I was once a young man. I was born, on the 30th of cloudburst, 858 years after the divine war. That makes me about one hundred and fifty years old. A century and a half. A lot has changed in this land over that time. Yet the people are just the same....
The first fight I ever saw was between a thief, and a magess. Tasha was her name, and she sent that rogue packing. I saw the lights, and the power, and I knew I wanted to be a mage there and then. I joined the guild and learnt my trade at the right hand of The Magelord Tragnarion himself - one of the most powerful mages that has ever lived.
I remember my very first thakrian kill, it was a young sorcerer, called Fractell. We battled before the Wolf Gate, and I slew him, the last of his blood boiling at my touch. He would certainly not be the last. Back then, I had a strict code of Honour. I knew that if I were to attack and slay others, glorying in the kill, then I would fall to evil, and be no better than my opponents. I fought only to protect myself, or my friends. However, there was never a shortage of thakrians who wanted to attack a young mage! Yet, I must have been harder than I looked - I stood victorious many more times than I was vanquished.
My Patron Andromeda was absent (maybe dreaming immortal dreams?) and it was around that time that Orthwein, God of Fate took me as a follower. He was to guide me down different paths...
Some time later, I started to grow uneasy. Corruption was rife in the Mercinaen Barony, and I felt I could no longer stay. It was then that my lover Tasha told me of an idea she had been harbouring for some time. She planned to go to Thakria, and set up a guild of Mage profession there. Parrius had one, and so did Mercinae, but The city of Miracles was lacking. I and Muid (good friends and fighting partners) agreed to go with her, as did a couple of others.
Saddened at Mercinae's fall, I left for Thakria with a heavy heart. I was abandoning most of my friends, and worst of all, my mentor, friend, and guildmaster, Tragnarion. I almost turned back, but Tasha convinced me to stay with her, or lose her to the enemy. Tasha reassured me that the Warlocks would stay good - to try and convert the city of miracles from the inside. Both Muid and Orthwein warned me that Tasha was lying to me, in order to further her own ambitions. I could not, would not believe them. It was only when I was given incontrovertible proof that she had made a pact with the Diabolus for power, that I realised the truth.
I fled to Parrius, broken hearted. Too shamed at my betrayal to return to the Mages, I joined the Parrian branch of the profession, the Enchanters. Even without my or Muid's help Tasha was able to form the Warlocks, much as we had all hoped against it. Muid joined the Parrian Astrologers, and changed her name to Ysabell. My closest friend was lost to me, and we soon drifted apart.
I soon settled in with the Enchanters, and soon began to gain new friends and battle-brothers. Foremost amongst them were Layla, Garet Jax, Eshkadeth, Belvadere and Dankworth.
But soon I was again to have a shock to my world. Tasha was several months pregnant, with my child. Again I was torn, wondering if I should return to Thakria for the sake of my child. Again, Orthwein aided me in finding him a solution. It transpired that Tasha had begged her new Patron to make her pregnant from my seed, so that my principles would force me to rejoin her. Shocked at the duplicity of my former love, and angered at her attempts to manipulate me, I refused to leave Parrius. Thus was born my son, Michael, who would never know his father. Michael was actually stillborn, but I begged Orthwein to restore the life of my child. Tasha and I, momentarily united, petitioned Olympus. Orthwein finally agreed, much disgusted that one of his followers could be manipulated so. It was the breaking point of my new life in the Pirate City.
I changed my name to Asgenar - I could no longer call myself a Hero. I buried my grief by slaying those thakrians who dared attack me - Fractell, Cimares, Astiron, Dall, the recently disgraced Jharrik, and the young Shaitan. Two Thakrian barons, Simaril and Sepultura saw how I was beating their citizens, and decided to crush all resistance from me.
The two, both much mightier than my still limited skills, repeatedly slew me. Unwilling to spend all my time running from them, I would often stand and fight. And be beaten where I stood. Yet what else could I do, but grit my teeth?
Having a Patron who no longer cared for me, a city that could not aide me in my struggle, and a guild that was full of painful reminders, there was little to hold me. With the aid of Genesis, and Conteck master of the Animists, I joined the Druids in their forest home.
It was a peaceful time amongst the forest, a druid has few cares except helping the weak and wounded. There was plenty of time to rest, and explore the land in depth.
But after a while in the service of Aldaron, I realised there was a cancer eating at the land. The blight of Thakria was spreading over the land, corruption and murder emanated from the now aptly named City of Darkness.
Tragnarion was one of the few to stand against the dark, and with his blessing, I took up my staff, and rejoined the Mages in Mercinae, some 50 years after my birth. I would spend the next century there, and I'm still there today.
But I digress. Time passed. I fought the thakrians, and won. People called me 'giant killer' again. I fought shaitan many times, and I can honestly say I have never fought another opponent more dedicated to crushing his enemies than him. He was also fast, and cunning, and learnt from his mistakes. His skills also went up as fast as it is possible to increase them. He went from novice to God in a period of about 30 years. All in all, I was lucky to lose to him as few times as I did. He did not always win against everyone - but his achievements makes Arthor, Panaideos, even Lancelot and Macros look pretty weak.
Yet, I was not without successes. I was engaged to a young knight, called Serendipity. I was only able to enter two of the Gem quests in the run up to the ordination, yet in the first, a flag quest, I was on the winning side. Put forward by my team-mates as a solid defender, who had greatly contributed to their win, I competed against another team-member, Chaos, for the gem. Unsurprisingly, the experienced Baron of Mercinae and Guildmaster of the Mystics, Chaos, won it.
In the second quest, a contest of knowledge, I easily won the Gem of Voice. Young, fast - who knows what might have happened if I'd been able to compete in more of them?
Fortunately, Shaitan was so power hungry that there were very few competents left in Thakria. So when Shaitan was not there to protect them, Thakrians often bore the brunt of the rest of the land's frustrations, a precedent that would lead to much inter-city hatred later.
Vaunted though Shaitan was, he was unable to complete the invasion of Parrius - made vulnerable by the defection of Cardodius, along with the entire city treasury, to Thakria. I was one of the defenders that presided over Shaitan's defeat - proving that he was not infallible. Having been patronless since leaving the animists, it was with glad heart that I joined the order of Light, under Apollo. The order did what it could to stem Thakria's ambition, and at that time was about the only line of defence there was.
Months passed, and the Ordination loomed. Things did not look well for the forces of Good; there were only a handful of candidates in the running, and none that could weigh in the with skills and ability of Shaitan. It even looked as if I might have to face off against Shaitan, an unlikely proposal. With my two ultimates, and single gem, against shaitan's 14 ultimate skills, and 6 gems, it looked like a foregone conclusion. For personal reasons, I was forced to retire from the only ordination I have ever entered, and leave the land for a time.
Upon my return, I found that Shaitan had indeed won the quest, and obtained immortality. My worst enemy had finally reached the peak of his obsessive quest for ultimate power. Indeed, the sorcerer had burned a massive scar into Avalon, as a tyrant that the likes of which had never been seen before.
In the power vacuum that followed, I was much surprised to find my name was well known. As a fighter from the pre-shaitan era, I was in a minority of people who actually knew how to fight. I took the guildmastery of the mages - at my return, the guild numbered eight active members - when I handed the guildmastery over, it numbered nearly 80. Along with this abrupt rise in guild rank, came my rise within the Mercinaen government.
This was my golden period. During that time, I was Baron of Mercinae, and held at various times, Minister of Justice for 30 years, Field Marshall, and State Minister. I was offered the Chancellory (the ultimate position of trust), yet declined it so I could concentrate on the Justice department. I was very nearly Prince of Mercinae - Allanon and I were the two candidates after Gandalph left office, and the barony was split right down the middle. In the end, rather than force our pacifist baron to choose between the two of us as Prince, at a time when Parrius was threating our eastern border, I withdrew, and voted for Allanon. The deadlock was broken, and Allanon was crowned.
My time as Minister of Justice was a good one. Virtually all of Thakria knew not come near our city with violence or theft in their hearts. With my own skills, and those of people like Allanon and Sparky, who was my protege at the time, we took the war to Thakria, and won.
At that time, Genesis approached me, and offered my membership of his order. Given no time to talk to Apollo, I betrayed him, and joined the Order of Time. Long had I yearned to be his follower, for the followers of Time are those marked as great, yet my betrayal of Apollo was unforgiveable. It was a decision that would later come back to haunt me.
All good things come to an end. After 40 years or so, I was forced to leave the land again for a short period. I gave my Guildmastery over to Sparky, I stepped down as Baron, and handed over the keys to the Ministry of Justice. Little did I know, that I would not be getting any of them back. I left on the crest of a wave, Mercinae stronger militarily, economically, and with her streets safer than they had been in a century.
When I returned, much had changed. A number of new citizens and mages had arrived, and none of them knew me, or had heard of me. When I challenged for a vacant post in the barony, I was defeated. When I looked to return to a ministry, I was rebuffed. Always a prideful man, I was enraged at this rebuff from the people I had spent decades of my life protecting. Thakria was defeated, the threat was beaten, and my role in their defeat was forgotten. The older citizens remembered, but to the youngsters I was an arrogant fogie, thinking I could waltz back into power when they'd been queueing for the job for half a decade! Furious, I lost all sense, and managed to get myself thrown out of the Order of Time, and given an Eternal Disfavour by Orthwein. Disgusted with myself and my fellow Mercinaens, I left, vowing never, ever to return.
It was a good 30 years before I eventually came back to the land of Avalon. Again, things had gone through a seismic shift. There were very few people left who I would class as my peers, and yet, I had become a legend. My last visit was virtually forgotten, and my previous exploits against Thakria were the stories of myth. I had become a part of history!
Yet some things don't change. I was told time and again to try for vacancies in the Barony, and time and again, I lost. I have fought 9 elections, and only won 2. I have lost the last 5 on the trot, and have vowed never to stand again. I guess politics just isn't my strong suit.
These days, I am old man, with slow reactions, and my head a valuable commoditity. How many thakrians would like to test themselves in battle against the Archmage Hero, to show that they really are as good as they think they are? I have left the field of battle to the young, the headstrong, those with the burning desire to succeed.
I am retired, an old, old man with too many bitter memories, happy simply to potter about, collecting a few resources for the city which I still love, giving away the fortune I've accumulated over the years.
Who knows? One day the time may come, and I will wield my oaken staff once more, call Binky the dragon to carry me to battle, and take leadership of my city when they need a Hero most. One day....
Written 7/12/99 by Hero.
