Hey there Scribes. This story is a bit more different than we usually do. Our backstories are often dark and tragic, but Gavin wanted something fun to play. He didn't care about the gender, race, or class, so we had total free creative reign on this one, as long as it was a fun and interesting backstory. Here is what we came up with! Let us know what you think!
Note: There is some use of strong language in this backstory
Deep in the mountains, there's a town that is run with little to no laws. I mean, there are laws but like who needs to listen to them if you're strong? The town was rather small and consisted mostly of war heroes and veterans, all outcast for one reason or another. It was almost like a misfit town, no one would think that this group of people would go together, but they made it work. There was a small government set in place. There was a Warhammer, which was almost like a king, and a few other officials. Since there were hardly any laws, they just kind of watched over the people.
But, it was peaceful. There was no murdering, hardly any thieving, and no drug problem. Everyone worked in unison and helped each other out. But, there was something different about this town. Every month, they'd engage in a battle of raw strength and talent to see who would be the next Warhammer. It was a glorious battle, almost set in a tournament like style where the best of the best would win. Anyone could participate and anyone could take over as the ruler of this land. Everyone except Zeni.
Although Zeni was one of the many half-orcs in town, she lacked the strength to fight. Not because she didn't try, which boy did she try. She had lost everything from the elbow down on her right arm in a freak accident. As a child, she fell into an old mining shaft while playing tag with the other children. Her right arm caught her fall and left it practically useless. The clerics in town tried to help her but it was beyond their healing. To make sure no infection spread or something even worse happened to her arm, they all agreed to just amputate it. It didn't bother Zeni any. She thought she was so cool with only one arm and all the kids thought so too! But the other she got, the more she fell in love with the tournament. She wanted to badly to join but her mother always forbid her from even trying.
One day, Zeni was coming home from town with some bread and eggs when she saw an old man being bothered by some hooligans. They kept saying they wanted him to give up his weapons and give them all his money. Zeni, being the brave soul she is, picked up a rock with her left hand and chucked it at the hooligans. Even though she wasn't strong, she was very intimidating thanks to her orcish blood. The men saw her and bolted right away. She helped the old man to his feet and he thanked her. Zeni recognized him as her neighbor Mr. Steel. That wasn't his last name but he was very well known for being a skilled blacksmith. They spoke often about how bad Zeni wanted to join in the fights. He smiled at her and said, "Zeni! Thank you so much for saving me. I'm glad it's you because I've been looking all over for you. I have a surprise for you. Follow me!"
Confused, Zeni followed him to his house and into the backyard. All the children around would gather back here and watch Mr. Steel make weapons in his shed back in the day. Now, the backyard seemed lonely. He motioned for her to stay put and he rushed into the shed. A few moments later, he returned with a contraption she had never seen. "Now, give me your arm."
She held out her left arm but he grabbed the right instead. With various snaps of clasps and some belts, he fitted the weird metal thing to her arm. "Fits like a glove," He spoke softly, admiring his masterpiece with tears in his eyes. He picked up what looked like an ax and attached it to the metal piece and stood back. Zeni was dumbfounded and stood there awkwardly. "You're telling me that you made a thing where I can attach weapons to my missing arm," she questioned, looking down at it. "Uh, duh! What does it look like? I also made a metal hand. You're welcome!" he replied, very proud of his work. After a moment, Zeni squealed with happiness! "I love it! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she yelled as she rushed to hug him, almost slicing him with the ax in the process. Before he could even reply, she rushed off home to show her mom, totally forgetting the eggs she bought.
Weeks past with Zeni training with Mr. Steel. He taught her how to change the weapons, to move the hand freely, and to fight. In no time, she was ready to join the tournament. At first, they almost didn't let her. But after seeing the weird metal piece attached to her arm, they agreed, curious to see it in action. She was the underdog of this month's fight. The reigning champ had won for the last year which was a record in their town. Everyone loved him and he was determined to win by a long shot. But to everyone's surprise, including Zeni's, she had overpowered the current Warhammer with her speed and her new arm. As he was laying on his back with a dagger to the throat, he admitted defeat. The crowd was silent for a second before erupting into chaos. Everyone was cheering for her! Zeni stood there like a box of rocks, unsure of what to do. She slowly raised her right arm with the dagger attached in victory. The crowd went even crazier! She had become the new Warhammer!
The next few hours were a whirlwind. It was announced to the town that Zeni won and she went to a meeting with the town officials to be briefed on how to be the Warhammer. It was really easy actually. You literally just make sure that no one is doing anything wrong, don't start any wars with other towns, and just don't mess up. No pressure though, right? The officials handled the trades, money, and businesses in town. Zeni just sat on top overseeing everything else. As soon as it started, it was over and she was lead into a large mansion with a huge ballroom. At the back was one single throne that was embellished with gems, gold metal, and red velvet plush seating. She sat down on it and looked around, almost in a daze. She thought about the last few hours and the information she was given. Wow, this is all mine, she thought.
She stopped and called over one of her maid hands. The small human man walked over and bowed before asking, "Yes ma'am?"
"Yeah, I'm over this," she spoke bluntly.
"Huh?"
"This. I'm over this. Can I leave now? I'm going to leave," she said, standing up. The confused maid hand tried to stop her, speaking so quickly she couldn't even understand him. Something about how she couldn't abandon her post or whatever? Who knows. But none of this interested her. She walked out of the mansion and to her home. Her mom was shocked to see her there.
"Hi dear, everything okay? How is being the Warhammer?"
"Nah, ma, it ain't for me. I left the post and I'm leaving this town. It's all too boring. I want some adventure," Zeni replied as she gathered her stuff. It was mostly just her attachable weapons and a few other things to survive. Her mom was dumbfounded, trying to reason with her. The half-orc turned to her mom and smiled. "Please mom, I don't want to be in charge. I just want to kick the ass of some strong bad guys. Can I please do that?"
Her mother stopped talking and smiled happily. "Of course dear, I'll talk with the officials and get things settled. Please be careful and write often. You'll always have a home here."
Zeni heads out of the house and stopped by Mr. Steel's shed. She explained the situation and laughed. "I knew sitting in a stuffy mansion wasn't in your blood. If anything breaks or you need a new weapon, you know where to find me," he replied and hugged her. And with that, she was off. She now explorers the land in search of strong bad guys to defeat. She often returns home to her town where they expect her to resume her reign as Warhammer but she leaves before they can tie her down to the throne. The town has since filled the position with a new Warhammer but always kick them out when Zeni returns. Who knows if she will actually ever take her place of power? For now, she's just looking to kick some ass.
This original idea was written, revised, and edited by us, Bards of Lore. Credit goes to Gavin Dresen for contacting us!
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