[hider=My Hider] [center][IMG]http://i58.tinypic.com/21dkegi.jpg[/IMG][/center] [b]The Hakapel[/b] Anyone familiar with the wars on the island of Naroe has probably noticed that one name keeps coming up in the records of various armies: “The Hakapel”, a military unit numbering between 700 to 1200 cavalrymen infamous for the destruction and terror they bring to any battlefield they join. What makes this company stand out in the sea of other irregular military formations is that the Hakapel aren’t mercenaries and instead they join battles on the losing side and strive to turn the tables around and bring as much havoc to the enemy as possible (though it should be mentioned that they show little regard for their “allies” as well). Thanks to them, many a military commander gives considerably more thought on whether to engage in battle than their counterparts in other parts of the world, as there’s always a chance that the Hakapel will appear and mess up their plans. What is unknown to many is that soldiers of the Hakapel are all undead. Zombies, skeletons, ghouls, vampires make up the rank and file of this cavalry regiment. Their leader introduces himself to mortals simply as “Namulos” and he holds all other soldiers under his thrall. This undead unit requires constant influx of blood, flesh and negative emotions to sustain themselves, which is why they constantly travel from one battlefield to another. To be honest, though, the Hakapel don’t bring destruction and carnage because they need to. They do it because they love it. At least Namulos does and his desires are the only ones which matter. [b]History[/b] [hider=My Hider] Records of the Hakapel stretch back for centuries. They have been the reality on battlefield for so long generals make plans built on the possibility of the Hakapel’s arrival. However, few people have any idea about the origins of this company. Some are aware that they come from the old Iron Kingdom which fell to ruins more than three centuries ago, but nobody knows that Namulos is the Iron King himself. The Iron Kingdom is famous even today for its militaristic nature and the love its king had for war, and that love the Iron King carried with him to his deathbed when the old age and illness were threatening to end his long and bloody military career. While he could still hold the sword in his hand and charge into enemy, the Iron King decided for one last war. He purposely made offenses which would anger all neighboring countries and make them form great coalition against him and then invaded a member of that coalition. What resulted was one of the greatest wars in the history of Naroe, and probably the rest of the world, for although the armies of Iron Kingdom were outnumbered 4 to 1 they were made out of the greatest soldiers of their time. The Iron King fought bitterly for every foot of his kingdom, relishing every drop of blood spilled regardless if it was his or his enemy’s. The War to Break the Iron, name given to the conflict by the future generations, lasted little over seven years. In the end the Iron Kingdom was destroyed and its cities razed. The Iron King himself died in the last defense of his capital, fighting to the end. Unfortunately, the world underestimated the warrior king’s bloodlust. Even dead his desire for battle and carnage haunted his soul. The king rose again, driven by his thirst, and with him rose his elite unit. They followed him blindly into a foolish war while they were alive and now they were cursed to follow him for eternity in their afterlife, bound completely to his will. The newly arisen undead found only ashes were once was their homeland. They were uncertain how much time has passed since their deaths, but the world appeared to have moved on. Unfortunately for the world, the Iron King didn’t. He lived for battle while was alive, but now in death the battle became the sole reason for his existence. To him the undeath was the greatest gift he could ever hope for. No responsibilities of ruling a kingdom, no need to rest or eat or drink. Now, he could fully devote himself to battle and war. He named himself Namulos, “the Rotting King” and his cavalry unit the Hakapel, “Arisen” and has since haunted battlefields of Naroe. [/hider] [b]The Officers[/b] [hider=My Hider] [b]Namulos, the Rotting King[/b] Long hair and beard, broad shoulders, ripped muscles not even death could take away from him and standing at beyond 2.2 meters in height, the Rotting King is an imposing figure. Just one look at him would strike fear in the hearts of his enemies while he was alive, but now that he’s dead he is even more terrifying. He wields huge sword average human would never even think to carry into battle and fights with broad grin on his face, laughing merrily as he partakes in slaughter. Namulos only cares about those capable of providing him with challenge. Everyone else will get crushed under his boots as he charges into the fray. [b]Talwon, the Court Magician[/b] During the days of the Iron Kingdom Talwon was the right hand man of the Iron King. He took care of any affairs related to ruling the kingdom which had nothing to do with war. However, in death his significance to the King fell off considerably. Now that there is no more kingdom to rule and the Hakapel could devote itself to war, the only useful skill Talwon has left is his magic, which is something he is not very pleased with. Talwon dislikes war and hates the fact that he is enthralled to the king as mad as Namulos. Thus, he uses he knowledge of magic to figure out how they were raised from death and how to break the hold the Rotting King holds over the soldiers in Hakapel. [b]Karolm, the Tarnished Knight[/b] Once known as the White Knight, Karolm used to be the mitigating influence on the king. He was the one who worried about the common folk who got caught up in the king’s war and the one who strived to save as many innocents from pointless death as possible. During the War to Break the Iron, he wept as he saw his country ravaged by armies of the coalition. He fought not for the mad king but to defend the people suffering because of his insanity. When the war was lost and he was killed, Karolm had only regrets and those regrets he carried into his undeath. He hates what he’s become and he hopes that one day a mighty warrior will grant him the peace of death. [b]Hundervud, the Immortal Soldier[/b] Both in life and death, others always considered Hundervud to possess same love for war as the Rotting King. Although not entirely false, the reason behind Hundervud pursuit of battle was not in mad bloodthirst but in warrior’s desire to always improve his skill fighting against stronger opponents. Hundervud is the best warrior in the Hakapel, his skill on horseback and on foot unmatched. Unknown to others is the fact that Hundervud is the only member of the Hakapel who isn’t supernaturally bound to the Iron King and follows Namulos out of his own free will. Why does the Rotten King have no sway over his will is unknown to him and considering he has seen no reason to tell others about it, he probably won’t find out the reason any time soon. [b]Fatuh, the Butcher of Rassien[/b] Fatuh is the one person in the Hakapel who is more bloodthirsty than Namulos. While the Rotten King loves war because he enjoys the thrill of battle, Fatuh loves war because he can slaughter people without being held accountable. His title comes from his greatest crime and his greatest personal pride, the massacre of the citizens of Rassien. It is said that ten thousand people died in less than week when Fatuh captured the city and ordered his soldier to kill every man, woman and child they could come across. The atrocities committed that day are too many and too horrid to recount, but suffice to say that Fatuh has not changed at all with death. In fact, you could say that now that his existence depends on spilling blood of others that he embraces carnage with even more enthusiasm than when he was alive. [/hider] [/hider] The undead horsemen are here.