God of War: Ghost of Helgen
On a stormy winter night in the Imperial City, a young woman gives birth to her son, whose father is nowhere to be found. She names the small child Kratos, after her own deceased father, who was a lifelong fisherman. She hopes for her son to one day follow a similarly noble path. Kratos is born bearing an incredibly rare marking, a long, fiery red tribal birthmark covering the left half of his upper body. He is also incredibly strong, both mentally and physically. He is incredibly agile, sharp tongued, quick witted, however very hot tempered. Despite this, he has a large heart, being very sweet and caring to those he feels are worthy of his time. He is very protective, especially of his mother. Being a natural leader, he joins the Imperial Legion at the age of 16 with his childhood best friend, Ulfric Stormcloak. The two are inseparable, and together make an almost unstoppable team. However, following the Great War, Ulfric becomes disillusioned with the Empire, and leaves to his home of Windhelm, where he becomes Jarl, vowing to keep the worship of Talos even after it is outlawed by the White Gold Concordat. He also realizes that despite their friendship, almost nothing can sway Kratos's unwavering allegiance to his mentor General Tullius, and the Legion. So he makes a pact with Boethiah, the Daedric prince of deceit and betrayal, to corrupt Kratos and oust him from his position within the ranks of the Legion in an effort to sway his judgment and join the Stormcloak Rebellion.
During a long day with his family, buying gifts and having a grand time in Windhelm, Ulfric arrives and invites them to visit a large Daedric shrine his men have uncovered in the hills. Kratos decides he is interested, and the family follows Ulfric. Arriving at the shrine, Ulfric uses a technique taught to him by Boethiah himself. Ulfric uses the Illusion school of magic to make Kratos hallucinate that his wife and daughter are Aldmeri assassins. Kratos, calling upon his near-sickening hatred of the Dominion, does not hesitate, and viciously and effectively neutralizes the assassins. Suddenly, the hallucination subsides, and he realizes what he has done. In his demonic triumph, Boethiah burns their bodies, painfully binding their ashes to the skin of their killer. Ulfric leaves his best friend in agony, and begins his plot to overthrow the Empire.
After 2 years of hiding, 2 years of assassinations and robberies, Kratos, now believed to have been killed by Ulfric, is arrested in an orchestrated murder to frame him for a string of murders in Markarth. During his time in the Cidhna Mind, Kratos develops a mutual respect with the Forsworn, who help him to escape the prison, killing numerous guards along the way. Following his escape, and the clearing of his name, Kratos pays a visit to the local blacksmith. He tells the blacksmith that he is to be forging a pair of blades, and to not interfere with his work. Kratos thus forges the Blades of Exile, using the dust of a Vampire, the skin of a werewolf, the bones of a dragon, the heart of a Daedra, and his own blood. He uses an ancient enchantment, that when placed up on a weapon that contains part of the forger, would be forever bound to those of that bloodline, rendering any who do not share Kratos's blood unable to lift it. The Blades could also be called to him from any distance, and to others seemed to have a life of their own.
After forging these blades, Kratos sets out to settle his score with a man he once called his best friend.
Kratos slowly wakes, slow and groggy, with an intense migraine. He looks around, and finds himself seated with a horse thief, a Stormcloak soldier, and the scoundrel himself: Ulfric. He is bound tight, and chooses not to speak. When he arrives at Helgen, he sees a sight he never thought he'd see: General Tullius congregating with Thalmor soldiers and their leader: Elenwen. He holds his tongue, and hides from his father figure, ashamed of what he's become; a killer, a savage, an animal. When they begin calling the names of the accused, Kratos gives a false name. After a Stormcloak is executed, it is his turn. Walking to the block, Kratos envisions what could have been if he'd only taken the shot with the arrow at Darkwater Crossing. However, his fantasy comes to a close as he sees a massive black object land on the guard tower; a black Dragon. The dragon shouts, and while Kratos's ears are ringing, the whole town goes into pandemonium. Kratos stands himself up, and sprints into the nearest structure, only to find Ulfric and his men. Ulfric orders his men to untie Kratos, and after they do, the two throw themselves at each other, beating each other bloody. However, on reaching the roof of the tower, the dragon smacks both of them with his tail, launching them off of the tower. Ulfric and Ralof escape into the wilderness on a horse as Kratos combats Thalmor and Stormcloak soldiers. Kratos unleashes hell upon his foes, and later gains the nickname "The Ghost of Helgen" from this event, due to both his brutality and his "return from the dead".
Following his bloodbath, he flees with Hadvar, an old protégé of his, to Riverwood. After roughly a week, Kratos embarks to Bleak Falls Barrow to obtain the Golden Claw. Slaughtering dozens of bandits, Kratos combats Draugr and a Draugr Overlord, from whom he obtains the Dragonstone. Upon his arrival at Dragonreach in Whiterun, the Jarl summons him to defeat a dragon. After killing the dragon, Kratos absorbs the essence and knowledge of the dragon. He is then summoned to High Hrothgar, on the Throat of the World. After receiving training and returning the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, he masters the Unrelenting Force shout. He then embarks to Solitude and officially reveals himself to Tullius. Upon this revelation, Tullius breaks down, and, after composing himself, makes Kratos his right hand man.
Kratos also works with the Legates Rikke and Hadvar to destroy the Stormcloak rebellion once and for all.
After 2 years of battle, the raid on Windhelm finally comes. During the fighting, Kratos sees Ulfric riding out of Windhelm on horseback. Kratos viciously kills Ulfric's personal right hand man Galmar Stone-Fist, once a trusted friend to the Ghost of Helgen. Kratos finally confronts Ulfric, at the base of the statue of Boethiah, where the original treachery occurred. The two exchange insults and verbal attacks, and then finally lunge at each other. Unlike their last fight, Kratos now has the upper hand, and is causing great injury to Ulfric. However, Ulfric uses his Thu'um to toss Kratos over the ledge and send him rolling down the hill. Ulfric follows, and after a vicious and savage fight, Ulfric lets his guard down. Calling on his blades, Kratos sends one flying straight through Ulfric's back. Dropping to his knees, Ulfric begins begging for mercy from his onetime friend. Kratos, with fiery vengeance in his very soul, beheads his old best friend, finally getting the revenge he so long desired. Walking up the hill with Ulfric's severed head, Kratos shouts to the statue of Boethiah, and promises that the Daedric prince himself will be the next one to fall. With the war over, Ulfric dead, and his family partially avenged, Kratos sets out to find a way to kill a Daedric Prince.