|
The Tale of William Black
Albion had fell to darkness. Women and children were forced to work all day erecting monuments and memorials to those who had enslaved them. Men were taken from their families and trained by the Jack of Blades, trained to kill anyone who opposed the Crown. Newborns who were deemed worthy were raised by the Queen of Blades, while those of lesser importance were fed to the royal Balvorn. Out of these times came William Black, the child of a poor blacksmith and his wife. When William's house was raided to find able-bodied persons, his mother made him climb up a tree and conceal himself in the thick branches. While young William watched, his mother was shackled by the town guards. The blacksmith was no stranger to weapons and killed the guards with his greatmace. Jack of Blades saw all and applauded the fearlessness of the blacksmith. After binding him with his Will, Jack transported the forger into the Void. Jack's face had become so distorted that it was a gruesome thing to look upon, and his body was aging more quickly in Albion than it ever would have in the Void. For these reasons Jack commissioned the blacksmith to forge a mask of white gold. When it was finished, Jack fastened it to his face and made his soul one with the mask by power of Will. The blacksmith stepped back in terror as he saw the imagery of Jack's twisted soul manifest itself on the mask. From this point on Jack would not age.
William's mother was killed on the spot by order of the Queen of Blades, something William never forgot. He lived out the remainder of his childhood in secrecy, never going into the village, always aware of the power of the Crown. In his mind he plotted how he might destroy it, and his Will grew stronger every day. Finally, he had reached his prime. He returned to his village and found that few were left; he was determined that those few should remain. When the guards arrived to take the yearly tithe, William concentrated all his power on them. A bolt of thunder struck them both and they burst asunder, so great was his Will. The people all cheered for their William, their hero.
The memories of youth never left William, and he trained his Will more and more as the rage within him grew. He began practicing the dark arts and eventually teleported himself to the Void by reading a spell out of a druid's black book. William found himself surrounded by Minions. He made his way to the front and saw Jack of Blades sitting on a huge throne, his father chained to it. Jack anticipated William's attack and drew his sword; however, William was born of a blacksmith, with strong hands and strong mind. He seized the sword and cut off his father's shackles, binding Jack with his Will. Father and son escaped the Void, killing any Minions that would dare stand in their way. When they returned to Earth, William hid his father in a deserted Hobbe cave, giving him strict orders to remain there until the Crown was overthrown.
William was admiring the great sword he had stolen when it began to speak. "I am the Sword of Aeons. I will be yours to wield and yours to rule, but your soul will be bound to me for all eternity." William consented and his fate became that of the sword.
The Jack of Blades knew that William's arrival was imminent, so he ordered that all teleportation devices be deactivated; this was not enough to quell William. Villages renounced their loyalty to the Crown and gave support to Willam, building him a great ship to sail to the North. William's father crafted a suit of armour for his son's voyage from the remains of the last Platinum Troll, lining it with silver decoration. William gathered fifty of his loyal followers and boarded the ship.
|
