W I N D B O R N E
A GUILD WARS: FACTIONS FAN FICTION
By
MIIRO
aka
TERRYANN
LA RUNE
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Guild Wars or the NPCs mentioned. However, the original, player characters known as the LA RUNE family are mine. If you wish for them to appear in your fiction, please ask. The Guild that was known as Keepers of the Shadow Empire KSE owned and led by Arya Bladedancer and is mentioned (a lot) in this fiction with her express permission, as are many of the Guildies who vied for any mention in the last. The Guilds Le Pookie Bears pOOk, Vis Cosmica haha, Arcana Imperiias scrt, and the Golden Phoenix Warriors GPW are all owned by their respective Guild Leaders and mentioned here by their permission as well.
Author's Note: It is sad to say that the Keepers of the Shadow Empire KSE, which had been Guild of the Week, was disbanded. I hope everyone is doing well in their new guilds, and some of these other guilds are going to be featured. Although, to explain – KSE was disbanded, reformed as Vis Cosmica haha, then disbanded again. This time it splintered into at least three Guilds, Arcana Imperiias scrt, Le Pookie Bears pOOk, and the Golden Phoenix Warriors GPW. Just to clear up any confusion on to where all these guilds came from when they are mentioned.
Appearances Credits: Akara Nikhiora, Akruan Soulblesser, Arya Bladedancer, Callie Bladesinger, Canim Cathix, Ima Gonna Smash Ya, Io Lukas, Jaxx Kyolin, Meliara Astier, Midori Rheau, Nohman Coldstone, Pheadra Firestorm, Sadsa Asd, Siuil La Rune, Terrence La Rune, Ydrea Kryshna.
Special Mention: ArenaNet and NCsoft for creating Guild Wars, and all those helpful people out there that have helped get me through the tougher missions. THIS IS FOR ALL OF YOU!
Prolog
It began in Cantha two hundred years before the Searing devastated Ascalon. Before King Adelburn, before King Rurik… before all of us. Something far darker than even the Charr who ended up like all the rest of us in Ascalon—just in the wrong place in the wrong time.
But this is not like that.
This is willful evil. One that rivaled even Vizier Khilbron.
This is the story of Shiro Tagachi of Cantha.
1382
CC (Age of the Dragon)
872 AE (Mouvelian/Tyrian)
Emperor Angsiyan was the twenty-sixth emperor of Cantha. He was not a young man, but neither was he old. In a few days time, he would head to the Harvest Temple to give thanks to the Gods for the bountiful harvest that had blessed Cantha. Then, with a smile, he would likely celebrate himself with a favorite concubine.
The door to his chambers barely rustled, but he knew that even that subtle motion meant one of his bodyguards was now present in the room. Angsiyan turned to Shiro Tagachi, a burly assassin who, it was rumored, had a similar noble blood, only, unlike Angsiyan who had come from a legitimate line; Shiro's line was illegitimate, born of concubines. But Angsiyan didn't care.
Shiro was too good at protecting him for Angsiyan to care. "Shiro… just the man I wanted to see."
"Oh?" asked Shiro, lifting a brow.
"Indeed," Angsiyan sighed. "You know that in a few days we will have to head to the Harvest Temple?"
"Of course, your Majesty," there was almost a snort of derision in Shiro's voice at the mere suggestion that the bodyguard had not known. "It is my job to know. Why? Do you have concerns I should be aware of?"
"No, no," Angsiyan waved off the thought. "I was… ah… Shiro, you know me too well. I have heard rumors that someone may be trying to assassinate me."
"They would have to go through me first," Shiro bristled. "And, as you well know, that would be nigh to impossible. But you bring up a good point. As you well know, this will be the first year that those Luxons and Kurzicks have been united under your banner. You may indeed be in danger."
"You think so?"
"I do, sire," Shiro walked over to the window. "I would suggest having them wait outside the Harvest Temple, the same with anyone who might be armed. That way if someone does try something they will be hard-pressed to first get to you and then I will be waiting for them."
Angsiyan thought for a moment, "As usual, Shiro, you are a very wise man. It shall be done. Only you will be permitted to wear weapons in the Temple when we go."
The Emperor, before walking from the room to take audiences, turned one last time to Shiro, putting a hand on the other man's arm, "Be wary, perhaps they would aim to end your life in order to make ending mine so much easier."
"I shall," Shiro said quietly, thoughtfully.
When the Emperor left the room, Shiro smiled suddenly, darkly. How delightfully ironic it was that the Emperor would suspect assassination but order the very one planning it to be the only one with weapons in the same room? And then everyone else would be without weaponry, without defenses. Or offenses. Shiro scowled suddenly.
The throne would be his.
One way or the other.
It was simply a matter of waiting for the right moment to come. Shiro followed Angsiyan into the Harvest Temple, a slight sigh on his lips. He had been allowed to keep his weapons, something not even the Ritualists had been allowed.
Just the right moment…
No one is quite sure of what happened next, as there were no survivors. But, legends are plenty. At some time Shiro Tagachi chose the moment to strike down his emperor, and then he proceeded to slay every last Ritualist that had come into the temple with Emperor Angsiyan.
If not for three people, Shiro might have succeeded in whatever plan he had chosen that day to set in motion.
Eventually the history faded from people's minds, and as things happen history faded into legend and legend into myth. The truth became clouded with old wives' tales said in whispers to children in order to scare them into behaving.
And, eventually the truth was forgotten altogether when it should have been remembered…
PRESENT DAY
Ten years have passed since the Searing. Rurik was right, you know, when he felt that if we left that the land would recover without the constant war that had been waged. We thought we would see peace. But, soon after Rurik and my sister, Selena, renewed their vows…
But I jump ahead of myself here and why I stand overlooking the Jade Sea and why I am so far from home.
After we traveled from Thunderhead Keep, when Selena dealt the killing blow to the man who had slew her beloved husband, we arrived in the Ember Light Camp with Brechnar Ironhammer and Evennia.
None of us realized that again, we'd been betrayed.
We defeated our enemy that day, but it was not without loss. Brechnar was lost, as was Lynn Matheri and Akara Nikhiora as, after Matheri killed the lich lord, they traveled again to… who knows? But we knew that someday we would see Lynn again.
On that day, Selena put down the undead Rurik with his own Fiery Dragon Sword, but was too distraught to continue with us to defeat the one that had animated him. We didn't have to worry. On the bloodstone in the Ring of Fire, Lynn Matheri and my father combined both powerful magic and sword to defeat the Lich Lord once and for all.
Upon his defeat, the clouds parted and a light from heaven descended. Dwayna and the fury of the Gods consumed the Lich Lord… and when it faded both Lynn and Akara were gone. Running back to where Selena was, we were all surprised, but yet elated to find that she had used the gift of True Resurrection on Prince Rurik and returned him to life. But, our elation was short lived.
We sailed to New Ascalon, only to find that when we opened the Door of Komalie we had unleashed a terrible new threat. We traveled back to Droknar's Forge, leaving Rurik, Selena and Arya in New Ascalon. Rurik weakened by both the mental and physical stresses of being killed, animated, killed again and then truly raised, slept for nearly a week. Selena slept for three days, then cried when she'd realized what she had done.
When Rurik awoke, Arya asked him what he intended to do. He looked over the water, and told her that he simply wished to live life quietly, perhaps retire to another island with Selena and their son. He did, however, see his father as King Adelbern had traveled to New Ascalon to both survey the new land and to tell us of the threat.
When father and son finally reconciled, Adelbern met his daughter in law and grandson. Mhenlo over saw the vows of Rurik and Selena as they renewed them in a full and grand wedding instead of the quiet one that they had in the Shiverpeaks. In so doing, New Ascalon and Old Ascalon simply became Ascalon again. No longer did we live in the shadows of what remained of our empire, but again we lived almost as we had before the Searing.
My father, together with Devona, Cynn, and I, took care of the Titan threat with our friends. A tentative peace was reached with the Charr.
And the land of Old Ascalon slowly recovered. There are still dead spots but they are still mostly in the area of the wall with large areas both to the North and South almost back to the way it had been. Ruins still dot the lands and always will. They serve to remind us of what nearly came to pass if we had continued in our course.
But, almost as if fate, Adelbern was killed in the conflict with the Titans and his son returned to Ascalon City and Old Ascalon with Selena and Salamar. As Lynn had told Siuil, Selena had become Queen, together with her King—King Rurik of all of Ascalon.
But the peace did not last.
Once we had regained our peace, and Ascalon, Kryta, and Deldrimor returned to their proper leadership, the emissaries from Cantha began to arrive with news of evil that brewed to the South. Heroes were requested to aid them, if they wished for glory and money.
With not much happening in our lands anymore, many of my fellow Guild mates left for Cantha, as did my father, Siuil La Rune and I.
War is breaking.
What side will we all choose?