Ages ago, 915 to be exact there lived a young woman from a midland tribe, she was a woman of legendary beauty with hair like a crow's feather and eyes blue like the bluest wild flower. Her hear knew nothing but joy,love, and the hedonistic and carefree ways of her people. Her people were one who agreed that women were to be women, mothers,caretakers and not warriors and farmers and that those who could not bare the gift of child could not call themselves a woman and were to be banished for children were like gold in this little tribe. Our young maiden had found a man of whom she would be happy washing his feet,cooking for him, and bearing him many children and more. Where she was the village healer and daughter of the village priestess, he was the village hero and no man was as great a warrior as he. It was much like a sweet love tale where all ends well but all was not well.
Far over the swampy marshes, past the hills, and through the deep forests sat a man upon a mountain. This man fancied himself a War God in mortal form and would not rest until he had taken the entire country as his own. He had already taken every village and tribe surrounding the mountains and now set his eyes farther. He had 5 armies under his control and sent each to take all in their reach. Now word got to the tribe that many had been falling to this great War Lord and that one of his armies was headed straight for the village, an army of their own and allies would march for this army and intercept them in hopes to stop them from reaching the village. The leader of her tribes army would sadly be our young maiden's intended, he promised when he returned they would wed but he did not return alive. Not very many men returned alive and many more did not return at all. Our young maiden was thrown into a fit of anguish and agony and of course some of this might be blamed on the fact she was only 15.
Before the bodies were to be burned She decided to make a trip out to the swamps where it was rumored an old crone who knew how to revive the dead lived. Our desperate maiden traversed through the dangerous swamp and found an old crone in an old home and begged her and promised her anything she wanted in return for her love's life. The old crone smiled and told her three hings and she would then give the girl the power or resurrection and an old book of spells but first the girl would have to give up her ability to bear a living child from her womb, she would have to give up her ability to age or to end her own life. Now to her what would it matter? She was young and if she had magic she could magic a child or so she thought and of course she did not think past the now. Her love would age and die but she could never and after that she would have to watch all those she loved and cherished die as she sat un-aging like a perfect beautiful statue. Our young and reckless maiden agreed without any thought and the old crone kissed her with magic and when our young and now magical maiden opened her eyes the crone before her stood a beautiful,young,golden haired beauty who laughed and told her that she now held the gifts that she traded for magic and handed her a book telling her she would soon not want any of it and vanished to go find her own love,make her own babies, and die old and happy.
Our young maiden however ran off to bring her love back and when she cast the spell his heart began to beat but he could remember his death and feel the ache in his body and when he found out what she had done he told her to feel shame and took his own life not wanting to live as a monster.She was of course sent into a despair like no other and not only had this just happened but it was said the army was on the way. In anger and hatred she left in the darkness of night and sneaked into the camp raising the dead and summoning a small group of low level demons and took the camp as her own. None lived but were reanimated as walking corpses under her bidding and she thought to show her tribe. She stood with her small army like a proud cat with a mouse but her tribe was horrified and shamed calling her a monster and banishing her from the village forever. The girl was angry and did not understand. How could they think she was evil? She had done this for them, so that no more of their own would have to die. Even though they had disowned her she still wished for them to live and so she set out to the mountains with a plan.
She presented herself to the War Lord King and spoke to him of the powers of the undead, how they felt no pain,did not tire, needed no food or rest. The king had already become smitten with this beautiful young woman with the strange eyes like fresh embers and listened. She showed him how her army could take two of his armies without feeling remorse or tired from the act and he was in a great joy. He told her that she would be his only adviser and that all his armies would be poisoned that night so that she could raise them the next morning. While his men died he sent an invite to her, beckoning her to his private chambers where he had thought to take her like a beast and when she ran her hands over his chest she also ran a dagger into his back.
She now had 5 great undead armies and the War Lord King as her playthings but she did not feel the need to go forth and take over and call herself a queen. No she felt she had saved her people and many more and decided to live within the fortress upon the mountains, she tucked her undead away in a beautiful crypt under the mountain and began her life as a hermit who trained herself in magics of all kinds. She would occasionally venture out to search for an old scroll or ancient magic artifact and she took two apprentices one of who loved her as a lover but she only loved him as a mother would love a a babe and the other who thought she was a master of magic and went to face a dragon and died. Now our maiden is no longer young and sits upon her mountain alone with not but the crows and undead as company. Rumors spill that she is the Crow Queen, she wanders where blood has been spilled taken the dead like a crow, she is an old crone living in a haunted castle and none are brave enough to seek her out to see if it is the truth and the current ruler of the lands is too frightened to try and evict her. She sits awaiting others to join her story and hopes some will stay and make their own. For now she travels and keeps her talents a mystery for she knows some are not very welcoming of it.