[Entry 1 – Unknown Date]
The pen feels heavy in my hand tonight. Perhaps it's the weight of what I carry within me, or perhaps it's the world I have chosen to defend.
Ravenwood is more than just a fortress—it is hope. A symbol of unity amidst chaos. I've walked its stone walls, felt the power that courses through this ancient ground, and made an oath to protect it with my life. If this place falls, the kingdom will shatter like glass, and the crown will be left in pieces.
But I am here, and as long as I draw breath, no enemy shall take it.
I am told I cut an imposing figure—though I don't concern myself with such things. My hair, long and brown, often tied back in a ponytail, is hardly remarkable. My fedora, however, has earned me many names: "The Gentleman Commander," "The Shadow of Ravenwood," and others I've never cared to remember.
My staff is always with me, a gift from my father. Simple yet elegant, it suits me. Some laugh at the thought of a soldier wielding such a thing in battle, but those who have seen its blade emerge from the bottom never mock it twice.
[Entry 7 – Unknown Date]
War is like a shadow that stretches endlessly, engulfing everything in its path. I am no stranger to its horrors, yet today felt different. The War of Shattered Crowns continues to claim lives on both sides, but the enemy grows bolder.
They call me the Empire's best in combat, though few have seen me hold a sword. What they don't understand is that war is not won by brute strength—it is won by strategy, precision, and an unyielding will.
Today, we repelled yet another siege. The soldiers sang songs of victory, their spirits lifted by our success. But I couldn't join them. I see the faces of those who fell—friends, brothers, comrades. Victory feels hollow when the price is so steep.
[Entry 12 – Unknown Date]
Betrayal is the most insidious of poisons. It festers in the heart, spreading its venom until it consumes everything it touches.
I trusted him. I trusted him.
[Entry 20 – The Betrayal]
It is said that no fortress is impenetrable, but I believed Ravenwood to be an exception. I believed it because of the men and women who stood with me, who bled and died for these walls. I believed it because of him—Elyan, my closest comrade, my brother in arms.
Elyan was more than a soldier; he was family. Together, we held the line when the enemy's numbers seemed endless. Together, we planned every strategy, every counterattack. Together, we swore to protect Ravenwood.
But gold weighs heavier than loyalty.
The enemy knew of the secret tunnels beneath the fortress, a route only a handful of us knew about. They stormed through those passages like rats in the night, catching us unprepared. Elyan had betrayed us, sold our location to the enemy for a chest of gold and the promise of land.
I fought with everything I had. My staff, its blade gleaming, cut through the invaders like a reaper's scythe. The knights under my command fought valiantly, but we were overwhelmed.
I remember the moment I was struck down—the cold steel piercing my side, the taste of blood in my mouth. As I fell to my knees, I saw Elyan standing among the enemy, his eyes filled with regret but no hesitation.
My dying breath was not a cry of pain or despair—it was a curse. I swore that I would never rest, not until I found the one who betrayed me.
---
Edran's body was laid to rest in the Cemetery of Fallen Warriors, a sacred grove within the forest of Ravenwood Academy. His grave became a place of mourning and remembrance, a symbol of loyalty and sacrifice. But his spirit did not find peace.
The curse he uttered with his final breath bound his soul to the earth, his hatred for betrayal anchoring him to the mortal plane. Over centuries, his story became legend—a tale of honor, betrayal, and vengeance.
"Do not lie to me, girl. I see the blood on your hands.
I see the life you stole.
Your brother..."
His voice grew colder.
"You killed him."
Elara sobbed, clutching the amulet tightly.
"I had no choice! He... he was going to take everything from me.
My place, my power, my—"
"Your pride," Edran interrupted, his gaze narrowing.
"You killed for your pride."
Chains materialized around Elara's wrists and ankles, black and spectral.
She gasped, struggling against them, but they only tightened.
"You have bound yourself to me," Edran said, stepping closer.
"Do you understand what that means?"
Elara shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
"It means your betrayal has marked you.
You are mine now.
And I will not rest until every betrayer has paid the price."
The amulet in Elara's hand cracked, its dark light extinguished.
She let out a scream as the chains pulled her to the ground, her body trembling.
Edran turned away, his staff tapping against the stones as he began to walk.
The cemetery seemed to darken further, the trees bending under an unseen weight.
His voice echoed through the night.
"Betrayers never escape their fate."
[Note: When undead Eldran is speaking, to Elara it looks like she is talking to her brother who she took his life...And the replies are different too. When Elara lies it comes out as truth she burries... ]