Battle Hex: Rise of the House Nefarian

This is my first campfire. I’m excited to see how this story will develop.

A few story notes to help:
In the last Great War, (The War of Eight Kingdoms). The seven great Sorcerer Houses allied against the House of Nefarian. As a result, the House of Nefarian was defeated and its living sorcerers exiled. In the resulting years of peace between the Seven Great Houses a ceremony is held to promote young sorcerers to their next rank of seniority (Inquisition of Initiates). However, in recent days there have been whispers of a stranger roaming the land and wherever he appears old sorcerers disappear. (The summons of the Initiates to this ceremony is where our story should begin).

I would like to leave the creativity of characters to the author. However, just so we have some left and right lateral limits, please align your character creations to the below houses.

There are Seven Kingdoms each with its own Sorcerer House. The rulers of the Houses are as follows:
House of Exander – Lord Maddox of the Countless Copies
House of Bomani – High Priest Kasisi of the Mystic Eye
House of Qu – Lady Xuan of the Dancing Blades
House of Tiberius - Vicarius Rizzo of the Unbreakable Shield
House of Galdr – Jarl Thorfinn Voice of the Calling Conjurer
House of Necalli – Citlali of the Falling Stars (Necalli means battle)
House of Reo – Asashi Master of the 12 Steps

“The difference between the Long Chant and Battle Hex is in the duration of its effect which should not be confused with the measure of its impact. A perfectly timed Hex can topple a Kingdom, and an ill-timed Long Chant is no more powerful than a puff of smoke.” – High Priest Kasisi House of Bomani
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His eyes were still shut when he heard the morning breeze howl through his window almost as if it were calling him to wake. Still lying on his back, Umi raised his hands to his face to rub away the crust from his eyes. He felt the warm welcoming light of the morning pass through the open window and touch his bronze skin. With a small sigh he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling allowing them to adjust. There wasn’t much time before he needed to be in the Practice Yards and he hadn’t even bathed.

“Father, today is the day,” he thought as he maneuvered to sit on the side of the bed placing his feet firmly on the ground.

Umi rose to his feet and started toward the wash room. As he walked he glanced out the window. Memories flooded his mind. He remembered the events that led him to the room, the tears mourning the loss of his parents, and then the anger toward their murderers that took its place. He could see his scrawny little arms resting on the window sill as he looked out at the older Initiates and Mystics. The way ahead was to become a warrior. A warrior as strong…no…stronger than his father. Now, seven years later, he was a bit taller (5’9”), stronger, and wiser. His gaze lowered to his feet, almost as if to break his dreaming trance, and he started again toward the wash room.

After bathing and drying himself he slid on his undergarments, pants, boots, tunic, and cloak made from a special cloth woven and enchanted by the House tailors. Every Initiate from the House received clothing the color of which resembles aged papyrus. This coloring served as a camouflage in the sandy terrain of the country. The enchant made the material as rugged as leather hide, as light as the finest silk, and advanced the healing of light wounds. While each Initiate places their unique touch on their apparel, the one thing that is consistent among the Sorcerers of the House of Bomani, is the image of the Enlightened Eye. On the Initiate’s cloak, the eye is embroidered in red to symbolize the struggle to attain the rank of Mystic.

Unlike the Initiates, Mystics receive armor forged by the House’s enchanting smiths customized to the Sorcerers abilities. The armor is incredibly strong and lightweight. A gold Enlightened Eye is branded on the armor. Though, unlike their younger warrior counterparts, they could brand the Eye on any place of their armor they chose to. Umi was determined to dawn Mystic armor. But, in order to wear the Mystic’s armor, he must first earn it. Raising his hood upon his head, he turned toward and headed out the door on his way to the Practice Yards.

“Today’s the day,” Umi again thought while gazing down on the Yards. He made his way down the stairs from the third level of Barracks. The other Initiates were pouring from the doors of the barracks into the courtyard to gather in formation. As he reached the second level Mystic Aiden shouted, “Move faster!” The only response that the Mystic would accept is action. Umi immediately darted forward in full sprint jumping from the second level of the court to the ground level facing the Mystic in the position of attention with the other Initiates. Umi was always impressed by his instructor’s armor and even more impressed by the warrior who wore it. Aiden fought side by side with Umi’s father in the great war. His armor, the color of tan sandstone, reminded him of his father’s armor. Aiden was a giant in terms of Amun men he stood almost 4 Cubits (a little under 7 feet).

“Horus, Sen, and Umi stand ready. All other Initiates back to the perimeter of the Yard and observe.” The three Initiates were perhaps the most gifted of the current cohort and the aspiring Initiates would soon see why. “A final test.” The Mystic raised his hand and chanted, “Behold, Shifting Sands.” An hour glass materialized and floated above his hand. With his remaining hand he reached toward the small of his back beneath his cloak and revealed a closed scroll to the three standing before him. “Once we begin, I will be your opponent. You must last in battle until all the sands have rested. Should you be unable to last, your invitation to the Inquisition of Initiates will be forfeit.” The three steeled their minds. Fighting Mystic Aiden required intense focus as his two phantom swords could appear anywhere and countering them, while still attacking the Mystic, would be a challenge. In a sense, fighting Mystic Aiden was like fighting three highly skilled warriors. However, the three Initiates were trained well. Their years together have taught them to use battle hex that complimented their strengths and likewise cover their weaknesses. Together they could match his power and pass the test.

“Ready!” bellowed Aiden unsheathing his sword. As the word fell from the Mystic’s lips two stones rose from the leather pouch at Umi’s waist and began to orbit around him. They were the famous Stones of Azeneth. The five famous stones were once embedded in the armor of Kairo' Tan, Umi's father. The renowned warrior was able to channel his sorcery through the stones with devastating impact. However, after the murder of his father, his mother was only able to retrieve two of the stones which she gave to her son confident that one day he would find the remaining stones.

Sen began to smirk crossing his crook and flail upon his chest. Horus opened his “Ankh’s Tanaffas,” (Book of Life’s Breath) the book through which he channeled his offensive and defensive constructs.
The hour glass began to rise and hoover above the Yard simultaneously rotating to begin the countdown. As soon as the first grain of sand began to fall Aiden’s sword began to arc in a wide cleave. “Batti!” Umi channeled through his Slow stone that stopped its orbit and centered in front of him. He raised his head to view the time keeping piece, “60 seconds,” he thought. The reduced speed of Aiden’s sword allowed Sen to evade the strike and summon two Anu Guards. Horus darted back chanting “I-Kim!” A shell appeared around Umi just in time for his slowing chant to expire and receive the brunt of Aiden’s swing. As Sen’s summoned guards began to dash toward Aiden, a phantom sword appears and begins to swipe down at Sen. One guard defended the strike, while Sen and the remaining Guard continued their approach to Aiden. Sen was feared among the Initiates as the best Summoner. He had an absolute love for music. The improvisation, the chords and harmonics of music could be found in the way the he fought alongside his summons. He’s always stated that his comprehension of harmony is the key to his fighting ability. His martial art skills were on par with his ability to summon. Of the three Initiates he was the most capable of evading, blocking, and striking Aiden in a head on fight. Paired with Umi’s haste and slow channeling he and his guards were able to keep most of Aiden’s attention, or so the Initiates thought. “30 seconds left,” Umi said to himself, while trying to focus on avoiding Aiden’s strikes and yet bolster Sen’s attacks. Horus continued to position Aiden between ‘a rock and a hard place’. “Ard Harba!” Horus’s chant brought forth spears of rock from the earth limiting Aiden’s maneuverability. Horus added, “Ard Vatila!” Holes began to open and close in the earth increasing Aiden’s frustration. “Good,” Mystic Aiden gave the Initiates praise for making the fight a challenge for him. At once, he summoned the second phantom sword to Horus’s location. Horus, the Initiate master of chant, was no stranger to close quarter combat. He quickly closed and raised Ankh’s Tanaffas to block the incoming sword attack. Just as the phantom sword was about to make contact with the magic tome, it began to disintegrate.

“Enough!” bellowed Aiden. “Excellent teamwork and improvisation. You’ve proven yourselves worthy to represent the House of Bomani”. The three, again, lined up in front of the Mystic as he presented the scroll to Umi. “The rest of the day is yours to share the news with loved ones and to rest. Tomorrow I will present you before the High Priest Kasisi who has words to share with you before your journey. Now go! And know, that I look forward to calling you my brethren.”