Talien's history begins in one of Swordquest adventure books, "Quest for the Unicorn's Horn." The quest involved one Talien, a young Kuven (whatever that is) and leader of one hundred men. He gained his position after the premature death of his father at the hands of ogres, and he soon finds that a position of power doesn't make his life any easier. Because I ran my own Dungeons & Dragons campaign at the time, Talien didn't often get the opportunity to adventure. Since the books were compatible with the game system, I ported Talien over whenever I got the chance to play. Which is sort of pathetic, I know.