Thread: After the War (Razgriz x Lagertha)

Deep in the land of Zurith, a massive fortress stood proud and high. Its silhouette blazed against the skyline, making it seem all the more ominous. For it was the main stronghold of the Holy Order, a group dedicated to spreading the word of God and bring all under their banner. Or face divine extermination by the High Priest, a man hell-bent on ridding this world of all those that would defy God. This order, directed by their despotic chief, started a cleanse of the land, viewing any that did not subscribe to their God as heretics and parasites. This decreed, handed from the High Priest himself, included those labeled heretics even from the villages their 'Holy Knights' are meant to protect. Families were torn and friendships destroyed as executions are carried in public display, sometimes in the dozens by the day, so that all may know that their God is without question the most important and only deity worth worshiping. However, not only the citizens but any sentient creature that refused to accept his glory were targeted. And even some of those that did, mostly those of hybrid or more slanderously called 'Chimeras', did not fail to incur the Order's wrath. Many of those deemed heretics and parasites and even demons tried to escape persecution, but few succeeded. The combination of the enchanted armor from their Knights and the talent of the Spell-casters at the Order's disposal proved too much for most to handle. The body count grew and grew, the unceremonial funeral pyres sending columns of ash and smoke into the heavens, darkening the skies as the Order pressed on in its divine mission. There was one, however, that did have measurable success against them The Iron Wolves, a band of brutal berserker warriors possessing inhuman strength and ferocity that laid waste to many of their camps. But even they sustained heavy losses and without some form of assistance, would too succumb to the same fate. Their chieftain, a hulk of a man dressed in patchwork armor consisting of shards from the Knights he alone felled, knew this all too well and went to a tribe of what his people called 'Fox-Eared', those most commonly known as the Kitsune. Having struck a deal with a local Kitsune tribe, the odd fox-people would at their backs to provide arcane defense. The battle between the Iron Wolves and the Order raged on for years, the barbarians making noticeably progress towards their stronghold. And as they went on, they also aided other tribes besieged by the Priest-decreed purge, the survivors joining their number and increasing their force strength immeasurably. Soon enough, the newly re-banded Wolves marched on the High Priest's fortress and broke through the line of soldiers surrounding the main fortress. Bodies from both sides littered the killing fields, roughly forged siege weapons pounding the fortress with projectiles and battering rams. Only after a hard-fought battle, the massive force was able to breach the perimeter, capture the High Priest and end him, shattering the Order for good and the surviving remnants fleeing to escape the coming vengeful persecution of themselves. Three months after their victory over the Order, the Iron Wolves' chieftain declared a tournament He or she who emerged victorious would carry out their end of the bargain, such was the way of the Wolves. Thankfully, no one else perished though it was questionable if they would be able to fight again in any measurable time-frame. By the end of it all, it was in fact his sole bodyguard Orgoth who emerged the champion of the Wolves. Per their deal with the Kitsune, their strongest was to be sent to the central village to serve the Queen until such time that they would be able to choose to stay or come rejoin their brothers and sisters. Orgoth took nothing with him but his weapons - twin longswords that each weighed roughly one hundred pounds and perfect for cutting Order Knight armor - his set of protective guards and the scars of his past. Standing at seven feet and eight inches tall, he was comparable to a giant. His musculature bulged against his iron-hard skin, the numerous healed lacerations evidence of his many months in battle. Like most of his kind, a flick from a meaty finger could shatter even the largest boulder, so great was their strength. The short black hair on his head was mussed and ragged, serving only to enhance his wildman appearance. Orgoth knew better than to reneg on a deal made by the Chieftain, but that didn't mean he particularly cared for it. A heavy scowl was set on his face as he approached the village boundary, already feeling the eyes of their sentries hiding in the woods burning into his back. And as he took the next few steps, a dark-skinned Kitsune appeared before him, arms crossed and her robe flitting for a moment before staying still. State your business she demanded, slitted eyes narrowing. Orgoth's hands tightened on his weapons, I am Orgoth, warrior of the Iron Wolves, First Guard to Fang the Strong. I am here to give my services to your Queen, as was in the arrangement between our tribes. Her eyes seemed to glance over his figure, a small smirk on her face as she replied, Very well, you'll follow me then. I will deliver you to her. And like she was gone, her long legs carrying her like the wind, the massive titan's footfalls thundering as he followed her to the best of his ability.