from their egg, a group of vicious humanoids raided their home, but Grettirr was ready for them. He fought bravely to defend his family, but was later badly outnumbered. Soon exhausted, trapped and weakened by his wounds, Grettirr still had some fight left, but one of the attackers caught him by surprise and cut of his head for no apparent reason! Only the timely arrival of Grettirr's best friend and most trusted partner (who was a scratazon from a planet far from earth) prevented the remaining family members from sharing his fate. Of course, 4 months later, Llyggeia died from heartbreak, orphaning the infant hatchling twins. The son, Shaarrd, was affectionately named due to a piece of eggshell found clinging to his downy coat, and the daughter, Storrmm, named due to being born during a thunderstorm. Many earth years later, Shaarrd and Storrmm studied hard to become guardians, but Grettirr's legacy, however, had left a dreadful stain upon his children. A chance to redeem the family's honor would arrive during the twins' final years of training.
