A.N. This is my first story. These first few chapters will be predominantly background information. As a result, the writing style will be very brief. I will possibly expand upon these early chapters later on with more details. However, for the time being they serve as a timeline and a means of showing the character development.
I realize that there is a coincidence between the name Crownguard and the last name of Lux and Garen from League of Legends. This was unintended. The name actually was inspired from the historical tradition of surnames denoting occupation. Also, I didn't want to do something too DnD-esq like 'BladeWeaver' or cliché like 'BraveHeart.'
The Crownguards, a soldier family that had been tasked with overseeing the protection of the Crown of Stormwind since the early days of the city. They were the nobles in every sense of the word except one, they didn't actually bear the title.
They possessed the love and adoration of the common people, without exploiting it for political aspirations.
They lived their lives in service to the crown and by extension the common people.
They had seen the city flourish from its humble beginnings as a tribal town into the proud bastion of humanity. The success was testament to the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the population.
They possessed a pride and patriotism that was unrivaled and could trace their lineage back to the cities inception.
Despite all this, they cared little for the comforts of life. They sought a simpler goal, with the aspirations being merely home and hearth.
For the past four centuries, it had been tradition for the eldest son to continue on the family occupation. Traditionally, this was not a problem since the occupational risks coupled with the less that fertile line meant that children were a rarity. As a result, sibling rivalry was not expected, that is, until the time of Malak Crownguard.
Known for his quick mind, brilliant strategy, and personal charisma, Malak was touted as the greatest military commander of the century. The rapport that he held with his men was the topic of legends. Whether dealing with hostility from gnome and the other dangerous denizens of the land, or the intricacies of the political scene Malak was not an individual to be underestimated.
Although he had deviated from the ancestral policy of abstaining from politics, he did not lose the morals of his ancestors. Whether he used the political clout to crush coalitions or placate the dissident, he was always calm and collected.
It can be said that those who are most willing and eager to change and improve the world are the one's who are affected the most when it all goes up in flames. Malak faced and earned a new reputation during the first war.
Upon learning of the voracity of the orcish invaders, he became ruthless and strict. Upon seeing that no quarter was given to women and children, he gave no quarter. He accepted no surrender and expected none. It is ironic that the Crownguards would witness both the rise and fall of their beloved city.
Malak could see that everything everything that he knew and loved was going to change. However, the topic of his military prowess in the first war can be told another time. The topic closer at hand is that of the parting gift that he left his wife before leaving to war. Little did he know that the results of his gift would be a pair of brothers.
The eldest, by a few minutes, was Milo. He was the larger of the two, and possessed a full head of brown hair and a darkened tanned skin complexion. He appeared the spitting image of his father, who was imfamous for his curly brown locks and weatherbeaten complexion.
The second born of the pair was Alain. He was the runt of the litter, smaller and slighter of frame than his brother. Additionally, rather than possessing his father's characteristic appearance, he was pale skinned and on his head was a sparse tuff of hair. This hair was thin, and so pale that it seemed to shine in the sun.
This is the tale of these two brothers and how their actions would shake the very foundations of their world.