Joseph Lagrange was born and raised in the city of Cassomir, on the western border of Taldor. His father and mother both glassmakers, Joseph’s early life was of relative ease and comfort. He started to learn his parents’ craft at an early age, as the large house the family lived in also housed the glass workshop where many bottles, windows and other glass goods were made. It all came to an abrupt end when Joseph’s parents both died when he was 15 years old, the victims of bandits.

Joseph’s skills as a glassmaker were too meager to continue the family business, so he took the easy way out and started selling the tools and wares that his parents left him. Eventually there was precious little left to sell, and so Joseph turned to gambling with the remainder. Gambling turned into addiction, which in turn lead Joseph into a life of crime to fuel his obsession.

Among gamblers, the name Desna was often uttered, as she is the Goddess of luck. As Joseph’s life turned darker and darker, he started to curse Desna for the bad luck he’d had, both in gambling and in life. Despite the ill will, this created a small connection between the Goddess and the pitiful young man. Deep inside he understood it was his own fault, but he could not face it.

After a few years, Joseph found himself in a group of thieves, and the scale of the crimes increased. One dark night, the group attacked a carriage transporting valuables, and the situation escalated. Joseph killed a man. After the adrenaline wore off, his heart sank as he realized he had become his parents’ killer. It was in this moment that Desna touched Joseph’s heart, and promised him purpose in exchange for his eternal devotion. Desna made him see how his own choices had lead him down this path, but that he still had the freedom and the ability to change it. Thus Joseph’s darkest moment was also his brightest, and while the guilt will never leave him, neither will Desna’s grace.

Joseph does not know what Desna has planned for him, but Her first bidding was to leave behind the tiny corner of the world he had known his whole life, and take up travel and adventure. Desna above all delights in new experiences, and so must her most devoted followers.