Enlightened Empire

After they had left the walls of Porcero behind the horizon, he at last could stop. His hands on his knees, he gulped in the cold winter air to catch his breath. A quick look towards the back and his heart bled again, as it had so much during their escape. His parents, his wife, his siblings and the children. Everyone carried far more than they should, far more than they could. And yet it would still only last them a few days. A few weeks maybe.

After he had brought Prince Corco to the castle, he had immediately known what trouble would await him. He wouldn't even fault the prince for it. In the end, it had been the prince who had pointed him towards the danger, shown him that Lord Saliena had set him up. Though it felt wrong in his heart, the prince could be considered his savior.

Thus, before he would be trapped by the walls of Ceros Castle, he had left his deputy in charge on a flimsy excuse and ran off as fast as he could, back home to his family. He barely had time to explain the gravity of their plight before they were forced to grab whatever they could, in preparation of their life on the run. What little they carried still would be nowhere near enough.

For warriors who had abandoned or lost their lords, the future was always bleak. They could not own land, could not run business or do trade. There were no legal means of livelihood besides servitude under their lord. As such, many would resort to crime just to fill their bellies. As members of his family caught up one by one, he looked up ahead, past the fields of winter wheat and towards the safety of the treeline; and even further all the way to the hills and then the great Sallqata Mountains behind them. Latrus was determined: They would make their way. Somehow, they would.

And thus begins the tale of the infamous Latrus bandits.