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Rivos Alnari

A Peculiar Birth

Rivos Alnari was born as the daughter of a minor Kharlord in the Empire's hinterlands. However, what should have been a rather uneventful birth quickly became coloured by bizarre phenomena. First of all, the nurses who had attended to Rivos' mother were certain that she was expecting twins. Instead, only Rivos was born, small but healthy. It is said that a cold chill filled the room shortly after, and the mother claimed to see a spectral figure cradle her new-born daughter.

The strange occurrences continued the following morning. As the house servants awoke, they witnessed a hundred small rodents impaled on the fence posts that surrounded the manor, each one with a shrike standing over it. When they attempted to disperse the birds, they would return within minutes. It was only when the infant Rivos began to giggle that the shrikes departed. Rumours began to spread regarding the heiress to the manor, with some superstitious folk claiming that the girl was born of a wicked bargain. Of course, anybody caught sharing such tales about the lord of the manor's daughter was reprimanded severely.

The final peculiarity regarding Rivos' birth became apparent over the next few weeks. Every morning, the window to her nursery would be found wide open, regardless of if it had been closed the night before. Most alarmingly, however, the baby Rivos would be found with a partially eaten mouse in her crib. Locks and shutters were installed, but they failed to bar the window. Rivos' was relocated to a room without windows, yet the mice would still find their way to her bed. Finally, guards were stationed by her bedside. They witnessed the perpetrators in the act: a small group of shrikes acting with uncanny intelligence.

Founder of the Shrike Knights

A little under two millennia ago, Rivos Alnari established the Order of the Shrike Knights in her home beside the Zalmerrian Forest. Few expected that it would rise to the notoriety it would soon achieve. As mistress of the manor, it was Rivos Alnari's duty to oversee the region on behalf of the Hearthkeepers. This region was infamous for trouble as, despite the Empire of the Endless Flame's claims of dominance in the area, many of the native tribes rebuked their authority. Raids and uprisings against imperial holdings were common, and so an iron fist would be needed to impose order. Rivos sought to be that force.

After a particularly violent period in which her father was slain and placed upon a spike, she sent a letter to the Hearthkeepers. This message requested permission to command a force of one hundred soldiers, and five knights. There was one peculiar stipulation, however. The ambitious noblewoman wanted to handpick every single individual. Intrigued by this meticulous approach, the Hearthkeepers invited her to visit Myrengol where a wide selection of potential candidates would be provided. Rivos did not select her company based on martial prowess as many had expected. Instead, she looked for the cruellest warriors she could find.

She inducted these vicious killers into her new Order and gave them a single objective: to impale every enemy of the Hearthkeepers upon a pike, be they living or dead. Her sadistic leadership and callous followers soon made great headway in quelling the rebellious natives, instilling in them a harrowing fear. Citizens of the Empire began to drape the Shrike Knight's banners from their homes to dissuade brigands and to show their loyalty to the faction; nobody wanted to be branded their foe.

Even after Rivos' demise, the Order continued to grow. Warriors who possessed both zealous devotion to the Hearthkeepers and a lust for violence were sent to join the Shrike Knights where their talents would be most appreciated. Eventually, the group would be deployed further afield. They were feared from Northern Melmerika to the mighty Godgraves and everywhere in between.

An Accursed Child

The circumstances of Rivos' birth are steeped in mystery. Many historians dismiss the more supernatural claims about her birth as the earliest records of such incidents were written several decades afterwards. These same scholars, however, are far less able to debunk another preternatural tale. Multiple accounts claim that Rivos would secretly meet with a strange woman from the woods who left no trace upon her departure. Some of these stories come from her closest associates, lending to their credibility. When asked about such encounters, Rivos allegedly denied any such clandestine contact.

Her detractors claimed that she was working in league with a witch, whose only ambition was to see bloodshed befall those she despised. These critics alleged that her parents had made a twisted deal with the hag in order to conceive Rivos, and that she was beholden to whatever it demanded as part of the bargain. Rivos vehemently decried such claims. Those who shared such foul rumours were, unsurprisingly, impaled.

Fuelled by Vengeance

Those who refuse to entertain tales of a supernatural nature typically pin her wanton crusades on a lust for revenge. Rivos' father was slain and butchered by a band of belligerent tribespeople whilst he was out hunting. His body was then desecrated and placed upon a great spike. This likely inspired the noblewoman's decision to command her warriors to impale any unruly individual that they encounter. Perhaps the Order of the Shrike Knights was only intended to be a temporary taskforce that grew into something much larger, and much more dangerous. It is also possible that Rivos simply fell in love with violence. Although she was not a warrior herself, she would never shy away from dirtying her hands alongside her devoted servants.


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