Kazimir Taleeb whistled a happy tune as he walked along the shady forest path. He was a man at 17 solar cycles, two years since having passed his Trial of the Trees in which one must survive for a week alone in the heart of the woods.

His short blonde hair complimented his eyes, which were as green as the leaves far above his head. He was not a particularly muscular individual, for most of his life Kazimir lived a life free of hardships as he was training to be a historian under the Lord’s Chronicler. Kaz thought about his family, and of the history that led his family to be here on the edge of the Empire. His father Danil Taleeb was the Lord’s Steward, attending to the needs of the local nobility for as long as most people could remember. Kaz’s mother Catherine worked as the local representative to the Klavan Senate, and was on a business trip. Kaz’s only older brother Alexei naturally studied under his father Danil to be the next Steward, as was expected of the firstborn son. At 25, Alexei was almost done with his apprenticeship and was eagerly anticipating going abroad somewhere to undergo his journeyman period. Of course, having a stellar recommendation from the Lord Ivan Zhakar would allow Alexei to be hired nearly anywhere among the nobility. The reason for this being that Lord Zhakar was one of the most powerful nobles in the Empire of Klavan. Lord Zhakar’s land occupies the only accessible mountain pass between the Empire of Klavan and their enemy for nearly 200 years, the Republic of Janaro.

And so, the past two hundred years of war have been Janaro’s soldiers throwing themselves against the Pass. Kaz thought of his lessons from the Master Historian Kahaz. His journey at an end, Kaz came upon the Master Apothecary’s house deep in the heart of the forest. The Master Apothecary, known as Master Ahriman, was an eccentric person. Appearing out of nowhere a decade past, he applied for the position of Master Apothecary as soon as he arrived. Normally a recommendation was needed in order for a person to be considered, but Ahriman’s medicinal skills far surpassed anything that Lord Zhakar had previously seen. His knowledge of herbal lore was astounding, and his remedies for nearly every common ailment were both effective and surprisingly tasty. Thus, Lord Zhakar gave the vacant position of Master Apothecary to Ahriman. Normally this position carries great prestige, but the scholars at the Arcane Library in Samara did not want to leave their lifestyles in the capital for a position in a province that was under constant attack for since the founding of the Empire. Ahriman was unknown to the scholars at the Arcane Library, but Zhakar gave little thought to it since Ahriman’s skill was so high.

Unfortunately for Kaz, the Historian and Apothecary were very close friends, and often traded materials to study. This meant that Kaz would have to take a long walk every day from the Citadel where he lived, to the isolated cottage where the Apothecary lived. Kaz knocked on the door and announced his presence.

“Master Ahriman! It’s Kaz. I’ve brought you some more material from Master Kahaz, and I’ve come to take back what he lent you yesterday!”

Kaz’s voice cut through the stagnant air like a knife as he threw the door open. The stench of alcohol was heavy in the air, as well as the unmistakable scent of blood. Kaz saw the crumpled body of Master Ahriman where it lay on top of his desk, his brown robes stained with blood. Curiously, there seemed to be some sort of ritual done with blood and bones on the floor of the cottage, but Kaz didn’t give it that much of a look as a sword had just appeared through his chest. Having stabbed Kaz through with his stiletto, the mystery assailant brutally ripped his weapon out and left Kaz to bleed his lifeblood onto the cold floor.

Is…this…wh-where it ends? I…father…Alexei…no..I..need to warn..ne-need to…

As the light left Kaz’ eyes, he could swear that there was this other presence slowly gathering near the body of Ahriman.

Then it went dark.