Rygar.
"Do not go gentle into that good night...Rage, rage against the dying of the light!" - Dylan Thomas, 1951
Greetings! I am Rygar, son of Lygar; from the town of Shangri'la, in the kingdom of Turalia.
5 years have passed since Illyriad's creation. Many dominators have ruled in all their glory, but time was their greatest enemy and it defeated their reign. And now a new dominator's reign begins...
From the time he could stand, Rygar was baptized in the fire of combat. Forged on an anvil of discipline by the finest Dwarven masters. Taught never to retreat, never to surrender. Taught that death on the battlefield in service to Valar Dohaeris was the greatest glory he could achieve in his life.
At age 7, as is customary in Illy, Rygar was taken from his mother and plunged into a world of violence. Manufactured by 300 years of Dwarven society to create the finest soldiers the world has ever known. The Agoge, as it's called, forces the dwarf to fight. Starves them, forces them to steal and if necessary, to kill. By rod and lash the dwarf was punished, taught to show no pain, no mercy. Constantly tested, tossed into the wild. Left to pit his wits and will against nature's fury. This was his initiation, his time in the wild, for he would return to his people a Warrior, or not at all.
The wolf begins to circle the Rygar. Claws of black steel, fur as dark night. Eyes glowing red, jewels from the pit of hell itself. The giant wolf sniffing; savoring the scent of the meal to come. It is not fear that grips Rygar, only a heightened sense of things. The cold air in his lungs. Windswept pines moving against the coming night. His hands are steady. His form...perfect. WHOOOSH! A single, swift, mighty heave of his spear and the wolf is vanquished.
And so the dwarf, given up for dead; returns to his people, to sacred Shangri'la, a king! Our king, Rygar!
It's been more than 30 years since the wolf and the winter cold. And now, as then, a beast approaches. Patient and confident, savoring the meal to come. But this beast is made of men and horses...swords and spears. An army of slaves, vast beyond imagining, ready to devour tiny Shangri'la. Ready to snuff out the world's one hope for reason and justice. A beast approaches...and once again it is Rygar who must rise to the occasion, adapt and overcome, and stand with the Valar Dohaeris to lead his people to glorious victory in the war for Illyriad, once and for all!
-Chapter 1 The Chronicles of Rygar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRvPg0FSzIg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWz0qVvBZ0
May the luck of the Seven Pillars of Gulu be with you at all times!
