In the backyard of a Nessaiian barrack, soldiers were drilling. They were berserkers, every last one of them; incredibly dangerous warriors, made to be killing machines. They howled and cried as they trained, and frequently some of them were wounded because of the carelessness of their partners. Amongst the soldiers, only one of them was silent as he fought. He was by far the best of them.
When the fights ended, the silent one - his name was Nathael - returned to his quarters, tired and sore but victorious. Outside his chamber, another man was waiting. He wore a curious looking armor - concealing his entire body with a red wolf emblazoned on its breastplate, it was nearly identical to common depictions of Hakkaros - but it did not have a trace of black. Instead, anything that was not red was white as snow, bright even in a relatively dim light. The man spoke, his tone strong and firm but polite nonetheless.
"I watched you fight. You are different from all of the others. You keep your cool when the rage overtakes you. The others let it use them, and follow it as though it had a will of its own, but when it comes to you, you control it like a warrior controls a sword. There are some few who do it like you, of course, but compared to them, you are as a blademaster standing before children with sticks."Nathael was stunned. None of his brothers-at-arms knew of his habit of controlling the rage rather than letting it overtake him; they merely thought he was naturally good with a sword, and that he did not scream because he was so concentrated. To them, the idea of resisting the fury would have seemed like madness, and so he had never uttered a word… But the stranger knew it all.
"You are amongst the best warriors of this city, Nathael, yet you fight with mere men and intend to die as a soldier instead of putting your skills to better use. I believe you are meant for greater things… And I am rarely wrong.
If you follow me, I will shown you ways to harness your ability, and to teach others to do so. I will give you a purpose and a legacy, through an Order and a Code - an Order to bear a sword into the dark where the bravest dare not step, and a Code to ensure the power you shall be granted will never be abused.
You are a warrior, but if you follow me, you will be a legend."The soldier asked what the name of the man facing him was. The man told him he knew.
Nathael followed him.
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Hakkaros appeared before the Council of Nessaiie, and he made no secret out of his identity upon doing so.
He materialized before them during a storm, becoming visible just as lightning blinded them. He towered above the tallest amongst them, and his hands rested on the hilt of his bared sword, which he held before himself. He spoke loudly, smothering their cries of surprise with his own voice.
"Sons of Nessaiie. It has been so very long since I visited this city. When I first ascended, this city was weak. A shame upon my name, one I did not wish to be associated with. But you endured. You survived. And you grew strong. Nessaiie, the only city in the world not to hold a god's favor, prospered through adversity.
I have not been idle. In Karestria, I am now recognized also recognized as a God. The war between your two cities has lasted long enough. Although I revel in destruction, this pitiful standstill benefits no one. So long as the two cities are separated, no empire can grow in this part of the world. The Lich in Heleph cannot fall. Our might cannot reach further shores. This war must end so that others, greater, can start in the years to come.
The Nessaiians and Karestrians worship me as a god, and are led by warriors. If an union there must be between these cities, it will be one founded in blood. Organize a meeting with the Karestrian king. Send the best fighter of this council to duel against him. The winner shall unite the two cities under the rule of either the Council, or the King. And the new nation that will be founded from this battle shall rise and conquer Heleph and all the lands that it can reach.
I have spoken. Make it so."Again, a flash of lightning blinded all men present in the room, and when they looked again the Storm King was gone.
At the same time, in the city of Karestria, Daemos started hearing new whispers coming from his sword.
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The creature was born a few months after Testones made his request to the god of war. It had the form of a human female, and it was created to look as though it was in its twenties. Although it knew perfectly well it was not human, it chose to identify itself as such, and even gave itself a name - Athia. It - or, perhaps, she - was formidably beautiful. She was also incredibly deadly.
She was located on an island to the southwest of Lessites, peopled mostly by barbarian tribes. She had leather armor on her, and a sword by her side. It made her smile. She had enough on her to take control of one tribe, after which it would only be a matter of time before she had her own little empire going.
She knew what her task was, of course. The king of Lessites had made a request, and Hakkaros would answer - but the god of war did not give freely. Athia's loyalty belonged only to one being, the one that had created her. She would do her duty, marry the arrogant king - if he proved fit - and bear him children, but she would raise them and advise their father as Hakkaros commanded.
All of that would have to wait for later, in any case. First, she had to get the king's attention. She started walking towards the direction of a few mumbled sounds which appeared to come from people talking. Her first conquest would take place that very day.
Hakkaros singles out a soldier in Nessaiie named Nathael for his ability to control the berserker rage. He urges Nathael to follow him and, through him, founds the Order of the Red Wolf, the world's first chivalric order.The Order was founded by Nathael Silvermark in the years following the fall of the last king of Nessaiie. Based around a fortress made to defend the Forge of the Apostate, the Knights of the Red Wolf (generally referred to as Wolf Knights, or simply Knights) functions around a code engraved in the walls of the fort by its founder, which is based on three laws:
I: The Knights shall defend the Forge and ensure only they are allowed to use its sacred creations.
II: The Knights shall hunt down all creatures and magic users which seek to rule over mortals without the consent of these mortals, or which seek to harm mortals using magical or divine abilities.
III: The Knights shall act with honor and honesty, and will only fight other mortals if it is for a just cause and they do not seek personal gain of power.
Because a Knight must be outfitted completely with armor and weapons from the Forge, and the Forge produces these slowly, Knights are chosen rarely and trained to be amongst the best fighters of the world. They fight following Silvermark's style, using the berserker rage but keeping it under a tight control.
Their armor is completely white, except for a red wolf emblazoned on their plastrons. Their hierarchy is based around a Chapter system - although there is currently only one chapter, in theory, new ones could be founded if the order grew numerous enough and be sent to other lands to build new outposts for the Order and uphold its Code.
Hakkaros appears before the Council of Nessaiie and urges them to challenge Daemos to a duel. The winner of that duel will unite Nessaiie and Karestria under one rule and found an empire capable of conquering Heleph and, eventually, all of the surrounding region, instead of keeping the two nations separated in a war fought to a standstill. Daemos' Sword warns him that the challenge is coming and urges him to accept, telling him it is an easy way to gain control of Nessaiie and get the manpower to conquer Heleph.
Hakkaros creates the Lady of War, a creature taking the form of an incredibly beautiful human female. It is formidably deadly and loyal only to him. If its mortal form dies, from old age or otherwise, it will eventually regenerate elsewhere in the world to serve her master's purpose.
For now, the Lady takes the name of Athia and is given the order to conquer tribes near Lessites, and to make it known she will marry the first man capable of defeating her.