Payn, the Bloodthief's page

Young Cavinti Paynneacea woke early and hummed a light tune as she hiked along the dirt road that ran through her farmstead on the outskirts of Clearwater. Father wanted her to help her brother Dane pull up the weeds in the Western field before school. Naturally Dane was already there, with a healthy pile of weeds stacked about him. She would have to hurry if she wanted to beat him.

"Has anyone asked you?" said Dane, after a few minutes work.

"I've no idea what're talking about," she answered, though she knew quite well what he meant.

"I doubt you've forgotten about the Harvest Ball, unless you've stumbled on a clump of Funnyweed. What about that Divid kid?"

"Stop calling him a kid. He's sixteen, same as me," she said, but the thought of Divid's broad shoulders and deep grey eyes holding her waist and dancing, slowly, made her blush up to her chin.

"Sorry. Kid. Well, has he asked you? If you go with him, maybe, at the end of the night, he'll kiss you."

Now the blush reached past her eyebrows, and she opened her mouth for some retort, but the her mind had no room other than the thought of getting her first kiss. That would be an interesting day.

A shout from the farmhouse grabbed her from their attention. Father stood outside, with Mother and her young sister Linnean, and was yelling at them to get going to school. Cavinti stood up and brushed herself off. Some grass had caught in her necklace and she grabbed it out.

"Still wearing that old thing?" said Dane, referring to the necklace.

"Mother gave it to me three years ago on my name day. And I swore to never take it off."

"It's nothing special, it just spells our last name."

"Don't you think a name is important?"

**************************

HighMother Iona Greenfield glided through her commune of Clearwater. She had originally founded it with a few dozen followers seeking a way to better enter Pelor's light, but the black, rich soil and the light hand of government had gathered others who had lost their way to her, and it now boasted over 300 souls. Some might consider that a success, but there was much to do. Messengers from the Duke needed constant reminders that he didn't actually own the land, and raiding bands from the Ironhand Orcs were almost becoming a nuisance. Still, no one looked over her shoulder here and Pelor had again smiled upon the harvest. Perhaps there would be enough for a new well, or even a low wall that Master Dagon kept asking for.

After walking through the still-growing market and settling a minor disagreement between two newly arrived merchants, she arrived almost on time to teach at the commune's small school house. Today's lesson was on Universal Harmony, and students had gathered with bright eyes for this morning's words.

"And so," HighMother Greenfield continued, after covering the basics of Truth and Harmony, "we see that the Karmic Circle is a fundamental truth of nature and runs constantly, even when we are not aware of it."

"Excuse me, HighMother?"

Iona barely suppressed a sigh. Though her back was turned, she knew the voice. This one asked many questions. And none of them were easy. She turned around, a bright smile pasted on her face.

"Yes, Cavinti? What is it?"

"I'm sorry, but how can we know that the Karmic Circle is real? How could there be any evil in the world if it was?"

This made Iona angry. Hadn't she been listening? The girl was too proud and needed more humilty.

"Now really, Cavinti, the question itself makes no sense. As the woodman chops the tree, does not the tree itself dull the axe? Think of your last name. It means "a cure to all ills". If you are to live up to it, you'll need to pay more attention, young Paynneacea. See me after class for lessons on Modesty."

"Yes Highmother."

Just as that crises past a new one sprung to take it's place, as some fool ran through the main road screaming his lungs out. The students cranked their necks to see what the fuss was about and began murmering excitedly. Now she'd get no work done. She told the children to remain seated (which they promptly ignored) and went outside to see to the matter.

The screaming fool turned out to be Farmer Honst, who was jabbering excitedly at Master Dagon, who grabbed his ax and began following the farmer back the way they'd come. As they past the HighMother, Dagon simply said "orcs" and went on his way.

What a bother. Now the whole morning would be ruined. Young Dane and Divid would be wanted by their fathers to drive off another dozen orcs too dumb to have learned their lesson. Then the rest of the children would want to watch, which was just as well since they'd need to drive off their own orcs some day. She sighed. Very well.

In a few minutes the menfolk had formed a crude line along the west side of the town, and the Highmother kept a close watch over a flock of students a safe distance away. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long and she might be able to get to the Fourth Line of Reason before midmeal.

A Shadow appeared along the horizon. Iona wondered why the shadow seemed to move, since there was not a cloud in the sky. Surely that dark line was a shadow?

The Shadow grew closer, and took on a greenish tinge.

Too soon individual forms could be seen.

No lost squad of scouts this. No band of a handful of young toughs out of their league. These orcs had a name.

And that name was Horde.

"Chidlren," said the HighMother. "Run." Iona advanced to the battleline, readying her spells and prepared to meet Pelor.

*****************************

At first Cavinti didn't know what to do. A few of the other girls just sat down and started screaming, including Linnean. But the HighMother had told them to run, so that was what she was going to do. She grabbed Linnean's hand and started running along Mill Road. They had not gone a score of paces before the shriek of steel-on-steel demanded her attention, and she stopped and turned around.

A great line of orcs crashed against the line of farmers and smiths like a green tidal wave. She saw Father stab an orc clear through with his pitchfork before three other orcs cut both his arms off. Even as his body fell the orcs kept stabbing him, over and over. Divid swung an old broadsword, but it just rang off an orc's rusty chain. Then the orc cut his head off, and his corpse just fell. Now those deep eyes would never stare at her. Dane stood over a small mound of orcs and brought death around him, but the line of farmers was breached in a dozen places. An orc stabbed his back with a rusty shortsword, and another jumped on him...and started eating his face.

Cavinti turned to run. If she could make the woods she might be able to hide out until nightfall. But as she turned she only saw fast wolf-riders closing the circle. She was trapped.

She turned south and ran, letting go of Linnean's hand, ignoring her screams, survival her only thought. She felt the hot, fetid breath of a wolf on her back and was flung forward, a massive paw holding her down. A large orc-shaped shadow fell across her and she was turned around. Three orcs stood above her, the one in the middle the largest, with a short tusk and one horn from his helmet missing.

Rough hands grabbed her and tore off her dress and tore off her small clothes and she was naked before them.

In the week that followed she was violated hundreds of times, no mercy was shown and every corruption was visited upon her body. It was beyond hurt, beyond torture. This was purest pain.

At the end of the first day she stopped praying for death, because no one was listening.

After three days she stopped praying to Pelor, and prayed to anybody.

Everybody.

For something.

Anything.

And sanity left her.

Different orcs visited her, but always the large one with the short tusk returned to her, so it was that he was on top of her when the week ended and another orc approached, speaking broken common at him

"He's been spotted on the East road with a band of fools. Put down your plaything, Lord Borak. We must make haste if he's to lead us to the map."

The large orc just nodded and a mailed fist crashed down on her head.

*********************************************

She took a moment to wonder that the Afterlife was exactly as she imagined it. A white-paced road winded a long way, and at the end there was a large golden gate, beckoning her. She knew that the soul had to journey, and imagined that this would be hers. She began walking.

"To where do you go?"

The voice startled her, because she had been alone on the road. But the voice was very soothing. And the speaker was tall. Very tall. With rich black hair and a clean, square beard. On his back rode a sword that curved on a way that was almost...sexy?

"I go to my reward. I've certainly earned it."

"Is that what you wish?"

She opened her mouth to answer, because of course she must wish to go beyond. But the word stuck in her throught. She did NOT wish the End. In her mind's eye she saw what she wished, and it was that she would do to that awful, vile, orc all of the things that he had done to her. To make HIM suffer as she had! Yes! THAT was what she wished.

"No," she answered.

"I see your desire," said the tall man with the wavy sword. "I can give it to you. Would you like that? To return? Simply pledge yourself to me, and all you desire will be yours."

It seemed a simple choice.

"Yes."

"Excellent." He smiled.

She woke, alone and naked, with the midday sun directly above her. Her wounds had healed, but her mind was filled with visions. With fantasies. With blood. She knew now that she had purpose. And that was all she had.

She searched about the burned ruins of Clearwater for supplies. Here there was dress that had only a few tears in it. There a waterskin. Here a few coins under a body only somewhat burned. She thought she may have known the body, but that was a lifetime ago.

She last found her necklace. It has been broken, of course, but so had she. It no longer said her name. No. It no longer said her old name. But she would call herself by what letters were left. Just like her, it had not been broken, just made into something else. Since she was what she had become, she would call herself this new name. The name of

Payn.