The Rampant Wolf

Aegis Whyte walks through the halls of the Keep of Whyte Hold, and distress and nervousness hit him in a flash of longing to see his mother, Stella Whyte, who suffers from the Mist bane.

The Mist Bane was the outcome of the First Mist Wave of the War of the Grey Sun, fought between the northern realms of Monsland and High Mount against the Shamans of the Mist lands, centuries before the time of Aegis.

As Aegis slowly opens the creaking, rusty door of the chambers of his mother, he is met with a distinct and rather heavy smell of iron and rust.

Aegis sneaks up slowly towards his suffering mother and lays the back of his hand on her forehead, feeling the heat and grey aura surrounding his cold hand. "Mother, have I disturbed you?" Stella looks up to Aegis, using whatever strength she has left to smile at him. He places her hand on Aegis's cheek,

"Aegis, worry not for I am to find peace." Aegis moves his hand away in a burst of rage, "You will not leave. There is no right for that to happen, not so soon."

Aegis says slowly with a crack in his voice as if he would weep right there and now, "Mother, I want you to worry not, I will save you from this wretched disease one way or another for as long as I am a man of Whyte hold." Aegis turns his back on Stella and moves closer to the door.

"Reed", Stella says in a weakening voice, "Your uncle, the Whyte cloaks, they hold the Veil Rite." Aegis looks back at Stella, brushes the hilt of his longsword with ease, and leaves the chambers.

As Aegis is walking to the exit of the Keep, he is met with Storm Whyte, his older brother, supposedly the heir to the Whyte hold. Still, due to his ever-ending pride that led to his mother's exposure to the Mist Bane, he was denied the right to the capital of Everwinter. "Where are you off to?" Storm says in a displeasing tone, looking Aegis up and down like he was some commoner who had no place here. "That is none of your business, Storm. Stay out of it. Storm unsheathes his sword in an uproar,

"If you dare to journey to White keep to Reed for the Veil Rite, I'll show you what my name means!" Aegis was about to unsheathe his sword until Aedan Whyte, the father of the two and the Lord of Whyte keep, entered the keep, "Have you two lost your minds? What is the matter!?"

Aedan glances at Storm's unsheathed sword and knows exactly that Storm had begun this conflict. "Storm, go to the yard and help the armourers with what they need. "Storm was about to talk back before he saw Aedan glance angrily towards him, waiting for a word to come out of his mouth, "Yes, sire".

As Storm leaves with a distasteful face, Aedan switches to Aegis, "Where are you off to?" Aegis hesitates, "I am off to visit Reed, to find the Veil Rite, father."

Aedan is upset to hear it, but allows it, wanting Aegis to experience the consequences of engaging with the Whyte cloaks rather than advise him, Aedan would never know that this decision would be regretful. "In that case, gather up whatever you need, and take this."

Aedan pulls out a fine steel, forged in the armouries of White keep, long before the establishment of the Whyte cloaks movement, "This may help you on your journey, I call it, 'Honour'. 'Tis but a long journey; many before you tried to locate the Rite, they failed miserably."

Aegis takes the longsword while smiling at his father, locks it onto his waistbelt, and marches off to gather up the food and supplies he will need, and sets off for White Keep.

Days pass, and Aegis has only reached the Cloak woods. As he finds a place to build a fire and rest before marching off again, he hears a close yet distant noise, footsteps gaining up on him. Aegis hesitates not and quickly unsheathes his sword, seeing nothing but the dark shadows of the night and the heavy glimmer of the moon,

"Who's out here!?" Aegis looks over and sees a cloaked, bearded figure marching closer, "Stay back!" Aegis says with a fearful tone.

As the figure draws closer, its face is slowly illuminated by the moon's light, and it turns out to be the Archon of Whytehold, Snow. Aegis rushes over to Snow, "Why have you followed me? I almost struck you." Snow looks down on Aegis, "Think I'll let you venture off into the northern realms as a lone?" Aegis smiles and heads back to the fireplace to get warm for tomorrow's venture with his new companion.

Aegis and Snow, also known as the Fellowship, arrive at White keep being greeted with a band of 8 armored knights in chainmail and heavy iron armour, who call themselves "The Cleansers." Aegis is astonished by their authority.

"Have you any news on the location of Reed Whyte?" Aegis says with his back up straight, matching their honourable stance, "Come with us, Cynara is in the Keep of Esreach waiting for you." "Cynara?" Aegis says, confused, "The Lady of Arsam's Basin", Snow says, astonished.

Aegis and Snow are escorted into the Keep, being greeted by Cynara, "I've waited for your arrival. The Veil Rite is what you seek? For your dying mother?" Aegis grips the hilt of his sword, horrified but amazed, "How do you know all of this? What are you?" "What am I? I am the one to tell you to go back to Whyte Hold, for the Veil Rite is not for the weak; it will ruin you and everyone you love, no matter what your intentions are. Go back, now."

"I've had enough of this! None of you know what I'm dealing with and if you're no help to me then this is clearly not the place to be!", Aegis turns back to leave with Snow, before Cynara says, "Reed is in Arsam's Basin, do not be late", "Wonderful, let's go Aegis", Snow says, clearly not entertained by any of this.

Aegis and Snow march to Arsam's basin, knowing not what awaits them at the Basin, whether it is the solution or the absolute opposite. Aegis and Snow arrive at Arsam's Basin, a few feet from the gates, when they are ambushed by a band of sellswords. Aegis fights back but is easily overpowered.

They tied up both Aegis and Snow, and as they were rebelling, they saw someone march in; it was Storm Whyte. "I've missed you dearly, young brother, I don't think I will let you enter the Basin", Aegis continues, rebelling before raging,

"How could you?! Our mother is suffering in the chambers of Whyte hold, untie us now!" Storm's chuckles increase rapidly while hearing Aegis until a group of Cleansers with hounds attack the sell swords and Storm, tackling them to the ground while the hounds rip and tear every one of the sell swords,

"Take that one alive, I need wretches in the Basin", Reed Whyte says as he walks closer, "Reed, we've been looking for you!" Aegis says excitedly, "I know you've been, come on in with your archon." Reed unties the boat and takes them in. Aegis and Snow speak to Reed about their journey and the goal of achieving the Veil Rite.

Reed refuses to interfere but is overwhelmed by Aegis's pleas to save his mother. "Head to the Blessed city of Elyndor in the Eye of the Vale, I'm sure you're familiar with it, aren't you, Snow? Following a child into a pit so deep you will never be able to recover from the fall."

"That is none of your concern, you've no right to tell an archon what to do", Snow says furiously, "Come, Aegis, Elyndor awaits you", Aegis walks with Snow, unable to understand what Snow meant by 'you' and not 'us', "Clearly he will join me to Elyndor, right?", Aegis thinks. Aegis and Snow pass the Gates of the Basin and set off to Elyndor, knowing nothing of what awaits them.

Aegis and Snow have completed their treacherous journey through the cold and unforgiving frost of Esreach, the harsh and rugged mountain ranges of High Mount, the northern and hot climate of Vastum, and finally, in the dynasty of Eadfurd, home to the Eye of the Vale, where the city of Elyndor resides.

Aegis and Snow finally reach the gates of Elyndor. As they were nearing close to the Rising Gate of Elyndor, Snow looked north, but not toward Elyndor, never toward Elyndor.

Snow pulled the reins of his stallions tightly and looked toward Aegis, "Aegis, my boy, I was once a Valeth (As in Sorcerer) of Elyndor, but I took the Archon Oath, left by immortality, and chose the life to never enter Elyndor once again", Snow says calmly. Aegis is struck but understands and farewells Snow. Aegis enters Elyndor and finds the Keep of the Valeth, where all sorcerers of Elyndor reside. Aegis finds a way to enter and is greeted by Romulus, Father of Elyndor.

"Greetings, child, what is it that you need help with? Ask and Elyndor shall give." "I am looking for the Veil Rite, my mother is suffering from the Mist bane, please, I have no other way". Romulus sighs and hesitates, but eventually enters another room to bring out 'The Veil Rite.

"Here, child, all you have to do is read it quietly. But remember, for the Rite to successfully work, one of the highborn of any noble house will be sacrificed." Aegis cares not and only wants his mother to be saved. "I understand, thank you." "Farewell, child, and tread lightly, for the realms are unforgiving."

Aegis reads the Veil Rite, marches out of the Keep, out of Elyndor, and heads out to Whyte Hold.

Aegis reaches Whyte Hold, excitedly hurries to the Keep, to see his mother prosperous once again. Aegis enters the chambers of his mother and runs over to her, "Mother, you'll get better!" No response is heard. "Mother? Do you need anything from me?" Again, no response. Aegis checks her pulse and feels nothing. Aegis begins to weep, holding his mother's hand, knowing he will never speak to her again, regretting all he's done. The funeral ended, and so did the once-prosperous life of Stella Whyte.

Aegis is informed that his father has set out for Viridisya, due to unknown reasons, not shared with anyone. "Aegis, you are needed in the courtroom", Snow enters the room and said slowly. Aegis and Snow walk to the courtroom, all before sitting down in front of around 50 Whyte men of the council.

Aegis sits comfortably, wiping the leftover tears from his cheek, and stands up with the sword, "Honour", in his hand. "As you all know, Storm Whyte, my brother, once and now a traitor to the crown, was the reason for my mother's, your lady's expose to the Mist bane."

The men in the courtroom slide to the edge of their seats, eager to hear what the Rampant Wolf has to say, "In the name of my father, Aedan of House Whyte, Lord of Whyte hold and Guardian of Everwinter, that has left me to rule Whyte hold in his absence. In the name of my mother, I ventured into the distant lands just so I could see her prosperous once again.

In the name of this incident that has taken the heart of me, I send out all of you to capture Storm Whyte, all 50 of you noblemen and men of immense honour that can never be found in any realm. In the name of good, I sentence him to death." Aegis then slams "Honour" on the table, breaking the hilt off the sword, which is a symbol of war in the northern realms.

The courtroom rages in uproar, all shouting in unison, "The Rampant Wolf, The Rampant Wolf, The Rampant Wolf!" Aegis Whyte of Everwinter, the young boy, has died, and the Rampant Wolf has been born. The frozen north is in flames, and the death of Whyte men and women will never be in vain.