From the Eyes of Godric Tórrarin
Roleplay from Godric Tórrarin ka Habb (22 hours, 48 minutes ago)
message to all nobles of Greater Xavax
To say that Godric had seen many battles was a bit of a joke. To his peers amongst the high nobility it was a given that crazy Godric had fought from every end of the Imperium and on islands past and to meet him intoxicated or to draw his ire was a lovely chance to engage in a duel to the death. To the average noble he had attained a mythos as some mythic warrior who lives and breathes death and blood. And to the peasantry the passing of his caravan and retinue was an excellent excuse to go inside and not mind the hell-beast dread reaver passing outside.
His story was more complicated than that. But Godric had indeed fought for Cathay in the Southern Resistance against Arcaea. It was there he made his career and reputation and earned the epithet Dukeslayer from the Cathayan general, Jonn Dodger.
It was also true that Godric Tórrarin had fought in every region of the Imperium and even as far off as Semall and Abadan. These battles will one day become legend as names like Selenia, Lionel, Uthred, Tharan, Aramon, and Kin amongst many others become heroes of old. And Godric will be pleased if he is mentioned with them. But in these days they are simply his countrymen and allies, stalwart features of the battlefield as they defend the Imperium from foreign criminals and rebel scum.
The Xerarch's personal force, "Fearless", was reputed to be made up of rescued peasantry displaced by the fighting. As far as Godric could tell that was largely true. They were skilled warriors in their own right, but together they were a behemoth on the field. They fought for each other and for the love of their country.
This was, of course, opposite to Godric and his men. They fought for the sheer joy of it. To forge their Saga and honour their god. Their actions were frequently seen as extreme and vile and it was little coincidence that few chose to break bread with the Torenmen after a battle or indeed at any time.
Godric had been trained since childhood as a warrior. Like all Toren nobility he was learned in the fighting arts and he benefitted from his father's influence to secure only the best tutors: and some days his father himself would teach him and he would learn the oldest secrets of his people. There was a distinct arrogance and superiority he held with his martial ability, so his noticing of a member of the "Fearless" was that much more a shock.
He learned her name was Ayden. She was both pleasing to the eye and to his Toren sensibilities. Pale and raven haired, eyes dark but bright with focus, and best of all he had never seen her smile or laugh. She was unlike the other "Fearless" but her dark hair and slight features had ruled her out as Toren as Godric initially suspected. He was unsure at all how someone from this corner of the world came to fight as she did. The technique was wrong, she fought with daggers like some vagrant in an alleyway, but she was merciless. None who crossed her was allowed to live even if they had surrendered. She was like a cat, a huntress, who reveled in all aspects of the battle. She fought like someone already dead; though she did not realize it, she fought like she spoke to Tor.
Toren place a great deal of emphasis on blood and its purity. That said, someone who is decidedly not of Toren descent can exhibit valued traits of a Toren. The best example of this would be Godric's father, whose mother was Toren and father was a dark man from some Atamaran desert. From an early age it was never doubted that he was truly a full-blooded Toren. They say that these people are the children of an eagle sent by Tor, hence the name Tórrarin. Godric is certain that Ayden is Tórrarin.
And so let this be the first tale in the Saga of Ayden Tórrarin, a full-blooded Toren huntress born in the backwoods of Oc Lu Pesh, retold from the first hand account of Godric Warbornsson himself.
The bandits came suddenly towards Xavax, the few defenders were of admirable stock but a pack of dogs can fell even a bear if there are enough. First Lionel fell. Godric felt no fear, this battle was invigorating and he was certain victory would come. His aspirations came crashing down as the Kuda Hitam descended on the front lines. His scant men banded together to try and resist the heavily armoured horsemen but they simply smashed through. Godric was thrown perhaps a dozen feet in the charge: no call for his men to retreat as they were all wounded or killed. He looks up to see the Xerarch fighting, golden mane flowing, but a terrible sense pervades him. He whispers a prayer but Tor is too enthralled with the bloodshed to listen.
Selenia was already wounded, but now she is gored with a lance like Godric has never seen her struck before. Her eyes go wide and she gurgles. The world seems to slow. Godric Tórrarin has seen this before, too many times. Selenia looks up at her attacker and moves to retaliate but another lance finds her. And then the blades. The bandits begin to hoot and holler, eyes wild and licking their lips. They stop striking and descend on her corpse before it has even struck earth.
The Fearless cannot accept this. They cannot believe what they have seen, though Godric knew it as it happened. The Fearless become frenzied trying to break past the thick hub of the Kuda Hitam to rescue their Lady. It is no use.
Godric reverts to his most basic Toren thinking. Endure. Survive. As he begins to crawl away a vita washes over him. He looks back to see the raven haired huntress being dragged away by a vile horseman: she had attempted to fight directly through to save Selenia but was knocked out in the attempt.
Godric engages in some distinctly un-Toren action. He gathers all his strength to stand and hurls a helm at the horseman. The anonymous warrior looks over with bemusement, then greed as he realizes a wounded Xavax noble stands there. Godric challenges his foe to single combat, crying the names of his ancestors.
"I am Godric, son of Warborn, whose blood and life was given by an eagle of Tor!" He is unsteady but begins to walk towards his foe. His foe laughs, tossing the huntress to the ground. He draws a sword, still dripping with blood. The main bulk of the army is still fighting the Fearless.
Godric has gripped his spear tightly but his eyes are not looking at the horseman. They are fixed on the horse. He is speaking to it, cooing at it with his energy to calm it. The horse has scarcely made a bigger mistake.
In a swift movement Warbornsson roars and startles the horse which rears up. He throws the spear at the horseman, it clacks off his armour. But this gave him the moment he needed as he plunges his sword through the horse's neck killing it instantly, sending the horseman tumbling down with the horse.
**
Ayden awakens to one of those bastard Kuda Hitam grovelling. His leg is broken and some warrior is standing above him. He screams as the warrior stomps on the fracture but is silenced as a spear is driven through his neck. But not quite. It has gone through his windpipe and the side of his neck, enough that he can only whistle and cough but not enough to kill swiftly. Death is certain but he will bleed slowly. Ayden is sure that she sees the warrior chuckle. She closes her eyes and when they reopen that gory warrior is overtop of her: the stone face and light eyes of Godric. Other hard faced Toren appear, all wounded. They begin to speak in their grating language and then they walk away. Ayden looks around. She is in the keep at an injured camp. Selenia is lost. She cries out, hateful towards the man who saved her. She was certain she could have saved the Xerarch. Again her world is crumbling.
**
Godric and his wounded men made their retreat shortly after. They brought the raven haired huntress to a wounded camp but were moved. In her stupor, all she could murmur was "Selenia".
Godric Warbornsson Tórrarin was a man that knew himself. He knew his men, he knew his oaths, and he knew his god.
And so it was that the Torenman knew his duty.
