Caius Carrion

"...There will be no more warring and dying while the cowards who command you rot in the comfort of their fortresses and thrones. I will fight alongside you as a leader should!

— Scol Leader Caius Carrion

The assassination of their leader didn't come as a shock to the people of the Argòxn Empire, as their history had already been stained red with the blood of friends and foe. No, it was the manner it happened in, and the man that committed the crime that shocked the nation. Caius Carrion, a soldier thought to be long dead, now with powers unmatched by any mage in the empire.   As the body of his victim rotted against the stone it was nailed to, the new leader rose, but unlike his predecessors, and the leaders before him, Caius brought with him his guidance and discipline to not only the government, but to the front lines of their armies. It seemed nowhere in Argòx was spared the watchful eyes of their leader.

Politics

Reputation

Powers Unmatched

The mystery surrounding Caius' powers as a mage are infamous both within the empire and outside of it. Those who knew of him as a soldier remember that he showed no signs of having any magical or spiritual abilities, let alone ones powerful as his are.

Early Leadership

During the first few months of his leadership, Caius put forth many laws and decrees that drastically changed the nation. Many of these laws were unpopular with the noble families and high ranking members of the Argòxn Military.

The Warmaker's Decree

Arguably his most divisive law, this decree made it so any major war was to be lead by the Scol Leader instead of the High General. Before this was put in place, the high ranking members of the military, often known as the Warmakers, would operate almost completely independently from the ruling forces of Argòx, with minimal and vague input from the Scol Leader.

"Anyone who declares a war to be fought should not be free from smelling the stench of death."

— Scol Leader Caius Carrion

Though the law was popular with the standard soldiers of Argòx, it was heavily opposed by most of the Warmakers, many of whom saw it as a challenge to their authority. The resistance to this law became so intense that the High General was executed for treason.

History

Silver and Scars

"Do you know the tale of the Carrion heir?"
"What, the Scol Leader?"
"No, the noble family, y'know, Tiberius Carrion? The old Lord of this town? It's a bit of a local legend."
"Can't say I have. Go on then."

Those well versed in the politics of the Argòxn Lords would know the name 'Carrion' long before the rise of the Empire's new leader. They were a noble family, ruling over the verdant town of Corvicun, though their reputation with the townspeople was less than pleasant. Tiberius Carrion was a strict and cruel Lord, blinded to the suffering of townsfolk by his own life of opulence.

"Though some say he wasn't blinded, he just didn't care."
"Can't say I'm surprised. Nobles never care."

Soon the Lord and his Lady had their long awaited heir, a daughter. The townspeople of Corvicun often talked of the young Carrion heir. She was a rare sight, but the glimpses they sometimes caught in the town square fueled the spreading rumors. Many noticed how the ravens that once roamed the fields flocked to the Lords Manor since the child's birth, and how they would follow along on the rare occasions she left the confines of her family estate.

"Why would they do that?"
"No one truly knows... Some say she was possessed with some kind of spirit, others say she was a vessel of Voraum."

The rumors only grew as the child did. Her strange way of talking to others earned her more scrutiny within the town. And the more she disobeyed her father, the more they wondered if she was sent to the Lord as punishment from the gods.   Until something happened that they believed confirmed their suspicions. One night, a few years after the heir came of age, the Lord and Lady were found dead in their manor, both stabbed to death and covered in blood.

"Some say the Lord's corpse had a wound above his right eye, just like the scar the child had."
"And what happened to her? The heir?"

There was no sign of the Lord's daughter, or the many ravens that once surrounded the manor.

"Legend has it that when the ravens return to Corvicun, the heir will return and take back her name to rule the town as a noble once more."
"And? has that happened?"
"Not yet, but there are whispers that the heir may rule us all, though with a different given name..."

— Overheard conversation in a tavern in Corvicun

Powder and Battlefields

Not long after the murder of Lord & Lady Carrion, and the disappearance of their daughter, a mysterious soldier of the same last name began to rise through the ranks of the Argòxn Army. Caius was known by comrades for his discipline and growing skills.   His superiors soon took notice to him and his deadly aim, promoting him to a special position within the army; a soldier that makes use of the newest kind of rifle, one that could kill enemies far outside the battlefield. Caius excelled with this new weapon, becoming one of the most lethal soldiers in the military. Stories circulated of entire squadrons of enemies gunned down by him with deadly precision.   Though as these stories spread, the enemy became more and more aware of the threat that lay above. And so in one fateful battle, The cliffside perch Caius took his aim from was bombarded with canon fire.

"Why are they aiming for the cliffs?" "That's where our sharpshooters are stationed- They must've been ready for us!"

— Two Argòxn Soldiers during the battle

With their ace eliminated, the army was forced to retreat. They returned to the battlefield a day later, gathering whatever bodies they could for the funeral pyre. Though all they found of Caius was his left arm.

Secrets and Blood

They had been there since he could remember, watching, following. Their croaks and caws a constant backdrop to his existence. What was once a great comfort had become unsettling as he had groan. No matter how he prayed, how many ancient rituals he observed, no answers came from their empty eyes.   They watched him as he lay in the rubble, the smell of death all around. He couldn't help but follow. His body was destroyed, bleeding from the remnants of his left arm, but as he remembered the presence through all the pain of his past, he found just enough strength to slowly pursue the creature.   What he found as the creature stopped, deep under the canopy of leaves no moonlight could breach, was something indescribable. Whispers in the shadows, eyes in the darkness, feathers, so many feathers...

Feathers and Leaves

  The forests of Argòx were no stranger to tales of spirits and wraiths. And a new legend soon arose of a creature stalking the dark woods as the sun went down, dressed in the tattered clothes of a long dead soldier. A lone traveler who wandered too far may have found themself under the piercing eye of the spirit, asked questions of secrets they were willing to give. Refusal left these wanderers rotting on the forest floor, dust like gunpowder on their lips as their soulless eyes showed the last emotion they felt, terror.   With each new body, it is said a new raven watches from the canopies of the forest, searching for the next lone traveler.

Wings and Eyes

"People of the city, of our empire, hark my words! The old leader is dead, and a new one has risen!"

— Hearalder in Argòx-Arur

The cries of the forewarners rand throughout the capital on that day, but it was a pointless pursuit. All had seen how the clouds had gathered, how the sky had turned red. This was the day Argòx would forever change.