It is unknown what Isalendar did during her first two years in the town: However, she appears for the first time in the historical record in the year 851 Re, when a warrant was put out in the local province for her arrest for the crime of engaging in beast hunting while not a registered Culler. She fled Truenn in response to this, and is said to have spent the next decade wandering the length and
breadth of the Grannrormrlen, using her skills as both a beast hunter and a Speaker to provide for herself. During this time, she never settled at another town, and developed quite a reputation for herself for constantly successfully evading authorities sent to catch her. This was because she had still not registered as a Culler, and so would inevitably have a new warrant put out for her in each province she travelled to after some months, before she would evade capture and flee to a new province, and the process would repeat.
As she continued to evade capture, she embarrassed group after group of soldiers sent to capture her, often going as far as to play tricks on them using her Speaking while escaping. Her infamy grew with each failed attempt, and as time passed, she came to be seen as something of a folk hero in the parts of the countryside that she frequented; a much welcome symbol of freedom against the strict rules imposed by Grannr authorities. Though this reputation started out small, she eventually became so infamous for her outsmarting of those sent after her that her inability to be captured came to be perceived as humiliating to the Grannr. It was at this point that certain higher-ups in the empire decided something had to be done about her, and in response, one of the Ofirar was dispatched alongside a squad of knights to finally bring an end to her escapades.
Despite a particularly valiant attempt to fight off her assailants, involving the wounding of another three Grannr soldiers and the destruction during the fray of - in the words of the locals - 'enough barrels of booze to get Forfir smashed', this time, Isalendar was unable to escape, and was finally captured and taken into custody.
"This has to be a joke, right? You finally got me after ten years, and instead of beheading me, you want to hire me?— Isalendar of Truenn
"...That's certainly an interesting way of looking at it."— Isalendar the Huntress
"It is nothing of the sort, huntress; and you would be surprised how often this happens. Personally, I find that criminals - rather than being vulgar lowlives, as many see them - are often remarkably skilled individuals who, through one twist of fate or another, have simply found themselves bereft of honest work."— Lutreya Wyrmkin
While imprisoned, Isalendar was given a choice: She could either be executed for the laundry list of crimes she had committed and laws she had broken, or join the Grannrormrlen as an official, registered culler. This choice likely seemed almost laughable at first, given that a significant portion of her crimes could be run down to simply 'not being a registered culler', but it was offered for a reason: The Ofirar who had captured Isalendar was cunning, and had realised that bringing her over to their side would be a much greater victory than simply killing her. That way, they could subvert what had once been a symbol of oppression against the Grannr into one of subservience to it. In the end, after an unknown amount of deliberation, Isalendar decided to accept the Ofirar's offer, and at long last officially became a culler.
Immediately after joining the Cullers' Guild and becoming an official subordinate of the Grannrormrlen, Isalendar was assigned to work with under a more experienced culler while the guild's higherups gauged her skills and capabilities. The squad leader in question was chosen for the fact that they already commanded a group with three other cullers, one of whom had a reputation for unruly behaviour; and more importantly, for their own reputation as an incorruptible and loyal servant of the Grannr. The man in question was named Lihwen; a foreigner from the Kingdom of Pasdjit who had moved to the Grannr of his own will to seek a life of adventure.
From this point onwards, the group - then known by most as simply 'Lihwen's Men' - took on and performed a number of difficult and dangerous culling tasks. Despite some of the members' dubious reputations and proclivity to get themselves into trouble, the party was defined by Lihwen's reputation as a steadfast, honourable, and dependable leader. Regardless of the wiles of the other members of the party, they would always complete any tasks assigned to them efficiently and without any of the additional trouble often associated with cullers. They developed a reputation for charitable work, often assisting villages in need even when they had not been ordered to do so; often for no cost. It is unknown how Isalendar felt about this, but she seems to have grown close to the other members of the party quickly enough.
Eventually, after the passage of several years in which the group continued to work as cullers, they had gained a reputation as a highly competent and skillful band. This resulted in them being chosen as escorts for a diplomatic mission being planned by one of the Ofirar to the salt wastes of Zemet. They would serve as the emissary's guards, and make certain that she was not harmed on the way to, and while in the foreign polity. Due to the sensitive nature of the assignment, it was necessary to find a group who did not possess the lack of social graces that was so common in cullers, and Lihwen - owing to his reputation as a charismatic and personable leader - was considered the ideal choice for this task.
The group's journey through Zemet was largely uneventful, and after around a month of gruelling travel through the alternately scorching hot or freezing cold salt plains, they arrived at
Flame's Providence. It was here that the group would first encounter the phoenix Rukhmar, who was at that time being hunted by the Ashborn for her blood and flesh. The Ashborn believed that by consuming the body of the immortal phoenix, they could themselves become immortal, and thus had begun leading frequent raids throughout the lands around the base of Mount Varosok to attempt to slay Rukhmar.
Isalendar, upon learning of this, immediately plead with Lihwen to abandon their mission and instead attempt to assist the phoenix. After a brief investigation to make certain of the facts involved in the situation, Lihwen quickly agreed, and the group set themselves to devising a plan to help Rukhmar escape from
Holy Ridge.
It took some time, but eventually, their plan was successful. Isalendar and the others helped to secret Rukhmar away one evening, and then fled into the salt wastes without the Ofirar they had come to escort. From then onwards, they were forced to travel as fugitives, unable to seek harbour in either Zemet or the Grannrormrlen. They were hounded by Ashborn patrols on their way out of Zemet, but eventually succeeded in escaping through the east of the country into
Ethlarnashem, from where they travelled through the great redwood forest - avoiding both the Grannr army and the
Leskeln - before finally arriving in the Kingdom of Pasdjit, where they hoped they could be safe.
Two years passed there in which Isalendar and the others were able to live in relative peace. They offered their services to the crown of Pasdjit as cullers, and their deeds during that time caused them to grow famous all around the country. This was in particular due to the presence of Rukhmar with them, who the Pasdjitans believed to be none other than the legendary Firebird; a phoenix that had once resided in their country until some centuries ago, which they believed to now have returned in the form of her. It was as a result of this that their group came to finally receive an official name, as others started to refer to them as the Band of the Phoenix.
However, in the year 861 Re, Forfir the Wyrm Lord was killed by his right-hand, Lyri of Grestvyt, during the siege of the northernmost Holdtree in Ethlarnashem. The death of the Wyrm Lord threw the Grannrormrlen into chaos, and Lyri took advantage of this opportunity to begin marching south, intent on taking the fight to Summerlen. At a certain point however, she made the decision to seek passage through the Kingdom of Pasdjit in the hope of travelling an alternate route into Summerlen, which would allow her to ambush the Grannr forces. The king refused to allow this, and in response Lyri assembled her host and attempted to pass through regardless, leading to an engagement between her forces and the Pasdjitan army.
The conflict would come to be known as
The Battle of Pasdjit. The king of Pasdjit personally requested the assistance of the Band of the Phoenix in the battle, to which they acquiesced; with Rukhmar herself joining in on the fighting. The clash saw 4,000 Pasdjitan soldiers triumph over a vastly superior force of Leskeln, Balakari & Orissan warriors, Grannr auxiliaries, and Lyri herself alongside the remainder of the Twelve Paladins. However, more than half of the Pasdjitan army lay dead by the time the dust settled, along with three members of the Band of the Phoenix: Vardaran, Lihwen, and Isalendar herself; all of whom had died fighting against Lyri. Lihwen had succeeded in slaying her, however, and it had been her death that had succeeded in shattering the enemy force's morale, and saving the Pasdjitan army from certain destruction.
The mirror of ages has begun to glow faintly. If you wish, you could peer into it to receive a glimpse of the past.
Gaze into the mirror
The stars shone gently down upon the dry brown countryside of Pasdjit, the dustbowl painted in a pale white by the light of the full moon. There was not a tree in sight of the cullers' campsite to sway in the wind, and so the clearing was silent as the surface of a lake, save for the faint crackling reminiscent of a hearth in the far distance. As Isalendar made her way towards the sound, her surroundings began to lit up as she approached the living bonfire that was its source.
The phoenix Rukhmar had nestled herself under a small rocky overhang and was sat in the manner of a roosting pigeon, head tucked into what scruffy feathers still remained around her breast. The flames that fell constantly from her wings in great clumps had charred the ground for over a dozen feet in every direction, and the heat they put out was strong enough to be felt from metres away. At the sound of Isalendar's footsteps, the enormous creature began to stir, its stone eyelids scraping open as two red orbs affixed themselves upon her.
At this, Isalendar raised one hand up high, and began to speak: "Hey. Figured you might want some company." She took a step closer, and was buffeted by a wave of warm air. Another, and the air had grown hot enough to be unpleasant. Two more, and she could feel the skin on her face starting to smart. Before she could take another step closer, Rukhmar had risen to her feet, and begun taking a step backwards. "No, no!" Isalendar quickly called out. "It's fine! I won't get too close, you don't have to worry."
The great bird seemed to halt, and then reluctantly sat back down, allowing Isalendar to finish her approach. She continued to move closer until the heat became as much as she could bear, and then, looking for a place to sit, plopped herself down on a large nearby rock. "There." She and the phoenix locked eyes, and after a moment, she added: "It's not too bad, really! Honestly, I don't mind it that much." As she finished, her words were undermined by the fact that she had to close her eyes for a moment, turning her head away to try and blink some moisture back into them.rnrnAfter a few moments had passed, Rukhmar opened her mouth and let out a series of long, deep crows, like the sound of a hollow object striking the ground.rnrn"I know you don't sleep," Isalendar replied. "So I figured I'd come and keep you company. I wasn't really getting that much shut-eye myself, and if I'm gonna be awake, I might as well not do it on my own."
The bird shook her head; a great lumbering movement that sent specks of flame falling to the ground. She clucked several more times, and Isalendar winced.
"I'm surprised you could hear that. ...Yes, alright." She let out a sigh of defeat. "I could have slept, but I didn't want to. I'd much rather be here."
This time, a long series of clucks, accompanied by an intensification of the phoenix's gaze. Isalendar's eyes went unfixed, as she stared past her for a moment. Then, she smiled.
"We're Cullers; we spend all our time out in the sun. Being this close to you's not gonna kill me. It might make me dry up a little faster, but that's nothing that wouldn't have happened eventually anyway." Seeing the bird was about to respond, she held up a hand. "Look, I know you probably don't understand; but it's worth it to me, alright?"
Silence fell. Eventually, Rukhmar glanced back towards the campsite where the others were sleeping, before turning back to Isalendar and clucking softly.rnrnIsalendar stared up at her. "It's not something they can understand either." She shook her head. "I don't think anyone who isn't a Speaker can. I think... Normal people grow up thinking that humans are the only species that really feels. People might take cats or dogs as pets, but..." She gestured fruitlessly as she searched for the right words. "They're not people, you know?"
Rukhmar remained silent.
"Even Lihwen, kind as he is, doesn't really get it," she continued. "Everyone believes that just because they can think, that magically, that somehow makes them better - more important - than every other species that can't. As if the blessing of thought is some 'sacred gift', that elevates one species above every other." She scowled. "The truth is, it's only one thing we can do that most other animals can't. Sure, it might let us build buildings and form societies, but when you really look at it, it's nothing magical at all." Her features hardened. "The Fyrstbairn rule over everything and treat people like stones to be thrown at the Leskeln. If we all rose up together, I've no doubt at all that we could topple the Wyrms. But we won't. Because the moment we think about what that'd entail, we get queasy and all the fight goes right out of us."
Without realising, one of her hands had found its way to her bowstring, and had begun brushing up and down the length of it. "Hunting beasts is different. I can do it because I tell myself I won't die. But when it comes to standing up to them, you can't lie to yourself like that. Sure, you can hide from them, hope they won't notice. In a big rebellion like that, you might even get lucky and not be one of the ones who has to fight them." Her hand fell still. "But you know that if you do end up face to face with one of them..." She let out a soft, bitter laugh. "It applies to humans, too. It's all fun and games stealing from the local magistrate's office, 'til he strings you up in the town square and has you pilloried."
Her gaze turned vacant for a moment, before refocusing itself. "It's not like I'm any better in the end. I still rolled over when the Grannr came knocking, just like everyone else."
At this, Rukhmar tilted her head, and then clucked several times. rnrnIsalendar let out a laugh, this one genuine. "Oh, absolutely: We're all completely screwed after what we pulled at Flame's Providence. For helping you escape from a bunch of crazed religious fanatics who wanted to kill and eat you in order to attain immortality, we earned ourselves the nifty reward of becoming fugitives in nine tenths of the continent." She leant back, kicking her legs in the air playfully. "We've gotten away with it so far, but it's only a matter of time until our luck runs out. The Wyrms are busy wrapping up the war at the moment, but once they're done, I figure they'll come for us."
The phoenix seemed to shrink back a little, her eyelids drooping. She let out a long crow.
Isalendar's gaze turned to the ground. "We all had our own reasons. Lihwen did it because that's just who he is; there's no way he ever wouldn't have helped you, seeing as it was the right thing to do. As for the other three, that's what they signed on for when they joined. They wanted to follow him."
Rukhmar's head leaned forwards, and she let out a short caw.
Isalendar pursed her lips. "For me..." As she stared up at Rukhmar, the bravado that had been present in the conversation thus far seemed to fade, as her voice took on a tone of genuine concern. "I just couldn't leave you there. The idea of you stuck there, in a hunt that'd never end - because it wasn't like you were going to die - made me sick. Even if they did kill you, you'd just come back. And when I thought about what they might do if they some day found a way to capture you..."
Isalendar's face had begun to grow sore from the heat. As she stood up and prepared to leave, she faced Rukhmar for one last time. "Non-Speakers can't understand Speakers. I've lived with that knowledge for my entire life. In the same vein, though, mortals can't understand immortals. And I suppose, because of that... I felt like I could understand you, even if just a bit." She smiled sadly. "It's hard being the only one of your kind around, isn't it?"
Shortly after, Isalendar began to make her way back to camp. As she went, Rukhmar watched her all the way until she passed out of sight.
862 Re
As the dust settled upon the pass through the northern mountains in Pasdjit, Rukhmar gazed upon a sea of corpses. There were two that she recognised: One was of the woman who had slain the Wyrm Lord and lead a host of Leskeln down south from the great forest of Ethlarnashem; the mad paladin, Lyri of Grestvyt. She lay face-up on the ground, a broadsword plunged deep into her abdomen, spear still clutched in one hand. To her side was the body of Lihwen, whose blade it was that had run her through. A long gash on his right side continued to pool blood onto the ground, even after he had already stopped moving. A short distance away from the two corpses, a third figure coughed heavily, their back propped up against a pike that had been driven into the ground. rnrnAt the sight of them, Rukhmar let out a shrill cry and flapped her wings, starting to fly over to them- only to stop a short distance away, at the reminder of what effect her presence had.
At the sound of her approach, the figure raised its head and turned towards her. "Hey, Rukh," they sputtered out. "Can you come a bit closer? I can't really... see you from over there."
Rukhmar let out a soft, low crowing sound.
Isalendar let out a small, gurgling laugh. "I don't think I really have to worry about that right now. Just... come over here, will you?"
Reluctantly, Rukhmar made her way forward, stopping only when her head was little more than a foot from the other woman. She could see her wincing in pain as she approached, as the heat from her body seeped into the wounds that peppered her form. Despite this, she made no attempt to move away.
"Thanks..." Isalendar murmured. "I always wanted... to get this close to you. Now... I finally can."
Rukhmar's body began to quiver, and she flapped her wings, stamping futilely at the dirt.
"Hey, it's alright..." Isalendar reached out, and placed her hand on the warm stone that comprised Rukhmar's beak. "Darles and Teng... survived, I know they did. You don't have to worry. They'll... look after you."
Rukhmar pulled back and began to shake her head wildly. She let out a long, shrill cry.
"It's okay..." With the last of their energy, Isalendar forced a smile onto their face. "I always figured... that I would die alone in the cold. Now... I'm warm, and I finally have someone else..." A moment later, the direction faded from her eyes, and her body fell still.
Rearing back, Rukhmar let out a cry that could be heard for miles around.
