Thralls of the Song

Their ranks appeared to be a dark, twisted perversion of our own. Men, women, even a few children standing motionless in the snow, awaiting orders from their foul master. I remained in the line, shield raised and spear grasped in my hand. They tell you in training not to look at their faces, not to try to think of who they were. I made the mistake of looking, and worse still, I recognized some.
Horace, the blacksmith, who had lost his wife to fever last spring.
Nina, the tailor, who always seemed to seek a higher station.
And poor little Andrew, who had been orphaned the winter before.
Their faces were sad, exhausted even, as they remained stock still in the loosely formed horde that stood before us. I bit my tongue and held back the urge to call out to them, knowing any attempts to rescue them from the charm would be in vain. Then came a sound, music, though not the boisterous sound of a warhorn or bugle. It was a distant, refined sound, that I eventually deduced was that of a violin. Then, slowly, as if waking from a dream, our disheveled foe began to trudge forward towards our formation, raising their voice in a wordless chorus to match the tune of their master. I tightened my grip on my spear, and braced myself for what lay ahead."

— Leodrick Snow, Whiteguard Initiate at the Battle for the Whistling Pass

Structure

Once dominated, Thralls will loosely roam the land, attempting to kill or kidnap any non-enthralled individuals they can find. Should a group become enthralled simultaneously, or a thrall comes across another randomly while roaming the countryside, they will begin to congregate into a loose group of Thralls, with no clear leader or motive other than to spread chaos. These bands will go on to attack caravans, trains, and small villages until dealt with. In rare circumstances, an Unsidhe Fae will begin to rally a Warband, causing any nearby bands of thralls to rally at their position to prepare to attack a larger target or make a push south towards Hearth. These warbands can grow to be tens of thousands strong, and will typically carve swathes through the northernmost provinces, sacking towns and sieging cities in an attempt to beat back the encroaching tide of man. The only documented way to disperse these warbands is to rout them in combat or kill the Fae controlling them, thus removing the central support on which the army is built and causing the entire force to collapse.

History

Thralls of the Song have are a blight that has affected the Kingdoms since The Siren's Song first began during the Howling Winter. Thrall make up the bulk of the armies of the Winter Court, serving as foot soldiers for their fae masters. None were born to this role, however, as the Thralls ranks are comprised entirely of individuals who have either succumbed to the Siren's Song or otherwise been enthralled by a fae directly. Those who have fully succumbed have no hope of returning to normal, and all attempts to rehabilitate those who have fallen to Thralldom have only ended in partial success. The condition appears to fracture one's mind and swiftly begins to severely weaken one's soul. A study on a group of thralls in a remote location that survived for over five years indicated that they had no soul whatsoever, becoming a bare, mindless husk. However, before this advanced state of decrepitude sets in there is much evidence to suggest that Thralls are at least somewhat aware of their condition, going so far as to occasionally mutter or speak to themselves and recognize items and locations, and even people relevant to their life prior to succumbing.
The only people to be freed from Thralldom in recorded history were directly enthralled by a Fae, only breaking free of the creature's influence, as a result of its death within the same hour. Most estimate that an individual who has been enthralled by a Unsidhe has about a thirty minute to an hour window where the Unsidhe's death will result in their release from the charm, suggesting even direct Fae influence can still be shrugged off so long as it isn't permitted to take too strong of a hold. Still, such cases are exceedingly rare and are sometimes inconsistent, so it is usually safe to assume that those that succumb are deceased for all intents and purposes.

Demography and Population

While anyone can succumb to the Song or the direct machinations of a specific Fae, the ranks of the Thralls of the Song consist disproportionately of Krels when compared to the demographics of the Kingdoms themselves. There are several theories as to why this may be true, most stemming from the rather "hit or miss" strategy to resisting the Song adopted by most Krel clansmen. Many believe that more Krels fall to the Song due to the Unsidhe somehow trying harder to subvert them to gain their physical strength and martial prowess. Both theories have their merits, though most scholars agree that the former is the more likely scenario, seeing as the Siren's Song appears to remain consistent across individuals, only shifting in power as the year progresses.

Alternative Names

Shortened to "Thralls"