Author's note: Prepare for grimdark.

Siegfried

Siegfried was a valiant knight. He was able to defeat any enemy in combat, except for his own demons. After nearly losing to his inner self, he set out to redeem his name. He spent the rest of his life seeking redemption, until a Turkish arrow pierced his intestines during the Crusades. He lingered for three more days before he succumbed to infection, whispering "End this nightmare."

Cassandra

Cassandra practiced her swordplay every day in the temple. She simply did what the gods told her to without understanding why. One day, after years of endless training, she began to grow impatient. She went to the temple and asked the gods to explain themselves, to reveal the divine plan they had in store for her like they had already done for her sister. She demanded the gods to show her an opponent who could defeat her. At that very instant, a mighty earthquake began to shake the temple to the ground. She was crushed to death under a statue of Zeus.

Taki

Deception was Taki's greatest skill, and deception was her downfall. The other ninja in her clan became fearful once she started training an apprentice who was afflicted by a deadly curse. Taki's superiors organized a trap so they could eliminate Taki and deal with the curse themselves. It seemed like a routine assassination mission in a secluded location. By the time Taki realized she had been betrayed, the room had been sealed and poisonous vapor was already filling her lungs. Her sacrifice was not in vain, however. The poison congealed into a concentrated form once it was in her bloodstream. The clan took samples of her blood before they cremated the body, using it to create an even more potent weapon for future targets.

Mitsurugi

Mitsurugi believed in the old Samurai way. Unfortunately for him, the rest of the world had different ideas. When a new emperor rose to power and tried to modernize the country, Mitsurugi led the fight to protect the old system. Three hundred pounds of Gatling gun ammunition ended his rebellion. He was honored for giving his life for a righteous, albeit outdated, cause.

Xianghua

Xianghua was one of the emperor's most loyal retainers. This loyalty was put to the test after the the emperor was murdered in his sleep and the reins of power were violently stolen by another dynasty. Trapped in her own palace, surrounded by enemies, Xianghua was given the choice of either surrendering herself as one the usurper's personal concubines or being executed as a traitor. She chose to slaughter five dozen of the usurper's best infantrymen with her dazzling sword skills before a crossbow barrage ended her life. They put her head on a pike to set an example to the rest of the resistance.

Cervantes

Piracy was a dangerous career. Cervantes spent his life sailing the high seas, always looking for more loot to plunder. His crew sometimes doubted his erratic behavior, but they never openly questioned his orders. This changed when Cervantes began hearing legends of a demonic artifact that could control the world. He quickly discovered his men were not as willing to sail into the gates of Hell as he was. After a bloody mutiny, the crew tied their captain to the Adrian's bow. The decaying corpse became a symbol of the crew's ruthlessness.

Talim

Talim dedicated her life to the wind-gods. When her peaceful village was invaded by a rival tribe, she prayed to her deities for protection. They answered her prayers in the form of a catastrophic typhoon. Thankfully, Talim was able to evacuate the villagers while the storm washed away the heathens. Sadly, the little priestess underestimated her own potential for martyrdom. She drowned saving her people.

Xiba

He should have been more careful. They warned him that fried snake could still be venomous, no matter how delicious it looked. He didn't listen.

Viola

Viola aided Schwarzwind during their assault on a diabolical cult. After the attack failed, the survivors were taken prisoner in the mountain stronghold. The cult focused on Viola, planning to use her in their experiments to create the ultimate being: a homunculus with the power of an oracle. She wanted nothing to do with the dastardly plot, and she used all of her power to destroy her captors' research. It's said oracles gained their visions by breathing the air in mountain temples such as this one. Unfortunately, Viola's visions never foresaw how the cult's Astaroth creature would lift her up like a dainty flower and hurl her straight into the volcanic fissure.