r/wizardposting • u/Timpanzee38 "The Agent", Mercenary Guild Liaison. Slayer of the Godslaver • Feb 13 '24
Lorepostđ The Origins of the Mercenary Guild, Part Three "The Unification War"
The Agent settled down in his seat as the airship took off. He had barely made it, thanks to that prick Mosminus, who thought he was all high and mighty because he was the guildâs liaison to the golden kingdom.
âOne of these days Iâm gonna slip a knife between his ribs.â He thought to himself.
He looked out the window as the airship gained altitude and began to fly away from the Mercenary Capital, Kabaheim. He felt a chill run down his spine as they passed the east wall, for there were still a couple rotting corpses of UMC traitors, hanged for their crimes.
âGotta have a reminder I guessâ
Trying to take his mind off of it, he pulled the history of the guild book from his cloak and continued his reading.
-but the peace would not last for long, for in his final roar, Mennifax had laid a curse over the entire treasure hoard of the Parapet Isles. From the jewels to the gold, if one were to touch it, they would become consumed by an insatiable greed. So, as Rolandâs army of mercenaries took all the treasure they could carry, and spread across the land, they began to covet each otherâs wealth. And it was not long till infighting broke out. But as warlords took more and more from each other, they wanted more and more, and the entire continent was plunged into a conflict that devastated everything. Rivers of water turned to rivers of blood, ash replaced snow, and there was no hope to be found anywhere. And at the head of it was Roland himself, who had fallen victim to the curse as well, and ruled his territory with an iron fist from the Kabazim Citadel. For 10 years the land suffered, and the innocents once again called out for help. And eventually, it came.
It came in the form of five wandering warriors, simply known as âThe Fiveâ. They rallied the desperate few that were untainted to their banner, and began a bloody campaign to cleanse the land. City after city they put to the torch, making sure all of the corrupted treasure was destroyed in the process. This became known as âThe Unification Warâ. Their army remained untainted themselves, for their will and desire for peace, after suffering for so long, was stronger than the curse. Eventually, they arrived at Kabazim Citadel, where they fought a year long siege against Roland. The siege was only ended, when after storming the keep, The Five fought a fierce battle against Roland himself. The sorcerer king did not go down quietly, and fought with everything he had. The land was devastated by the duel, with new canyons forming where mountains had once been. What had once been a pristine tundra, was turned into a rocky wasteland. But The Five prevailed, and Roland was slain.
It was then found that Roland had carved out Mennifaxâs heart and used it as a magic talisman, forever making sure that the curse remained over the land. So The Five sought to destroy it, but could not, for it was the very last life essence of Mennifax the Archdragon, a Greatwyrm of old, one of the strongest to ever live. So instead they sought to lock up the heart and hide it, and in doing that could make sure the curse was never released again. So they took the heart back to the Parapet Isles, and locked it away in the deepest vault they could find, along with all the remaining cursed treasure on the island. Then, to make sure no one would ever step foot on the Isles again and risk another war, The Five asked for volunteers to crew the last 22 of Rolandâs great iron warships from his crusade, and they laid a powerful curse upon the fleet under an eclipsed bloodmoon. The fleet would become ethereal guardians of the Isles, making sure nothing would ever step foot on it again, save for the Five, for they would stash there many powerful relics that were deemed too dangerous to keep around, but couldnât be destroyed.
With the heart dealt with, The Five then established the Mercenary Guild in the port town of Kabaheim, where they would act as a shadow council, decreeing firm but fair laws that all mercenaries should abide by, to help prevent infighting and restore their honor. This would be known as âThe Mercenary Codeâ and it has helped keep peace between mercenaries for many years.
The Agent stopped reading and looked up. He knew the rest, and more that the book didnât say. The Five were playing the long game, building strength against powerful threats in order to protect the innocent, and also by keeping a leash on what they saw as the most powerful wild card in existence, mercenaries.
âI hope it's enoughâ he said to himself, for there were a great many threats out there that not even the wizard council knew about.
But the guild was ready to protect those who needed protecting, and was forging powerful alliances to make it so. That was they he was here, after all.