Under A Blood Moon

Prologue

The night was dark and abnormally cold for the usually warm and humid jungle of Faron. Shining ominously from the sky, a Blood Moon bathed everything in an eerie crimson.

There was no sound. 

Nothing.

No animal dared to make a noise.

Everything was quiet, until a blood curdling scream echoed through the woods. It came from a woman, begging the tall soldier to spare her life. She was gravely wounded, deep cuts and open flesh wounds covered her body. Unable to walk, only crawling pitifully she kept pleading for mercy.

She didn't understand why they were doing this. Why were they here, murdering everyone for no apparent reason? 

Why?!

An hour ago her and her tribe were awoken by loud footsteps. An entire army of soldiers, varying in size and race, was flooding their small city in the jungle. They had just celebrated the night of the Blood Moon and finished preparations for an important ritual. It must be performed after such a special night - only then the conditions could be met. The amount of magic required was ridiculously high, only achievable when their powers reached their peak in a night bathed in red. However, nights like this were rare and hardly predictable, so the tribe was delighted to see it happening in this one.

The time had finally arrived and they decided to celebrate with a feast. Ale was devoured in masses, sending the usually highly attentive warriors in a carefree state. Most passed out in their homes after hours of laughter and joy.

The tribe was infamous for its ferocious warriors, men and women alike. Some described them as barbaric and warlike since they rarely got along well with outsiders and mostly kept to themselves. They did not show direct animosity towards other races, but their brutality in battle made them feared throughout the land. No one wanted to fight an army joined by their mercenaries. It would always end in a massacre and the demons, as they were called, immensely enjoyed the carnage they left behind.

Excelling at powerful magic only fueled their prowess in war, much to the dismay of their foes.

However, war was a far memory now. The last one happened over 300 years ago and it had been rather peaceful since then. They stayed out of Hyrule's affairs, remained in their territory and only ventured outside to trade or collect information.

So what was the reason for the massacre taking place before her?

The woman had just seen her entire tribe being slaughtered. Soldiers clad in heavy armour marched into the city, setting the buildings on fire and waiting for the residents to run out. Like smoking out insects. It was hopeless. Everyone was still affected by the alcohol and unable to function properly. Their bodies were only covered in a few pieces of fur, the hot and humid air not allowing for more. Usually this would not be a problem at all, since they could just use magic to protect their bodies, manipulating the magic into invisble armour over their skin.

But it wasn't working.
Nobody could use magic for some reason, which worsened the panic.

Screams filled the air, the stench of blood and gore growing awfully prominent. 

It was chaos. 

Her people were shocked, but being well trained warriors, they quickly regained their focus, looking for weapons to fight. If they couldn't find one quick enough, they just attacked the nearest soldiers, tearing them apart with their bare hands. Some even used their teeth to brutally rip out throats. Despite their still slightly drunken state they were able to kill hundreds of the intruders. One member of her tribe would send at least 20 soldiers to the afterlife before being killed himself. For a while, it looked like they had a chance. A chance to safe their tribe from total extinction which seemed to be the goal of this senseless assault.