Anthaxious Vermant, The Tempered Knight
Dec 18, 2015 20:21:23 GMT
Post by Rifkin on Dec 18, 2015 20:21:23 GMT
Original Name: Anthaxious (before Adoption)
Full Name: Anthaxious Vermant
Alias: Anthaxious, Anth, Thax
Titles: The Fallen Knight, The "Tempered" Knight (this name is a joke, a slight against him for his transgressions)
Race: Human
Class: Paladin/Barbarian
Age: 24
Height: 6'1
Weight: 80 kg
Hair Colour: Brown, Long
Eye Colour: Green
Skin Colour: Pale White
Build: Athletic & Toned.
Visible Markings: A very faint scar underneath his left eye, so faint it would require the person to be standing right infront of him to notice it. A scar on his right hand (main hand), A scar on his right shin.
Origins
Birthplace: Icewindale
Home ages 0-6: Kandahar
Home ages 6-20: Athkatla, Amn
Home Ages 22-24: Roaming About the Sword Coast
Current Location: Stormglass Shores
Occupation(s)/Life History: Child of the North (former), Knight of the Radiant Heart (former)
Deity(s): Torm, Tyr, Helm (Order of the Radiant Heart Chosen deities, his faith now Defunct)
[Character Theme Song] ( youtu.be/i3eUJ27MQYs )
Anthaxious was born in the Northern reaches of the Icewindale, Kandahar was his home just south of The Vale of Shadows. This was a common place for many Barbarian tribes to congregate, they would nomadically move throughout the mountains but would often leave their young children to be watched over by the village elders. They were reavers, this was the way of the North. To take what you could from others was not seen as evil or morally unacceptable because the North had always been a brutal place where only the strong would survive. The weak were the prey, they were the sustenance that allowed the others to flourish in the North. It wasn't until one fated day though, that his village would have upset the one group of individuals it would come to regret. The village had a rather bountiful raid on a travelling group of adventurers, or so it seemed. These adventurers were unlike any they had ever seen before, fully plated and dressed in fineries the like of which his village had never seen. The plated men had slaughtered countless numbers of their raiding party, including Anthaxious' mother. This was first and last time he had ever seen his father cry. This was also the day where he first learned the true strength of his emotions. He didn't know what to feel in that moment when his father explained the circumstances to him. The raid had been deemed 'successful' because of their spoils, but the victory was sour for both his father and Anth. He was too young to fully understand the loss, he kept expecting his mother to come home one day, to see her ridging over the hill as he had seen many times before. Somedays he would sit and wait there, staring into the distance, watching and waiting, hoping and praying that his mother would just come home. There would be no coming home, his mother was burned at the site of the battle, as was their tradition.
Anthaxious' Parents |
Child Anthaxious |
Little did anyone in Kandahar know, that their 'successful' raid was in fact the death knell of their village. The Order of the Radiant Heart had been campaigning up North, trying to free the people of the tyranny of the raiders. Tasked with their holy orders, they would not stop until their mission was complete. The death of the Squad of Knights previously sent to quell the raids on travelers through the north had only bolstered the resolve of the Order. When they heard back about the death of their squad they sent a full company of mercenaries, three squads of knights and an outfit of war priests to accompany. This was retribution, this was justice for the slain knights. They would have their justice, and by the sword it would be sewn. On the day of the battle, they had tracked down the raiders to the nearby outer villages of Kandahar. Kandahar had escaped the scrutiny of others because the raiders often would disband before returning home, they would split up and take different paths to confuse and disorient any would be trackers. This was pointless with the storming of their outer camps, the relatively unorganized raiders of the north were no match for the hired mercenaries, let alone the actual Knights of the Order. They were routed and the remaining living raiders fled back straight to Kandahar. Leading the Order straight to the village. The Knights wanted to setup a barricade outside the village and demand the raiders be sent to justice in return for the safety of the village. This is not what happened though, the mercenary company hired had chased the fleeing raiders straight into Kandahar, and without the order of the commanding Knights they set upon the village as if every adult was guilty. They burned the buildings, they slaughtered and massacred any person whom did not straight up and flee. When the Knights finally arrived, they were furious. They demanded that the leader of the Black Talon Mercenaries be held responsible for the atrocity of slain unarmed and uninvolved villagers. The mercenary company nearly killed the knights there on the spot, but after deciding that it would not be good to anger the Order of the Radiant Heart, they instead left them to desolation of the village and took their spoils (as they would no longer be paid in full for their services) from the wreckage. It was then that the High Commanding Knight, Lord Jared Vermant, noticed the boy. Anthaxious stood over his father’s corpse, crying violently. His sobbing was abrasive and shrieked, he could barely contain himself, his face flushed red and his eyes soaked with fresh tears. Jared approached Anthaxious slowly, his face grimacing realizing the scene before him. Anthaxious looked up at the Knight, expecting this to be his end, he panicked and grabbed his father’s side arm, a tiny knife for a man, but the equivalent of a short sword in the hands of a child. He leapt with all the power he could muster, his shriek even higher pitched than before, but this time it was a shriek of pure anger. He would draw blood if he could, he would not give this bastard the satisfaction of his death without any struggle. The Knight completely taken by surprise, watched as the child slammed his dagger vainly into the lower plate on his chest. The clinking of metals and then the bright red drips on the snow. Anthaxious had slid the blade down his hand, cutting himself moderately and causing his hand to bleed into the snow. Instead of making any more noise, Anthaxious fell dead silent. His gaze dropped to his own hand now, realizing the futility of his actions, his eyes ceased their tears, now all that sat in him was confusion. He was furious, helpless, and unable to do anything in this moment but stand there, lip trembling and eyes burning with hatred. Lord Jared bent his knee and simultaneously grabbed the boy by his wrist on the armed hand. The bloodied dagger fell into the snow.
"Now child, I am willing to forgive your transgressions if you are willing to forgive my incompetence... I..."
Jared looked about the complete destruction and corpse’s strewn about the snow.
"I cannot right this wrong, but I can at least begin my atonement... What is your name boy?"
Anthaxious took glances between his bloodied hand and the knight towering over him.
"Anth... " he stammered, "Anthaxious"
Jared's mouth slightly tipped into a smile.
"Anthaxious? What a peculiar name... You will come with us child. I will accept you as my very own ward."
Lord Jared Vermant |
They left Icewindale with due haste and were back in Amn, and specifically Athkatla in record timing. Not only did they make haste because of the weather and the seasons changing (a healthy desire not to be trapped in the Spine of the World for the winter) but also because of the news that must be delivered in person of the transgressions the Black Talon mercenary company had slighted them. Anthaxious was used as a prime piece of evidence, he gave his account of the event to the other Lord Knights and they were all surprised at the malice of the company, and also some of them slightly unnerved by the lack of emotion present in Anthaxious. They all unanimously accepted the actions to be taken, the mercenary group was to be fined and outlawed within Athkatla, and the Mercenary leader would have a bounty taken out on him. A large bounty at that, 500 electrum centaurs (500 gp) for his capture, dead or alive. With the formalities out the way, Lord Jared informed the Lord Knights of his adoption of the boy, and they all gave their blessings, albeit some of them wondered in Lord Jared knew anything in the ways of raising children.
Anthaxious didn't like life in the city. He didn't like pretty much anything, he had been emotionally shutoff ever since the incident in Kandahar. That was no issue for Lord Jared, he was not for the discussion of emotions, and he himself was a hard man, a just man, but a hard one none-the-less. He often would task Anthaxious with duties far beyond his capabilities, partly due to his own incompetence in determining the competency of the boy, but also due to his desire to test the boy for his own good. Anthaxious never argued or complained about the duties, he would accept his punishments for deeds unfulfilled and he would nary cry a tear over the lashings if he were caught in contempt with the Orders principles.
Over the years, Anthaxious grew a sense of accomplishment with the Order, he had gone from simple ward, stock boy, and errand boy finally arrived at his Squiring ceremony at the ripe age of sixteen. The other Lord Knights were of no complaints at this point, Anthaxious did have a passion, and proved himself in battle training, proven himself in discipline, he may have lacked some of the nuance of the more philosophical sorts, but the Order's tenants and the creed were recited without fail. He may not have known exactly what all of it really meant, but he was confident and proud.
"Rise Squire Anthaxious Vermant"
"May the light of our justice be carried within my heart, and may the love of our duty shine radiantly." Anthaxious repeated after Jared.
"You're a squire now Anth..." Jared smiled coolly, he was both impressed and humbled by the sight of his decade of work turning a boy into a man.
"I will not disappoint you my Lord." Anthaxious knelt, not knowing how those words would come back to haunt him.
Teenage Anthaxious |
The Quest and the Girl, Part 1: (Song -> youtu.be/aghpdH7qXic )
As was customary of a freshly Squired initiate, they would set out on a quest to fulfill their Knightly duties and also serve as the Squires first field test. He would be expected to act as any other Knight in duty and honor, but of course would not be treated as such. The life of a squire was meant to be trying, he would accept any adversity that was thrown his way. There was no other option for Anthaxious, unlike many other Squirelings, he was not from some noble family, he wasn't some upstart that was seeking fame and glory, that could at any moment’s notice take leave and still have a life ahead of himself. Led by none other than Lord and Commander Jared Vermant himself, they set out from Athkatla to provinces edge near the Umar Hills. There had been reports of Kobolds and other Monsters massing in the region, and this while not uncommon in this part of Amn was still sign for concern. Monsters massing usually means one of two things: A Raiding party massing, or some greater monster gathering an army. The latter being much worse than the former. The group were to meet with a local farmer to figure out where to set out to look for the Monsters hideout. When they arrived it was a scene of a massacre. Something about the bodies strewn about the ground reminded Anthaxious of his scarred childhood. The memories of the past came rushing forth like a torrent of pain. His lip tightened and his eyes focused on the devastation.
"By the gods... We're too late." Lord Jared said in a dejected tone.
"It looks to be kobolds and something larger, humanoid... Sir, you might want to take a look at this."
One of the other Knights had already found something of interest for Lord Jared, brandishing a steel blade he handed it to the Lord Commander.
"Forged Steel? Hmm... Perhaps this belonged to one of the farmers here?" Jared poised the question.
"Unlikely sir, these men were farm hands, and there is no militia outfit in this region... And even then, why would they not take the weapon?" The knight replied.
"Excellent point... What is it these creatures were after?" Jared removed his helm at this point and cradled it under his arm.
"Anthaxious!" He bellowed unnecessarily, as Anth was only a few paces behind.
"Yes, m'Lord?" Anthaxious replied in haste.
"Fetch me my blade and shield, there might be some of the bastards still about." Jared said calmly.
Anthaxious rushed to the pack mule, nearly tripped and fell straight into a muddy puddle but stumbled into the mule with a thud.
He drew a sword and sheath from the pack on the left side, and unlatched the shield from the harness. Deftly he made his way back to Lord Jared and presented him the armaments.
"Excellent... Now arm yourself men, we're on alert until we figure out what's going on here." Jared commanded.
Anthaxious flew with all speed back to the mule again, this time expertly avoiding the slippery sludge and began handing out weapons from the mule to the other men.
The Quest and the Girl, Part 2: (Song -> youtu.be/6EEI29jzIXs )
It was at that point that they all heard the scream.
"Over there!" one of the men shouted, pointing in the direction of a gathering of trees, the beginning of the forests edge.
"With me men, stay in formation and keep your wits about you, this may be a trap..." Lord Jared bellowed as he started the march, each man falling in beside or behind the next, following in the standard military formation for a simple squadron.
As they approached closer to the origin, the screams became less frequent and more muffled.
Anthaxious taking up the rear next to the freshest Knight and least trained of the crew besides himself, slowly marched forward, he looked to the side and seen what he was sure was a kobold darting into the bushes.
"Over there!" he exclaimed in a whispered tone.
The other man took a glance in that direction and nodded.
"Stay close men, eyes on your sides, I'll not have us be flanked." Lord Jared demanded.
That's when they saw her, a young woman, could not be more than fourteen years of age, being carried away by a lumbering Orc, and tailed by what seemed to be at least ten kobolds.
The man beside Anthaxious suddenly let out a shriek, he had stepped on an improvised spike trap laid by the crafty kobolds.
"Gods! My leg!" he screamed as he looked down in horror at the mangled shin.
Just then kobolds descended from every angle, out of ever bush, some of them seemingly popping out of thin air.
"AMBUSH!" Cried Jared.
"PHALANX NOW!" He shouted again.
The men fell into a huddle of shields locked into each other. This was training Anthaxious knew well, he had practiced for many years, well before his squiring, which was unusual, but his whole situation had been unusual.
The man with the trapped leg tried to muster himself properly into the Phalanx, but stumbled on his broken leg and a kobold's spear caught him straight in the neck.
"AUGHHH!" he exclaimed, gurgling the last of his words and breath as he slumped downwards.
Anthaxious knew he had to close the formation again, so he deftly shoved the man forwards out of the circle and closed up the hole.
"One!" Jared cried out.
"ONE!" a man replied as he jabbed forwards into the first kobold that prodded at him. The blow easily cleaved the kobold in twain.
"Three!" Jared yelled this time.
"THREE!" another different man answered, also thrusting his blade deep into the belly of a kobold, the satisfying cry echoed into the forest.
"Six!" Jared shouted.
A moment passed and no one said anything.
"SIX!" Jared yelled louder this time.
Anthaxious realized his mistake immediately, he was to take the position of the downed man, but in the commotion forgot his training.
"Six!" Anthaxious yelled out, and stabbed at the nearest Kobold, connecting with its face, it fell down, grabbed its face screaming and ran off.
"Pay attention, for God's sake boy!" Jared reprimanded Anthaxious.
The remaining Kobolds were too few to surround the group at this point and Jared grinned at this development.
"Break formation, kill the bastards!" Jared exclaimed finally.
Each man breaking out of the Phalanx and pursuing the Kobolds, half of the remaining Kobolds dropped their weapons and fled, the others were slain almost immediately.
They surveyed the carnage, only one man down and no longer any sight of the Orc carrying the young woman.
After they dealt with their dead companion, taking the time to give him his proper rites and blessings, they hadn't the time to bury him but they managed to hide his corpse within the brush out of sight as to avoid his corpse be defiled by the kobolds or anything else.
They pressed onwards towards the direction that they had carried the woman away in, at the end of the path they found a gaping hole in the hillside. The stench permeating from the cave was immense, whatever was inside did not smell pleasant. Bones scattered the outside grass, human skulls, kobold skulls, and some other bones from other animals, deer and the like. There was an odd smell of brimstone as well, for whatever reason this made Jared uneasy, Anthaxious made specific note of his manner.
"They must have taken her inside here." He peered around to make sure there was no other avenues of entrance or exit. After their cursory inspection of the area, they decided to proceed inside the cave. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness inside, they noticed the stench got considerably stronger, the sounds of dripping water echoed throughout the cave and surprisingly not much else could be heard. They quickly found the back of the cave, it was not as deep as they had expected, and with that Jared looked backwards towards his men.
"Torch." Jared said at no one in particular.
Anthaxious procured the torch from his pack and placed it in Jared's hands. He lit the torch from his flint and the darkness was cast aside by the flickering light. Inside the cave there was a more peculiar boulder slid in what appeared to be a crack around the edges. Jared noticed it first, and each man followed his eyes and nodded.
"A hidden door." Jared pointed out.
Jared spared no time, sidling up against the rock he thumbed at different men to join him, they all did with haste and together they all shoved the boulder back, with surprising ease at that. It seems there was some mechanism on the boulder that allowed it to roll freely, the combined force of the men was too much for such a mechanism and they sent the boulder crashing off into the side of the cave. A loud boom from the clash echoed deep into the cave. Shortly after, what almost sounded like a faint roar was heard. Jared's demeanor changed again, for the first time Anthaxious had seen, a look of concern came upon Jared's face.
The Quest and the Girl, Part 3: (Song -> youtu.be/sbSQlR8zPkA )
Together they trudged down the cave, stench assaulting their nose all the way down. They were going down, deeper, lower, and darker. The torch barely cast enough light for all them to see properly ahead or behind, let alone in the nooks and crannies the cave had provided. It almost seemed sinister, as if some kind of magic was dimming the light, but no one could be sure. They pressed further on, each step increasing Anthaxious' anxiety, he had never been in such danger before. Jared kept tabs on the men, and kept the lead until they reached what seemed to be an opening, the tunnel turning into an expansive cavern. The light of the torch could nary see the extent of this opening, it was massive. There was no safer way of entering, so Jared once again commanded the group to enter the Phalanx, this time in a whispered tone.
"Phalanx, on me."
They closed in, shields raised to chest height and standing less than a pace apart, they moved in unison into the large cave. That was when they seen her, strapped down on an altar. She was gagged and bound, her hair flinging furiously as she tossed and struggled. Just beyond her they could make out the Orc, in the dim light they could make out something adorning his head, it looked to be a human skull on a spike. He seemed to be chanting something at the darkness beyond him. That's when Anthaxious noticed the glints and gleams shining in the distance all around them, they flickered back little specks of the light from the torch... Eyes, all around them. Kobolds, possibly hundreds of them. They did not approach though, whatever it was, they seemed to be half transfixed on the group and some completely ignoring and staring towards the spectacle of the altar and the Orc.
"We're surrounded." Anthaxious murmured to the group.
"Aye, they're too many for us to engage in a straight up fight." One of the other men stated.
"Quiet! I'll be the one making the orders, stay on me and keep your mouth shut!" Jared said in a quiet, yet stern tone.
He slowly progressed the group towards the Orc. This is when the Orc began to speak, surprisingly in the common tongue.
"HEAR ME OH GREAT NVERYTHLL THE ETERNAL FLAME! WE HAVE BROUGHT YOU A BOON, A SACRIFICE IN YOUR HONOR!" He bellowed. The chorus of Kobolds began to shriek in unison, a chant in draconic that Jared would recognize.
"Gods... Helm, Tyr... Torm... Give me Strength!" Jared exclaimed, as everyone noticed the bright flash of light emitting from the other end of the cave...
The Quest and the Girl, Part 4: (Song -> youtu.be/RcTeQ6UEx7k )
The flame shot out forth from the massive beast, lighting the cave for all to see. Hundreds of Kobolds, maybe more, adorned the cave on all sides, in all nooks and crannies. The Red Dragon, the largest creature Anthaxious had ever seen in his life bellowed a loud roar, and its claws made pounding thuds against the ground.
"BY THE GODS! RUN!" One of the other men said, as he turned to flee. Jared looked back with a burning anger.
"You bastard! Run and I'll have your head!" Jared screamed, but it was too late, the man had already turned tail and disappeared back into the hole from whence they came. The other men seemed uneasy now, they would not abandon their leader, but four men against a Dragon were not good odds. Jared's dismay and concern was plainly written on his face, he looked back to Anthaxious and there was a moment they locked eyes. It was almost as if they had said their goodbyes, the look on each’s face explained it all.
"Get the woman! Get the woman and get out of here Anth!" he exclaimed. The other men seemed panicked at this order, they might have figured what it meant he was going to do, but they were obedient, they trusted their commander.
Anthaxious bolted towards the Alter and Jared stepped forward with the remaining men at his side, he walked straight up to the Orc, who had at this point turned and brandished a cruel looking greataxe. Jared locked eyes with the Orc, the Orc laughed madly.
"For My Queen! FOR NVERYTHLL!" He lunged at Jared, but Jared ducked the blow, unfortunately for the man next to him, his reflexes were not enough. A clanking of metallic noises and a thud of a head rolling on the ground. This Orc must have been powerful to take the head clean off. Jared looked disgusted but kept at him, he bashed the Orc with his shield but was shoved back by the Orc's brawn. He stumbled and fell to the ground. The other man walked up to the side of the Orc and slid his sword like butter into the Orc's lower abdomen. The Orc coughed violently, laughed more, grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him off the ground choking him one handed. God's this Orc was strong. Jared found himself to his feet and lopped the leg of the Orc, nearly taking it clean off, but some sinew and bone kept it barely attached. The Orc fell to the ground now, dropping the other Man from his grasp. Anthaxious freed the woman from her bonds and slung her over his back. He looked back to Jared and noticed the Dragon lumbering forwards towards them all.
"RUN! RUN ANTH! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Jared screamed, emotional and strained, he had never heard or seen Jared like this before. He would never see him like this again.
Anthaxious hesitated a moment, as if he thought maybe there was more he could do. The Dragon reared its head and a blast of flames consumed the man beside Jared, his screams echoing into the cave, followed by a chorus of Kobolds cheering and screaming "NVERYTHLL!"
Anthaxious had never ran so fast in his life, how he managed to find his footing and carry the woman at that speed he'll never know. He had taken one last glance as he popped back into the hole. Jared was circling the beast, shield raised high and sword at his side. He thought he heard Jared say something at the massive beast, but he couldn't make out what it was.
Jared vs. Nverythll |
As he made his way back up the path, he noticed the man whom had fled earlier... Laying in a pool of his own blood. That's when Anthaxious realized they were not alone. He set the woman down against the cave wall. She began tugging at the gag in her mouth, while he armed himself for combat. Two Kobolds popped out of the darkness, expecting to have surprised him, but there was no such advantage. Anthaxious immediately skewered one of the Kobolds on his blade, the other side stepped and held his spear over his head for a massive thrust. Anthaxious tried to reel his shield in to protect the blow, but he was stabbed in the leg. He dropped to one knee and grunted in pain. The kobold could not free his spear from Anthaxious' right leg. The Kobold let go of the spear and began searching for his partners spear. Anthaxious tried to steady himself but the pain of his wounds was debilitating. The kobold frantic and afraid could not find the spear. That's when the Kobold sprayed blood all over Anthaxious. The woman had taken the spear and thrust it clean through the Kobolds head. Anthaxious looked down at his wound, his first combat wound. His memories of meeting Jared and cutting his hand rushed back, and it was all too overwhelming. It all went black for Anthaxious.
The Quest and the Girl, Part 5: (Song -> youtu.be/sgBZHTptkKI )
When he awoke, he was no longer in the cave. He found himself within what seemed to be a wooden cabin. There was a man standing over him.
"He's waking, I dare say, this may be the luckiest Squire to ever live." The man covered in a bloody apron and wearing spectacles. Anthaxious didn't know what to respond, he was dazed and confused. The memories of the Dragon and Jared and the Orc and the men dying, the stench. It all flew threw his head. He looked down at his leg, it was bandaged, and the pain was there but very numb. He felt considerably ill and strange at that moment. He heaved and turned to his side and voided his gullet all over the wooden floors beside the bed.
"Ah, the poppy is making you nauseous, but it will take most of the pain away lad." The man explained. Anthaxious felt less dizzy after that, and his eyes adjusted to the room. That was when she entered.
"Oh, he lives!" She exclaimed with a brimming smile on her face. Anthaxious would take in every aspect of her beauty at this moment, as if he was seeing a divine vision, her skin glowed and her hair was flush and full. In this moment, it was almost as if all the tragedy, the massacre he had just witnessed did not happen,
"You owe this little lady your life!" The spectacled man said, with a smile and a chuckle.
"Father! He saved me first, he owes us nothing!" She exclaimed, in a mildly frustrated albeit playful tone.
"Where are we?" Anthaxious groaned out. The spectacled man smiled softly at Anthaxious.
"We've taken you to Esford. The farm is being retaken by the finest mercenary group Amn has to offer. The Black Talons. It cost me a pretty penny, but it's worth it to reclaim my family’s birthright!" the bespectacled man explained.
For some reason this name sounded familiar to him, but all it brought back was memories of Jared. Mental pain and anguish soon took him, his face cringing at the thought of how he lost the closest thing to a father he had left in this world.
"Is something the matter boy? Do you need more milk of the poppy?" The spectacled man asked.
"It's nothing... My Lord Commander did not make it, I must return to Athkatla to deliver the news of our failure." He said in a solemn tone.
"You'll not be getting about too easy in this condition boy, you'll need to rest and gain your strength before you make a journey like that." The man was right, he was in no condition to make the journey.
"Can you send word? My Order would surely repay you any costs for the messenger" Anthaxious pleaded.
"Of course boy, but why are you so concerned with all this when you've got dinner to eat, you've not had anything for over a day boy!" He interjected as his daughter came back into the room with a tray of food and three steins of ale, one for each of them.
Shireen Meadows |
The Knighthood (Song -> youtu.be/_5yholzkCUI )
Time had passed, and Anthaxious grew to know both the woman's father, Terran Meadows and his daughter Shireen. When he had regained his strength he returned to the city of Athkatla, Shireen had insisted she accompany him and pleaded with her father to let her go. He was reluctant at first, but he realized her desires and let her go after a night of arguing. He had wished his daughter would not have taken interest in a man like Anthaxious, the adventuring type were not long for this world, and he would hate to see the heartbreak it would cause her if she were to lose someone she held so dearly. On their travels Shireen and Anthaxious grew even closer, and when they reached the City she was amazed and taken aback by the wonders. She had never seen such architecture before, living her whole life in the farmlands outside of the small city of Esford. When they reached the Order's city sector he took her to the nearby temple and asked her to wait for him there. The Order was a chaste one, and he would raise suspicions if he brought a woman back with him. The Order did accept female initiates and they were just as respected as any other, but every member was expected to put duty and honor before personal desires, romance and companionship. Anthaxious entered the gates, solemnly nodding to the other Knights and Squires, each of them already knowing what must be the truth of the situation. The Squire would never return without his Knight and Commander if he was still living. Anthaxious was quickly summoned into the inner chamber, where the Knight Lords would discuss in private matters of grave importance.
"Anthaxious... Lord Jared..." The Knight Lord Gerald said in a dejected tone.
"He gave his life valiantly, all the men did." Anthaxious lied, but he did not have the heart to explain the cowardice of dead men.
They made him explain every detail down to the last, no tidbit of information would be left unspoken. When it came to the explanation of Anthaxious' survival and the woman, the Knight Lords all seemed to take a moment and nod at each other. They ordered Anthaxious leave the room while they spoke in private, Anthaxious wasn't sure what or why this was happening at first.
"Anthaxious." Lord Gerald invited. He returned into the chamber and there he noticed it. They had brandished the chalice and the sword. Could this really be happening? He was only sixteen, surely they could not be doing this here and now. Little did he know that there was more to this than he had considered. The Knight Lords were not fools, they could see the way he spoke of the woman, and this caused them concern. They had no desire for the life and works of the Great Lord Jared Vermant to be wasted on a romantic fling that would cause him to be cast from the order. They had to quell it now, and what better way to do so than to weight him down with the full duties of a Knight? They knighted him then and there, in what would come to be seen as one of the gravest mistakes the Order might have ever made.
The Great Hall of the Order of the Radiant Heart |
The Knight (Song -> youtu.be/DJFD5WA3020 )
Over the years Anthaxious raised himself up in the ranks of the Order, at a speed never seen before the likes of him. Despite his duties and work he found time to visit Shireen, she had moved just outside the city of Athkatla, worked in a tavern as a bar maiden, all just to be closer to Anth. He would take pains to keep the secrecy of his meetings, often utilizing disguises and imposters to allow him to move freely without the notice of the Order. His sinister actions were born of the love of this woman, although he knew that they could never truly be wed, he had no other desires. The life of a Knight was a mere inconvenience to him, and while he was exceptional at the job, he was never enthused or appreciative of his commendations. He grew tired of the Order, he felt he was living a lie, as he was, but it was not the woman whom he wanted to lie about. He wished for a simpler life, he no longer held the aspirations of his childhood. The constant bickering of other Knights drove him to seclusion, he rarely spent time with the other knights of the Order, and this continued to set him aside as the black sheep of the group.
Anthaxious, Knight of the Order |
Of course, when it came time to get things done, Anthaxious would be the first choice, trained by the best, and disciplined to near perfection. Anthaxious was considerably less pious than other knights, while this normally would be of concern, they could not complain with his efficiency and so it went unchecked. No one had ever suspected anything more of that woman, as Anthaxious never mentioned Shireen to another knight ever again. They would wed in secrecy on her twentieth name day, Anthaxious being at the ripe age of twenty-two. It was shortly after their marriage that the Mercenary crisis of Athkatla had unfolded.
The city had passed a law requiring that all military outfits that did not belong to the state would be levied taxes. A specific mercenary group had opposed this, violently. At first it seemed a random string of murders across the city. City officials dropping like flies, one can suspect that the Shadow Thieves would have their hands in this mess somewhere, and that would not have been incorrect. They were hired by another mercenary outfit, The Black Talons. They expertly worked up the chaos in the city, no one had any idea what was going on until it was too late. They were going to sack the City of Coin! Could they be so crass as to make such a move? The Order had uncovered this plot, but they couldn't be sure if the information that they had extorted from a particular thief was reliable. Despite this, they decided that there was no time to waste and they made their plans to defend the city and stop the Black Talons from entering at all costs.
While the Mercenary group would surely already have agents within the city, their brigade was split into battalions among the outskirts of the city at all chokepoints. There was no escape from the city except by sea, and while the docks were flooded with people trying to escape the impending carnage, there would not be enough ships to ferry them all away. Clever captains, and even some charlatans made a quick coin off of panicked nobles. The city was descending into chaos already, and no siege had even begun. When the time came for their plan to be put into action, Anthaxious had been chosen as one of the heads of the militiamen and the Amn regulars (the city guard), they were to guard the West gate, a smaller but equally important entrance to the city.
The brunt of the force was stationed at the main Eastern gate, and the Northern gate, by the Government district was manned by the Royal Amnian guard. The Southern gate was manned by the remaining mecenaries groups whom desired to be looked upon favorably after this incident, as the Black Talons had already done enough damage to the reputation of any mercenary group at this point. The defense was solid, and would certainly hold off the Siege until they could have the reinforcements that they had sent for from the other Cities with the province of Amn. The siege had lasted for three days before Anthaxious made the biggest mistake, the largest scar upon the honor of the Order. When he had heard of the pillaging and slaughter happening to the outlying villages beside Athkatla, his panic set in immediately. At first he tried to argue with the Lord Knights, claiming that leaving the outlying villages to the mercy of the Black Talons was dishonorable and unjust, but they knew better, this was a ploy to draw out the men from the walls, to fight on an even playing field. They could not give up the strategic advantage of the walls. Anthaxious was furious, he had never been so irate in his life. He said some things that would normally be considered insubordination, but instead of punishing him they let it slide, hoping he would regain his senses.
Anthaxious had just returned from his council with the Lord Commanders. He was still flustered, angry and beside himself in panic over the fate of his forbidden love. Standing atop the walls, the militiamen cried out to Anth.
"They're marching on us!"
Anthaxious could not think straight, he did not respond to the man. All he could see was his wife dying, in a thousand ways, all of them just as horrible as the last. He felt an urge and a sinking in his chest. He couldn't take it any longer.
"Sir! They're coming! What should we do?!"
The militiaman pleaded to Anthaxious, but there was no response. He was still lost in thought. That was when he did the unexpected. He walked off, he began down the path to the Eastern gate, he would not stave this fear any longer, he could not stomach another moment of this anxiety, and he had to see her. She could be in need of aid, she could be hurt, who knows what those bastards could be doing to her! As he left, he was too focused to hear the muttering of men, and the clattering of weapons and sounds pattering feet on cobblestone. The militiamen and the Amn regulars had routed and fled the gate. Anthaxious made his way to the Eastern gate where the Lord Commander Gerald was stationed.
"The hells are you doing here?" Gerald spat angrily at Anthaxious, already annoyed by the previous insubordination.
"I come with word from the Western gate, the Black Talons are massing an attack" He said in truth.
"Then why are you here!? Can you not send a messenger?!" Gerald was rightfully pissed now.
"I had to be sure the message got to you." He lied.
"The hells, send three separate men then! Don't come here yourself you damned fool!" Gerald was steaming.
"Who did you leave in charge over there?!" Gerald's voice was cracking.
Anthaxious did not respond to this, he instead walked over to the parapet where a rope ladder was slung up and he began to descend down it.
"WHERE IN THE NINE ARE YOU GOING BOY?!" Gerald's voice raised to the max.
Anthaxious ignored him completely, normally he would've been slighted by being called a boy when he was clearly a man of twenty-two. He couldn't think of anything other than his love though. Shireen had to be safe, he had to see her face, and he had to know she still drew breath. The last he could hear of Gerald was his fuming, as he descended. As he took off away from the city he could hear the bells ringing, and see the smoke rising from the Western gate.
The Siege of Athkatla |
The Loss (Song -> youtu.be/dg7qOLq7vHM )
He made the journey in no time flat, he did not bother with disguises and hidden routes, he approached the village directly. The cover of night was enough for him to move there without being spotted by any of the scouts. When he noticed the burning smoke in the distance he doubled pace, as he got closer and his lungs burned from the exercise he only increased his speed. He was running mad now, there was no sight of any Black Talon company, no sign of any living as he passed house after house. He finally got there, to the tavern, or where it used to be. There he stopped and observed the wreckage. There was nothing left, ashes and embers, burning beams and cloth. There were definite signs of charred corpses about, he stepped into the remains of the Tavern and began flipping over the corpses to get a look at their faces. That's when he found her. Half of her body blackened by the burns sustained, she laid there motionless, lifeless. As if all at once, his sorrows hit him, he had not cried since he was a boy in Kandahar, but this time he would let all of it out. He screamed in agony, not an agony of physical pain, the sound was as harsh as it was discordant.
The Village Burns |
The Temper (Song -> youtu.be/-qJMJgLEQJs )
That's when he heard the laughter. The insidious laugh of a bastard Black Talon and his mate.
"What 'ave we 'ere... eh? Looks like a prissy knight-boy!" The Taloner chuckled after.
"Aye, fancy armor and all tha'. Betcha fetch a pretty penny for it" The other chided in.
Anthaxious still holding the lifeless Shireen in his arms, his sorrow fled him and he found himself once again, anger rising, as it did back in that fateful day in Kandahar. He slowly stood to his feet and drew his blade. His hands shaking and his eyes burning with the most intense hatred.
"Oi! Look 'es shakin' in e's boots! We'll make short work of 'em!" The one laughed again.
Anthaxious let out another roar, this time one that bellowed so loudly it took them both by surprise. As if some unnatural force moved him, he flew, springing forward with uncanny speed.
"AGHHHHHH!" The Taloner was soon two feet deep into Anth's blade. Anthaxious shoved him off with a powerful kick, sending the man tumbling backwards into the ashen floor.
"OI! I'LL 'AVE YOUR HEAD FOR THAT!" The other exclaimed, swinging his blade at Anth. Another uncanny motion, Anthaxious tilted backwards just narrowly dodging the blade. Before the man could return another swing, he was cleaved at the shoulder, the arm coming clean off.
"OH GODS! MAH ARM!" He screamed now as his blade arm came flopping down to the ground, sword and all. Anthaxious shoved his blade deep into the man’s chest.
"GAAHH!" The man gurgled a bit as he looked down at his impending doom. He fell to the ground and Anthaxious was on him like a wolf going in for the kill. Fists flew, rained down upon the man’s face, Anthaxious continued the barrage even though the man had clearly lost consciousness at this point. Blow after blow, the man's face began to adopt the gore and blood. It was only after a few more minutes of assaulting the now clearly lifeless mercenary that Anthaxious stopped. He cried out again, once again back into his sorrow, he let his hands drop to his sides and he looked up at the smoky sky.
"NOOooooooooooOOoooooOoooooOoooooOOo!" he exclaimed into the night air.
The Disgrace (Song -> youtu.be/ufK9vdlitCY )
Anthaxious, the Wanderer |
Anthaxious left everything behind that day, his armor, his tabard, his sword, his Knighthood... His love... He would never return to Athkatla, despite the fact that the siege had been repelled and only a minor section of the city was sacked, he could never return. Abandonment was punishable by death, and while he had nothing to live for, he did not desire death just yet. He wandered for two years, leaving Amn behind and travelling from small city to small city, aiding farms as a farmhand when there was the work to be had just to have a place to stay and food to put in his belly. After soul searching for a long time, he decided to leave behind the Sword Coast, and after saving what little he could from various odd jobs he could find he paid for passage on a ship back to his homeland, Icewindale. Unfortunately for Anthaxious, this ship was caught in a storm...
A Storm Brews
