Lord Vasilios of the Kihem Kingdom; and Cyrus, attendant to the Spirit Guards
Prologue
I can't say much of my early childhood. It was a simple life filled with common daily tasks that one might expect from someone living in a remote area. My mother and I lived in a small community on the northern border of the Sapphire Plains, not very far east from the Field of Souls.
Because of our close proximity to the Field of Souls, we had little trouble from criminals or conflicting nations. Traditionally, it had always been taboo to allow any conflicts between the kingdoms and clans to come near the Field of Souls. The belief was that inciting or participating in an open conflict so close to such a sacred land would ensure being cast into the abyss when the gods finally awake. That left little room for prejudice in our community.
The land surrounding the Field of Souls is known as The Refuge. It stretches along the borders of several nations and, for reasons mentioned above, feels little loyalty to any of them. Our small community, known as Mulare, was one of many in The Refuge.
Residents of The Refuge are scattered throughout the land in small organized communiated like Mulare; they typically fend for themselves. The commodities and luxuries of the towns and cities that truly pertain to the kingdoms and clans weren't easily available to us near the Field of Souls, but the peace we experienced was ideal.
Not just anyone is allowed to enter The Refuge and, thus, the Field of Souls. Those intending to enter the territory need permission from the Spirit Guards, the wardens of the Field of Souls. They're humans like anyone else, but are highly respected; they're the ones that look after the souls of our deceased ancestors. Naturally, that means that they're those who will speak for or against us when the gods awake. So long as they stay within The Refuge, they're above the laws of the human kingdoms and clans.
The Spirit Guards don't tolerate any sort of chaos. Those who commit serious crimes, like murder and large theft, are typically given a weapon, some armor, and a small supply of provisions, and sent deep into the lower levels of the labyrinth to die fighting the creatures of the abyss. Less serious crimes, including public dishonesty, are usually punished by exile from the land.
I think that's why my mother chose to raise me in The Refuge. So long as she kept a low profile and behaved, the world wouldn't find her there.
Chosen to Assist
At a young age, the Spirit Guards took an interest in me and chose me as an attendant to help them in whatever tasks they might have. It's not extremely uncommon to be picked among the residents of The Refuge but it's still considered to be a privilege. Especially because Spirit Guards are recruited primarily from their more favored attendants and becoming one is almost a guarantee to have a place in the afterlife.
My mother considered my new responsibilities ideal and encouraged me to devote and prove myself to the Spirit Guards. This meant that she permitted me to shirk some of my household chores in order to allow me to give more time for the work that the Spirit Guards gave me. I quickly learned that I had a talent for crafts and dedicated myself to a variety of tasks ranging from making tools to building needed structures. I was even occasionally permitted to help in extending the secure, upper levels of the labyrinth.
I made a good impression with the Spirit Guards. With the exception of a few, they all seemed to like me. It appeared that my life was going to be a simple one in The Refuge. However, things eventually got complicated.
Heritage
Although I was raised as a commoner named Cyrus, I'm actually the first son of Lord Torin of the Kihem Kingdom and the rightful heir to its throne. However, I was abducted in my infancy by one of his handmaidens, Rachel. I believe that she was only trying to protect me. It was a dangerous time in the kingdom. Our land had been thickly saturated with assassins, saboteurs, and spies from several of the other kingdoms and clans. Our kingdom was the strongest of all the human nations and was steadily growing, something the dwarves didn't particularly like.
Publicly, the dwarves didn't do anything to directly interfere with the human affairs. However, many believe that they sponsored the fall of our kingdom. It never completely crumbled, but its modern state isn't even half as powerful as it was before our enemies came. It was during that time that my true mother, the Lady of the Kihem Kingdom and Torin's first wife, passed on to the Field of Souls. It was assumed that I had died the same night as she did, but I was actually rescued.
I will always remember the woman who rescued me as my mother. Even so, I wish she told me the truth, rather than wait for me to learn it on my own.
I was sixteen when I learned of my heritage. After participating in a ritual burial in the Field of Souls, Micah, a Spirit Guard, took me aside and told me that he had been having dreams about me. He said that he had visions of me uniting all of the human kingdoms and clans under the Kihem Kingdom. He pictured me on a great war elephant, shouting commands to troops decorated in dwarven steel, routing the hill giants, and solidifying our place as equals to the dwarves. He also said he had visions of a night many years ago. It was the night of my abduction and the death of my true mother. He saw the assassins kill the Lady and then proceed to my quarters. Rachel, however, noticed something was going on, and saved me from the assassins. They never found me.
I didn't believe Micah at first. Apparently, he had trouble initially accepting his visions, as well. He stated he had these visions for weeks before he eventually took them before the 7th Oapir council, the order of Spirit Guards to which he belonged. After much consideration, his council decided it prudent to tell me of his dreams. That shocked me.
Spirit Guards don't just walk around speaking their mind to people. While the gods may be sleeping and don't communicate to us directly, they often connect with the Spirit Guards through their dreams. In some cases, these dreams are brought before a council and discussed in great depth. A small sample of these cases result in a decided upon action. These actions, or mandates, are considered divine.
Micah took his dream through all of the above steps. By divine decree, I am the the first born son of Torin. My true name is Vasilios.
Departure
After learning of my heritage, I couldn't help but approach my mother and ask her the truth about my past. She was a bit startled when I asked but, after some hesitation, conceded that she thought this day might come. Tears came to her eyes and she stated that I am, in fact, the son of Lord Torin. Among many other things discussed, she also confirmed that she "slipped away with me on the very night that the Lady of the Kihem Kingdom was assassinated."
Now knowing of my destined position on the throne, I wasn't sure what to do. I liked my simple life in The Refuge. I didn't know the ways of the courts. I had been raised as a commoner that might eventually become a Spirit Guard. Micah's visions implied that I would be a great ruler but I was still uncertain. I needed some time before I could accept what I had learned.
Late in the night, while my mother was sleeping, I gathered up a few of my belongings and left. I headed toward the Kihem Kingdom. I only intended to leave for a week at most and I left a note for my mother explaining such. However, I quickly lost myself in a new world and several years passed by before I would return to Cyrus'.
Choosing a Path
I was only away from the Refuge for a couple of days before I was attacked by highwaymen. Unfortunately, I had little in the way of riches, so they decided to teach me a lesson for not having anything of value. They knocked me to the ground and began beating me. Then I heard some shouting in the distance and the thugs began to flee.
I looked up and saw several armed men engaging a few of the remaining robbers. Once those thugs were subdued, they bound me and began interrogating me. I was unconscious before I could even answer the first question.
When I awoke, I was lying on a bed in a small cell with one of the robbers that had attacked me. Seeing that I was no longer unconscious, he introduced himself as Victor and then asked my name. I gave him an awkward look but didn't answer.
"Ok, I'll call you Tak. That's my little brother's name and you kind of look like him." Victor went on talking about his little brother while I just sat in disbelief. Was this not one of the men that just attacked me? "It was nothing personal, Tak. Plus, I was just a lookout. If it makes you feel better, I never like seeing Oliver and the others punish our victims for not having anything to offer."
After seeing that I wasn't going to open up, Victor decided to keep quiet. A few hours went by and a couple of prison guards approached the cell. "Hello Victor. Is your friend finally awake?"
They took me out of the cell and to a room with a large muscular man. He began asking me questions like who I was and where I was from. After about five minutes of answering his questions, the door opened and in walked two Spirit Guards; one of them was Micah and the other was his daughter, Takara.
I stood up from my seat in surprise. "It wasn't hard to figure out where you had gone Vasilios." My eyes widened at the use of that name. "Don't worry, Mirus is a friend." Micah motioned to the man that had been interrogating me. "Did you come here to fulfill your destiny?" I looked down.
Micah began talking to me about the human kingdoms and clans. For generations they had been constantly feuding amongst themselves and subject to the dwarves. Furthermore, on the other side of the mountains and hills were collections of disorganized humans in need of a strong leader. Micah stated that I could be that leader. The gods didn't intend for humans to be second to anyone. Now, through his dreams, they have shown me the future that united humans can have.
Micah then proceeded to tell me that while I didn't leave The Refuge for the best reasons, coming here may have been a good decision. He suggested that if I decide to follow my destiny, that I start here by joining the local guard where they have lots of trouble with bandits. I could both learn the use of weapons and get some good exposure to the cruel side of life.
I considered the prospect. "Micah, If I am what you say I am, then I will do as you suggest." I glanced over at Takara and, after making eye contact, forced my eyes on to Mirus. "What must I do to join the militia?" I sneaked a glance back towards Takara; she sure is pretty.
Marus looked me up and down. "Well, you're a bit young to become a full-fledged soldier, but I can employ you as a soldier-in-training." I nodded.
Preparations
Micah returned to The Refuge but left Takara behind as my teacher. She was three years my senior and extremely young for a Spirit Guard. Still, she was educated, elegant, and spoke very well. Micah thought it wise to have her instruct me in the more intellectual skills that might be expected from a lord.
As for my training in warfare, Mirus was very diligent in making sure I learned what I was supposed to. He rarely worked with me personally, but he did have quite a bit of influence over those that did. They drilled me far harder than they did the other soldiers-in-training.
Over the next year or so, I bulked up and completed my time as a soldier-in-training. Hunting bandits wasn't an extremely dangerous task. They avoided conflicts with the local soldiers, largely because of our numbers, and would flee any time we found them at work. Still, I took my share of injuries. Fortunately for me, Takara possessed some divine powers that she would use to significantly speed the healing process.
My relationship with Takara wasn't only as her pupil. I often consulted her for advise and direction as close friends might do. Eventually, we found ourselves romantically interested in each other.
I spent less than a year as an actual soldier before Micah decided to pay me a visit. He brought two scrolls with him. One was a signed testimony written by my mother and the other was written and signed by the Spirit Guards; both stated that I was the eldest son of Lord Torin.
It was time to go to the courts and state my heritage. Micah and several Spirit Guards would be my escort; Takara would not be among them.
Micah wasn't necessarily opposed to Takara and my romantic involvement, but he believed it would be best to keep her out of the initial political discussions.
The Kihem Court
I had expected us to march right into the courts and present the testimonies to Lord Torin. Micah had a different plan. He wanted me to meet several of the members of the court prior to making the testimonies public. He explained that we would need as much support as possible.
The first few weeks of being in the city of Kihem were dreadfully boring. We visited several members of the court that Micah felt we shoult visit. Fortunately, all I had to do was make a good impression. Micah was the spokesman.
We had a general routine that we'd follow, with some variation, for each meeting. The nobles would ask some formal questions about the sleeping gods and Micah would respond with some standard answers. He then began to speak of relationships with the other kingdoms and ask about matters in the Kihem court.
Eventually, Micah would come to the point that the gods had spoken to him concerning the Kihem Kingdom. He would then unravel and read the scroll written by the Spirit Guards. Following that, he would read the one written by my mother.
In the end, Micah would state that he plans to publicly bring the matters before the court, and that he had already gained the support of others; he would often name specific people depending on who he was talking to.
All of the nobility we approached, although initially surprised, seemed very supportive of Micah and our intentions to go before the court. They agreed to prepare the court for our announcement. That took several more weeks.
Finally, the day came on which I was to step into the court and announce my heritage. I dressed in fine apparel that one of the nobility we visited had given to me. As planned, our entrance into the court was announced as a special message for the Kihem Kingdom from the Spirit Guards.
Lord Torin watched us intently as Micah, the envoy of Spirit Guards, and I walked to the front of the court. Micah then read the scrolls. Loud whispers began to fill the court halls. Then Roheir, my younger brother, stepped forward. "So the rumors are true. Someone is claiming to be my deceased brother."
The Political Arena and the Battlefield
News of Vasilios "returning from the dead" spread all throughout the kingdom. Talk of me being an imposter or the true heir erupted in the courts and political arena. It was confirmed that I did have resemblance to my father and brother, but it was also conceded that such features would be sought after when looking for an imposter.
Lord Torin wasn't certain how to take the news. He didn't know what to believe. As a result, he mandated that I be watched over and protected until he came to a decision.
Roheir, understandably, was one of the instigators in calling me a fake. After all, until I came along, he was the heir.
Seeing the political turmoil that erupted, one of the neighboring kingdoms, the Dekinne Kingdom, sought to capitalize on the situation and declared war on the Kihem Kingdom.
We were ill prepared for their assault and almost immediately lost a significant amount of territory to their forces. However, Lord Torin was quick to respond and assemble the Kihem armies. Both Roheir and I would attend to our father as his armour-bearers.
Over the next few months, I had several opportunities to get to know my father and my brother. My father was a dedicated man and seemed sincerely interested in getting to know me. He asked questions about Rachel and how she raised me. He asked what I did for fun as a child and, when he learned of my interest in Takara, he asked about her. He also interrogated me from time to time to see if I kept my stories straight concerning my heritage.
Roheir and I never became friends. We were enemies from day one. Still, we learned to tolerate each other and, as time went on, both of us seemed to lighten up. We even managed to exchange jokes from time to time.
With Lord Torin leading them on his great war elephant, our armies managed to take back most of the territory we had lost. Eventually we came to a stalemate with the Dekinne armies. We were both far too entrenched to be routed. Still, Lord Torin was intent on taking back at least the territory we had lost. Small skirmishes ensued.
Each time Lord Torin went into battle, he would take either Roheir or me with him. In one instance in which Roheir went with him on the elephant, our father didn't come back. He was struck by an arrow, knocked to the ground, trampled by his mount, and killed.
The Kihem Kingdom was about to be in a huge political mess and the courts knew it. A peace treaty was signed with the Dekinne Kingdom.
The Next Lord
Roheir and I returned to the city of Kihem to be thrust into several political debates. After nearly a month of discussion, the courts finally decided to make Roheir the new lord under the premise that Lord Torin had never confirmed me as his son nor named me as his heir.
Several questions went through my mind. Were Micah's dreams interpreted correctly? Did I do something wrong? Have I done everything I'm supposed to do?
Roheir extended an invitation that I stay in the palace as a resident. He also told me that he would give me a responsibiIity as a noble if I desired. I shook my head. The past several years were spent preparing for the moment that I would be given the kingdom. Not wanting to be remembered as the failed son of Lord Torin, I left. I returned to The Refuge.
Micah was waiting for my return. I apologized to him for my failure. "Are you apologizing because you failed to do anything about your jealous, murderous brother?" I was taken back. "Think about it, Vasilios. Your father had all but publicly named you his son and Roheir knew it. If Roheir wasn't responsible for the death of your father, than he's at least responsible for not honoring his wishes. You both knew that you're the rightful heir."
Micah paused and I considered his words. He continued. "More importantly, I can prove that he's responsible for you father's death."
A Fight for the Throne
The people weren't completely loyal to Roheir. Many of them were willing to fight for my cause. Especially when they learned that he had been consulting with the Dekinne only hours before the death of Lord Torin.
It was a long and bloody civil war that followed. In the end, a small group of my men and I were forced to the mountains. In desperation, we entered one of the dwarven mines. I knew doing so would be risky, but it didn't seem like I had any alternatives. I could die at the hand of Roheir's army, risk getting eaten alive by giants in the mountains, or try hiding in the dwarven domain.
It wasn't long before the dwarves discovered our presence and cut us off from the entrance to the mine. We fled deeper into the tunnels, knowing well that we could outrun them and their short legs.
I don't know how long we spent in the tunnels but we were eventually caught. Except, it wasn't dwarves or giants that found us; they were humans. There were light ones with iron tools and dark ones with iron weapons. Did we find a path to the humans on the other side of the mountains? How is it that they managed to get the dwarves to allow them to have a mine? Maybe this is how I obtain the dwarven steel that Micah saw in his dreams.
Background Facts
Cyrus is Torin's son but he wasn't the heir to the throne that disappeared. He's an illegitimate child that was never publicly recognized. Rachel is Cyrus' true mother. Furthermore, the reason why Victor compared Cyrus to Tak, his younger brother, is because they're related; Rachel's brother is their father.
All in all, the above background is written from Cyrus' perspective.
Special Ability
Cyrus has the Snatcher ability with the recall limitation. When he recalls an item, it will appear as described by the ability, save it will be accompanied by small visible waves that exude as a silhouette of the item. The larger the item, the larger the waves. A slight buzzing sound can also be heard if there's little noise in the immediate area. These same effects will be manifested when Cyrus sends the item back, except the waves will appear to be getting sucked in instead.
Important NPCs
Marus
A large muscular man that oversaw the training of Cyrus when he was preparing to become a guard. He's a good fighter with the axe and a decent interrogator. Marus was one of many that fought on Cyrus' side during the Kihem civil war.
Micah
A Spirit Guard of the 7th Oapir council, Micah was extremely involved in bringing Cyrus before the Kihem Kingdom as its rightful heir. He's an excellent speaker and extremely charismatic. Cyrus considers him a devoted friend.
Oliver
A leader of a band of highwaymen that mugged Cyrus. Oliver is short-tempered and violent-natured.
Rachel
Cyrus' actual birth mother but believed to have just been one of Torin's handmaidens. Why she allowed Cyrus to believe that she isn't her mother is a mystery. One important fact to note is that she never actually said that she wasn't his mother, nor did she say that the Lady of the Kihem Kingdom was her mother; she just allowed Cyrus to make assumptions.
Rachel has a calm and peaceful nature. She's positive and seems sincerely interested in Cyrus' well-being.
Roheir
Cyrus' half-brother and the pronounced lord of the Kihem Kingdom. Roheir didn't get along with Cyrus from day one, but he never made any motions of actually wanting to hurt or kill Cyrus until the Kihem civil war.
Roheir is stubborn and proud. He's very talented with the sword and wields a fine quality thrusting broadsword made from rare steel. Roheir is also known to be an excellent shot with the bow, even while he's mounted on a moving elephant.
Tak
Victor's younger brother and Cyrus' cousin. Tak has never met Cyrus and neither one of them are aware of their relation by blood. Tak serves as a scout and lookout for Oliver's highwaymen. He wasn't present when they attacked Cyrus.
Takara
Micah's daughter and a Spirit Guard, Takara is remembered by Cyrus as one of his dearest friends and as his love interest. She's beautiful and, like her father, very charismatic. Even so, she dislikes public speaking and seems to prefer to keep her company to small groups. Takara manifested the ability to heal using supernatural means.
Torin
Cyrus' father and the late lord of the Kihem Kingdom. He was killed in a battle with the Dekinne kingdom. Micah proved that Roheir set up his father's death by linking the testimonies of several witnesses, ultimately demonstrating that Roheir made a deal with the enemies.
Victor
A highwayman in Oliver's group that's trying hard to maintain himself as a decent person among rough company. Victor is Cyrus' cousin, unknown to both of them, and attempted to befriend him when they were in a cell together.
Kingdoms
Kihem Kingdom
Few Terravan nations have been able to persist as well as the Kihem Kingdom. Considered to be one of the most developed human nations in the land, this kingdom has many allies and enemies. It has also maintained the attention of the dwarves for a long time. Many people believe that the recent civil war between Cyrus and Roheir was somehow sponsored by the dwarves.
Dekinne Kingdom
The Dekinne Kingdom is a young rival nation to the Kihem Kingdom. It's not nearly as developed, but it's quickly rising and considered to be one of the most powerful human nations. When Cyrus was last in the area, the dwarves hadn't seemed to do anything about its growth.