Raven, the Seducer

Raven didn't think of himself as a Seducer. If anybody had been able to sneak past the iron clamped heart of his, they might have had a peek at something that shocked them. But nobody ever did.   Raven lived in Sansamere, Autauga's greatest city. He called himself an artist and aristocratic ladies came to him to have their likeness's engraved into bone or shell and cast into immortality by paying large sums to Raven.   Raven had a reputation. He was well known to be one of the most talented artists in all of Autauga. People came seeking his art from as far north as Shadestown and as far south as the Juniper Mountains. He was known to be a world class talent. Though there were undercurrents in his artistic talent for seduction, those who sought him, sought him for his art. Each and every one thought they could withstand his seduction as most were mature enough to afford to purchase art from him.   Alas for the lad or maiden who knew not of his reputation but went seeking Raven.  One lad, Gale to his friends, was himself talented in creating amusement. He had learned to amuse by creating games that would make the customer feel special and unusual. Gale was gifted, he created games of fantasy leisure, mostly for unmarried ladies. His talented was being able to intuit what would please the woman in question most of all. Then he would create a role playing game for the woman. Though he didn't know it, he had somewhat of a reputation too. Like the great Raven, in ladies' circles, he was known to be a seducer.   Gale had heard of the great artist Raven but had never sought him out though they lived in the same city. Gale dismissed talk of Raven when he heard it; waving his hand and denouncing the man a fop.   It was Gale's misfortune to run into Raven one day by accident. It was purely by chance that he did so. He was running from an unhappy customer with a very sharply pointed umbrella. The woman had been elderly and he had done his best to make her feel like a young bride in the game he had created for her. Gale had misread the woman and thought she wanted to be a martyr virgin, giving her life to save her father's kingdom from the great three headed dragon. Gale was a prolific game maker. It was rare that a customer was unhappy with the game he created for them. They were usually quite besotted with the story and game he gave them but he had made a miscalculation with Lady Atyra. Too late, Gale realized that the lady in question had wanted him to play the part of her royal prince and husband. The Lady Atyra was infuriated when she discovered that the story game he had created for her involved martyrdom that doomed her to virginity. Gale had misread her. He knew he had made a mistake but it was too late to change it once the game ended.   Gale fled through the streets of Sansamere with that lady's servants in pursuit. He looked back, saw one of her servants with a blade, launched himself into an inelegant and fevered run that led him straight into what felt like a brick wall. When Gale turned to see what he had run into, he was surprised to see that it was a person. The man had long brown hair with a long nose; he could have played the part of one of the village witches in one of Gale's invented games, had he been female. Gale wasted no more time looking at the long haired man but tried to make his way past him. The man stopped him. He was much stronger than he appeared. Gale was, it will be admitted, on the smallish side.   Gale looked with consternation into the man's face and saw his eyes held depths to them that could burn the evil out of a Demon as the saying goes. Gale silently pleaded with the man, turning to see his armed pursuers and back again at the somewhat hidden face of the brick wall. "Please," Gale grunted, "Let me by, sir!" Gale gave the man the benefit of his most beguiling gaze and smile but it seemed to have no effect.   Gale tried another approach. "Please good sir, I must get by. I am your servant and at your mercy, I beg you to let me by you."   The man holding Gale in his steel grip grinned then and a wild light was in his eyes. The wild light of something untamed and unknown. For the first time in his life, Gale felt a thrill of fear just by a look someone gave him but it was coupled with some kind of animal attraction. Was this what his friend, one of the 7 Tribes Demons had warned him of when he complained to him that his life was boring? He had no time to ponder and again begged the man. "Please."   Raven, the man who held Gale in his grip only answered, "You're in my debt."   Gale answered, "Sure buddy," and fled from his pursuers.   Gale had know way of knowing then, that his life would never belong to him again.