Brotherhood of NoX

Chapter 1: The Once Great Kingdom of Erema

            The Kingdom of Erema had a benevolent King, and the citizens were fair. The Good King Thavro NoX was fairly young for a king. His wife, Elimindra NoX and son, NoX'Tathar, named uniquely by Ereman tradition, were his only immediate family. The tradition was said to be designed for the single purpose of remembrance of the old name. They used the Kings Sir name as his Heirs First. Tathar was Very young, at the age of eight; He was not ready to take his father's throne just yet.

            Erema was known for Good trade throughout Viathan. Erema Also had a strong and proud military, very Organized and disciplined. This also included the Kings Secret elite guard. The Vigil, These men and women were practically born with weapons in hand. Trained hard, Their Entire life's purpose was to protect the king, and see to it, that death would come to them before it befell Thavro.

Chapter 2: "The Crown has Fallen"

            This was why everyone was surprised when a Vigil Captain , going to make his Post Changes with the Throne room guard, opened the doors to find the 6 Vigil Members who were currently guarding him, Lying, sprawled on the floor, Many of them dismembered. He shed a tear as he looked past them to see his King, teeth clenched, hands grasped around a Lance that had ran him through and held him to his throne stairs. The Captain, breaking his shock ran to the king’s side, sliding an arm under his neck and kneeled, stammering - though his words were stilled by his kings'.

            "Find... NoX... Erema... Needs him...Elimindra... My love...” The king’s last words slowed as he clutched the Captain’s collar.
"My Lord, Please, hold on, I'll get you to help! Hold o-" His words were stopped by the kings ever rough grip, despite his loss of blood.
"I... I am finished. Nostrialus... It… it...wa-...” He grimaced, his abdominal muscles clenching involuntarily. “They were organized… skilled…” He sputtered out blood. “Stop them… They… They are planning something…" His Eyes fluttered and the Soldier just knelt their taking it all in, watching his king die in his arms.
"Find... NoX... Avenge Me… Oh, Tathar... My son..." his head rolled back onto the Soldier’s hand, and the king’s hand opened, revealing a crumpled note. He lowered his king to the ground; He scooped up the note, closing the king’s hand.
He read the scrawled note.

The Crown has fallen, His spawn a pet, his bride a decoration for our flag. The Kingdom of Erema is no more... A new world is at hand.

Chapter 3: The Crumble of Erema

            The Man Collapsed to his knees, he knew what would have to be done, NoX'Tathar was still out there, He owed his king - but how? He felt crushed, angry with himself that he was not there to protect his king. A hand touched his shoulder and he snapped back to reality, releasing his white knuckled grip on the note.

"Come now Sandar, it was not your Fault" Sandar looked up into the stone Face of his Friend. Kora never seemed to be phased by anything, always calm... Kora helped him up, and read the note, then sighed.
"I guess we're in for a change" He looked down to the body, and sighed.
"Goodbye my king, you will not be forgotten…" For moment it seemed he may actually show sorrow, but he opened his deep eyes and turned his gaze to the throne room door where the other members of the vigil were checking if anyone could be helped - Only to find they couldn’t - "Alright men, we must move, The People must know they have no king."

            The Vigil held a short and sober meeting with the high council. Sandar , Now Composed, looked over to the man beside him, Valtiel Blackmoore seemed to shrug off an itch, as if bored, turning his bandaged face toward Sandar, he tilted his head , looked back at the council member standing on the podium blathering on about political issues and how the death would affect Erema, and sighed. Valtiel was always to himself, he never talked much, maybe because of the white bandages all around his head, leaving only slits for patches of black hair, eyes and a mouth. Dark eyes, ever shifting. Sandar couldn't say he liked the man. But he was definitely a worthy warrior. He had seen the man cleave a brigand on the road to Draco in half with one of his two claymores, after the man had jumped out of a tree flailing a spear at Thavro's head. But he could never make himself like him.

Maybe it’s those bandages. He thought to himself. I always feel he is hiding something.

            Soon into the meeting they agreed to tell the Nation of what had happened - telling them that their king had been assassinated. And after a long, not to mention disorganized, funeral, the High council told the masses they had to plan for future elections and departed. Soon after, most – if not all - of The High Council members disappeared, some rumored to have fled Erema in its state of need. Some rumored to have been killed.

            The nation, Needless to say, took a hard hit, and plunged quickly into chaos. Many of the citizens turned to thievery. For almost a year Thieves and Mobs ruled the streets, Noblemen holing themselves up in their manors, guarded by their retainers. Hoping upon hope that the thieves didn't decide to ransack them for the fun of it all. Elections soon became apparent and necessary to the people.

Chapter 4: A New Order

            In the Time before the Elections were – barely - Organized, High Lords and Ladies and other potential Nominees began disappearing. Some said to be murdered, some rumored to have died from an Illness, but sure enough, the numbers and possibilities were dwindling.

            One of the High lords was Marin Arudanu, Father of Naruven and Illya Arudanu. They were close friends of the king and would get popular vote from his loyalists. That perhaps might have been the reason Naruven was covering her younger sister’s eyes as they hid under the bed and watched her father’s feet become drenched in his own blood, and then collapse. His Eyes looked at her, and shed tears. He managed to mouth the words "Be safe my Daughters" Before the two hulking figures dragged him out of the room.

            Naruven was Fifteen years of age at the time, her sister, Twelve. The following morning, Naruven told her sister they were leaving, she did not object. Naruven gathered what she could from the manor; some dried foods and filled her saddlebags to almost bursting. She was thankful the monstrosities that had invaded her home had left their father’s old warhorse, now only really useful for travel, not battle. Naruven and her sister fled the Capitol city of Erema, In hopes of gathering with the hundred of other refugees from Erema's practical brink of a Civil war.

Chapter 5: The Rise of the Ereman Empire

            By now the elections had come, and there were only a few contenders, one of them, a man named Khan, from one of the outlying lower houses in Rhukkan, an Ereman City neighboring the Capitol. His House was most prominently known for its cheating and scamming others as much as permitted. The issue was that the capitol was currently being run by thieves and their like, or, as some historians call them as: Khan’s Kin. Needless to say, Khan was Quickly Elected into Power. Khan seized his new power and used it to change his title from King, To Emperor. The Kingdom Erema changed overnight, into the Ereman Empire. Some were outraged, and many were silenced for such.

            A small Rebellion seemed to pull itself together soon after. Led by a man named Gevoan, a quick thinking man, once a resident of Rhukkan and a supporter of the good king Thavro. He was also a survivor of the pre-election “disappearances”. The Rebellion and Gevoan managed to fight their way into control of several villages and towns. This was about the time Khan began to take notice of this new “annoyance”. Gevoan led a risky but brave siege on the city of Rhukkan. Rhukkan, though it had less population than its country’s capitol, was a geologically bigger city. It also was a flourishing trade centre at the time. But Rhukkan did not have the immediate military strength of Erema, and after a 3 month battle, with Gevoan doing everything in his power to keep word from Erema of the happenings, the rebellion took the city.

            Immediately Gevoan established as many defences as he could, but his attempts of silencing messengers had been in vain. Khan was sending an army out of Erema for the two day march to Rhukkan. In the time the rebellion held Rhukkan it became the Hub for the rebellion. People began rallying to Gevoan’s cause, but it was too late, the might of the New Ereman Empire was placed at Rhukkan’s doorstep, tens of thousands of heavily armoured and organized soldiers. A metallic red sea, eager to drown the few brave souls lining those walls. A drawn out twenty day battle had the rebellion gradually giving away lines and territories. Some say Gevoan was killed in that battle, but they never found a body. Rhukkan was finally swept aside and the rebellion was forced to take hiding inside some outlying villages. The rebellion was forced to do minor damages to the Empire with hit and run tactics - ambushing Ereman patrols and the odd skirmish here and there. They gained and lost villages. Khan on the other hand just waved a hand at them, only sending reinforcements where necessary to obliterate any rebellion stand.

            Khan even decided to wage war on its previous trade nation Draco, who were mainly Religious fanatics and strings of towns and villages. Draco even had a few mages at its disposal, but many were killed by Vigil Members before the war even began. Khan was simply turning Erema into a war machine nation. He appointed many Minotaur as New patrol Captains and Officers – some say merely to keep the soldiers in line, and intimidate the enemy. Erema was corrupt to the core.

Chapter 6: New Beginnings

            It was in the Rebel Village of Twill, south east of the Capitol, that Naruven and her sister took shelter. There she met a man Named Ezra Garg Holdenn, and befriended him. She found out later that he was a master of the old and rare arts of Magics.