The Founding
Dragomir Zaidali, in life, was a vengeful orphan from a small town destroyed in one of the many wars Valathe experiences. He found no sympathy from those he begged from, even as a young teenager, and so took to committing petty crimes - crimes that would lead to a decade of prison in what would become
the Medimian Empire. Away from the eyes of guards, he began to amass followers through charismatic speeches, and through those followers, he earnt no small amount of true power. Irina Lupescu, a former Iskaldhan witch imprisoned for her habit of slaughtering innocent children, had managed to convince the guards that her magic had faded. This was absolutely not so, and it was from her that Dragomir learnt his powers of manipulation. Her motives had not been pure, however, as she had intended to use the new warlock as a sacrifice to break her out of the prison. Dragomir managed to sabotage the ritual with the aid of his faithful, and in the ensuing chaos, escaped the prison.
Sealing the Pact
Having to flee Medimia meant leaving behind its intense security - something none of their group would miss. However, the region of Valathe was still plagued by war, and none wished to shelter them in those hard times. Again, Dragomir and his followers turned to crime to survive - this time thieving and murdering those who stood in their way as they sought a place to rest. They would eventually settle in the Talmian Range, knowing that none would pursue them there. Having established a base, Dragomir's influence began to spread through the region as the fledgling Zaidali family took shape. In the early days, they were a simple bandit group, taking in those on the run and raiding small towns to survive. It was the arrival of Tatiana Vasiliu, an assassin with strong ties to the neighbouring nations and a wealth of arcane knowledge, that truly began to shape the Zaidali family into its present form. Dragomir swiftly fell for her, and the two became partners-in-crime, to the slight dismay of Dragomir's other followers.
Tatiana's connections gave Dragomir an entirely new direction to take the Zaidali, and he began targeting nobles and merchants with schemes of protection and 'small loans' for their businesses. If any went back on their word, Tatiana and her disciples would silence them in the dead of night. It only took one slip-up for them to realise the risk inherent in this plan, though - a former adventurer-turned-merchant had been prepared for them, and slaughtered most of Tatiana's accomplices as they descended on the shop. His escape into the night led to no end of headaches for the organisation, and Dragomir was concerned. Tatiana, however, had answers. As they sealed their budding romance, they used their combined arcane knowledge to call up a devil - and thus, the Pact of Zaidali was forged. None would be able to escape their contracts, now. The only flaw was that they needed to ensure a steady supply of souls to Hell, else the infernal protection would lapse.
Charitable Expansion
What better way to continue their growth and fulfil the terms of their contract than to train innocents from birth? Well, other than to exploit the helpless. Recognising their own beginnings, Dragomir and Tatiana began to spread their organisation's funds into orphanages and refugee funds. The orphans would be raised to know them, and would form dependencies that they could later use. It was at this point that the enslavement debts and tattoos were developed, and it was on Tatiana's secondborn child - a daughter - that they would first be tested. As the refugees were already adults, the tattoos were most effective on them - when they tried to flee back to their previous lives, they were cut down, and the infernal protection on the Zaidali line was secured.
Over time, the charity work carried out by the organisation began to mask its true purpose. Sergiu Zaidali, the great-great-grandson of Dragomir, was the first to separate the organisation into three different lines. Those seeking their services for matters of money, drug trade, slavery or protection would call upon the Dragosi. Those seeking legitimate business deals would refer to the Vasili, and the Zaidali name would cover all else. This allowed the reputation of their name to remain virtually untainted, and the Zaidali spies were set to work on removing all references to their previous purpose from history.
Wow Han. I really wouldn't have known this was a Summer Camp Entry its so fleshed out with such great narration. The first quote really sets a mood that I enjoyed the whole way through. Well done.