War had erupted on the continent. Long time enemies of the Phoenix Kingdom, the Istaheeran had been funneling resources, weapons, and money to the Cultists so they would attack and weaken the Phoenix Kingdom and their allies. Using the war with the cultists as a catalyst to gain greater power in the area, the Istaheeran would then start the process of eliminating their adversaries one by one. However, the collection of cabal leaders that made up the ruling class of the Istaheeran had deeply underestimated the intent and ability of the cultists.
They learned this on one single day.
It had started as a normal day - Seenjah Khul, cabal leader of the Wind Assassins, one of the most powerful (and feared) groups in Ista Heera, had just finished his breakfast of fresh fruit. The cultists were doing their job quite well, and he foresaw the destruction of Hoovastadt within 6 months. Once they had been eliminated, the Istaheeran would control the Merchant City with all its wealth, and no one could stop them from blanketing the entire continent with their power and influence.
A breeze blew the cloth covering the wide window aside, and he could smell the magic. Another mage likely would not have recognized it in time, but this was the spell that aided his own assassins, and he knew it well. He had not even attempted to open his mouth for the guards - they would likely be in on this attempt on his life. As a cabal leader, he ruled until someone killed him or he suddenly vanished with sufficient wealth to live elsewhere in safety. This was how it was done, and a cabal went through a period of chaos until they found a new leader.
No cabal leader ever kept a second in command, for that would guarantee the direction from which his life would end.
Seenjah had dodged multiple previous attempts, but this was the first from the hand of his own group of assassins. He had never ruled it out completely, but it was still unexpected enough that he almost lost his life before we could react. The knife narrowly missed him as he threw himself to the side. One graze from that blade would end him completely due to the potent venom it carried, the trademark of the Wind Assassins.
Pure luck helped him survive and slay the assassin, who died with the name of Kun, one of the Betrayers, on his lips. Cultists! Within his own hand-picked assassins! And that's when he heard the fighting in the rest of the city.
The reports came in quickly from his own cabal - almost every single leader in the city had been assassinated on the same day, and nearly every cabal was fighting with itself and the others. The city was in chaos.
In spite of the grim situation, Seenjah found himself smiling. Yes, the cultists had suddenly become a much greater threat, but he had the chance to become the most powerful man in the entire Istaheeran. Now he just needed to mobilize his cabal, gather the country around him, and destroy these cultists that dared to turn his own people against him. And he was the man to do it.
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This is the day the strategy board game we are designing begins. Our intent is to release the game with full comic stories to lay out the backstory of each side. This is a very rough overview, and will be trimmed up as we progress along. ;)
Stay tuned for the perspectives of the other players in the game.
Current mood: creative
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