A Tale of Fate and Madness [WIP]

The End of the Beginning

Robert Adams was the only child of a nameless, unknown commoner mother, and a doting noble father. Robert's father, Isaiah Adams was a reputable and high-ranking cleric among the Council of Lords, though he kept his son's existence as hidden as possible. For reasons twofold, he did not want to risk Robert's life being negatively affected by the fact he was not only a bastard but a motherless bastard at that but also he did not want to get Robert tangled up in the toxic politics that is the Lords' Alliance. Robert and his father were inseparable when Isaiah had free time away from his duties. The love between this son and father was an inseparable bond that nothing could ever seem to break. Despite Robert's love and admiration for his father and the work that he did, Robert grew up admiring the military prestige of the Lords' Alliance, in particular, the great knights that they had among their ranks. So much so that Robert decided he would one day become a knight, rather than follow in his Father's footsteps. Though Isaiah would have been lying if he said he wasn't a little disappointed, as he would have loved to be the mentor to the son he loved so dearly, he knew it was more important to allow Robert to pursue his own dreams rather than have him stand in his shadow and so once he turned fourteen years of age Robert became an apprentice to a paid mentor warrior and knight Delaric Cornelius instead of his father, as his father was a Cleric Healer and had little training or experience to give on the glorious life of a Knight fighting on the frontlines protecting the innocent from "evil". Despite this divide in the profession, Robert and his father remained inseparable and their love for one another was infallible. Robert had a particularly hard time meeting the standards of his mentor due to his meek stature but Delaric was confident with some good feeding and regular training this could be rectified. Robert trained like this for many years until the most horrible of things happened. Whilst doing one of his regular training routines with his master, Robert was given the horrible news that his father was killed in battle when he was overwhelmed and struck down by a mercenary. Stricken with grief, his mind racing with thoughts he looked to his master for guidance on how to even process such information. The words Robert's master said to him would forever ring in his mind: "Though I know this news is horrible for you Robert you must not let it throw you into darkness, look within yourself and find your inner peace". Despite what he said, these words are what sent Robert into a spiral of darkness. Robert locked himself away from everyone for days on end, night terrors absorbed his dreams with visions of his father being struck down and every night waking him to the sound of his father screaming in pain. Robert only left his quarters to come to training, though his master noticed the change in his emotional state during training. Robert would speak less, become more irritable and snap at his master at points of criticism. Soon, Robert noticed that unfamiliar faces would come to observe his training, though his master assured him there was "nothing to be concerned about", Robert knew different. - Eventually, Robert began to recover somewhat, if you could call it that, he began to feel numb as he focused on just his training without any purpose. What was the point of being a knight without his father? Despite this emotional plateau, information that he was never meant to hear about the operation reached Robert's ears.

His father's death was not because of his tactical failure but rather the cowardice of a Knight, a highly valued Knight. During the retreat, Robert's father stood his ground despite being a healer to make sure the soldiers could exfiltrate without being pursued by enemy soldiers with the assumption that the Knight present, Canus Nole, would stand with him but upon realising it was an infamous Knight hunting mercenary guild that has turned the battle who had been sent to the fray, Canus quickly fled with his soldiers leaving Robert's father to not only defend himself alone against these mercenaries but waves of soldiers. Despite his cowardice, Canus was not reprimanded and the whole event was downplayed as he was such a pivotal public figure they did not want to affect public morale by villainizing him for his cowardice. This was Robert's breaking point, once again those words his master told him painfully rang in his ears as his rage bubbled up from within him. Robert let out a painful shriek that many nearby could hear, who rushed to see what was the disturbance.

This is as far as the story goes for most people, coming to find the living quarters at the compound in which Robert was training, completely in ruins and there was no sign of the young apprentice. In what would have been his room was the corpse of his former master, found with a dagger in his heart, seemingly plunged by his hand. Little did anyone know that Robert would spend many years travelling the world, searching for any meaning in The Grand Theatre all mortals call their home. Robert, in his rage and madness, ran and ran. For hours and days, he ran. Fleeing north, far away from The Gate, beyond the Fields of the Dead, far from his home. His legs eventually gave way at the Troll Hills, he fell to his hands and knees. Exhausted, hungry and alone. With him finally remaining still, his heart's thumbing slowed no longer drowning out his thoughts, his feelings washed over him a new. Rage, anger, sorrow, hate. He clutched at the dirt beneath him, he screamed and screamed and screamed until his throat was hoarse. Tears ran from his eyes, like that blood that trickled from his heels. Finally, no longer blinded by his pain and anguish his head raised to take in his surroundings. Already nervous, being in a place he'd never travelled, his eyes flicked around to take in the scenery. Then, when his eyes laid upon the troll hills and the towering spires of the Warlock's Crypt behind them, a wave of fear overcame him as he had never felt before. A twinge of regret ran down his spine, as he began to feel his consciousness fading, his exhaustion finally catching up with him. His body began to feel heavy, the world grew dark and he suddenly felt the cold wet ground push up against him. He fell into unconsciousness with the sound of boots against the ground approaching him. Surely the sounds of the damned coming to take his life.