Chapter 1: Beginnings

by Judge Sun Apr 19, 2009 8:01 am

When Faoris was first created by the 5 great gods, they bestowed 13 rings of might and magic upon 13 different men; whoever wore one of the great rings was destined to become king of one of the 13 provinces of Faoris which the gods themselves carved out. However, the gods underestimated the greed and hunger for power that man would display. Soon, the provinces began to wage war against one another. Balthazar was chronicled to have said, “Not even I could condone such utters acts of violence.” Faoris was then known to the rest of world as “The Land of Never-Ending Warfare.”

After years of constant warfare, the provinces had become weakened. Certain individuals used this opportunity to seize control. One such person went by the name of Dante the Crimson. Other than what is written, not much is known about Dante. He used his incredible power and dark magic to enslave all of Faoris, destroying anybody who opposed him. Just when the people were about to lose all hope, a young man named Hector Ecthelion, who had the backing of the goddess Lyssa, appeared and rallied the people behind him. Using his twin blades, Zangetsu and Zanetusken, he defeated Dante in an epic duel upon the peak of Mt. Alexandria, the place where the first bestowed the 13 Great Rings. However, Dante, fueled by the powers of Hell, would not go down easily. In one desperate attempt to destroy Faoris, he unleashed a wave of destruction, now knows as the “Crimson Fire” event. This caused the land of Faoris to be scorched and ruined. Appalled at the destruction, Hector made a plea to the gods. However, they were weary of restoring Faoris to its original state for fear of man’s greed. Thus they ignored his plea. However, a twist of events led the goddess Lyssa to restore the land.

One day, while searching the archives of her realm, Dwayna discovered that Lyssa had an affair with a mortal man, and had bore him a son—Hector Ecthelion. If the word ever spread that a goddess had eloped with a mortal man, their names would forever be tarnished. The 4 other gods forced Lyssa to take the life of her own son. As he was dying, he once again made a plea to the gods to restore Faoris. While the other 4 ignored him, Lyssa, doing her son one last favor, restored Faoris to its original glory. The 4 other gods were furious, and Balthazar punished Lyssa by splitting her into two different personas, which is the Lyssa we know today. The people regarded Hector as the savior of Faoris, and his son Voss Marquis Ecthelion, founded the Order of the Judges, a peacekeeping force to ensure another fiend like Dante would never arise again.

However, after years of keeping the peace, another outbreak which not even the Order could stop emerged. What is known now as the “Raid Uprising” was then known as the “Great Invasion.” A group of fierce warriors emerged from the East of Faoris, across the Evergaze Mountains; they called themselves Raidites, and they hailed from the land of Raid and proclaimed themselves the hands of the gods. In reality, they were more of a cult of mercenaries looking for more ways to enhance their own status. The Order mustered their forces together and were led by the descendant of Hector and Voss Ecthelion, Locius Ecthelion. With Locius’s leadership, the Order was able to defeat the Raid Army.

Alas, the “Raid Uprising” drained the Order and left them weak. One of their own used this chance to send the world into utter chaos. We know him today as “Azmuth the Betrayer.” Azmuth’s ultimate goal was to revive Dante the Crimson. In order to do this, he had to kill the retainers of the 13 True Runes. These runes were created out of the 13 Great Rings and hidden away in each province. They were also a failsafe created by Lyssa in order to ensure Dante would never return. After successfully killing 12 of the 13 retainers, only one remained—the retainer of the Rune of Balance. However, he was stopped by the son of Locius Ecthelion, Zaargabath Andrus Norvak Ecthelion. And now my friends, we jump 7 years after this event in which our story begins.

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In the town of Fable, in province 11, Mishna.

“Hey lads, how about *hiccup* another round!”

(multiple men) “Aye!”

The men raised their glasses and proceeded to drink yet another round of Hunter’s Ale. The young man who was leading the drinking approached Zane, who was sitting in the corner of the pub.

“Oy, Zane? You not drinking tonight?”

“Not tonight Spald. I’m heading back to the Inn…we have a long day ahead of us. Don’t stay out too long.”

“You kidding me!? The night’s just begun! Aye lads another round!”

The chorus of men approved in unison. Zane smiled and left Spald to his drinking. Outside the tavern, perched against the wall, stood a young boy, around 15 years of age. On his back was a quiver and a bow nearly as tall as him. He wore a mask to cover the lower half of his face. His eyes were jet black and his hair was wild and dark.

“I told you that you didn’t have to follow me everywhere Aero. I can protect myself.”

The young boy remained in his pose. “And I told you that I’m bound to serving you regardless of what you say.”

Zane realized there was no use in arguing with him. “Fine do as you wish.” He peered around for a moment. “ Where’s Mighty?”

“He’s back at the inn,” Aero responded with a near silent voice.

Zane continued to stare at Aero. “I want you to go back to the inn and wait for me there. If you’re bound to serve me then you will do as I say. This is my wish.”

Aero’s demeanor changed. It seemed more pleading, but after a few moments he nodded his head and disappeared.

Zane wondered to himself why this boy would go to such trouble to “protect” him. Alas, he quickly shook that thought off, deciding it was best not to dwell on it at the moment. He continued down the street he was on, which stood right next to the Perle Bay (note: Mishna lies on the south east coast of Faoris. To the north are the Everglaze Moutains. To the south is the Pharoas Desert). He gazed at the moon’s reflection in the bay, marveling at its beauty. For a moment, he was able to forget about the past. Yes he was able to forget about the past and all the terrible memories which…

Zane quickly spun around and unsheathed Zangetsu. Behind him stood a woman.

“Still trying to forget the past Zane?” the woman said.

“How did you—“

“Know your name? You really are quite popular these days Zane. You shouldn’t be that surprised.”

“Oh? Actually I’m quite surprised. I would like to know why I’m so popular,” Zane said with a cautious tone.

“The man bearing the Rune of Balance is always a hot topic for us Visionaries.”

“Visionaries? What the hell are you talking about?”

She smiled. “I’m sure you would like to know. But the real question is are you ready to comprehend what I know?”

Zane became more irritated. The tone of his voice began to rise. “You must think that this is pretty funny? I demand you tell me!”

“Oh getting testy are we? I guess I can understand. After all, you must feel pretty lonely being one of the last Judge Mag—“

“That’s enough! What game are you trying to play!?”

“I love to play games. You just happen to be a very impatient player.”

Just as Zane was about to say something, a group of warriors appeared from the shadows.

“Oh ho ho what do we have here? Why if it isn’t Zane the Manslayer. Boy have I heard stories about you. They say you killed 10,000 people in the Raid Uprising then suddenly became a hero for killing Azmuth the Betrayer. Where’s the justice in that?”

Zane clenched his fists. “That’s a part of my past I would rather forget. One day I will atone for all my sins. More importantly why is it that complete strangers like you and this woman know so much about me? Are you two in league with one another?”

The man laughed. “Me and her? Together? Hahaha that’s a good one. No we’re here to capture that wench.”

“Well you can go ahead and take her then,” Zane said. “She means nothing to me.”

The woman darted Zane a fierce look. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll protect me.”

Zane felt a piercing gaze penetrate his mind. “No…Cece…no…stop it! Get out of my head!” he yelled.

He could hear the woman’s voice in his head. “I’ll make you a deal: if you protect me, I’ll stop this painful punishment. That sounds fair does it not?”

“You bitch!” he yelled with pain. He continued to wallow in pain as he saw painful memories of the past--The Raid Uprising, Cece, Azmuth--flash before him. Finally he submitted. “Fine I'll protect you! Just stop making me re-experience my memories!”

The woman let her hold of Zane go. "I need you just as much as you need me," she said. "Soon everything will be all clear, just you wait."

The assassin observed the situation with much delight.

“Well it seems the witch has messed with your mind,” he said with a laugh. “Quite a shame. We're going to have to kill you now too."

Zane assumed a fighting stance. “I have no idea what the hell is going on but looks like I have no choice but to protect this woman. Come at me if you dare!”

“Ooooh the arrogant type! You know what they say, ‘double the pride, twice the fall.’” He laughed aloud and continued. “How could you say something like that without even knowing what you’re up against? Typical for a Judge Magister. Kill him and grab the girl!”

Four assassins lunged toward Zane. He grabbed the mysterious girl and pushed her behind him; an assassin’s blade came down upon Zane, causing a deep gash on his chest. Zane clutched the bleeding wound. Another blade was about to make contact when suddenly another assassin ran his blade through his comrade.

“Wha—what are you doing!?” the assassin leader said. “Dammit it’s that damn witch’s spells! Damn Mesmers! There may not be many of them left but they are tricky bastards! Be extra cautious men!”

Zane turned to the woman. “You’re a Mesmer!?”

“Enough talk,” said the woman. “My mind controlled minion should be able to hold them off for a little while. Let’s go!”

Zane and the woman made a dash. The mind controlled assassin continued his assault, slowing the rest of the group down.

“Dammit do I have to do everything myself!?” screamed the leader. He unsheathed his mighty sword and assumed a stance. “Almighty Megas Blade, cut down this betrayer!” With one swift blow he cut the mind controlled minion in half. “Now after them!”

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Zane and the mysterious woman continued to run down the streets of Fable.

“How could you get yourself cut up like this?” she said. “You’re in no condition to be running.”
“Shut up! I was careless and let my guard down. My allies are at the Fable Inn. That’s where I’m taking you.”

After a few moments of running, the woman muttered, “Shariah.”

“What?” said Zane.

“My name. It’s Shariah. Figured you should know.”

Zane grunted in disbelief. “Why are you telling me this now!?”

Suddenly she pushed away from him. “Move!”

Zane looked up and saw a huge figure leaping upon them. He crashed to the floor, nearly hitting Zane and Shariah.

“Did you really think you could get away from me witch?” said the head assassin as he rose from the rubble. For the first time Zane saw him without his cloak on. He was an intimidating man, standing around 6’10. His armor was black with red lining; on his shoulder was an enormous buster sword. His face was hardened from battle, and his eyes had a fiery glow.

“This witch has become too troublesome. I was hoping for a challenge but it seems you’ve gone and gotten yourself wounded. How pathetic. I was expecting more from the great Zane!”

“Who are you and what exactly do you want!?” yelled Zane.

The assassin smiled. “Well I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you since you’re going to be dead pretty soon now. The name’s Maximus Chiron. Better known as ‘General Maximus the Murderer.’ And my goal? The resurrection of Dante the Crimson!”