Leomord

A sworn knight who swore to guard Necrokeep until his last breath. Once a sworn knight of Ridgeburg, Leomord was forced to break the oath he took with his own sword in an unfortunate turn of events. Since then, he carried the curse of the Mist and guarded the lands abandoned even by death. The light had faded, and yet his guard had only just begun... === The Oath === Perched on the rocks of the Lantis Mountains, the colossal spiers of Ridgeburg overlooked the blackened plains of the Abyss. The rot had spread almost to the outskirts of the city, but no further. For thousands of years, fortified towers stood guard at the gates of the Abyss, keeping the Moniyan Empire safe from its scourge.

Léomord was born in this border fortress. Coming from a long line of royal guards under the Southern lords, he was hired as the personal squire of Atticus, the son of the Duke of Ridgeburg, shortly after his birth.

Together, the two boys trained under the best champions of Ridgeburg's army and listened to gray-bearded professors talk about history and politics. Atticus excelled in every lesson, showing remarkable maturity beyond his years, while Leomord struggled to keep up with his young master's pace. Reluctant to be left behind, he continued to train in secret, working alone day and night to perfect his skills.

Being slightly older, Atticus often helped young Léomord during his training. Leomord, in turn, considered Atticus not only his future lord, but also his older brother.

At the age of seven, both boys helped give birth to their horses, as was the custom among the people of Ridgeburg. Léomord named his pony Barbiel, with whom he became an ally and close friend. Although Léomord never expressed his feelings openly, Barbiel always seemed to know what was on his mind. And whenever Léomord felt depressed, Barbiel rubbed his head to offer him some relief.

Over the next few years, both boys became formidable fighters on the training ground, and that's when fate struck.

After the old duke's untimely death, Atticus was forced to assume his father's role as the new Duke of Ridgeburg, with Leomord at his side as captain of his royal guard. The boys had never tasted real combat, but seeing the gravity of the situation, they quickly set out to rid the border outposts of demonic intruders. For years, the two men fought endlessly, until they finally cleansed all traces of the Abyss from the Periphery.

Once the city had found some respite from the assault, Atticus decided it was time to begin building ties with other noble houses in the Empire. He sought an alliance with the royal house of Gaius, proposing to Princess Vexana. Lord Gaius welcomed the offer and quickly arranged for the princess to travel to Ridgeburg and meet her fiancé.

And yet, destiny had something else in mind for the young duke. Shortly before Vexana's expected arrival, he received a letter from one of the border towns. An unusually vicious race of demons had begun to appear along the border, and oddly enough, they carried traces of the same putrid magic that had once tormented his father. Some of the city's inhabitants had also disappeared, and the outpost requested the Duke's help in ridding the city of this threat.

Atticus immediately gathered his men. He had no doubt that this quest could finally unravel the mystery of his father's death. Léomord, on the other hand, only felt a terrible presentiment.

Before leaving, Atticus led Léomord to the top of the city walls. He drew his sword and motioned for Leomord to kneel on one knee. Knowing exactly what was going to happen, the young soldier took a deep breath and solemnly knelt before Atticus as he was told.

"Duke Atticus, I do hereby swear, in the name of my father and his house, that I will always lend my sword in your service, that I will give you advice when you ask for it, and that I will lay down my life if your safety requires it. I swear it this day, until the day of my death."

Atticus placed the blunt of his sword on Leomord's shoulder and declared him a sworn knight of Ridgeburg. The young soldier had difficulty containing himself. For over twenty years, they trained and fought together. And that day, Atticus had deemed him worthy of his trust.

As the Duke handed him the Sword of Oath, Leomord knew that this was his destiny: to ride alongside his lord in this battle that could very well be his last. Except that Atticus had a different task for him: Leomord was to stay and keep guard at Ridgeburg.

The knight couldn't believe what he had just heard, but Atticus's eyes were serious and stern. Princess Vexana would soon arrive; she would need all the help and protection she could get. And the Duke could count on no one else to carry this delicate burden than his closest friend, Leomord.

And so, at first light, the young knight watched Atticus and his party disappear into the horizon. He clutched the sword of the Duke's Oath, pondering the new task at hand, which he felt was far greater than any battle he had ever fought.

For two years, Léomord and Princess Vexana waited. The quest took much longer than expected, and at one point Atticus even stopped sending letters back.

And then one day, suddenly, a messenger arrived to announce the Duke's return. Leomord let out a long sigh, as his mind finally felt at ease. Except that instead of the joy he expected to see in Atticus' eyes, he saw only… emptiness.

The campaign must have been brutal and arduous, he could only assume. Leomord chose not to push further and quickly set about joining the townsfolk in preparing for the long-delayed wedding of Duke Atticus and Princess Vexana.

The people of Ridgeburg welcomed the evening with festivity and joy. The time had finally come for Atticus to give the alliance to Vexana. However, as the Duke opened the box, what came out was a pair of magical wings, as a deep, squeaky voice shook the stone walls of the fortress:

Embrace the world of death! » Atticus and his men transformed into demons at that very moment, their eyes burning with malice. They reeked of foul magic – rotten and vile – the putrid scourge of the Abyss. The city's once devoted guardians have become destroyers and the bane of their existence; sacred marriage turned into a massacre.

Leomord clutched the Sword of the Oath, his mind blank as blood-curdling screams pierced his ears and pierced his skull. He couldn't understand what was happening in front of him, and more importantly, why Atticus would wield his blade against the people he had loved as his own, against the girl he had sworn to protect until he died.

The furious duke threw himself at Princess Vexana.

"STOP!"

Vexana's voice echoed throughout the room. Atticus froze, his legs shaking as his labored breathing scraped his lungs.

“Kill me… Leo— K-kill me… I’m begging you—”

Léomord could only look at him in horror. All he could think about was the wish he made two years ago.

“I hereby swear…in the name of my father and his house, that I…will lay down my life if your safety requires it.

Does the Duke's security weigh more heavily than the security of the city? » the young knight wondered silently, just before gritting his teeth and driving his blade into Atticus' chest.

The duke's eyes brightened, as if freed from a curse. Gripping Léomord's vest, the words that came out of his mouth were hoarse and confused. "Brother...my brother...I am...free—"

And as he breathed his last, he turned his gaze to Vexana and whispered. “The Mist… If there is no other choice—”

Watching Atticus' body slowly burn to ashes, Leomord wanted nothing more than to follow his lord into death, but he could not die yet. He had a more important mission on his shoulders: Ridgeburg, besieged on both sides, needed his sword. Ridgeburg would fight to the end, even at the cost of freeing the Mist.

A hundred years had passed, and yet time in Ridgeburg seemed to stand still. Shrouded in a thick, dark fog, the city was known to be cursed, shunned by both light and darkness. Necrokeep, as they called it.

Leomord could sometimes be seen standing on one of its towers, looking into the distance towards the horizon. His skin was sickly pale, neither alive nor dead. His eyes were tired from a hundred years of half-death, but they still shone with a glimmer of hope. He knew in his heart that he and Vexana would eventually find a way to reverse the curse of the Mist.

Since that day, a hundred years ago, his life no longer belonged to himself, but to Ridgeburg. As long as there was still a soul in the city, he would keep it until his last breath. »

=== Wedding in the mist ===