Once upon a time...
In the kingdom of Varonis there exists a knightly order in service to the royal family. They were famous not only for their loyalty to king and country, but for chivalry and strength of arms. For these knights wore not the chain and plate of normal men, but donned steel armor like none other. Each knight became a collossus, a titan capable of felling a thousand men all on it's own.
Forged by an ancient wizard, they were gifted to knights in exchange for promising to fight the forces of evil wherever they were. Even should an army of demons appear, no member of the order would turn tail, no knight would succumb to cowardice. As one, they would fight the forces of hell itself. And lo, thrice from the northern wastes came legions of the damned.
And three times, the hellish hordes were turned aside.
It is said that as long as a single courageous knight of the royal order still stands, the kingdom of Varonis shall never fall...
IMPERIAL COMMUNIQUE
OPERATION BLADE-BREAKER COMPLETE SUCCESS
VARONIAN KNIGHT HQ COMPLETELY ANNHILATED IN PRELIMINARY STRIKE
FOUR KNIGHTS OUTSIDE OF STRIKE DESTROYED BY REGULAR FORCES
NO OTHER KNOWN MILITARY FORCES CAPABLE OF SIGNIFICANT RESISTANCE
MAY THE GOLDEN DAWN SHINE UPON THE EMPRESS
END COMMUNIQUE
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Chapter 1: Anvil
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"Hey, Gilliam!"
You looked up from the axe you were sharpening, delivering a raised eyebrow to Willard, who had come running to your little hut. There's a hint of a guilty look mixed with in with the flush he got from running up the hill, but it's hardly as though you can blame the boy. Your house is outside the village proper, so he shouldn't be out here alone and he knows it. But, at the same time, it's close enough to the village to be seen as 'safe enough'.
Despite being outside the town-walls proper.
But then, being this far north, it's not like brigands or robbers were a concern. The only things to be concerned about were beasts, and that was why you had a very sturdy cellar door.
"And what's got you running my way this early in the morning, boyo?" You gave the kid a grin. "Short some mushrooms for a stew? Need some herb or another for the alchemist?" You joke, but there's not much that'd have him running your way all alone this early in the day. It's likely if he got sent your way, someone needs an urgent hand with something.
"Dad says some Imperial brigade is comin' up the highway, and they're gonna eat us outa house and home, so he needs all the meat you can hunt down!" The words spill out of his mouth in an excited tangle. And almost instantly, it feels like the otherwise fine and beautiful blue morning sky has turned grey and soggy with clouds of disgust.
It had been ten years since the Empire had taken over Varonis, and it brought out... complicated feelings in lots of people.
You know that for lots of towns and villages in what had been the kingdom, there was very little change. There'd even been some improvements as newly built roads connected them together, and ether stations had been created in all corners of the kingdom, bringing the 'light of the Empress' to everyone inside their range.
But it's very hard to forget that the reason all that happened was because they'd planted a bomb in the capital, blown up the Varonian Knights, and then surged over the border with a wave of Stahlritter, totally obliterating any resistance that could have formed before the country even knew it was under attack.
"You are too weak to be of use. Go home boy."
"So, he thinks they're gonna try and demand free food or something?" The boy shook his head, a wide grin on his face.
"No, none of the soldiers have done anything like that since the mayor went and reported that one mean guy. Dad thinks they'll pay lots of geld for food that isn't trail rations, and says that if he makes enough, we might be able to get an ether-line installed in our house!" Ah. The prospect of cheap magical light combined with heating and cooling. You had no real reason to worry or object to this. You know Willard's father, Wirt. When you moved up here, he helped you build your hut and dig your cellar. He's a good host, and the kind of innkeeper to get more coin out of a man by having genuinely good and tasty things to sell. You know that he's going to pay you fairly for whatever you can bring in to help him make a feast.
It's rational and logical and you still want to tell the poor boy who wasn't even three years old when the Empire invaded that you want nothing to do with this.
"Sure, I'll see what I can scare up." You smiled and reached over your little porch table to where you had left your hunting bag. "Just let me walk you back to town, eh? Were you supposed to come out here by yourself, or wait for your older sister?" The almost buried wince of awkward guilt came back to Willard's face with a vengeance, and you have to hold back a laugh as an angry shout echoed up the path, and Ellia, Wirt's other child, practically ripped the dirt under her feet asunder as she tore up the hill like a panicked and enraged sibling.
While she started chewing his ear off for daring to step outside the town walls and into the forest by himself, you started contemplating hunting spots and chewing over your own justifications for doing this. You weren't feeding Empire soldiers, not really. Not directly. You were getting food for Wirt to sell, and so you could make some money of your own. You're not gonna make enough for ether line on a single day of hunting, but you can probably make enough for something nice.
"You got him then, Ellia?" Almost as soon as you speak, the girl's entire demeanor changes, from raging brunette to a girl so polite and innocent butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
"I have him well in hand, Mr. Forrester." Willard, for his part, had the opportunity to squirm and open his mouth before Ellia's boot came down on his foot. "You've agreed to help our father get enough supplies for the coming visitors then?" She smiled, bright and wide, as you gave her a nod. "Wonderful! Thank you very much for your help again, Mr. Forrester. Now then, I should escort little Willard back to town, before he gets into any more trouble-" Willard licked her hand, breaking out of her grip as she squealed, before he started pounding the dirt under his shoes. "-YOUUUUU BRAAAAAAAT! COME BACK HERE!"
You relaxed with a sigh as Ellia chased her brother back to town. Well, that was one issue dealt with.
That just left the question of just where you should start yout hunt.
[ ] The Shrine. You're nobody and no one, but there's somethings that nobody is doing anymore. It's more a routine than anything else, and it won't be practical. But there's nothing wrong with making sure it was well taken care of, before you set out on your hunt proper. You can do that much, at least, and maybe it'll make you feel a bit better.
[ ] The Deep Woods. No villagers go there, and the ground can be a little treacherous. But there's plenty of big beasties, so you won't be worried about snagging a good kill, at least. Last time you were there, you almost ran into a team of Imperial soldiers doing... something, though.
[ ] Off the Highway. A troop of Imperials are coming up the road, and they'll be making a loud racket, as only Imperials can. But that can play to your strengths as well. A bunch of well placed traps, and all the small game they would have driven off would be all yours.
