The Pure Flame Plot
The Black General
The Black General is an old tale, a cautionary warning towards zealotry and overwhelming faith without reason or restraint, without question. A reminder to every priest to truly understand their purpose and their god, lest they become a victim of insanity. The story goes that the Black General was once a man who served Kossuth, who began to hear a voice he believed was his beloved deity and who, spurred on by this holy voice, began a holy conquest to purify "heretics" and enemies.
He was eventually caught after causing the deaths of everyone who had ever loved and trusted him and burned at the stake, where he was aflame for over an hour before the fired died out and he remained... alive and furious. It is said that he swore vengeance on those who sought to kill him, and their bloodlines, but in his new form was cursed to never have a man truly serve him loyally, as he had betrayed loyalty too much in the past.
And so it was that the Black General turned to those that had no choice but to serve, the desperate, the foolish and the greedy. His armies were said to consist of the vulnerable and the cruel, with no loyalty to him, but loyalty to either themselves, a deep seated desire or to the purifying flame that embraced all. The purifying flame that many of these naive soldiers would eventually come to face as the Black General eventually turned on them.
After all, to the Black General, the perfect world is one of fire... and ash.
Of course records of an actual Black General are non existent, and the moniker itself is pretty generic, leading to many assuming it is either an amalgamation of various historical figures, or just a fictional tale. But if it is a fictional tale, then the Black General who currently resides in Narfell is a true fan of the story, as his work is almost directly identical to the legend of the Black General.
Waging a brutal war against Narfell, having already burned several villages to the ground, the Black General's schemes and scheming underlings have attempted a variety of methods to wipe out their enemies, including non combatants, including poisoned grain and the more traditional burning and pillaging. The Black General himself tends to announce their presence during the raids, though has never directly fought with the forces he marshals.
A true zealot to the cause, the Black General's primary forces are part of the Disciples of Purification, a heretical offshoot of the Monestic order of the Purifying Flame, who forgo the concept of balance, by believing that true "purity" comes from the absolute annihilation of corruption and ignorance. What this essentially boils down to is quite literally just purging anyone who isn't them. They are considered outcasts even by most of their peers, not because of their cruelty, but because their extreme zealotry means not even their brothers are safe from irrational judgement.
Majordomo Hakuro
The general portrayal of a Fire Giant is one of a master craftsman and warrior who wishes to test his mettle against worthy foes. Hakuro, however, is no standard portrayal. A being of cunning and cowardice rather than strength and metal, Hakuro got to where he is through schemes and trickery. Once called Hakuro the Gnarled for his somewhat weak body, Hakuro rose up through societies ranks by stealing the works of his peers, an act which eventually saw him outcasted.
Hakuro serves as the Black General's Majordomo, overseeing civic duties and negotiations (though the Black General rarely has use for either) and marshalling his forces, turning a mix of monsters and rabble into a coherent army. Hakuro is a devious sort, whose sadism and love of holding power over others is also his weak point, he is easily goaded, and believes himself to be far more brilliant and invincible than he truly is. Despite this, he is not a person to be taken lightly.
Torbraxu
A member of the Arcane Brotherhood, a group shrouded in mystery, specifically the "Eastern Tower" section. Torbraxu is a rather secretive person, even among a group known for its secrecy, keeping to himself and only accepting people into his personal powerbase that he has vetted repeatedly. He is said to be rather paranoid and suspicious, keeping his cards close to his chest, and never lets feelings get in the way of success.
Torbraxu is known for putting his research above everything, including his personal safety. Willing to destroy himself, others and honestly the whole world if it's what it takes to see the results, he has a very obvious one track mind and once he starts up it's hard to stop him. Torbraxu's only known living family is a son who turned to piracy to spite his father, though it is whispered that Torbraxu has never really reacted to this.
In fact, it's rumored Torbraxu barely recalls he has a son, treating him with the same emotional detachment that he treats everyone else. Nobody has the willpower to ask him directly, though.
Bounty Hunters
With the Arcane Brotherhoods bounty attracting a carnival of killers, several notable members of the hunting and assassination community have come forward to try their luck on collecting the money on "The Little Blue Star" "The Arcane Whirlwind" and "The Dark Councillor" with very little success. Of course big money attracts stupid people who aren't usually deterred by such things like "dying" and "dying horribly"
These hunters include people like Victory, leader of the black clad mercenaries creatively called... well... Black Company. A militant group operating to the east of Narfell who have already tried their luck and failed, taking a significant loss in the process. Victory is a true professional, and a pragmatist, willing to admit defeat and cut his losses when it's clear that the risk outweighs the reward.
Blackeye, a "middle man" in the bounty hunting community, in the sense that he hooks up hunters with contracts that may not be on the open market. Blackeye has come with a cadre of killers to claim a bounty on the Little Blue Star, due to Blackeye's personal loathing of halflings. Why? Well there's a lot of rumors about why, including having lost a girlfriend to a halfling before. But who knows? He's sort of crazy. It could be nothing!
But it is the final group that is truly worth taking notice of. The Elysium, a group of absolutely high class professionals who are only generally hired out to incredibly wealthy clients. The Elysium are second to none when it comes to security and secrecy. Their members wear special suits that explode upon death or capture, taking the agent with it, and a variety of spells keep their men genuinely in the dark about what they do to ensure no compulsions can ever pry the secrets from their minds.
The Elysium only appear to hunt targets worthy of their time, and after repeated failures by ordinary Bounty Hunters and Assassins, it's rumored that Torbraxu and his peers have sent out a contract to hire Elysium to take on the three Narfellian bounties and put them in the grave once and for all. Time will tell who comes out on top.
