The Enchantress

During the reign of Karven; King of Mordia, a plague swept across the continent of Silvergaurd. It killed thousands. During the plague, rumors spread like wildfire that a mage caused the plague. This resulted in anyone even carrying a magic item would be ruthlessly attacked. As well as riots breaking out in every town. To restore order, the King outlawed magic and requested that the Order of Menthaa, (a god of order that viewed magic to be the source of all corruption.) To hunt down anyone using magic and bring them to justice. In time, the hunt turned into an Inquisition. This included Inquisitors that made no distinction between practitioners of evil magic and non-evil magic. In their eyes all magic was evil and needed to be destroyed. A reward was soon offered to anyone that would help bring magic users to justice. (Though justice in Mordia was death, if one was lucky.) Other sentences could be, a hard labor camp where one was worked to death, or being sold on the slave market. In time, people who used magic either fled the country or, hid in the most remote parts of said country. However, that did not stop the people of Mordia from turning in their fellow citizens, or any foreigners. The reward was large enough to give a comfortable lifestyle to any class lower than the great houses, or the royal family. As such, anyone with a grudge against someone could turn in the person they had the grudge against. Especially, if the inquisitor was corrupt. As a result, many law-abiding citizens were rounded up and sentenced based on how much profit it would bring the Inquisition. As a result, the commoners of Mordia struggled to make ends meet, leading some to consider leaving the country. However, if anyone was caught attempting to leave the country without the necessary documentation stating they were merchants or commoners, they were instantly captured and sent to prison. Still, some felt the risk was worth it for a taste of freedom and a chance to have a better life. For those who could not flee the country, the only option for relative peace was to live in rural areas, where communities had to be entirely self-reliant and generally were poor. Living in a town or city brought the promise of more money, but it also came with the fact that anyone working in the city would be under much more scrutiny. Despite that, enough people were willing to take the risk for wages that would support their families. If they could not afford to get either; forged documents to help their loved ones leave the country, or find a smuggler to get them out. Granted, once anyone was able to get out of the country, finding a sanctuary where they would not be sent back was also a challenge. Thankfully, some felt that the laws of Mordia were morally reprehensible. Thus, they decided to give the people fleeing Mordia a helping hand by setting up small towns which were fortified along the borders of neighboring countries. However, they also screened everyone who came into town. This ensured that an Inquisitor did not sneak in with the intent to kidnap anyone, or even destroy the town. One such town was founded by the captain of the Blood Hawks, Leta Flaska. A native of Scardoiva with a formidable reputation on and off the battlefield. While she did not use magic, Leta saw no reason to hunt those who did. Leta would have been brought in by the Inquisition long ago, if not for the fact that she preferred the mountains. Which were too cold and rugged for most of the inquisitors to go out of their way for. Not to mention, the roads were too treacherous due to bandits, weather, or disrepair. To Leta, the mountain terrain was the same as her homeland. So, she was at home with the conditions, and the people who followed her grew accustomed to the mountainous climate. Though for the people seeking refuge from the Inquisition, getting help from the Blood Hawks was a boon. Even if it meant dealing with colder weather than they were used to. Along with learning to live alongside mercenaries. Most of the refugees stayed to make small farms or shops to help support the mercenaries to pay back for the help they received. The little bit of extra supplies and free repairs were an incentive for the Blood Hawks to keep helping refugees. With some of the refugees even joining the ranks, which helped the Blood Hawks to take on the bandits who built their hideouts in the mountains. In recent years, the bandits had been getting better equipment and more skillful fighters joining their ranks. This caused many to speculate that someone was funding the bandits, but for what purpose no one could guess. The one good thing that came from the increase in bandit activity was that it forced Lord Markus Cerlierus (brother-in-law to King Rutherford) to hire the Blood Hawks. When he arrived, the whole town was abuzz as to why someone so important had traveled all this way. He was led to Leta’s house. Easing his mind about the caliber of the fighters he would be hiring. When he arrived, he was greeted by a woman. Leta was 5'5", with her platinum blonde hair plaited around her head, and ice-blue eyes with a hard look. She was wearing a combination of scaled and plated armor that had a powerful aura to it, only Markus could perceive. Markus was 6’7”, with his black hair pulled back from his face with a simple tie. He had crimson eyes that gave him a predatory look. His armor was banded with the emblem of his house engraved on his gauntlets. “Lord Markus, would you like something to drink while we discuss how to deal with the bandit situation?” Leta asked as she served simple, but hearty fare. “I see you get straight to the point without wasting time to curry favor.” Markus replied, pleased that Leta’s reputation for being all business without the usual flattery was well earned. He also found it quite refreshing, considering how many people often try to solicit favors from him for one thing or another. “Nothing out here waits for anyone, so I really cannot afford to try and suck up to damned i***t highborn. The bandits have been getting bolder day by day,” Leta replied, pulling out a stack of reports for the lord to read. “Believe me, Captain,” Markus stated, “I am aware of what has been going on. Although I am starting to wonder if Mordia has hired the bandits to help transport goods, as very few countries trade with them. Considering they will not protect foreigners from the Inquisition, even with the proper paperwork. Have you seen anything to prove or disprove my suspicions?” Markus asked (hoping he had misinterpreted the scant evidence he had uncovered). “From what we have recovered from the bandits, it does look like someone from Mordia is supplying them. However, whether it is the Inquisition or someone trying to start a war. I cannot say for certain. We were only able to decode a few of the orders retrieved from the bandits.” Leta replied, handing Markus several stacks of paper that had all the reports, along with the translation of the coded bandit orders and the orders themselves. “Would you be opposed to working with a man by the name of Azan Urasli?” Markus asked carefully. “Relax, I work with that particular drow when I need to get refugees to places they will be safe and able to make a living. He has a great crew and is the only merchant that will not charge me my firstborn for any decent supplies.” Leta replied, wondering how Markus had discovered Azan was the primary agent controlling the marketplace. Or, that his right-hand man, Jarven (who ran the store that hid all the illicit activities going on just beneath it). The only way Leta could think of was that a newcomer in the guild got caught by one of Markus’ guards and had told him everything, which would have made said newcomer no longer a guild member, given how Azan expected absolute loyalty from the people who worked under him.