The Crimson Guild

Kai had never seen his father look so weak. As he helped him into the farmhouse, everything that had just happened felt heavy, like a storm cloud hanging over him. The strong man who had taught him everything about the land was now leaning against the table, holding his ribs and wincing in pain.

Kai placed a cup of water in front of him, his hands shaking with anger. "You're going to tell me what happened," he said, his voice calm but serious. "No more avoiding it. Who were those people? And why did they attack you?"

His father sighed, the sound heavy with tiredness and something more—acceptance. He took a sip of water, wincing with each breath. "You're not going to like what I'm about to tell you," he said, his voice weak.

"Tell me anyway," Kai replied, his fists tightening at his sides.

His father leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment, as if trying to find the strength to speak. When he finally did, his words came slowly, full of bitterness. "The Crimson Guild," he said.

Kai frowned. "Crimson Guild? Who are they?"

"They're not just a gang of thugs," his father explained. "They're behind everything around here. Smugglers, enforcers, extortionists—they're involved in all the dirty deals, the crooked trades, and the violence that keeps people like us trapped."

Kai's stomach twisted. "And they work for this... council?"

His father nodded, his face dark. "The council says they govern us, keep things in order. But really, they use the Crimson Guild to do their dirty work. It's easier to shut people up and control everything when you have a group of ruthless enforcers at your command."

Kai's mind raced, trying to understand. "So, what does this have to do with us? We're just farmers."

"That's exactly why we're in their sights," his father replied, bitterness in his voice. "The Moonvine we grow? It's not just valuable—it's essential. The Guild uses it for their alchemy trade. Potions, poisons, enhancers—Moonvine is the key to all of it. And the council makes sure they get their supply, no matter what it costs us."

Kai's fists tightened, his anger growing with each word. "But we're barely surviving as it is! How do they expect us to give them more when the land can't even provide for us?"

His father's eyes darkened, his face hardening. "They don't care, Nyx. To them, we're just tools. Disposable."

Kai shook his head, his jaw tightening. "Then why haven't you fought back? Why let them push us around like this?"

A bitter laugh escaped his father's lips. "You think I haven't tried? Years ago, I spoke out. Tried to get the other farmers to stand up with me, to fight back against their cruelty. You know what that got me?" He pulled up his sleeve, showing a jagged scar that ran the length of his forearm. "This. And a warning: stay quiet, or they'd come for you and your mother."

Kai stared at the scar, his breath catching. "They... threatened Mom?"

His father's expression softened, the memory clearly hurting him. "She didn't deserve any of this. None of us did. But I had to make a choice—to protect what little we had left."

Kai felt a wave of guilt, but it was quickly replaced by a burning determination. "We can't just let them keep doing this," he said, his teeth clenched.

"That's exactly what you need to do," his father said sharply, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Stay away from them, Nyx. The Crimson Guild isn't just a gang—they're a disease. They destroy everything they touch, and they'll crush anyone who gets in their way."

"But Dad—"

"No," his father interrupted, his voice firm, despite the pain on his face. "I've already lost too much to them. I won't lose you too. Promise me you'll stay out of it."

Kai hesitated, his heart torn between his father's plea and the burning anger inside him. Finally, he nodded, though the words felt heavy. "I promise."

 Kai sat at the kitchen table long after his father had gone to bed, staring at the flickering lantern that cast uneasy shadows on the walls. The name "Crimson Guild" weighed heavily on his mind, tightening around his thoughts like a noose. He had heard whispers in the village before—rumors passed quietly between people, fear hidden behind fake smiles. But this was the first time the true power of their reach had hit so close to home.

His father's words echoed in his mind: "The Crimson Guild isn't just a gang—they're a disease."

Kai tapped his fingers against the rough wood of the table, the rhythm matching the pounding of his heart. He needed answers—he needed them now. If the Crimson Guild was as powerful as his father said, they weren't just a problem; they were the cause of everything wrong in this region.

He glanced at the stairs leading to his father's room, making sure the old man was asleep before reaching for the drawer under the counter. Pulling it open, he took out a small, leather-bound journal—one he remembered his father writing in the night before. Maybe, just maybe, it held something—anything—that could help him understand the full reach of the Crimson Guild's power.

Flipping through the pages, Kai came across sketches of the farmland, notes about crop cycles, and reminders for supplies. Then, near the middle, he found something different: a hastily drawn map of the region, with several locations circled in red. Next to each circle, his father had written cryptic notes. But it was written in the Mordrith language. He opened the book and started decoding it:

⊳𓂀⊗⨁⊳⊗⩯ ⟘𓏏⊗𓂀⨸ : ⍾𓂀⋇𓂀⩯⍂𓂀—⩯⊗ϯ𓂀△⟘𓆉⊗⟘⩯ Ϟ⊗𓏏𓂀

Blackwater Mines: "Moonvine refining—unregulated trade."

𓂀⊗⩯⊗𓏏⊗⊗⩯⟘⊗𓏏⩯ : ⊱⨁⊗𓂀 ⨁⊳⩯⊱⊗⊗⩯𓂀? ⟘⊱⊗ ⊗⩯⟘⨁⊗⊗ ⊱⊗ ⩯⊗𓏏⟘⊗.

Ebonshade Marsh: "Guild stronghold? Too dangerous to approach."

𓂀⊗⩯⊱⩯⊗⩯ ⊱⊗𓏏⩯ : ⊱⨁⊗𓂀⊗ ⩯⊗⩯⟘⊗ ⊱⊗⊗⩯—⩯⊗𓏏⩯⊗⨁⊗?

Ironspire Keep: "Council meeting point—overseers?"

The words sent a chill down Kai's spine. His father had been watching them—marking places where the Crimson Guild and the council were most active. It was clear that whatever his father had known, he had been trying to protect him from. Kai's breath grew faster as he read the last note, written in bold, underlined letters at the bottom of the page:

⊳𓂀⊗⨁⊳⊗⩯⊗ ⊱⨁⊗𓂀 = ⊗𓏏⊗⊗⩯𓂀⊗ ⊗𓂀 ⊗⨁⊗𓏏⊗⊗𓂀 ⊱⊗ Ϟ⊗ ⩯⊱⊗ ⊱⊗𓂀 ⊱⊗⩯ ⊱⨁⊗⊗?

"Crimson Guild = puppets of the Council. They control us, but why? What's their real goal?"

The Council. His father had mentioned them earlier, but hadn't explained much beyond their link to the Guild. Who were they? And why would they need enforcers like the Crimson Guild to control the people?

Kai closed the journal and leaned back in his chair, his mind racing with questions. His father's words echoed in his head: "I tried to rally the others, but they silenced me."

It wasn't just about Moonvine or extortion—it was about control. The Crimson Guild wasn't acting on their own; they were the sharp blade in the hands of an unseen force. The next morning, Kai approached his father with the journal, holding it out like a challenge. "You wrote this," he said, his voice steady. "You knew they were more than just thugs. You knew the Council was pulling the strings."

His father's face darkened as he glanced at the journal, but he didn't take it. "Nyx, I told you to leave it alone," he said gruffly, turning back to the window, where the morning light bathed the farmland.

"How can I leave it alone when they're beating you in broad daylight?" Kai shot back, his frustration spilling out. "How can I just sit back and do nothing when they're destroying everything we've worked for?"

His father sighed, the weight of years pressing down on him. "You don't understand, Nyx. They're not just powerful—they're untouchable. The Crimson Guild doesn't answer to anyone but the Council, and the Council... they answer to something worse."

Kai's brow furrowed. "Worse? What could be worse than this?"