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Mankind never changes. He will always be filled with greed, with hate, wanting what he doesn't have, hating those that are different. It wasn't different on Avarill. How Man ended up on this world was shrouded in history, a long-forgotten past. Perhaps, in the beginning, there had been peace. But no more. War had struck and for nearly a century, as Man, ever wanting to expand and take what was not his, fought to take the land from those who had been here long before his arrival. The Elves, Gnomes, Dwarves, Halflings and their like had fallen back until they could make a stand. Ever encroaching, Man had taken the land left behind, seeding it with his own kind.
But, as with all things touched by Man, corruption became rampant. Nobles, who in the beginning, were established to see to the well-being of the masses, sought only power. Magic was a part of Avarill and magic could be twisted. All things and all beings born of Avarill were touched by the magic of the land, and corrupt mages learned ways to harness that magic. They learned to kill for the energy released from the death of their victim, using it to their own ends, twisting all that was good of magic, to their hands.
In such a world, it is not surprising that a Guild of Mercenaries was formed. For war had become an artform. Not all fighters were required to register with the Guild, but those who were smart, who wished to have a forum of their own to air their grievances, did so. For a yearly fee, membership was obtained and the Guild grew. But it was small, compared to the Nobles entourages and their personal armies, containing trained soldiers, as well as conscripts from the lands they held. Yet, because of the ever increasing needs for mercenaries, this Guild was allowed to thrive and as it did so, gave the mercenaries within it's frame more freedom than was usual. Small sub-structures were added to the Guild, those containing mages for hire, as well as trained healers. All available to others and to the mercenaries within the Guild for a fee. The Guild also provided the smart mercenary a way to bank their funds, and even to increase it, with permission, by the Guild's investment into a business or the like. This gave the mercenaries of Avarill more freedom to chose who they would fight for and when. And as with all organizations, oaths were established. And woe betide an Oath Breaker. Many a Noble had found, in mistreating or misusing a mercenary group, that suddenly, none were available for hire.
But again, things change. A group of Nobles and their Officers plotted with their bloodmages, seeking ways to gain more than they had before. And in doing so, they found a way to use their power to wipe the memories of those beneath them, making them malleable to their ends. First, it was tried upon those that most cared not for. The innocents of small villages and farms to see how successful the strategies were. And it went beyond this, the blood mages learning how to harness their power, and by taking their human victims and a captured beast, melding and twisting them together into one being, creating the first true 'monsters' of Avarill. As with all things new, there was a downside to the experiment, for with the twisting, intelligence was lost in the mix, their creations taking on the instincts of the animals that were used and in a loss of intelligence. Yet still they continued, hoping to gain an army of such creatures and to be able to create those that were intelligent enough to take command. The mind-wiped victims of the travesty were given new memories, memories of death and destruction, of learning to kill and be killed and amidst all those created, a handful were found to be intelligent enough to lead small bands. And with each success, this handful of ambitious men spread their evil, first taking volunteers from mercenaries unaffiliated with the guild and with promises of power and riches, began to experiment on them. All memory was wiped, except their training in fighting and in obedience to orders. This gave the mages the control they needed over the mass of twisted creatures of their design. Yet still they experimented, now moving to the Guild mercenaries, catching them unsuspecting and wiping all relevant memories from their minds, twisting them.
The Corrupt Nobles, intent as they were upon their experiments either did not see, or in their arrogance, did not heed the reactions that these experiments were having among the mercenary troops who inadvertently came upon those results. And, as is the course of human nature, rumors began to spread. The next step of the experiment was started. Taking the largest and most vicious killers of the animal kingdom, the mages used an evil "twist" of magic, melding together the bodies of the humans and animals, creating a creature that took all the viciousness of the animals, all the natural weaponry and enough versatility to be able to be trained in the use of human weapons.
With the mind wiped and conditioned, the only law they obeyed was the law imposed by their masters. It was during one of the conferences of the Corrupt Nobles, after a successful experiment had been made, that a lone sergeant, coming to report, overheard a conversation of how the Corrupt Nobles could now turn each mercenary into controlled army. In horror, he turned to get away, knowing that if he was found, he would be the next victim of this atrocity. He fled, only to be spotted and racing to the horse lines, he grabbed the first horse at hand and raced away, the cries of "Traitor"� ringing in his ears. The camp in an uproar, the Corrupt Nobles dared not let him escape, yet escape he did. The entire camp was roused to follow him, bring him back, so that he too could be twisted.
His personal troop stood in shock, unable to believe that their sergeant was a traitor, he who had obeyed every order, though he might have been loathe to do so. One mercenary, quickly gathering her wits, went about the ensuing disorganization and gathered supplies and coin. One who believed in the man, not in the Nobles, had seen enough horrors to begin to question for she had seen some of the dregs of the experiments of the Corrupted Nobles. With enough on hand, she went to her tent, armed herself and saddling her personal warsteed, then went out with the troops in search of the traitor.
Yet, unknown to any she road with, she had another agenda, As the troops spread out seeking his trail, she fell back until she could draw away. She slipped into the night, her own search beginning, a search that took two days of hard tracking until she found his horse roaming free. Setting the tired animal on the run again, she back tracked until she found where the sergeant had set the animal free, the followed his tracks to a nearby copse, only taking time to make sure she covered both their trails. It would not delay the troops of the Corrupt Nobles, but it would delay them and give the sergeant time.
She found him and she offered him her loyalty, letting him know she had seen what had been transpiring and had kept silent, for life's sake. Between them a plan was devised. They alone could not fight the Corrupted Nobles, now corrupt within their eyes beyond redemption; however, she had kept her ears open and knew that there were others within the army that had also been made uneasy by the new changes. They set out the next day, riding double until they were able to purchase a horse, then rode out again, more relaxed now, since there were two and the Corrupt Nobles were seeking a lone mercenary.
They reached a village, where there was some small trouble, the villagers having suffered from the depredations allowed them within the army and thus Adrian was set upon. Watching, knowing he could handle himself, she made sure that the fight was fair, insofar as that no one would be able to disarm or harm the sergeant. When the young, would be warriors were defeated, they entered, the local tavern, which became silent upon their entrance, and choosing a table, ordered food and ale. The villagers watched them with wary anger, and it wasn't until they ordered room that the tavern keeper approached them, advising them that they wanted no trouble there. It was then that Nara advised him of the thugs who had assaulted them but other than bruises and a concussion or two, had been left relatively unharmed.
Seeing an opening, they spoke of their dissatisfaction with the army and the way it was being run and began to order drinks for those within the tavern. Adrian learned of the atrocities being done to the villagers, particularly to their women of child bearing age and he casually let it slip that there could be a possible way to change the status quo, though it would need people of great courage. Thus it was that they established the first of a series of check points for mercenaries like them to be forwarded onwards. The numbers would still be against them and the only thing they could do until they grew in number, was to sting the nobles, fight them when they were least expected, then run into hiding. With this in mind, they road out and began to search out the villages, the inns, finding those who would serve as way stations to send onwards to them.
During their travels, they came upon a mage unlike any other that they had previously met. Nara finally saw the reason that Adrian had fled, when they were attacked by an enemy that chilled her to her soul. The still looked like they were human in ways, yet their features were those of the animals that the mages magic had twisted in some obscene way into them. There was no intelligence, no sanity within the eyes of the creatures. The three fought them, Reaver's magic all that prevented them from being overwhelmed and so the party grew by one. As they road, setting up further check points, all wondered at where they would be able to set up so that any mercenary not happy with the status quo would be able to find them.
At one point, needing a rallying location, they found a young noble woman, alone within a run down castle, struggling to survive. Highwind's, with the permission of the Lady Noisette De La Coure, became the rally point for all those who no longer believed in the war that the Nobles waged. With this disbelief began to come questions. Were the non-humans that different from themselves? Were they as evil as they had been painted by the nobles? Now, a search went out, seeking out the non-humans, not to kill, but to learn about them, to see if all was a lie. Overcoming the conditioning of generations, the rebels began to welcome the few non-humans who sought them out, learned about their one time enemy and found them to be friends.
Others, disillusioned, sickened by what they had seen, and some, fearful, joined them. For now, it was not villagers that the nobles began to twist into these fighting atrocities, but the mercenary army. Whole troops had disappeared, only to be replaced by the Twisted as they were now being called. Their numbers began to increase. Under the stress, Nara, always seeming to understand those around her with an uncanny ability, had a gift suddenly appear, full blown and out of control. Empathy. She now felt what everyone around her felt as if it were her own feelings and they conflicted within her. But it did not end there, for what she felt, she projected to those around her, instigating all manner of discord, of fear.
It was only with the aid of a foreign healer, Hitomi Otaiwado that she was able to learn to shield herself, to prevent her gift from driving herself and all those around her mad. The link between her and Adrian was now explained and it only grew. During this time, there was an attack and the village fired. Adrian went out to aid the village and it was not until the attack was over that Nara realized that he could not be found. Going to the village, she found that none had seen him and without word to any of the others, she went hunting for him once again. A week went by before she returned, tired and road weary, but it was not Adrian who walked beside her horse, but one of the Twisted.
The rebels, fearful, would have killed Vayden, except for Nara. Somehow, the creature, half man, half bull, had managed to escape, mind intact, but with nowhere to go. She had found him, ready to kill himself on seeing what he had become and it was only because of the gift she had despised that she had managed to make him willing to live, to fight the nobles who had done this to him. Vayden was accepted, but in the beginning, only in her presence. Living with the rebels seemed to bring more and more of his humanity to the fore, except at times of battle, when he would be the raging beast that they had made him. Vayden repaid her, time and again by defending her in every battle that they faced, becoming her staunch defender.
At this point, still learning the limits of his power, Reaver "created" his mount, Leiden, as well as casting a spell web around the castle to protect it from attacks magical. Finally, when their attritions began to be felt, Lord Adamire, with a vast army, sought out Highwind's Castle and began to lay siege, intent on destroying the castle, but if possible to keep the leaders alive to punish before all those who might also think to rebel. Under Nara's command, the rebels used the tunnels Noisette told them of under the castle to escape, however, she knew that they would find them if some distraction was not made. Unknown to Reaver and Vayden, struggling to make sure that as many of their number found the tunnels to escape, Nara gathered 40 men and mounting her warsteed, led them out the front gates, charging at the army about the walls. Their goal was the leader as she knew that with him engaged and in danger, the troops would not be paying attention to the diminishing numbers upon the walls.
As soon as they were clear, Reaver drew the power holding the spell web that protected the castle into himself, before leaving the castle, not wishing the nature of it to become known to the Corrupt Nobles. Adamire, High Lord of the Nobles, seeing Nara charging towards him, allowed his men to decimate her followers, while he took out her horse. Before she could free herself from its body, Adamire took her captive, and then had his men attack the fortress. Once it was known that the castle was deserted, Adamire, using his magic, razed the castle to the ground. To keep Nara from struggling, he knocked her out and when she awoke, she was chained to a dungeon wall.
After torturing her, he released her into a specific area in the castle, stationing men at different intervals to test her, as one would test a rat within a maze. Unknown to Nara, her 'escape' from the walls was planned by Adamire to see what she would do. He had no intention of allowing her to escape, however, luck was on her side. Unbeknownst to Adamire, the only remaining descendent of the line of High Kings was in the area and upon hearing her battle cries as she fought Adamire's minions outside his castle walls, came to her rescue.
Following her directions, Ramius took her to where the rebels were camped at the foothills of the mountains to the west of where Highwind's Castle had once stood. Battered, beaten, but unbroken, she returned, to learn that one of their scouts had found a fortress upon a plateau, high in the mountain fastness. The rebels, nursing their wounded, Nara among them, fled to the fortress, led by Reaver, Adrian, Jonathon Reinhardt and Duncan Alvictor.
During this time, another healer, Selena Damien, had joined them, Hitomi having traveled away from the band, seeking to gain herbs and potions for healing before returning to the band. The rebels were harassed all the way to the foot of the plateau, where a switchback trail on one side of the mountain made it possible to pick off the small bands that Adamire had sent to pick them off. Reaching the castle, finding it desert except for a band of archers and a handful of old servants. Nara, now healed by Selena's skills, confronted the leader of the archers, Draco and gained access to the castle.
Reaver immediately set up his spell web to protect all of them from attacks by magic, as the rest began to set the castles to rights and see to the defenses. Still people came to join the band, even with the defeat at Highwind's. One such was a young girl child, her mind warped by the atrocities done to her, her fear of men causing her to even attempt to jump from one of the high windows of the castle. Initially, it was Nara who was the trusted one who managed to calm the girl, but then, for reasons unknown, Reaver, who didn't care for any of the others, with the exception of Nara and Vayden, took an interest in the child and began to train her manifesting psychic abilities.
As the days passed, Ramius began to court Nara, only to be gently rebuffed time and again. It was only after Reaver, gaining in power and working his spells upon the Minotaur, Vayden, that it became apparent to all why. For the minotaur was Adrian who had been captured, twisted and changed before his mind had been wiped, so that, in punishment for his traitorous behavior, he would see what he had become before losing his memories. He had managed to escape and it was only through their link that Nara had known who she had found. She had kept his secret, protecting him and following his orders for the duration of the change. Only one thing Reaver could not do and that was to change Adrian's new height, which remained the 7 feet of the minotaur.
A young woman of Noble birth, yet skilled in fighting, joined the rebels, rebelling herself against her father who desired her only to have "womanly" skills and to wed where he chose. She had hidden her budding gift in magery, not wishing it to be used to the harm of others. Ramius, looking upon Salindra Vashal, began to court her, knowing he could never win Nara's affections. Winning his suit of Salindra, he wed her, and after the wedding, began to be come secretive and distant, even to her.
Fighting continued, with the Nobles attempting to get siege engines up the switch back trail, only to have them fired and destroyed before reaching the top, though troops and Twisted still managed to make their . The fighting remained fierce and to further protect the castle and its diminishing residents, Reaver created his Bloodborn and the Thornwall, a poisonous and carnivorous plant that surrounded the exterior of the outer moat. Only those who were 'keyed' to it by Reaver, Nara, or Adrian could pass through its environs.
It was only these, winter and a massive blizzard that managed to save the rebels at this time. After the storm, fire was seen in the woods that stood 100 yards away from the keep and Nara went out to investigate. It was then that she met the Nightmare and seeing the magnificent the "demon's" horse form, and having been raised to admire a good beast, she tried to woo him to her side. It was only after the two of them battled and she managed to barely beat him that she won him to her side. When spring came and no attacks, scouts were sent out to find out the reason. It was learned that the Nobles had finally broken ranks and had begun to fight amongst themselves, some of them even insane enough to try and band together to destroy Adamire.
During this peace, Ramius went out, taking Salindra with him and they disappeared. Taking advantage of the peace given them by the Nobles insurrection, the rebels began to go out and speak to other mercenaries, the lesser Nobles and the people of the land. Through this means, they finally grew steadily, gaining in number and allies, though still scattered throughout the land. After two years, Adamire finally settled the Nobles and turned his eyes back to the rebel faction. War had returned. And thus, began our story. . . . . . . . |
