Azazel

My name is Braddoc Cantrel. I was born into a farming family that lived in the country outside of Alsarona. I didn't have any friends when I was young. The only people that I even knew were my Dad, stepmother, and my sister Nina, she was younger than me by 2 years. My family was poor. We lived on the food we grew and sold some of it to make money to afford only the necessities. My mother had died while giving birth to Nina; I had hardly known her. My stepmother and my father raised me taught me what I needed to know to be a farmer like them.

About a year after they were married, I was only 15; I was standing outside taking care of the farm when I saw a group of about 10 men coming toward our farm on horses. They were dressed in a fashion that I never saw before. They had suits made of shining metal that covered their entire body. Even their horses wore metal. They seemed friendly enough, but when my father saw them a look of fear crossed his face. "Braddoc, run!" he shouted. "Devil worshipper!" one of the men screamed as he pointed his sword toward my father. At that point the men on the horses charged toward us. I turned and ran toward the house. Suddenly a rain of arrows came down from the sky.I took cover behind the feeding stalls and noticed a group of archers wearing the same armor were standing behind the men on the horses.

My father and I retreated into the house where my stepmother and my sister were standing there crying. I grabbed my sister and headed for the back door. My father and my stepmother followed closely behind us. As I exited the house I caught a glimpse of something shining in the forest to the left. So I immediately turned right and fled into the forest. I tripped over something and turned as I heard a female's scream. Nina fell face forward with 2 arrows protruding from her back. I screamed and stood up. I turned around to flee but ran straight into the chest of a large man with a black leather mask on. He threw me aside and walked into the clearing where my father and stepmother were surround by these armored men. "Stop!" the man yelled. Everyone turned and looked at him.

The men on the horses turned pale as the man removed his mask and his jet-black hair fell. The man made an incantation in a language I had never heard before, and a black bolt of energy shot down from the sky and encapsulated his hand. With a quick motion he threw the ball of energy at one of the men and struck him in the chest with it. The energy spread all over the man's body as he screamed in pain. The man twitched and fell to the ground convulsing. My father looked at the man and nodded. Then my father said some incantations in the same language as the man with the black mask and the whole area went dark. I couldn't see or hear anything.

After about 10 minutes the darkness was gone and I saw a sight I had hoped I wouldn't see. The man was kneeling down beside my father and my stepmother who had both been slain in the battle that continued even while I couldn't see. Along with my families bodies there were 7 bodies of the armored men. I lay there and cried.

"Come over here Braddoc," the man said. "I won't hurt you." "H-how do you k-know my name?" I whimpered. "Just come here," he repeated. I walked over to the site of the recent battle, and asked again, "How do you know my name?" The man turned around and I finally saw his face. He was an elf, who stood about 5'6" tall with jet-black hair that came to his shoulders. Across his face was a large tattoo of an eight-pointed star. It was red with black outlining. I felt an immediate fear come across me and I screamed. "Don't scream, there might be others," the man said. "W-who are they?" I asked. "They are a ordered guild that has been hunting my kind for years. Your father was to become one of us," he answered. "You can recognize them by the symbol on their armor. The golden dragon is their symbol of purity."

"W-what are you?" I mumbled. "I'm a member of 'The Avatars of Chaos'," he said. "W-what?" I repeated. "I will explain it all in good time, for now you will come with me for safety," he insisted. "I don't even know who you are!" I screamed. "My name is Uzeil," he answered. "Now come with me." Uzeil turned and walked into the forest. I followed him because I had nowhere else to go. After about 3 hours we stopped and he made camp. "We will be there in the early afternoon. You will have a lot to do tomorrow, you better get your rest," he said.

"What do I have to do?" I asked. "Well, you do want your revenge don't you?" he replied. "How did you know that?" I wondered. "I can see it in your eyes. You lust for the death of those men, and with this I can see that you will be a good member of my coterie." He replied. "Now go to bed." Without a question I laid down and fell asleep. Uzeil woke me up in the morning and we headed toward Alsarona. When we got there he took me to a building where there was a secret entrance in the floor. This was the home of the "Avatars of Chaos."

I stayed with Uzeil and joined the group. He taught me everything I needed to know about them. The Avatars of Chaos are a group that worships the many gods of Chaos. Every member has a tattoo placed across his or her face. This eight-pointed star is the symbol of Chaos that every member must have. With this they give you a leather mask. It is said that there was a similar mask that was made from the face of one of the Chaos gods, Eris. This mask was said to hold many powerful magical abilities, but the artifact was lost long ago. The masks that the "Avatars of Chaos" wear are a symbol of their devotion to the gods of Chaos. All the Avatars are taught a language known as Erisian. This language is ancient and almost died with the legend of the mask of Eris. The Avatars are the only ones who know this language and they use it to talk with the gods to gain favors.