Stalker - Vrah

"I am not supposed to write journals like these. As a Stalker, I am supposed to ensure the secrecy of my identity. If someone ever got hold of this journal, my guild may be compromised. For a guild dealing in secrets, having any one of its operatives exposed may sound its death knell. However, if I do not articulate my thoughts, I fear I will go mad soon. I do not enjoy what I do. In fact, I detest it. But I am bred from young to be an operative and I have to survive. The Guild does not simply let its operatives loose." 

"I do not know who my parents are. For as long as my memory recalls, I was raised with other children in a school that teaches us to read and write and also trains us physically. When we are older, we learn the arts of espionage, assassination, sabotage and any other shady acts you can imagine. As a child, I was always fascinated with who and where my parents are. After I became an operative, I spent some time searching for information about their whereabouts. I compiled conflicting information from various accounts. My parents might have been killed by barbarians during the Insurgency. Or they might be living comfortably in the coastal city Fildar off the gold they received from the sale of their child to the Guild. I suppose I will never really know. I do not even know my real name."

"I just made my six hundred and sixty six kill. The Kill was leading an opulent life off misbegotten gains obtained from cheating people into believing he is some kind of living god. His actions should not have warranted death. However, one of the people he managed to cheat was the Lord of Fildar and he became untouchable to the authorities. There were attempts by vigilantes like the outlaw Wolves to steal his wealth and redistribute it to the ones he cheated but the paranoid cheat hired many operatives from other guilds to protect him and his wealth. I suppose for the sake of the people, he had to be dealt with. But he should have been brought to justice."

"I was tasked with registering for the arena in the Reyda Festival. The assignment mentions that should I manage to get through the rounds in the arena, I would eventually be matched with the Target. I am not sure how the Guild has the clout to ensure this pairing but after being an operative this long, I have my suspicions. I am to kill the Target and make it look like a natural proceeding based on our fight."

"My last fight was against Hulzek II. He is the celebrated son of Hulzek and the grandson of Harlek, both heroes of the kingdom. He is most certainly groomed to be the next hero, if ever we needed another. It must feel great, to know that you came from a noble lineage. The Reyda Festival should be his ticket to a promotion but his body language was weird. His opening stance suggested he wanted to go for the quick kill but it exposed too many weak spots. Either he had poor training in his time in the Hall of the Anointed or he could be underestimating me. Well, I suppose my cover identity is making him draw the wrong conclusions. The fight was indeed over in an instant. I hope the priests managed to heal him."

To: Lord Kriol, High Commander of the Protectorate

These are contents from salvaged pages from the book titled Vrah, found during rebuilding efforts after the attack by the dragon Kathar. Vrah is believed to be an operative from the Guild, secretly the King's secret service. It is recommended that we burn the pages as well as this record after you have taken the time to peruse them.

           

Magician - Sihiri

Galdur looks upon his apprentice with great pride. He found Sihiri as a young girl many years ago while on his travels to search for a new apprentice after Idin proved himself capable of being elevated to an Arch-Pyro, the highest mastery possible, and walking his own path alone. He was preparing to rest for the night when he felt intense heat. Investigating, he found the building opposite the inn on fire with a young girl on her knees crying on the road in front of it. With more than a little effort, he intoned the necessary words to cast a spell and summon enough water to douse the fire. He is after all an Arch-Pyro, a master in the arts of fire casting. He is adept enough to learn a few simple spells from the other three Elements but his lack of affinity for them makes for tremendous effort out of such casting. As he was walking towards the young girl, he was buffeted by strong winds and hurled through the closed door of the inn. Before he could pick himself up, the inn was rocked by violent tremors that subsided as soon as they started. Taking a moment to compose himself, he stood up unceremoniously and made his way towards the girl. He walked through the pool of water that has appeared around the girl and planted a strong grip on her shoulder, reassuring her. It was clear that the girl possesses affinity with magic and possibly all four elements at that. A mage that has affinity with two elements was almost unheard of, let alone four. With the blessings of her parents, he stayed in the town to train her to master her latent abilities while she grew up with her family.

Now a young woman, she has developed into a very talented mage. He submitted a petition to the Magi Order's leader, Grand Arch-Mage Andrya, to seek dispensation to affirm Sihiri's unheard of refined mastery of all the elements by assigning her the ranks of Pyromancer, Terramancer, Aquamancer and Terramancer. The arena in the Reyda Festival is where she can prove herself to the Grand Arch-Mage.

She raises a hand and the ground of the arena shakes violently, unbalancing her opponent. She is one of the rare magicians who can cast a spell without first intoning the words. She follows the tremors with a hurricane that picks up her opponent and sends him flying to the sky. As he falls from the sky, she sends a water bolt straight towards his chest with a force enough to knock the wind out of his lungs. As he is struggling to pick himself up, she prepares the coup de grace. She points her index finger at her opponent and fire starts to form around it. Then the fire dies.

Galdur winces. Despite her immense potential and talent, she suffers from the occasional mistakes. Galdur attributes such problems to that time when he first met her, when her uncontrolled magics caused destruction in her town. Even though the destruction was fortunately kept to a minimum and she subsequently aided in the rebuilding efforts, she has never really outgrew the trauma and fear of loss of control the moment caused her. As a result, she is afraid to let loose and such inhibitions are hampering her progress.

Her opponent lies sprawled on the ground. Her finishing move is not necessary after all. She is still on track for her promotion. However, if she is to realise her potential and be the most powerful magician in the history of the Order, there is more work to be done.

Knight - Hulzek II

"And the victory goes to...... Hulzek the Second!!!!'

The crowd goes wild, as the crowd should. After all, they are celebrating the victory of the future hero of Zegon. He may be a lowly Knight now but very soon, the Grand Army has no choice but to appoint him the new High Commander. As the grandson of Harlek, the first High Commander of Grand Army of Zegon, and son of Hulzek, the first High Commander of the Protectorate, his birthright demands adulation from the plebians and obedience from his inferiors in the army. He raises his hands up high and soaks in the applause and cheers. He will experience such victorious moments a few more times on his way to becoming the victor of the arena in the Reyda Festival. After all, he is the future hero of the kingdom. He is destined to win. 

His next battle would be the last battle of the next day. All the better for the plebians to sing his name in exultation as they revel in festivities at night after bearing witness to his glorious and inevitable victory. His opponent is one Tik, of the Pathless. A great fighter worth his mettle should have decided on a Path and joined one of the various recognized factions in the kingdom where he could get the proper training. These Pathless are frowned upon and barely tolerated in a kingdom that holds the factions in high regard. There are even rumors that suspected dangerous individuals may even be killed and their bodies dumped unceremoniously by the King's assassins. In any case, this Tik should be an easy opponent, one of the bothersome but necessary stepping stone to winning the arena and gaining reputation and acclaim. Maybe this Tik is instead actually one of the King's assassins himself. A member of the elusive Guild of Assassins, the King's secret service, may masquerade himself as a Pathless while partaking in the arena in order to maintain his secrecy in the process of proving himself to his Guild. An assassin should be no match for the great Hulzek II. He is destined for greatness. He stifles a smile as he sleeps for the night. 

"And for the next round!!! Hulzek the Second, Knight and Tik, Pathless!!!"

He looks at the pathetic figure before him, barely clothed and unkempt, holding two small daggers uneasily. This should be over with no time at all. He raises his sword and points the tip straight at the chest of this pathetic creature. Tik lets out a sharp cry and charges forward.. He holds his stance and welcomes Tik's advance. Almost before Tik reached the tip of his sword, Tik ducks under and sweeps his twin daggers across his knees that are barely uncovered by his armor. He falls knees first onto the sandy ground. He tries to sweep his sword to attempt to catch in an over-extending arc but Tik was already clear. He implants his sword on the ground to keep his balance. This fight is over in an instant and has not ended in his victory. He wills himself to stand up and continue the fight but he fails.

"And the victory goes to... Tik, Pathless!"              

He will bide his time. Ever since his grandfather's death, High Commander Tolt is only temporarily occupying a position meant for him. He will once again bring glory to his family and honor his recently deceased father, who died a glorious death defending the kingdom against the savage barbarians. It is just a matter of time.

It is, after all, his destiny.