A slight breeze echoed through the mountains, a stillness settling in, the town of Cove quiet in it's slumber as night approached with it's slender tendrils of darkness, however all was not restful, the Green Goblin's light were still flickering weakly in the pale moonlight.
SLAM!
Grunting with a exhaustion only felt by age, the eldery barkeep looked towards the door as it closed with a loud noise watching the late customer hesitatingly move towards the counter.
"Ah' 'ate to disapoint yer' lad, but we're 'bout to close for 'em night."
The young man stuttered slightly before speaking.
"I am sorry, sir, is just ah' just got off duty and was hoping for something warm before turning in..."
The last word was said quietly as if almsot a whisper, murmuring absently the old barkeep frowned nodding his head slightly.
"Well lad, 'ah used to be a militia man myself, they used to work us 'ard too in my day... "
Smiling with relief the young man settled himself on a stool, rummaging in his pouch, the smile turned to a wide eyed panicked look, murmuring the barkeep spoke again.
"Take it yer aint got any coins either, eh....?"
Nodding very slowly the now evident boy seemed unsure what to do, standing up in his haste and apologising swiftly. He looks at the bar when suddenly a bowl steaming tenderly is standing infront of him on the bar, gratefully he settles himself back into his seat, watching the barkeep as if waiting for his approval.
"Don't worry lad, yer look like yer'll make sergeant some day, this eye 'ere...
The barkeeper quickly indicated the hollow socket clearly visible in the weak light of the Green Goblin.
can see wha' potential people 'ave when it see's 'em..."
The boy nodded dutifully, clearly politely agreeing to the old barkeeps story with the politeness of the young to a old man.
"Parh... yer know, ah used to be as young as you... I lived quite a life you know fella, some might say I have caused quite some stories in me time, heh!"
The old man seems to speak more quietly at the end, the slight laugh ironic as he seems to be frowning with thought. Humouring the man, the boy asks softly.
"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did you do, sir...?"-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My name is Kiran, already at a early age did I kill for coin, I have led rebellions and I have tortured countless of people. I have been called a murderer a thief and a scoundrel of the worst kind, I have also known love and despair. I have seen my own child murdered infront of my own eyes and I have killed my wife to save her from death... I was once called shadowmaster and leader of a brotherhood which never excisted.. I have been accused of mass murder at a mill and I have been excecuted for treason. Some say I have lost my eye for the dark deeds I have done throughout my long life.
You might have heard of me?
Kiran. Earlier years.Little is known of me, what people speculate are usually hearsay and lies I have spread myself, the true story however is not your usual... villain turn hero, it is a song of betrayal, slaughter and revenge..
I only remember as far back as when I was sixteen years old, memory as yer get older seem to work in a mysterious way, I can't exactly remember everything vividly, but I remember meeting her... Kar we called her, what exactly she was I did not know, but she introduced me to a world which I have never known. My days for the next ten years were spend planning highway robberies, killing for coin and murdering innocents and guilty alike, we were like mercenaries without limits, we were the Highwaymen of Abbeywood. You might have heard of them? I grew within the ranks steadily, at the age of twenty one I had disposed of my competitions, crawling over bodies and broken limbs to sieze what was rightfully mine..
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The youth blinks, scratching his head slight confused as he watches the old figure, the mans eye staring hard in concerntration as he seems to be speaking, not seeing the young mans look..
"You were a.... criminal?"
The old man chuckles, nodding absently...
"Criminal... thats one of the titles they gave me..."
The youth sat, watching with narrowed eyes, his decision to leave was abruptly halted as his curiousity got the better of him...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can tell you of all the dumb things we did as young men and women in this clan, but I like to draw your attention to what changed my perspective the most that lifetime, it was a death...
I had gained quite a reputation of being infamous you see, appearing out of no where with my men and striking at the guardsmen of Yew. We used to only take on small bands, our equipment not of the same standard we could not afford a open conflict with a battalion of them, however what we didn't know was we were more foolish then we thought... What happened before it was not important, but I remember coming home, smelling smoke and the burning of charred flesh, Abbeywood was on fire.... I remember running through the eerie silence, the screams of the dying and burning mingling in with a shocking brutality, we had been royally set up... Five of my most trusted men burned that day, as I crept through a window I saw a guardsman... Tommy Nottingbury, hold my sweet girl, Jasmine, he killed her....
This is when I started to go insane. This is when the brotherhood became my soul passion, this was the only way I could have my vengance on the people who killed my family... I withdraw from the public for nearly five years, planning... plotting... waiting.
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The recruit splutters, face turning red as he watches the old barkeep...
"The... brotherhood... I heard of 'em, didn't they do tha' thing up in yew with tha' Mill?!"
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http://wiki.moongates.org/The_Border_Wars#The_Troubles_of_Yewhttp://www.grd-europa.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=222&highlight=mill------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Aye fella, thats the one, mrmm, not my proudest moment, nay sure yer 'eard of Padan Fain perhaps?"
The old tender looks to the youth, eye raised, waiting for a reply.
"Aint he' the fella tha' died for it?"
The recruit seems momentarily shocked as he puts two and two together..
"Padan worked for you?!"
Kiran merely smiled and continued his story..------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Years passed I finally came out of hiding and went to become a man of arms within the Covian army, I kept myself out of sight, however I already knew that a madness had take over me, my actions sometimes were... to put it mildly, insane beyond compare.
http://cove.sugeworld.com/forum/index.php/topic,2748.0.htmlI began to hear voices, my own sweet Jasmine, slaughtered at the hands of men I sworn righteous vengance upon... but I kept low... for two years untill I left cove behind and become a bartender in the sweltering pirate hole known as the Swaggers inn.
http://www.f4g.net/vesper-trading-company/8135-wine-trades.htmlWithin a few months I became a manager
http://www.f4g.net/vesper-trading-company/3748-managment-accounts-volume-1-a.htmland thats the first time I tried to kill someone in five years, Anna Marie....
You might ask why I tried to kill her, was it some kind of revenge, mayhaps it was me wanting to take over the Swaggers as a full owner. If you believe any of this, you clearly have never met me before...
This was also the time I got to start my very first war...
http://www.f4g.net/vesper-trading-company/4850-ze-march-war.htmlI have started some wars after this of course, some for profit, some for greed, some for the shere want... as I have explained, I am
slightly insane..
Years followed and I was shortly making a name for myself, firstly as a tradesman, but also as a usual suspect, when someone died, people came to me for questioning, asking me what I knew, or if at all, I had partcipated in the murders, I was never sure whether to be flattered or think twice before doing... what I did.
That was the year I died..----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The young mans eyes are as wide as they can be, looking at the old man chuckling he grips at his sword without knowing.
"Aye mrmm, stories go I died yer know, nay sure meself wha' append, I commited treason 'em claimed, suppose 'em just got tired of me making 'em look so bad eh!"
The old man chuckles, watching the younger man, eye goes wide as he see's his hand on the swordhilt...
"Now now lad, I aint no bleeding Guardian spawn, have no worry, as I said 'em times were difficult eh.. mayhaps if I explained to yer some more yer care to put tha' sword away mrmm?"
The recruit nods slowly, watching the tender suspiciously he removes his hand from his sword hilt, tension seems deep enough to touch it with your bare hands as the old man speaks once more....----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So you see"...----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A light sounding "twang" the bolt flew out of nowhere, smashing into the young mans abdomen, he tried to struggle but died instantly there and then, sitting in the Green Goblin.
Murmuring to himself Kiran set about to do what had to be done, disposing of the body, clearing the room and making sure on one ever knew what happened that day.
"Poor bugger, he should stabbed me when ah said the brotherhood, and that Padan worked for me, if anyone found out about it... goodness..."
http://www.f4g.net/traders-bulletin-board/
Darkness finally consumed the green goblin as the lanterns were slowly turned off one by one.
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