Anchim the Slasher
He who murdered Orth.
"About fifteen summers ago now there was a man who traveled the Orthlands. I don't know where he was from but he wasn't Orth. I never met him myself, I would still have been a child then. From place to place he traveled enjoying the hospitality of the different communities of the plains. Each time after he left a body, two, maybe more would be found. Usually women. An evil man, a despicable man, Anchim is always remembered. I wish we would forget about him and end the immortailty he maintains in the mind of our society but such brutality is not easily blown away by the wind."
The Knife With No Past
Among the Orth it is common to spread tales shared with them by travelers - storytelling is a valued skill and common passtime. Given the impact on the Orth, it isn't surprising that they have not passed on any stories that Anchim told them. Instead only the tales of the murders were passed on, that is all that is remembered of him. Anchim is remembered to have used a large knife to kill his victims in brutal ways, slashing them long after they had died. This knife was eventually used to kill Anchim. In Iyorii - the home of the People of the Dog - he was assaulting a woman when he was interrupted by another and dropped the knife. He killed the man with his bare hands and turned around only to have the injured woman stab him with his own knife before succumbing to her wounds; Anchim wandered out of the village before succumbing to his. The current whereabouts of the knife - dubbed the Orthsbane - are unknown but it is said that the blade holds the murderous intent of its previous owner.Remembering the Lost
The people who died at the end of that blade were mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, aunts, uncles, friends, and partners. The loss of these people is strongly felt in all the communities of the Orth communities. What they choose to do is respect the lives they led and not give up their traditions because of the unthinkable actions of one person. The Orth hospitality that Anchim used to get close to his victims hasn't been lost. Travellers to the Orthlands - few in number as they are - are still treated as honoured guests.Stub Article
This article is just a stub for now and will be expanded upon later.Old Article
This article was written in the past and does not meet my current standards for any number of article quality, layout, or content.In-Progress Article
This article is being worked on, perhaps not at this very moment, but it is being worked on."Because of him, I never got to know my parents. I don't even remember their faces. When I think of my father, I can only picture Cassan."
Speculated History
Given that the first deaths occured in Beldan, it is believed that Anchim traveled to the Orthlands from Grara. The state of the Orthsbane indicates that he likely was not very wealthy. There are many stories about his origin that involve fantastical elements including blood rituals, angry gods, and fae interference, among others. As far as objective observations, there is nothing known about him before his arrival in Beldan.
Children
"We lost my wife's sister to the Slasher. It was a quiet time, a rare instance when the winds were absent from the great plains, almost as if the winds knew that something was going to happen and tried to warn us in any way they could. If only we had known how to listen."
Comments