Azadi Pashan, 50 health
3 years ago
The princess awoke to the sound of thunder in the sky, and beating hooves below. She tried to move, but found herself bound. She looked around to see her captor: a man wearing a dark cloak and a threatening mask of iron. She screamed and attempted to struggle, only to find his grip much stronger than she. The princess attempted to roll off of the horse and onto the ground to no avail. As she further came to her senses, she noted the amazing pitch-black environment around her, save for the occasional crack of lightning, and a faint glow coming from the caves of a distant mountain silhouetted against the midnight sky. It was all dreamlike and surreal, although as her senses were slowly being restored, the groggy state fading, she began to realize the reality of her situation.
Princess Azadi tried to concentrate, to formulate a plan to get away, an escape route, anything to help. Unfortunately, the bobbing of the horse, the loud booms of thunder, and the panic of the situation made it nearly impossible to think clearly. She began to question her captor. With each question she gave, an answer of nothing but silence was given. She pressed them more and more, and with each silent wait she became more and more frustrated. In due time, she was demanding an explanation for what was going on, where she was, who he was, and why this was all happening. And yet, with all the frustration she projected onto him, he never once spoke to her. She repeated her demands, her desire for answers, her NEED for answers, repeatedly. Again and again, she was denied any response until she began to beg to just hear his voice. Even then, she was given nothing.
After another few minutes of riding towards the distant mountain's glow, the horse stopped. She was brought down and immediately tried to run, only to find her efforts futile as she was chased down and grabbed, being returned to the proper location. She was pushed forwards as knifepoint, forced to march across the prairie. The princess began making offers to the man as they walked. She was willing to give up anything to protect her life and integrity. First, she offered him a great bounty of wealth to spare her, but he denied. Second, she offered him a great position and power within her capability, but he denied. Becoming more desperate, she offered even greater amounts to him. Her next offer was her servitude as a permanent slave, but he still denied. Running out of ideas and time, she offered her body, perhaps more valuable than anything else she could give to him, and yet this too was denied. Azadi was halted and forced to kneel in front of a large stone with a flat top. In but a few minutes, five men with the same masks stepped before her and started digging a hole.
The princess broke into tears upon seeing this. She knew her end was nearing, and she wept for her life. Before her very eyes, her own grave was being dug. Was this the end? Was she to die gruesomely, slain by strangers and left in a shallow grave where she would never be found? She felt a new vigor now, and as she wept she fought her bindings with strength she'd never possessed before. She twisted and pulled, and yet with all her effort, she did not escape. Her bindings did not loosen, they did not budge. There was no liberation. Her weeping evolved, her tears coming even stronger than before as hopelessness took over. Now, the pit had been dug and the men began to chant incantations calling to the sun and the moon, as Azadi knew her fate was sealed.
In a few minutes, she felt the man behind her, the silent giant, put his hand on her shoulder. Tearfully, she once more tried pleading for her life. "You don't have to do this" she told him, barely able to speak through her own weeping, and barely audible over the heavy rainfall. "Please, you don't have to do this." It was then that she was pushed so that she rest atop the flat stone. Her tears were broken by her struggles as a ribbon was wrapped around her neck and tightened. The world seemed to dull before her very eyes. Color as a whole seemed to disappear, and the thudding rain faded into vague ringing. She felt as if underwater, for all senses seemed to be slowly disappearing. Her vision began to tunnel, all light condensing into a single shine as radiant as the sun. Tears streamed down her face as she found her end, but no peace in it. The light disappeared, and all faded to black.
Azadi awoke an hour later in a dimly lit room. She went into a coughing fit, as her conscious self had not yet readjusted to breathing like her body had. It was then she learned that she was still prisoner, and bound just as before. The princess looked up to see a giant of a man looking over her, holding a lantern with a stern, disapproving face. She might've broken into tears once more if it weren't for the apparent miracle of life she had been bestowed. The young woman was so surprised at her own survival that, no matter how much she felt it, she could not begin to cry once more. Meanwhile, her senses began to slowly restore as the unmasked figure before her spoke.
"I am disappointed in you." was all the mysterious figure said at first. It was at that moment that Azadi felt ashamed for all the promises she made, although only because her full capacity to think had not yet been restored. He continued, "Your ancestors were brave in their resistance. Your father cursed our names as we led him." The confused girl looked to him, her eyes gaining focus. Unsurprisingly, it was not someone she knew particularly well. However, she was given a breakdown of what had just happened. The ritual behind it all, and how she related to all this.
The ceremony, the ritual rather, had been staged by the Blades of the Night, an autonomous guild of assassins. She had been put through a false execution as part of the ritual they carried out. It would, theoretically, propel her into maturity, being aware of the dangers she faced and letting her face them when the time came. This was, at least, a desired effect, although not the main purpose of the ritual. It was not a test of courage or bravery either, although she clearly had failed in that aspect according to the guild which, on a regular basis, sends their soldiers to commit suicide strikes against important targets. Even still, they made her ashamed of her reaction to the whole event, despite being years younger than any of her recent ancestors who had undergone similar rituals.
She was told her new duties as the chieftess of the tribe. It was true, she had ascended not too long ago. The title was still "princess" officially, so little changed in that regard. After her reminders were given, she was introduced to the leaders of the Blades of the Night. These assassins, these cut-throats, were to be her secret police, in a way. They acted in the shadows, and they were always there whether she knew it or not, or even whether she wanted them to be there or not. Her mind was filled with wondrous tales of the feats they could do, and was reminded of the eternal alliance between the Blades and the Pashan dynasty. By the dawn's light, she had been left back in her bed within her Grand Hut, that is the temporary structure functioning as a palace for the royals, built upon a cart and pulled by dozens of beasts so that the luxury of a palace would still be met. However, her handmaids were more than surprised, even shocked, to find their princess bound and gagged where she had laid herself to rest, perfectly alone, the night prior. The last thing she could remember was the crack of lightning, and the loud boom of thunder. Crack, boom. Crack, boom. Crack...
Azadi Pashan, 50 health
Present
Boom. The thunderous roar of the sky was heard for miles around as the wrath of the heavens whipped and darted across the empty plains. The area, home to multiple pastoral tribes of nomads in the transition zone between humans and elves, was known across the continent for its particularly violent storms, with heavy rainfall, strong winds, potential for flooding and the creation of temporary marshland, and, of course, the sky's displays of magic. The princess looked over the darkened field, where the wind was gentle so far and rain had not yet begun to poor. She spoke to the tribal elders of her vision for the future, of increased contact with the settled kingdoms and the prosperity of all in the tribe from opening trade networks with them. After all, nomadic allies were a valuable resource. They could be guides or guards for anyone looking to cross into the Elven lands. They could defend from humans, elves, and orcs alike, all while transporting goods in a timely manner. This was due to their horse-based society, and their unique style of cavalry ambush warfare.
She debated long the merits of opening trade. The elders were distrustful of settled peoples, as there was a long history of raiding and warfare. It was at this point that Azadi made a point of contrast: with trade, they need not surrender the lives of their own tribe to achieve what they would by raiding. Furthermore, knowing more about the settled empires would be beneficial to military, as they would know more about how settled empires fought, as well as the layout of their domains and cities. Furthermore, she stated that the empires would be likely to trade military secrets to sabotage each other, and thus give the tribe an even further advantage. She concluded that there was little reason to NOT interact with these settled peoples.
The elders discussed amongst themselves as Azadi stepped aside. She looked out over the storm once more, and sighed. There was a sort of beauty to the rage of the sky, the heaven's wrath. Looking out over such vast plains made one feel so small, so humbled, and, in a philosophical sense, it was an enjoyable feeling. Despite feeling so small, she could still enjoy the natural beauty laid out before her, and being small was sort of comforting in a way. She knew not how to explain it, and she dare not try. Instead, she stood with silent acceptance over the scene as debate raged in the background. She preferred it this way. It was much less grinding on her mind to let the elders sort themselves out, rather than to try to correct them and point them on where to go. The venerable ones would see her argument, her vision, in due time.
It was approved. The princess had been told so as the wind was picking up. Her mission to the settled ones would be receiving full and unanimous support from the tribal elders. She would be assigned 3 immortals to be her close guard as she made the journey, and she was informed that the Blades were liable to send an agent to track her. While she may not have liked the idea of an assassin trailing her everywhere she went, making note of her every action, she understood that it was a matter far beyond her own control, and accepted the conditions given to her. With that, she boarded the platform and started her beasts of burden in the proper direction. The elders had arranged a meeting point nearby a holy mountain for her return, and so she knew where to find them when she should make her return. With this much, she set out to discover the world she'd never known.
The ride was long and hot. Although desert very much did exist in the land she called home, it was nowhere near as expansive as she had seen here. It was good, then, that her palace yurt would provide cool shade and cold drinks to last. She shared these with her maids and her guards, of course, for they all needed nourishment. She'd grown quite friendly with the group she had been given, as the travel felt an eternity without friends. They were laughing at a joke over some fine chilled rosewater when one of Azadi's maids burst in to declare that the city, the magnificent splendor that the locals had called Iblid, the capital of some great empire known only in legend among the nomads. She stepped out and beheld the marvelous vision before her: buildings taller than mountains, gleaming structures in the desert sun that had no rival, a bustling metropolis compared to the village she'd known her whole life. She felt overwhelmed, and made her way to the city, alone, to see this all, personally, and to grasp its implications.
She explored the town to the best of her own ability, passing herself as some merchant should any of the guards ask. The bazaar of the city was massive, where everything could be found. More than a few merchants there accosted her for her kaftan, her coat made of leather softer and more luxurious than anywhere in the known world, and her kaftan's exotic value especially appealed to them. She ignored them, and simply explored with a sense of childlike wonder. It was not until perhaps three hours after arriving that she remembered her purpose here. With that, she stumbled her way across town to try to get an impromptu audience with the king, or really whatever nobles would bother to listen to her. Although, she hardly knew the layout, and found herself lost. Despite this, she found pleasure in simply wandering.
