~~~~~Caligula of the Hills~~~~~
--Chapter One: Rebirth and Remembrance--
Caligula was a battle mage not so different from any other, he spent most of his days wondering the hills and offering his services as a mage for anyone that had gold to spare. A simple man with simple tastes, his favorite pastime was enjoying a warm ale in the local tavern with only his familiar Ratticus Finch beside him to keep him company...
It was in that very tavern that the tale of Caligula truly began. A stoic Caligula sat in his corner seat as he always did and quietly conversed with Ratticus while eagerly chugging down his favored brand of warm ale when a very odd stranger loudly entered the tavern. The stranger hurriedly made his way to the taverns bar and proclaimed "A round for the house, barkeep!" The taverns patrons erupted in cheers and applause at the strangers proclamation and happily accepted the free drinks...
This offer of a free ale did not raise a feeling of gratitude in Caligula but rather a feeling of suspicion as this was not a usual occurrence in such an impoverished area. Even so Caligula raised his mug in thanks to the stranger and watched as other patrons gathered around him. The stranger had beaming red eyes and a green hood covering his head, he spoke with a shaken high pitched voice and seemed to be brimming with excitement and energy. The strangers frantic conversation with the other patrons did not pique the curiosity of Caligula until he started talking about a miracle drink...
"This drink will cure all your ailments and give you boundless energy" the stranger announced. Caligula's curiosity was now piqued as he suffered from many ailments and wanted to know more as this stranger did seem abnormally energetic, he now listened even closer. "The drink is expensive as it comes from an exotic source, KOBOLD blood!" the stranger screeched "and the meat is delicious to." he added...
A sudden lightning bolt of terror and disgust shot through Caligula's entire body, he could not believe what he had just heard. His heart raced and he was shocked that this stranger could openly announce this great cruelty to all those around him with not shame in his voice but with excitement and glee. Unable to contain himself Caligula rose from his seat and charged at the stranger without thought, only driven by instinct and disgust. Caligula's rush to action while noble was ultimately doomed to fail as this cruel stranger turned out to be a very powerful wizard and with one brush of his hand and a flash of light Caligula was rendered unconscious by his powerful magic...
After what seemed like an eternity Caligula awoke dazed and confused. The stranger was gone and so was the barkeep and other patrons, the only one left in the tavern besides Caligula was his loyal familiar Ratticus Finch. After he collected himself he raised to his feet with one thought in mind, one purpose. This killer of Kobolds, the vile stranger must be found and brought to justice and all those who aid him in his perverse dietary choices must be exposed and STOPPED! For the first time in his life Caligula had a purpose worthy of pursuing and he was of one mind, one focus. Caligula could not allow an evil such as this to exist, "Who would capture, kill and consume a Kobold!" he thought to himself. If they would do that to the gentle yet mischievous Kobolds they would do it to anyone, perhaps the imps are next...
Caligula jumped into action and combed the land to find answers. He started with the barkeep and the others who were at the tavern that night but none of them remembered the incident at all and looked at him as if he was insane. The stranger must of used his magic on them to make them forget. A distant memory entered Caligula's head, a conversation he had with his mentor from many years ago one which described a ritual which could give you insight into the memories of the souls who had perished in a violent way. This was Caligula's best option so he made his way to the closest wizards college so he could browse their library in hopes that he would find this ritual. Once at the library Caligula realized the colossal task that was before him. The library had five floors of wall to wall scrolls and books which contained the collective knowledge from many wizards through out the land...
Caligula popped a revivification potion and started the search for the ritual. He furiously went from shelf to shelf, book to book and scroll to scroll. After many hours of searching it was Ratticus Finch who finally found the book which contained the ancient ritual, it was titled Ritual of Remembrance. As he read through the ritual he realized performing it would come at a great cost, it would require the sacrifice of ones eye to gain the insight into the land of souls but Caligula was so determined to end this evil practice that this sacrifice would not bother him in the slightest. The ritual would also require the finger nail clippings of the intended species which you wish to target which would not be a problem since Caligula knew of a rotund Kobold called Jitcy who would freely offer it to him...
All the ingredients were collected and the ritual chamber was ready. Once the ritual was completed Caligula would gain the ability to view the memories of the lost souls while he slept which would give him vital clues to help him track down the vile Kobold killers. He gathered his thoughts in the ritual chamber and began then proceeded with the ritual. The candles were lit, the magic circle was drawn and the alter of flame was ready to receive the required ingredients. The hardest part was still to come, he threw the Kobold nail clippings into the alter of flames and took a deep breath before quickly plucking his left eye out with a golden fork. The pain was more than he could handle and it took all the strength within him to throw his eye into the alter of flames and say the magic words to complete the ritual. Once the final word was spoken the alter of flame extinguished itself and a haunting sound emanated within the ritual chamber...
The ritual was complete but Caligula never felt anything different within himself except for the excruciating pain coming from the bloody hole where his eye used to be. Ratticus Finch brought over a little bag for Caligula which contained some medicinal herbs and a rather nice black leather eye patch. After thanking his trusty familiar Ratticus, he tended to his eye and then set off to his bed as he was exhausted from the ritual and was in dire need of sleep. As he nestled down to rest he hoped that the ritual would work and he would enter the land of lost souls and gain valuable insight into the shameful deaths of innocent Kobolds...
Caligula slowly drifted off to sleep and was immediately bombarded with visions of death, squeals and torture. The scenes of Kobolds getting caged, taunted and disemboweled was horrifying. Meat cleavers, bone saws and filleting knives were the tools of their wicked trade. He awoke from his hellish sleep and was shaken to his core. It was too much for him to handle, the flurry of violent visions had left him shaken and concerned for whats to come. For the first time in his journey he felt true fear as he knew the ritual would be permanent until he could find those he was looking for. Either he would have to catch the evil Kobold killers or he would be driven mad by the visions which would come for him every night...
The months past quickly after the day when the ritual took place, each and every night had haunting visions of vile perversions. With every vision the mind of Caligula grew smaller while the memories of the slain Kobold's took up more and more space in Caligula's head. He could not tell where he began and the memories of the Kobold's ended, they all meshed into one mind. After every night he filled his journal up with clues of the perpetrators. He jotted down the cruel mannerism and sketched their faces which often had wild smiles and beaming possessed eyes. He would catch a name here and there when there were more than two of them in the room tormenting the unfortunate victim. There was one name though, one name that was spoken by all of them and it was "Master of Spots Hunter!" This man must be their leader and Caligula was sure it was the grey bearded wizard in a ridiculous leopard skin onesie that he saw over and over again in his vision. This man was the most vile of them all because it seemed as if he did not consume the flesh and blood of the Kobold's which he killed himself but rather served it to his familiar which was a demonic looking white dog. The only pleasure he seemed to get from this activity was to witness the pain which he inflicted on the Kobold's, he would not smile often but when he did it was because the Kobold squealed in just the right way after a demented torture of his...
Caligula had gathered all that he could from the visions he had in the land of souls, it was now time to put a plan into practice. He had names, faces and was familiar with the voices of many of these evil doers. Now it was time for the hunters to become the hunted. This was not just one stranger he was hunting though, it was an entire syndicate, a vile sect of people who he had to put a stop to. If the strange wizard in the tavern was able to knock Caligula unconscious with a wave of his hand how powerful were his friends and how powerful will the leader Master of Spots Hunter be? This was not a task Caligula could handle by himself, he would need help...
Caligula knew his only hope was to start a clan of like minded individuals to help him in his hunt for justice. He called the clan M.S.P.C.K., which was short for Mage's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Kobolds. He would spend his future months and years recruiting battle mages and warriors from across the land to join him in his fight for justice for the Kobold's. Caligula would also start work on building sanctuaries which would serve as safe havens for Kobold's fleeing this evil sect of torturers and murderers. Only time will tell if Caligula's quest for justice will ever come to fruition.
++++END OF CHAPTER ONE ++++
Entered by: 0xBA5A…8Cc8 and preserved on chain (see transaction)
