Krul-Bei had a unique birth, he was born without any energy lines on his skin. Some of the elders believed it to be an omen of ill fate, some recommended killing the child but cooler heads prevailed and the he was spared. The reason for the lack of energy lines was a mystery, the unknown identity of his father just made it even more mysterious. One of the side effects of his lack of markings seemed to be decreased health as he was often sick as a child, however it seemed that his health improved whenever there was a lunar eclipse. His skin begins to glow and it appeared as if markings begin to appear on his skin.
The other children would regularly tease him for his deformity, calling him names and claiming that his mother was raped by this race or that, which was why he didn’t have any markings. As he grew older he showed no affinity for the arcane arts either, taking up the sword instead. As a jest the other children would leave him with the Bastard Sword to learn with, taking the other swords or hiding them so that Krul-Bei would be forced to take the Bastard Sword. He excelled in learning how to wield it proficiently, spurred on by the desire to exact revenge on his fellow classmates for their teasing. After a while he refused to wield anything other than a Bastard Sword.
One of the few children who did not tease him was Mai-Lana a Genasi Firesoul Warlord. Mai-Lana was only about 3 years older than Krul-Bei and was there when he was born, she had never liked her energy markings and as such was somewhat jealous of Krul-Bei’s lack of markings. Her jealousy soon gave way to infatuation with Krul-Bei. He had always been attracted to her, as she was one of the only kids who was kind to him.
On his 15th birthday, it just so happened that there was to be a lunar eclipse, mustering up his courage Krul-bei asked Mai-Lana to meet him at a nearby cliff that overlooked the village and had a clear view of the eclipse. With the light of the moon invigorating him as it always did during the lunar eclipse, he confessed his love to Mai-Lana. His heart had been pounding faster than he could ever remember and he felt like he was floating as he waited for her response. He heard a scream as Mai-Lana was thrown by 15 years worth of backed up arcane energy that was released from Krul-Bei’s flesh. Luckily she was only tossed to the ground 20 feet behind her, Krul-Bei was thrown in the other direction off the cliff. Crashing through the roof of the training facility he had the wind knocked out of him and passed out.
He awoke several minutes later to the sound of an angry mob. From what he could tell it seemed that Mai-Lana was seriously hurt, while the blast did not hurt her physically she was unconscious and exhibiting signs of multiple elemental manifestations, being only 17 it was unsure if her body could withstand the strain of so many elements. From what she had muttered before passing out, they knew that Krul-Bei was the cause, and some of the elders claimed that he had become the harbinger of doom that they had warned of and must be killed before it was too late.
The village, no longer willing to take the chance after seeing the power he had unleashed and distraught over Mai-Lana, became an angry mob and declared Krul-Bei a monster to be killed. Fortunately no one realized where Krul-Bei was. He gathered up his Bastard Sword that he trained with for so many years, and it ignited in green flames, panicking he dropped it and the flames went out but not before the wooden floor caught fire. quickly he grabbed a sheath and slid it on the sword, picked it up and ran out the doors.
Facing an angry mob outside he froze. Knees shaking, he knew his life would soon end. “Is he in there?!” someone asked. Confused, panicked and lost for words, all he could do was nod slowly up and down as his body was shaking. “He’s in there! Lets get him!” the man roared as he charged into the building past Krul-Bei, followed by several others.
Saved for the moment Krul-Bei ran as fast as he could away from the village. As he fell over from exhaustion the next morning he realized why the man had not recognized him. Covering his body now were the energy lines that he had waited 15 years for. uniquely curved to create intricate patterns in some areas. most people in his village had fairly ridged and straight energy lines, these would distinguish him from the others in his village and it would only be a matter of time before they realized that it was him whom they had seen at the facility. but for now all he hoped for was that Mai-Lana was alright and would not hate him for what happened.
In exchange for sparing Mai-Lana’s life Krul-Bei promised the goddess Ignala his in return, worshiping her along with Saphnelle. All Genasi believe they owe one of the elemental pillars their life depending on what elemental traits they manifest. Krul-Bei owes his existence to Saphnelle but he has pledged his life to Ignala. He could only hope that the fickle goddess answered his prayers.
he could never go home again. but now he would need to learn why what happened had happened and to do that he would have to find his father and ask him some questions, all he knew was what his mother had told him. he passed through the village about 16 years ago, looked human and had a mysterious air about him, and had clothing embroidered with a silver lionhead with 3 rings around it one green, one blue and one red.
Krul-Bei: the Herald of Woe
After the fall of Jevlin’s Gate Krul-Bei was devastated by the loss of his companions; the only other survivor of the gruesome battle with the giants, Sareth, had departed on his own journey. Krul-Bei had decided to assist in the war effort against Nevlim’s horde, as a form of penance for his failures and to give meaning to the deaths of his friends. The fates of Naya and Jak were never revealed to him but in his heart he knew he would never see them again. They were either casualties of this Gods forsaken war, or Krul-Bei would finally find his own end on a battlefield against insurmountable odds before he saw them again.
After so much death in his life, Krul-Bei had come to have a grim perspective on life, he heard what the soldiers called him behind his back. he knew that it was just a matter of time before he would need to dig the graves for them as well, it was just a fact of war. he came to respect death as an old friend, life was tenuous while death was an inevitability.
Despite the situation in Entreria Krul-Bei still kept up his search for his father. While searching for survivors in a town that had been ruined by Nevilm’s horde, (a town that he had passed through not 2 weeks earlier) Krul-Bei found the three ringed Lion-head symbol carved into a fireplace that had collapsed. Further investigation led to a large antechamber built into the foundation of the house. It would seem that whoever had built this house was a part of some moon worshipping cult; the chimney of the fireplace allowed the light of the moon to illuminate the antechamber but during the day it was dark. Ancient runes carved into the stone glowed with a silvery blue under the light of the full-moon. Krul-Bei returned to the antechamber frequently and discovered that depending on the phase of the moon different runes were illuminated at half-moon green runes ran across the room. When the moon left the sky, dark red runes bled from the stone casting shadows that danced and fought in the middle of the antechamber.
Throughout the month the runes told different tales, the history of the Argent Lions. The Argent Lions began as a clan of shape-changers blessed by Avaela. They ruled over a long lost empire Beyond the Kalanti desert. With their ability to change their shape to those of regal lions they struck a balance between man and nature. They ruled through wisdom and their kingdom grew, they enforced their rule through strength and claw as their enemies fell. These were the days of the blue runes.
Some enemies of the Lion-men managed to scurry away like rats and hid in their holes. These rats turned to worship of Sentilla. After many dark rituals were cast these rats grew fangs and powerful claws capable of ending a man’s life in a single swipe, not just that but these cursed men were capable of passing the curse on with a bite. Many years passed as their numbers grew. They were wise in their deceptions. They only turned those who would not be missed and only killed those that discovered the truth, until finally their plan was set. These were the days of the green runes.
The night of the bleeding runes told the story of the battle of lions and wolves. In great numbers the wolves attacked and swarmed the Argent Palace. The numbers were incalculable as wave upon wave of wolf men broke upon the guards defending the walls, these wolves would fall and after a quick respite their wounds would heal and they would renew their attack. The lion-men knew that they would not last the night so they prayed to Avaela asking for guidance and assistance. In reply their forms became that of their lion selves and their claws gained the sheen of silver that adorned their walls. And the counter attack began, any wolf felled by their silver claws stayed dead but their defeat had already been sealed, as the lions defended their home their young were spirited out of the castle to the wilds beyond their palace, where they were protected by their allies of nature. These were the days of the blood red runes.
