(This is my shameless insertion of Dschinghis Khan into my fantasy world as a merry band of maurauding barbarians.) In the northern highlands of Númeriador, barbarians and marauders rule where no kingdom would dare settle. Of these warrior clans two stand out, rival clans led by the brothers Morktfagel, Rognal and Drognal, sons of Harnal. Drognal, the eldest, leads his clan stoicly, but fights fiercely and is feared throughout the lands. Rognal however has a decidedly different and more intriguing reputation. His clan is feared for their immense violence, but also for the entertainment and joy they get from pillaging. The clan will plunder all luxuries they can and outfit their warriors as garishly as possible, and after a raid the ensuing feast can last for days of endless song, dance, and mead. Furthermore, Rognal himself fancies himself as the jester of death and loves to dance amidst combat using his own devilish style of swordplay, leaping and spinning wildly with a curved sword the length of a claymore with enough force to send a man’s head flying should that blade meet his neck. He is known to wear golden garmets that shine even when covered in blood. Rognal also never enters battle or is seen without his generals, hand selected to form his most trusted followers. His first general is Garalon the Mage, a young man hailing from the south, who abandoned his Grai master in order to join the clan, who more fit his personal philosophies of the rights and privileges of the powerful over the weak. While fighting in the clan his skill at the arcane made him progress up the ranks quickly and earned him a place at Rognal’s side. He is handsome, with brown hair, and a clean shaven face. Next is a man known only as The Knife, his past is shrouded in mystery, and he tells no one where he came from, or what his true name is. The Knife is a bald headed man, who wields dual knives, and is adorned in furs of his hunt kills. He is immensely unpredictable in combat and employs wild gymnastics while fighting. The next general is Sylva Fargona, a skilled rider and archer who is also an adept ranger with a vast knowledge of natural herbs and plants used to make potent medicine for the clan. Sylva was the first woman to be a ranger at the Kardak Outpost at the highland’s southern border. However, the rangers at the outpost saw her less as a sister in arms and more as a distraction from the hardships of the frontier. During her months at the outpost they stared her up and down, spied on her dressing and bathing, some even went so far as to grab her and grope. Sylva did her best to avoid and ignore these beastly men, and trained tirelessly at the archery range well into the night, having her meals long after the men went to sleep. The break came though when a bodyguard of the Outpost commander (Rosh Derrenbone) attempted to force himself onto her, in response she killed him in defence by stabbing him through the eye with an arrow in her bedside table. The commander was forced to dismiss her for killing a fellow ranger, regardless of the circumstances. This enraged her, and she hatched a plan for revenge. The eve before Sylva’s departure back to Daelen, she concocted a temporary paralyzing syrup from herbs around the outpost and slipped it into the mead kegs. After the whole outpost was paralyzed (and concious) she set to work. The men that grabbed her, she cut their fingers off one knuckle at a time. The men that leered and spied on her, she slit their eyes. The commander had both his fingers removed, his eyes slit, as well as bits of his tounge cut off. And all who wronged her had her name carved into their forehead. Furthermore, she applied an acidic salve to the wounds she inflicted that would stop the bleeding to avoid death from bleeding out, but also inflamed the wounds and caused more pain to the victims. The only rangers who escaped her revenge were two, the archery captain (Ben Alecsson) who took her as his pupil and trained her as tirelessly as she worked, and the outpost cook (Gruder Farbold), who always stayed late enough to make her a meal, with an extra helping of her favorite Daelen apples. These two were still paralyzed by the tonic, but she propped them up comfortably in leather chairs next to the fire in the main hall, facing away from her carnage. Afterwards she rode northward into the night and happened upon Rognal’s clan. Sylva’s cold and justified nature earned her the position as Rognal’s executioner, and has her bow with her at all of the Warlord’s hearings and meetings. She often wears a gold and red gown, and has brunette hair, she found the respect and power she wished for in Rognal’s ranks. The next general is in fact Rognal’s son, Erenal, who at an early age showed a great skill at taming and riding horses. He became the clan’s horsemaster at only 13 years old, for this skill, Rognal made him a general only 5 years later. Erenal often wears a coat of black and gold, has long hair and sports a bushy mustache. He fights on horseback with a short handle scythe and a belt of throwing knives. The last general is Seraphrim Deldenn, who was born the daughter of wealthy merchants in the northwest. She is said to be a great beauty, with blonde hair and emerald eyes. For all of her childhood she was locked away, forced to read from all the tomes of her parents vast library. From these she learned history, strategy, politics, and poetry. Seraphrim’s parents also had her learn fencing from a very young age and she became very skilled. After her 20th birthday, she could not take the isolation anymore and escaped the family villa, fleeing eastward. She stumbled into a village being sacked by Rognal’s clan and was captured by Erenal, who recognized her beauty. At the camp she convinced him she would be of use to the clan for her knowledge of proper battle tactics and the details of politics (as well as her skill with a sword- she beat Erenal in a sword duel). She provided assistance of immense value many times, and after her marriage to Erenal, Rognal made her a general as a wedding gift. The generals themselves also posess their own politics, such as the rivalry of Erenal and Garalon, these two, being of roughly the same age, naturally found themselves vying for Rognal’s attention and praise. Furthermore, from the day Seraphrim was brought to the camp Garalon had eyes for her, and when Erenal won her affections Garalon’s distaste for Erenal evolved to nearly hatred. Quite frequently Garalon will use his superior intelligence against Erenal to pull elaborate pranks or point out major flaws in his attempts at battle strategy (at which Erenal is terrible, but is expected to learn as the son of the Warlord). Secretly, Seraphrim is aware of Garalon’s feelings for her, but keeps that a secret both from Erenal and Garalon himself (To spare their feelings, or waiting for the perfect moment to use the information for her own gain?) More intruige comes from the shrouded past of The Knife. Everyone in the clan has tried and failed to coax the information from him, he is a man of few words, but even fewer when it comes to his past. The Generals have tried many times to get The Knife drunk enough to spill his secrets, but they quickly learned that he can hold more mead than even Rognal (who often fights drunk). The only known piece about the Knife that is know is how he came to join Rognal’s clan. In the days when Rognal was a young man (20’s), when he and his brother were still generals in their father’s clan, the clan attacked a village near Mirthrand. During the battle in the mountains Rognal was knocked from his horse and fell into a canyon. When he came to, The Knife was standing over him, tending to his wounds. The Knife had fallen into the canyon days earlier, and a solo escape was impossible. Together, Rognal and the Knife scaled the massive canyon, fought off countless beasts of legend, and escaped the canyon (or so the story goes). Rognal asked The Knife to join his father’s clan, and he refused, but said when Rognal was a leader of legend, the stars would lead their paths to cross again. Sure enough, after Rognal’s legendary sack of Hightower Crossing shortly after becoming a warlord, The Knife rode into the camp that night and swore his loyalty to the clan. Rognal and his generals form a terrifying host of warriors and strike fear into their prey, and relish in their violence for days afterward with drink, food, and song.
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