APOSTATE
BOOK ONE: Deus Gerit Vilis Vestimenta
Chapter one: The Death of Kings
The moon glimmered on the water, stirred softly by the wind. The gentle breeze flowed through the grass and tickled the feet of night creatures great and small, a reminder of how large the universe was.
A young boy sleeps in his bedroom, watched faithfully by sentries. The open window lets the wind in, colling the hot guards on this warm summer night. They too, sit peacefully, wrapped in the waking sleep of men who were loyally doing a dreadfully boring task. The starlight filtered through the window in sliver streams, shadows dancing from the curtains in long strands of silent darkness.
Without a noise, another shadow slips into the room, unnoticed by the guards on call. In their trance, they fail to notice the shimmer of silver as a blade is drawn. Just as silently, the guards are silenced, their spines severed at the base of the neck. All the magic in the world would not save them of a silver blade, and it sliced through flesh like a warm knife through butter. They never cried out, never made a sound. They barely even slumped, inertia keeping their corpses sat in their chairs.
The boy wriggles and pulls the sheets higher, long golden locks falling over his face. The assassin pauses, breathing softly. The boy moves not again, and the assasin relaxes.
The dagger falls.
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You jerk awake, breathing heavily. Another nightmare. The ensorcellments on your arm burn like fire, prompting a rub. The bumps of the brand are still red and sore, almost a month after you joined the royal guard. Well, not really the royal guard. They don't let just anybody into the royal guard, but they do let poor like you into the palace guard, if you're good enough. And you are. It's almost as good, you do get to live in the palace after all.
Judging by the light on the wall from the high windows, you're awake a few hours too early. You have a choice to make: Go back to sleep and eke the last remaineders of rest from the morning, or stay awake and alert, ready for the day ahead?
Name: Guardsman ________ _ _______
Bio: You grew up in a poor town, surrounded by poor people. Life was tough, and at a young age you got a job as a _______, which taught you _____ and determination. You switched jobs to be a apprentice ________, work which made you strong and hardy, and put you in touch with ______ ______, who taught you sword play. A few years later, you turned 24, and got a job as a Palace guard, a place of high honor, but not the highest. You still have work to do, but your days in the slums has taught you to never give up, and that cheating means not losing.
Specialties: Swordsmanship, _______, a resolute heart, and _________.
Quirks: You blush easy, and are _____ with being around strangers. You seek ______ as a guard, but the _____ is good too. You're rather _______ but not too much, and you are _____ snarky if protocol allows it.
First wish: _________________________
Your ensorcellments give you the ability to ________ as well as great strength over normal men. However, they do not make you ______ or immortal.