Tinfist's Betrayal
Revolution
94
Once, Tinfist stood as Cat-Lon’s closest ally. First General of the Second Empire, commander of the Hydraulic Knights, and a friend trusted more than any other. To the histories of the Empire, however, he is remembered only as a power-hungry usurper, a warlord who turned on his Emperor in search of glory. Yet beyond the propaganda, another story endures.
As Cat-Lon’s paranoia deepened, he came to see plots in every shadow and treachery in every oath. When he ordered the Hydraulic Knights, his most loyal and disciplined warriors, to be enthralled, stripped of will and bound to him in mindless obedience, Tinfist faced a choice between loyalty to his Emperor or to his soldiers. He chose his people. Gathering those still loyal to him, he refused Cat-Lon’s order and led them in open defiance.
Branded a traitor, Tinfist fled north, into the mountains beyond the Ashlands, carrying with him the hearts of soldiers who believed in his cause. Before leaving, he issued one final command to the warriors of the Second Empire, words remembered long after his banners were burned and his name cursed in official record:
“Final Order: Find something you all want to PROTECT.”
