Clan Esstyrlynn was one of several dragonborn clans in the eastern Heartlands. These clans led a semi-nomadic life between a number of settlement zones, depending on the season and weather. In time, sustainability needs of such a life style resulted in establishing relationships between the clans and the druids in the region.

Rethek was one member of the Esstyrlynn clan who opted to listen to nature. He frequently visited Tahnon, a human druid who agreed to mentor him. He would spend more and more time in the cold depths of the forest, and felt the call of a yew tree that stood alone in the middle of a clearing in the woods.

One day he was asleep, his back on the yew tree. In his dream, he saw the tree not in its usual place, but on a river bank. A heavy pair of doors, as tall as the tree, stood behind the doors, without any walls to surround them. In the span of seconds, the clear sky filled with dark clouds. Thunder clapped and a single bolt of lightning fell on the tree. Rethek woke up to this sound and found himself lying on the ground, flung away from the tree. He felt a burning pain on his neck. The tree was split in two along its length, and was charred. A blackened piece of wood that broke off the tree lay next to him. He took the piece and went to see Tahnon. The mentor took the piece of wood and sent Rethek back to his clan, to speak with the clan sage. The sage, upon listening to Rethek's dream, was convinced that this was a sign, as he had seen the same dream. Clan elders gathered to convene, and ultimately decided that the place in the dream pointed to a large city far to the west.

Rethek's destiny was set. Preparations were made, and a bundle containing a few valuable equipment was given to him. A few other dragonborn who heard the story, some of whom belonged to neighboring clans, sent him small trinkets as charms of luck. On the morning that he was to set out to join a caravan that would take him to his destination, his mentor Tahnon arrived at the clan settlement. He gifted Rethek with a flute that he carved out of the blackened yew wood, and asked him to carry the melody of branches and leaves wherever he would travel. This was the final moment that Rethek saw of his former life.

Artist: https://www.artstation.com/z7thsin_7061