The minotaur

"Its time for war, nasty business really, but oh how I crave the glory, I detest the bloodshed and take no joy in what I do next but like an artist to the stone i will grasp my tools and exercise my craft for my King." A knight clad in royal armor rallied his banner-men, " I'v sharpened my sword and said my prayers, gods willing i will escape deaths grasp and revel in our lords victory, but if i die i will take the bastard who done me in!" The Banner men cheered below as the general rallied his troops, the techno drives loomed behind the podium as they flickered to life as their pilots entered the cockpits. Blue arcana filled the sky as they moved north towards Autumn veil.

The government had started a campaign to gain support from the non Magestrate operated cities, claiming the magesteate wished to put magical beings over the commonfolk, changing the order of nobility and removing non magic peoples from their positions of power. The campaign had created animosity towards those with magical destinies and creating great amounts of tension between the cities of the realm.

The trumpeters signaled the men it was time to board the boats and make way from shadow harbor around the savage sea and land outside of denizens bay beyond the sight of the citadel. In the night the royal army positioned itself along the beach prepared to strike Autumnveil after the pixie tree began to glow purple. Dreams gave the pixies a different energy, and them glowing purple would signify majority of the city would be asleep.

Late into the night the royal army laid in wait like a viper in the leave waiting for its time to strike, in total darkness they watched the tree glow from green to red then finally purple.

With their signal given the army descended upon the city, the roar of the techno-drivers followed by the scream of their artillery awoke the city. The strike was so abrupt no one could react as the bolts of arcanic power blue through the archegates of the middle level, the catapults followed suit and began letting loose their payloads. Giant stones fell from the sky into the upper level before another wave of arcane artillery began to hit the basement of Autumnveil. Boulders shred through the city as screams and crying filled the streets, the panic of the city occupants cause more chaos as children and the elderly were trampled or crushed under boulders. The few mages who could get out and try and fight were quickly dispatched by the rain of arrows that had begun to fall like rain to stop the residents from escaping the assault. Blood began to fill the gutters, and charred remains of those who were hit by the techno-drivers artillery. The assault lasted an hour, the city itself had been leveled, leaving just the pixie tree standing. The giant fountain home of the water-steeds Erlem had played with layed destroyed and its inhabitants back in the ocean or dead.

The military withdrew and headed back to the beach from which they came, celebrating their victory, singing songs theyde made up " autumnveil the grandest coffin ever made, the magestrate needs a place to lay" Became a popular marching song amongst the ground troops. A few were carrying treasures they had looted from various buildings and homes, the more depraved carried a loop with heads of various magestrate officials dangling from their horses backs like morbid wind chimes.

They made their ways back to the beach encampment, celebrations rang from the inlet long into the next afternoon. They cooked the live stock they managed to take with them and coveted the treasures they had piled high on the beach. Gold and silver trinkets, rings, jewelery and rare precious stones shone against the sun. In a large red tent bearing the royal crest the commanders of the assault sit in their tent, drinking to a job well done and setting their plans to return to the capitol. "Load up the spoils first, the kings pay isn't as much as these kings-men deserve, then load the troops. I want to be back home before the morning." A large man, with broad shoulders, a full red beard and brown eyes ordered, he had claw like scratch scars across his face, his nose was missing a large chunk on the bridge. He was a terrifying site to those who faced him, garnering him the name "the Minotaur" by those who witnessed him on the field. Always atop a black mustang he managed to capture during his time battling orcs in the savage lands. He was extremely proficient in the art of battle by horseback, swinging his large axe severing the heads of his foes like a painter does a portrait.

This mission was his first as commanding officer, and he was sure due to its success he would be rewarded again.

He chose a group of the younger soldiers to start loading the row boats with treasure, " I want this whole beach cleaned and put on our ships, if i find even an opal in the sand i will feed you to monsters in denizens bay!" He barked as the young soldiers ran over to begin their task. " I hope he falls on that bloody axe he carries around, everyone else is celebrating, i heard a couple of the men found girls to bring back with them, adding to the bastard count of Thre'a, lucky cunts." They complained to each other lowly, making sure the Minotaur couldn't hear them. "Kinda in bad sport we attacked while everyone was asleep, wasn't much of a fight." A pale blonde soldier, no more than seventeen years old said to his brothers in arms as they filled large sacks with treasures and hauled them over to a nearby row boat. " what did you expect! Those were mages, if they new we were coming we would have never even breached the road to them, or they could have just wiped us off the beach before we even hit the road." Another boy around the same age with hair as black as a ravens wing and eyes to match replied, " It just doesn't sit right with me, their were children their, women!" The blonde soldier had a soft spot for children, he had a pair of twin sisters no older than two years old, his father had died after coming down with the plague, the same that left the current king in power.

Olin the crafty sat under candle-light behind a large mahogany desk, a long purple quill scratched against what felt like miles of parchment. His glasses had slid close to the edge of his nose, he barely noticed, he had been chronicling the life of Liam the spell-slinger, his most recent opponent to step into the political arena with him.

Liam was a mage to the west from the new city of Yarrow, hidden way in the desserts sands. The dessert was the barrier separating the savage lands from the rest of the realm, Yarrow began as an encampment of both mage and warrior keeping the peace, and stopping any orcs from crossing into the continent.

Olin decided to mark this stretch of dessert the westerlands, finding its orcish name of Orcinheilm brutish and uncivilized separated it from the realm. It was a natural barrier between the savage lands home of the orcs and the rest of the continent but should controlled by those in power and not by private entities.

Olin also knew that knowledge was power and by learning about liam would surely be useful. Every man has secrets and weaknesses and Olin the crafty was a master at exploiting those qualities. Liam had begun a movement, campaigning for an election of a new magical head of the magistrate, claiming that the mages of the magestrate had grown too hungry for power and would surely start a war. He was of course correct, but they didn't need war sympathizers blocking his plans to become the new power in realm.

-Knock knock knock -

"Enter" he replied to the door, " hurry in already i'm a bit busy." He didn't remove his eyes from his parchment, scratching more words into his parchment.

" sir magistrate, Autumnveil has been attacked." A teenage mage trembled as he spoke, " sir, they killed everyone but the tree." Olin looked up to see the messenger in tears " there were no know survivors." " my boy are you ok?" Olin suspected the boy to be from Autumnveil himself, and most likely had just been informed hes now an orphan without family and now without a sir-name.

"Its ok my boy, I will get to the bottom of this, you can go, take the week off of your duties and studies. Go now. Stop along the way to the Magestrate Hauns office, tell him i wish to see him." The boy nodded and closed the door as he exited.

"Finally that foolish king took a swing, such a shame, so many lives lost on both sides just to give the realm the leader it deserves. But i believe its the Noble house Travvis who's motto is, i do believe, an eye for an eye" Olin wasn't a dan of violence, but he did understand its effectiveness when it came to achieving his goals. He called forth a couple of his servants to help him get on his dress robes. He had to look the part, he had to give off the aura of royalty while still giving off the piousness of a man never wanted the power he now wielded. "An eye for eye is too generous, i say we take their head." Olin smiled as he left his chambers, " then i take everything else."