Alexander Greymane

Kingshill. A small farm town located just before a mountain road. We were a quiet town but prosperous town. Our fertile farmlands were always giving us bountiful crops that lasted us through the winter while still having enough to sell. We were surprisingly popular with adventurers that travelled these lands. My family, the Greymanes, were skilled farmers mainly for their talent in druidism. They conveyed to nature and prayed to the Goddess of the wilds. I however prayed to the god of the hunt. As I said, we were prosperous. Our lands fertile mainly due to our family which kept its talent of druidism a secret. Eventually, the kingdoms head royal family declared the Greymane family to be the lords of our town. We became royals, but that status meant very little to us. Eventually our town grew bigger to that of a small city. Our family grew larger and more prosperous. A statue of the Wild Goddess was erected in the middle of the town and was worshipped by many. As I grew up into adulthood, I became close to another distinguished family. The Eaglehorn Family was sought out as the best animal carers and trainers. Their scouts, the eagles, were ever so loyal. I became close to their daughter, Cassandra Eaglehorn. One of the bravest hunters I knew. We grew close together over time as we joined each other in the hunt. Were she excelled in the care of animals, I excelled in the hunt. Eventually my father passed away as he left the farm to me and my sister. My sister kept the connection to the wild goddess alive, while I pushed for the teachings of the hunt. We began growing wolves and training them to help us alongside a hunting parade. Where we usually kept them as pets or guard dogs they now served a more just purpose. The name Greymane grew in popularity as skilled hunters and fighters. I had married Cassandra and the house of Eaglehorn worked together effortlessly. The Greymanes popularity continued to surge to the point where I was named Reagent Lord. A title I grew to despise. One night, our loving town was struck with a plague. We had thought it misfortune had finally arrived but alas, it was not the case. Our crops started to die slowly as our once fertile lands grew dry. Eventually, our livestock also started dying off, night after night. After weeks of dreading we had found out the cause. We had found out that witches had burrowed themselves into an Elder tree as they started their coven. This news came to us after one night, a woman yelled out that witches had abducted her family. The townsfolk who worked diligently every day and night for their lands turned to me in anger and frustration. The only answer I could give them was to prepare for a witch hunt. As we had armed ourselves to hunt, I told my wife to stay behind and protect our children, Derek and Katherine. We started the night by tracking the witched through the dark gloomy forest. The local wildlife infested by dark magic attacked us, but we fended them off easily until we came face to face with the witches. We burned down the dark forest around the elder tree as circled in on the witches. They came at us, talons and daggers in one hand and dark magic in the other. We Slaughtered the witches one after the other as they tried to hex us. We were protected however. Our connection to the gods and goddess kept us from their vile corrupting magic from taking over our minds. Eventually, we destroyed the coven and slew the witches. All but one that fled away. We returned home. Our crops and lands were slowly healing. Rain welcomed us home again with our livestock retaining their better health. All this was obtained, and all were happy. But sadly, it was all for naught for me. I returned to my homestead but there was nothing but silence. The children nor my wife or sister were present. Something was amiss. I panicked, searched all the rooms in the manor, the attic and basement. They were not there, until I saw a glowing light coming from the barn located in the middle of the field. Carefully I made my way there, with sword in hand. As I approached I didn’t want to admit or believe it. I could smell nothing but death. I bashed the farm door in to the sight of horror. My loving with dead and nailed to the wall, covered in blood. I looked around to see my children mutilated as their bodies were sewn together into some sore of disgusting effigies. I fell to my knees as the shock had stopped me from moving. Tears flowed down my eyes as I let out a cry. Suddenly I could hear footsteps behind me. “What’s wrong dear brother? Don’t you like what I’ve done with the family?” I couldn’t believe it at first as I looked. My sister. She was the one who did this? “Why? Why would you do this? They all loved you. Katherine looked up to you. CASSANDRA SAW YOU AS A SISTER!” “Why dear brother? Well isn’t it obvious? Because of you. You held the name. you held the family in your grasp and YOU PUSHED THE TEACHING OF YOUR HEATHENNESS CULT INTO OUR LIVES! Even while I kept our connection to the goddess strong and well it was you who gained all the credit.” “So, you turn to dark magic? You plagued our town? You joined the witches to get back to me?”
“Joined? Oh, dear brother. I ESTABLISHED THE COVEN!” I was betrayed. What’s worse is that it was my own sister that did so. All because she wanted something I never cared for. At that point, as she laughed maniacally and grew dark thorny vines to strike me down, all I saw, was nothing but rage. I blanked out. I saw nothing but heard everything. I heard the vines whipping at me. I heard the howls and growling of an angry beast. I heard bones crackling and skin tearing as I heard a woman screaming in pain and terror. Then I came to. I saw the sight of my sister torn asunder with her face shredded. I was covered in blood. Her blood. I took down my wife from the wall. And assembled the scattered remains of my children as I buried them all throughout the night. There was nothing left for me in that town. My good memories of my wife and children. Of my family. They haunt me. I burned down my land. I burned the barn and crops to the ground as I faked my death. I took my things while the rest of the town tried to quell the burning fire and I vanished in the night. I walked aimlessly into the forest. Constantly haunted by memories. My rage and hatred were all that remained until I stumbled on the ground and passed out from exhaustion. To my surprise I woke up a few days later in a strange room. With my original tattered clothes removed. I was covered in bandages and cleaned. My things were next to me. And I was met with a man. His name was Julius Haze and he explained how his knights found me on the forest path. How they were tasked with hunting down a coven of witches that had sprung around our lands. How after they took me in their carriage they found nothing but the burned remains of a farm land and a patch of forest with dead witches inside. I told him that it was the work of me alongside the rest of the town’s militia. I had asked him why he cares? The king’s knights don’t care for witches last I checked.
He then told me what order he works for. How the order of the Salem is responsible for witch hunts and how they track, capture, question and eventually burn and/or kill witches. “Well I guess we beat you to the punch then. Doesn’t matter now really.” “Then why did my men find you passed out and covered in dry blood? Were you going to be a witch sacrifice?” “No. I was the reagent Lord of that town. My name is Alexander Greymane. And I led my kinsmen to the witch’s coven witch I tracked, and we killed all the witches there. All except for one.” “I assume that’s why you were covered in blood? Did you kill the witch”? “I arrived home after the hunt. Our infested lands were healed however my family was killed to summon something. The last witch that escaped. She has killed my family. And She was my sister.” Haze was baffled. I could tell he had never met anyone who had to do in his own family. More over after they killed they’re own family. He then asked me a series of questions which at first, I answered without a second thought. However, the last few series of questions made me curious. His last question left, made me remember the sound I heard the night I killed my sister. “Would you abandon your humanity to finish the task of killing witches?” He asked while looking me in the Eye. My only answer: “I believe I already have.” He let out a grin as he told me I had to paths to take from now. Either become whatever I thought was best of myself or join them. Considering I was given an opportunity to do the one thing that destroyed my life, the answer was obvious. I had Joined the Order of Salem. I had willingly subjugated to a training that I myself would have thought to be torture until I realized the purpose. Julius had become my teacher as I became a fighter. A knight that hunts the monsters of the night. I learned how to wear plate armour without it hindering my movements and how to wield the mighty halberd alongside my trusted longsword. Eventually, I became a high-ranking officer in the order. With Julius as my comrade in arms. We had killed may witches working together. He considered me family. I considered him as a brother. During my time in the order, Julius had me eat dinner with him and his family. There I met his son, Jackson. A bright young lad. I had believed that I was retaining some part of my life back. I truly believed that I could forget my past. Until I received explicit orders to investigate my only Friend. I was told that witness accounts had seen Julius commit dealings with demons and their acolytes, conspiring with witches and having a hand in demonic rituals. These Reports were made numerous times by different eye witnesses in the next continent over. And so without saying a word to his family, I began my investigations. I travelled far by going over to this different part of the world. A land riddles with magic but none of which I found to have been black in origin. That was until I came unto the frozen remains of a ruined village with a group of people that come from a time that has yet to come. Thus, my story continues…