Kublai d’Dobluth

Somewhere in the mountainous waste to the north of Mileth...

The cold morning air tossed the leaves about in a swirling spiral that carried them off out of sight. Kublai was in a foul mood, not unusual for him. Being the only son of a very poor family who spent their time herding sheep and weaving, that did not leave much in the way of excitement. Every day, herd the sheep, help mama with the weaving and dyeing. "What a pile of dung this life is", thought Kublai not for the first time. Today he was supposed to be keeping a watch on the sheep for there were rumors of wolves in the vicinity. A nearby neighbor had lost three just this week. "Hell if I care, let the wolves take every one of them to Sgrios for his amusement", thought the boy on his way up the mountain in search of some entertainment. Normally he would amuse himself with throwing rocks at small animals, and smashing the stupid little Juju bugs that were common to the mountainous landscape where his small village lay.

Tired of being chastised for his laziness, Kublai headed up an unused trail now far from the village. Picking his way through the rocks, and almost falling once or twice, he stumbled onto what appeared to be a path of some kind. This was unusual, for as far as he could tell, no one lived this far away from the village, or in such a poor area for farming. Curiosity aroused, Kublai started up the path in search of who knows what. An hour later, he came across what appeared to be a small hut. Even shoddier than the pile of sticks his worthless parents called home. There was a small wispy trail of smoke coming from the top of the dwelling. Apparently someone actually lived here. Now very interested, Kublai carefully made his way to the door of the abode and peered within. No sign of anyone. Never one to respect others, he casually entered the hut. A dirty bowl of what appeared to be bone, and a half empty cup of questionable liquid sat on a small table. Dirt covered everything, and the smoke was coming from the remnants of some kind of cook fire in the corner, with a small gap in the roof to let the smoke out. The air reeked of smoke, unwashed flesh, and some kind of charred meat Kublai had no desire to think about. In the corner lay a pile of straw, which he could almost envision all the little creepy crawlies making their way back in forth on what apparently was a bed. On the other side of the small dwelling was a row of ceramic jars.

"Here we go", thought Kublai. There were four jars, each engraved with unusual arcane symbols. He reached for the one closest to him, and suddenly felt a burst of pain in his skull, and almost passed out. After a moment’s quick reflection, he realized that he was sitting on the floor and had just been struck in the back of his head. Quickly turning his head to see the cause, he found himself peering at a sickly old man with some kind of wooden cane glaring at him. The old man was missing most, if not all of his teeth, and looked to be on the brink of death. Not to mention he was the reason why the hut smelled so terrible. "Boy give me one reason not to brain you and feed you to the wolves", this was said with such a cold certainty that Kublai had no illusions the peasant meant exactly that. "I was just looking old man." "Just looking hmmm, looked to me like you were doing more than that you little worm." "I have no love for anyone, let alone insubordinate children being where they are not welcome." "You still have not answered my question boy, why I should spare your life, and not send you straight to Chadul?" "Chadul?", asked Kublai more curious now then scared. "Don’t you mean Sgrios you old codger?" "Old codger eh?, you think you are in a position to ask questions, let alone take that tone?" "Boy, you like all of your worthless village, and all of the idiot Danaan loving scum, know absolutely nothing of how things really are." "Well old man, if you know so much, how come you are living in a pile of sheep droppings, and stink like it too?" Instead of bashing the mouthy boys face in, the old man cackled with laughter. "Boy you are lucky you have amused me this day." Kublai was not thinking he was very lucky at all, as his skull was throbbing and he could feel the blood trickling down the back of his neck. "Boy do you know anything at all about Sgrios?" "Do you think me an idiot old man? He is the god of death, decay, and destruction." "That is correct, but do you know how Sgrios came to be that?" Confused by the question, Kublai could only figure that the gods had been, and always were what they were. "You asked me what I meant by Chadul", said the old man. "Long before you could comprehend, there was a mighty god named Chadul who sought to free mankind from being brainwashed, and enslaved by Danaan and her lies." …..

And so Kublai learned of Chadul, and often visited the old man in search of more knowledge and answers. Contained within the jars, were ancient decaying scrolls written in a text, only the old man himself could read. However, in time the old man taught young Kublai what he could, and Kublai began to study them himself. They were very old scriptures detailing the creation of darkness, and the history of Chadul. It even held accounts of Sgrios’s ascension to godhood. Apparently the old man had once been a wizard of some renown, but in his old age he had decided to forgo that, and spend his days in prayer and service to Chadul. Kublai could never comprehend what possible use living in a hut in the mountainous waste could be to Chadul or his awakening.

By now Kublai had concluded that somehow everyone had been duped into believing the lies Danaan had fostered so many ages past. Smug with the knowledge he was one of very few with the truth in his hands, Kublai decided that soon he would leave this worthless excuse for a village, and never look back. His parents had noticed his moodiness becoming more frequent, and were becoming frightened to even speak to him. One particular day, his mother made the mistake of asking why he felt he had no obligation to help her and the family with the daily chores. Kublai picked up a bowl from the table and hurled it at his mother. She fell to the floor weeping, and he left and made his way back to the old man, which had become a daily routine. His parents never knew where he was, nor did they want to.

On this particular day, Kublai made his way to the old man like he had done now for so long, and noticed a strange smell in the air. At the entrance to the hut, a loud buzzing could be heard. Kublai found his mentor sprawled on the floor with flies circling and crawling in and out of his mouth. Not particularly saddened, Kublai stared for some time at the corpse, then realized that this would be the last day he would put up with his parent’s nonsense. The scrolls would be too difficult to bring with him on his journey. He had no idea how far he had to go let alone where. Concerned that someone opposed to the return of Chadul could stumble onto them by accident, Kublai decided to bury them away from the hut. He could not bring himself to actually destroy such Holy Scriptures. After a lengthy process of concealing them, Kublai dusted himself off, and set fire to the hut. After enjoying his handiwork, the fires now down to smoldering embers, he made his way for the last time to his former home. Gathering up all of the precious food and water he could carry, Kublai set off down the beaten path with a purpose. That purpose…… to bring darkness to this world of lies, and reawaken his dark master Chadul any way he could….

The journey south was long and arduous. Wolves were extremely abundant in this area, and Kublai spent much of his time doing his best to avoid being devoured by them. It was not long before his provisions had run out, and he found himself seeking anything he could to sustain himself for another day on the trail. Forcing himself to drink from muddy puddles, and risk the unknown wild berries, Kublai managed to survive. Being an adept climber, he would find brief respite in the branches of trees, or wedged in between rocks when he could find them. Even then Kublai found himself the victim of many wolf attacks, leaving him with many scars that never healed correctly. After double moons on his feet, emaciated, hungry, and delirious, Kublai stumbled into a town by the name of Mileth...

Slowly opening his eyes, Kublai realized he was lying in a bed, and was without the rags he had worn for the duration of his terrible journey. His entire body throbbed, and he could feel every scar, cut, and scrape with full intensity. Kublai vaguely recalled finding the inn in his delusionary state, and nothing else. After adjusting to the fact he had actually found civilization, Kublai took in his surroundings for the first time. The room he was in was simple yet comfortable, and far nicer than anything he had seen in his life as a poor sheep herder. Next to the bed was a note.

Young Man,

Last night you collapsed on the floor of my establishment. You were on Sgrios’s doorstep, so I took the liberty of cleaning you up, and giving you a bed for the night. I’ve left you a clean shirt, and pants which you’ll find on the dresser. You are very lucky to have found my inn, or I fear you might not have been reading this note today. When you are feeling rested, please come downstairs, and I will give you something to eat.

Groaning loudly from his many aches and pains, Kublai dressed himself in the clean garments, and made his way downstairs. The smell of warm food made his stomach roar in expectation. After helping himself to a third portion of breakfast, the innkeeper began to ask about his journey. Not trusting anyone, regardless of their kind deeds, Kublai stated simply that he was from the north, and had gotten lost. She seemed to take this at face value, and peered closely into Kublai’s eyes. "You have the Aisling spark young man, ‘tis always a wondrous moment for me to meet one such as yourself." "Danaan has great plans for you she does." Disgusted by such stupidity, yet reluctant to insult his hostess Kublai merely nodded in response. "Where am I ma’am?", he asked. "You are in the glorious town of Mileth, you must truly be far from home if you don’t know of it.", she responded kindly.

After leaving the comforts of the inn, Kublai found himself amidst the chaos of a city larger than anything he had ever imagined. Such noise! Carousing, fighting, lovers enjoying eachother’s company, it was almost too much for him to take in. Remembering his purpose, he set out to find what information he could over Sgrios and Chadul. Running his hand through his long black hair, Kublai found himself intimidated by such a task, and not sure where to start. Aislings wearing exotic armor, and clothing strode by proudly, and Kublai found himself often pushed out of the way by these self important apes. Realizing he had the knowledge that these fools did not gave him strength to carry on with his quest.

After wandering about the town for the day, he came across a church. "Mass is starting now!", someone cried. "What is this mass?", wondered Kublai as he followed the excited young man inside the temple. The scents of incense and perfume wafted over him as he stepped into the building. There was a large group of Aislings lined up in rows, seemingly waiting for something to happen. In the center of these Aislings stood a pretty woman in an elaborate gown holding a prayer book of some kind. After she started to speak, Kublai realized his mistake. Mass was the gathering of Aislings in the worship of their god, and this was a service to Glioca!

Not wanting to draw attention to himself, Kublai waited until the service was over, then quietly left the temple. Hurrying to get as far away from the accursed temple as he could he nearly ran into a strikingly beautiful woman in a red uniform. "Excuse me miss", muttered Kublai. Realizing he was no closer to his goal than he had been, he decided to ask her if there was anyone in the service of Chadul here. She just stared him in the face so intensely Kublai was certain she was going to strike him down, and that she was in the service of Danaan. However her response was quite surprising. "I’m Hollie Ileen, and you are?"...

After introducing himself she began to ask him why he wanted to know of such things, and Kublai figured since he wasn’t dead yet to tell her of his devotion to Chadul, and his awakening. Motioning for him to follow, together they traveled to a town by the name of Piet, and to an inn by the name of the Tulsi Brew. Inside the inn there were other Aislings standing about, all dressed in impressive looking clothing. Kublai felt out of place in his peasant garments, but stood tall and proud. "Sorry I’m late all", said Hollie to the others who had apparently been waiting on her. "I picked up a stray along the way." "Who’s the peasant, and why bring him here", asked one who would later be introduced as Rookerin. "He says he is devoted to Chadul, so I thought I’d let him speak for himself on the matter", she said taking a seat at the bar. All eyes were upon Kublai, and apparently this was his cue to speak up. He related his discovery of the lord of darkness, his education, and the painful journey which brought him to Mileth. After hours of interrogation, Kublai was finally accepted into a group devoted to the awakening of Chadul, a group known as The Anaman Pact.

In the double moons that followed, Kublai discovered how few members were in the Pact, and that there had to be others out there with Chadul’s dark spark. Realizing he could not accomplish much as a lowly peasant, Kublai began studying the arcane arts in the footsteps of his former mentor. He proved to be adept at wizardry, and quickly excelled specifically in Srad the element of flame. In his studies, Kublai never hesitated to preach the word of Chadul, and his servant Sgrios. As he grew older, he deemed himself fit for official service in the name of his dark masters.

After painstakingly tracking down one of Sgrios’s elusive priests, and convincing them of his sincerity, Kublai was inducted into the fellowship of darkness. His inductee, Escalus, would later join the Anaman Pact in lifelong service to Chadul. As the Temple of Sgrios was located in Rucesion, Kublai later moved there to support his dark master. By this time, the Anaman Pact had grown larger than it ever had before, and was comprised only of the most loyal servants of Chadul. Kublai quickly rose to infamy with his fiery temper, and cutting words to his enemies. Never one to back down to anyone, his sharp wit, and fierce opinions created an aura of hostility that follow him wherever he goes. Thus creating many enemies in his wake, yet many allies as well. Ever fighting for freedom in a city of political corruption; Kublai’s prescence is felt strongly in Rucesion. Kublai has risen from a lowly sheep herder to council member of the Anaman Pact. His dark writings have inspired both admiration, and hatred amongst the Aislings of Temuair. His support of the fellowship of Sgrios is undeterred, and the light loving Aislings are ever wary of his next move in their direction. Whether it be politics, religion, or alliances, Kublai seeks every opportunity to promote the spread of Chadul’s word, and assist in his master’s awakening...