This story takes place previous to the campaign the Curse of the Blessed Isle and is written by Lord Stone.
<big><b>Priestess of Sol Invictus</b></big>
As always the flock of mortals bowed in front of her, devout in their beliefs. She was the holy symbol of their faith and the center of their world. She had never been touched by any men, only females were allowed to come near her at all. Her skin had only touched the finest of silk and her virgin soul was the purest in Creation. She was the center of their faith of the God Darmuk, a fair maiden with hair of gold and eyes blue as the sky.
Little did they know that their God was not so benevolent as they thought he was. But she knew, she had seen his true face. He was no God, he was one of the Fair Folk. A noble who enjoyed feasting on the devout emotions of these men and women. Their minds were so dull that they didn’t even recognize people disappearing from their midst every now and then, and new ones joining them. But there was nothing she could do, if she were to stand up against him he would simply kill her and a new girl would take her place. There was only one reason why she still had her sanity intact, and that is because he needed her for his food.
The ceremony ended like any other. The people would go to work and she would be left with her servants. A little while after that her servants would leave her and she would be locked away by Darmuk in her little golden cage. That was the one thing where his tales were no lies; she did only touch the finest of silk for the entire room was covered in it. It was all she had ever known in her life.
“Do you wish to spend the rest of your life like this?” a male voice suddenly sounded behind her. She turned around and before her stood a man engulfed in golden light, with four arms. Instinctively she knew… ‘So this is what a real God looks like,’ she thought. It was the most impressive sight she had ever witnessed in her life.
“W-Who are you?” she asked.
“I, my child, am Sol Invictus. The Unconquered Sun if you will. And I am here to set you free. Your entire life you have lived in shelter, but you are meant for great things. You are meant to free these people, to begin with. And instead of being the holy maid of a false God, I offer you to become the priestess of a true one.”
Safira could hardly believe what she heard, but in her mind there was no doubt about it. “I accept,” she said as tears flowed from her eyes.
“Then go, child, and spread my word.” His hand touched her forehead. He was the first man to ever touch her, but his touch felt gentler than any woman’s. And then, he disappeared.
Safira looked in the mirror and she could see the mark of her new God one her forehead. She had to act, and she had to act now. She straightened her robes and combed her hair. She was not much of a fighter… she detested the thought of fighting completely. But she had other weapons at her disposal, and they were not just limited to beauty and grace.
“Guard,” she called in her sweetest voice. “Oh guard.”
Her guard was no normal man. He was a soulless drone, completely drained from his will by the Fair Folk. But this would not stop her, it would not do at all.
“Say, wouldn’t you like to come in and talk?” she asked.
“I am instructed to stand guard and not to open the door until Darmuk returns.”
He, too, was a victim. Not an opponent, a victim. And she had to save him. However, the absence of his will did make him quite vulnerable as well, and Safira knew this.
“The lady wants to walk amongst the people and inspire them as they work. If you help me, then certainly you will be rewarded by the God for you would be helping his people. They want to be guided in these dark times.” Safira wasn’t sure whether she liked this power, but she knew the drone would be unable to resist her voice at all. And indeed, the door opened before her.
“Darmuk bless you,” she said, and with a gloved hand she touched his forehead. This was the only interaction she had been allowed with men for her entire life. It felt painful now, painful to restrict herself so and painful to use the name of this false deity. But it was necessary.
“Thank you lady. I will accompany you,” the man said. For a moment it seemed like there was a glint of emotion in his eyes. Could it be true, could it still be possible to save these people even if they were ravished by one of the Fair Folk?
She stepped out of her room, on to the cold tiles of the temple. The stone felt harsh on her feet, almost too harsh, but she tried to bear with it the best she could. This was the first time she had ever stood on something hard; normally she was carried out of her room to sit in front of the people on a large silk pillow.
When she stepped out of the temple, things started getting really painful. The rocks and sand of the road in front of the temple cut into her feet. Several people already started flocking around her. She smiled at them, ignoring the pain at her feet, and waved. And the people, they only saw the miracle of their holy maiden out under the sun.
The Sun… her deity, high in the sky during the height of the day. She walked into the village, and more people started gathering around her. Fortunately, Darmuk was nowhere to be seen.
“My dear friends… my dear, dear friends!” she called out, louder than she had ever spoken in her life. Her anima started flaring around her body, a dove who reached out to the people around her, who flew over their heads and touched them all.
“Day in, day out, we work hard. The only joys we find are those two moments in the day together. And for what, for what I ask you? Are we meant to be this suppressed? Don’t you feel the joy flowing out of you little by little every day, until the day you become like poor Johan here?” she pointed to the guard who had followed her out of the temple.
“But there is nothing we can do about it Maiden Safira!” a woman cried out. “Times are so harsh, so harsh. We must count ourselves lucky we still have you, and Darmuk!”
“Darmuk… is a false God!” she said, and the people gasped. “He is a false God, and I have seen him for whom he truly is. But we need not fear! Today another God came to me, a true God, and his name is Sol Invictus. He will be right to us all. He will bring us joy in our lives, and freedom! And how do we know he is no false God as well? It is because he does not stand here, on the earth, like Darmuk does. He is up there, watching over all of us!” She pointed towards the sun as she said this last bit.
It seemed like a little bit of emotion was returning to all of these people now. It was true, they could still be saved. It would not be easy, it would be a long road… but they could be saved. These would be her people, the ones she was meant to protect from the harsh world. Today it would be these people, but tomorrow there might be even more.
“And what might this be?” Darmuk’ voice sounded behind her. She felt the urge to shrink into a little pitiful ball of submissive mortal as she heard him, but she resisted it. For the first time in her life she would stand up against him. She turned around, and her feet stung with every step.
“What are you doing outside your room, talking to this vermin?! And look what you’ve done to yourself, your feet are bleeding!” He strode towards her, but she remained standing without fear. He could easily kill her if he wanted to; there was not an ounce of strength in her that could physically resist him. But she had faith, faith that he would not be able to do anything to her.
“Stop!” one many cried out and stood before her. “You will not touch our Maiden… you… you false God!”
“What?!” Darmuk roared.
“You heard him,” Safira said calmly. “We’re done with you. Did you hear him people, did you hear what he called you?! Vermin! That is what we are to him… but no more!”
Normally Darmuk could say whatever he wanted. It was as if the people didn’t hear him when he said something bad. Something like vermin… nobody would have reacted to it normally, but now they did. And more people went to stand between her and him.
Darmuk’s eyes flared with anger. The people jumped him and started pulling him down to the ground, but the noble would not fall that easily. Without much effort he threw the people off him and smashed the man standing before him down in the dirt. For a moment Safira started thinking this might go down badly, until a gush of wind erupted behind the Fair Folk and a sword slashed him in the back.
“What are you doing to these people, you monster?!” a male voice said. And Safira now knew her faith was not misplaced.
“Why, if it isn’t a little Dragonblooded,” Darmuk said mockingly. He turned to face him. Safira could see the slash in his back, but it mattered very little to Darmuk. She knew what was going to come. She didn’t like it, but it had to come. They would never be safe if there was nobody who would fight and kill Darmuk.
People around her started picking up rocks and throwing them at the Fair Folk. Safira slowly walked to the side so she could see who her savior was. There stood a man with a large ornamental sword made of blue jade and a beautiful breastplate out of the black variant. Aside from that, he wore pretty simple clothes though. His long white hair waved in the wind, even though there was not the slightest bit of wind in the air. His eyes were a shade of blue even lighter than her own, almost white. “It seems these people don’t like you very much,” the Dragonblooded said mockingly. “Are you sure you still want to pick a fight with this many hostiles around you?”
“Feh,” said Darmuk, and he started walking past the Dragonblooded. However, when they were back to back the Fair Folk drew a large gossamer sword and lashed out at their savior.
“Watch out!” Safira cried, but it was as if the man had already anticipated this move, and he blocked it well. Now people started picking up wooden logs and several lashed out at Darmuk.
“Never trust a Fair Folk if he does not make an oath, right?” the Dragonblooded said, and pushed the gossamer daiklave aside with his own. “You have wasted my patienc. Even though you are the scum of Creation, I did not want to fight you here, in front of these people and especially this innocent girl. But you leave me no choice.”
This time the Dragonblooded took the initiative, and their swords clashed. It seemed the Fair Folk was much stronger than the Dragonblooded, but it was not long before he started showing his tricks. Safira forced herself to watch this fight, no matter how much she wanted to look away. He was sent by the Gods, she knew that for certain, and she had to do him this justice.
The fight quickly tipped in the favor of the Dragonblooded, and Darmuk started feeling the need to flee. But he could not, because everywhere around him the people of the village were blocking his way. Finally he stood before her, his eyes intend on making a path through her.
“This is the end for you, Darmuk,” Safira said. “No matter what you try, I will not yield. If you want to get past me, you will have to go past my corpse. Do you hear me?”
“You pathetic thing. Chosen by Sol Invictus are you? Feh, you don’t stand a chance!”
“Shall I put an end to him, miss?” the Dragonblooded asked her.
“Why are you asking me?” Safira asked nervously.
“Command me to put him down.” It was not a request anymore, but a demand.
“Please… don’t ask this of me.” Her voice wavered. Why did she hesitate? Was it fine if he killed the Fair Folk at his own wish, but not if it was her who commanded him?
Darmuk grinned. “Safira, Safira. We don’t have to end this with a death on your conscience, do we? I promise you, if you let me pass and never meet me again I will no longer burden you or these people.”
That was the way out of this all, without having to get her hands dirtied. Safira knew that the Dragonblooded would not be able to further harm the Fair Folk if she did not allow it. Not with all these people devoted to her around them.
“Safira.” This time it was the Dragonblooded who spoke. “I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you are a gentle soul. And I respect that. I will travel with you and protect you if you so wish, and make it so that you never have to fight. But you have to understand that the world is hard, and that you cannot save these people if you cannot face hardships. Just like how you have to cut away rotten meat before you can let a wound heal, some of the blights of Creation will have to be cut away if you wish to build a new world.”
Safira sighed. She knew his words to be true. Her life and that of her fellow villagers was only one example of the hardships in this world, but there were many more. Many more dark creatures living on the fear of the people in this world.
“Cut him down,” she said softly.
“NO!” Darmuk shouted, and he smashed her aside. The hard ground tore at her clothing and wounded her hand and hip as she landed. The Fair Folk sprinted past the mortals who stood aside in fear, but the Dragonblooded dashed after him as if the wind itself carried him. Before the Fair Folk got very far, he sliced the creature’s head in two. Blue blood streamed from its skull.
The Dragonblooded approached Safira and offered her a hand. “Are you okay, lady Safira?” he asked.
She hesitated. Her glove had been torn of her hand and she was all bloody. But this was a time for change. No longer would she be secluded from the people she was trying to guide. She took his hand, and he gently pulled her up. The people around them gasped, and then stared in awe.
“You are hurt,” he stated, and lifted her off the ground completely. He was strong, much stronger than the female servants she was used to deal with. His hands were rough, but yet… he was a gentle man. He had a pleasant face from up close.
“What is your name?” she asked.
“I am Armeus, a travelling hero. But having met you, my lady, I have found my purpose. Will you let me aid you in freeing these people?”
Safira nodded. “Yes,” she said.
He kissed her forehead and carried her back to the temple. “Before we can go on our journey, you will have to heal. Then you must learn to walk. Your feet are so soft that they won’t even protect you from the ground, just like you haven’t learned to protect yourself from harm. But you ignored this, you let the ground harm your feet even though it hurt, and you stood up against a Fair Folk even though you knew you didn’t stand a chance. I admire this, but just like you need some thick skin to protect your feet, you will also need bodyguards to protect yourself. Please allow me to train some strong fighters to protect you before we leave.”
“No… not my bodyguards,” Safira said. “My faith will protect me, so you will have to fight in the name of our Lord. You will be the Knights of Sol Invictus.”
“If that is your wish, it will be so,” Armeus said.
