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Growing up in Tangor during these years can be quite harsh. Wars and rebellions are always coming and going between the Kings of Tangor, the Emperors of Thonia and the Dukes of a puppet Tanogoro state occupied by Thonian Empire, not to count the many self-appointed kings, so-called freedom fighters and generals sprouting up a bit all over the place.
Growing up as a war orphan is no exception at all, in Tangor.
War, however, can become a career as well, as there is need for countless swordsells working in turn for one of the contestants, trying to keep up and stay with the one that pays better, that is often the most desperate.
You are good at scouting and more than decent as bodyguard, but the discipline of the regular army ranks felt always a bit too boring for you: you preferred going after special missions, when possible and when worth it.
You have seen the tides of the war turning so many times that you lost any ideal and affection for countries and leaders: they are all the same. They just think gold and power, but none of them is either rich or powerful enough to win.
Good for you: you'll have work as long as you manage to survive.
The only real ideal that is still with you after so many years of bloodsheds is honour and faithfulness towards your long-term comrades.
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
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It seems impossible for men like you to get into religion, nevertheless you went through the unexpected experience of a religious epiphany. You still can't believe it happened to you!
It happened in your dreams: "He-who-must-not-be-named-yet" summoned you to the hive mountain. You couldn't believe it, but couldn't avoid going where the voice called you.
With you there were several others, some that you knew, some that you didn't, all called by the same spiritual voice.
What happened in the hive mountain during that long days is something that you won't discuss with anybody, however, you entered the caves of the mountain from the south side and you went out from the north side completely changed.
Your dirty face was still the same, but you shed your blood-encrusted weapons for a sacred weapon made of blue steel and a simple leather jerkin. Even more important, you weren't happy anymore to be the respected adventurer that you were: you wanted to become a true hero, like the ones that are sung and remembered for generations!
That was the start of your quest!
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
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The mysterious entity that sent you on your quest pushed you more and more towards north.
You did earn your bread by doing what you know: scouting and fighting along the way, but you were never allowed to tarry too much. Soon you couldn't stay anymore in that place and you were on your way north again.
Your journey took you through the fabled lands of the Thonian Empire: an old empire, too old, with too many rebellious provinces and citizens unwilling to fight. Wars were fought by mercenaries like you, often foreigners or coming from borderlands while the citizens kept spinning the gold.
You realized that Thonia could have surely crushed every rebellion in Tangor, if they concentrated all their gold and all their armies on Tangor. Unfortunately, they had several other rebellions to fight and needed to hire more and more mercenaries by collecting more and more money from taxes. Then, of course, more taxes often meant more rebellions. Tricky situation to say the least.
Trickier was even the fact that the highest nobles in Mohacs plotted to prevent each other from winning decisive battles, preventing this way rivals from gaining too much popularity.
Tangor was safe, but you were thinking less and less about it.
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Your journey took you north until eventually you reached Blackmoor, a dominion settled relatively recently.
For the Emperor, Blackmoor was an Arch-Barony (or was it and Arch-Duchy? who cares...) that paid yearly tributes to the Emperor, after some rebellion. But many provinces rebelled in turn and something could perhaps be graciously forgiven...
At Blackmoor they told different tales: for them the Kingdom was an independent dominion and they sometimes sent to Mohacs some contribution for road maintenance, as commerce was now the prominent activity there, after a generation of warriors and heroes earned a hard-fought independence.
This arrangement looked perfect: Thonian Empire had the money that they wanted, while Blackmoor had the freedom to expand their profitable commerces without having to fight all the time.
By late spring of 1069 NC, you were in Vestfold, the most prominent city of Blackmoor.
The land looked quite untamed and the customs a bit barbaric, but wasn't too bad. On the way, you got accustomed to exceedingly curious stares, due to your uncommon racial traits and the fashion of your dresses and weapons.
Blackmoor looked a potential rising star amidst all the stagnant provinces of Thonia and its neighbouring countries: plenty of money flowing in due to profitable commerces, and you knew that money was power.
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After you took a room in Vestfold, the voice of the mysterious "He-who-must-not-be-named-yet" stopped chasing you away.
Just a pause or this was your intended destination?
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Please note that this Prologue is just intended to provide some more information for building up your backgrounds.
The game will start in early February - please hold fire in the meanwhile.
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
making all his Nowhere plans for Nobody.
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