Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-5583506-20170721035105/@comment-5583506-20170725022718

Following the silence that ensued, the Guildmaster took to word again. "Though you are not heroes yet. That remains to be seen as you spend your time here."

His right eye traced the outline of the dining hall, examining each and everyone of their faces. "Some of you came from prestigious families of renown and wealth, others came from the gutters and the streets of the slums. Some of you grew up on farmsteads, knowing nothing but how to wield a pitchfork, while some of you came from the wilderness itself. Some of you come from families where the heroic trait runs strong through your veins, while some of you might be the very first in their line to receive the gift. It all counts for nothing here.

On these very grounds you are all equal. You will grow up as equals. You will fight as equals. And yes... you might even die as equals. But death is what you are here to learn how to avoid. Not only for yourselves, but for others as well. Sharing the heroic trait comes with a duty; the duty of responsibility and respect. You are here to learn how to improve. To become smarter. To become stronger. To become something more worth than what you already are. But it's not for yourself only. By improving yourself, you are improving this very world."

The Guildmaster pointed out through the windows metaphorically. "Out there is a world weak and frightened. Mankind is weak and frightened. In their everday toil in life they have to face off against monsters, criminals, natural disasters, the list goes on. Where they fail to save themselves, we intervene, because such is the duty of the heroic trait."

The old man adjusted his arms behind his back, steadying himself as he began the tale. "I am not sure just how familiar you all are with this story", he started. "Some of you might have been to young to remember it, or have had it told to you on later occasions. So I'll repeat it. Seven years ago there was a being with the power to take on the appearance of others, be it man or woman, boy or girl, monster or human. It called itself the Mold, as it could form its shape into anything it came into physical contact with. Mimicking them perfectly, as it took complete control of the life it had just imitated, by disposing of the original."

Juliana shuddered slightly and felt the need to rise up and leave the dining hall, exchanging a swift glance at Gait before she left.

"It all started with a very common crime... the murder of a civilian, whereas someone impersonated the latter for some time even though the original man was dead and buried."

The Guildmaster didn't shy away from harsh truths and cared little if he frightened the children. It was important that they were made well aware of what sort of people they were surely going to encounter in their future.

"That someone was the Mold. A person possessing the heroic trait, just like you, youngsters. Though unlike what we teach here at the academy, the Mold sought to challenge the world itself. By masquerading as a number of different people, the Mold made itself influential enough to gain the support of several powerful villains. Former heroes. Former comrades. With a small army by its side, the Mold rampaged through Tamriel, spreading chaos and destruction wherever it roamed. Heroes where sent out to cut the head of this snake, but how does one chase that which no one knows what it even looks like? It wouldn't take long before the threat was at our very doorstep. Many people died; civilians and heroes alike. The entire continent was in an uproar. I can consider myself lucky."

The Guildmaster tapped with his finger against the eyepatch, indicating what he had lost at that time.

"Though the Mold's true intentions have never been revealed, it was eventually found in its wake of corpses and contained within the dungeons of Volkihar Prison, along with all its accomplices during the Great Conflict. But the damage done to this world is far from mended."

He looked at Juliana as she exited the building.

"Some good people were lost who will never come back again. Some people we believed to be friends but whom eventually turned their backs on us to prove otherwise. Not to mention the loss of respect from the civilians we swore to protect, yet could not foresee the dangers from those sharing the heroic trait."

The Guildmaster finished, and gazed out over the crowd again.

"You are all here at this academy to prevent anything similar from happening again. You will train. You will grow. You will live. But most importantly: you will protect. We do not stoop to the levels of the creatures we fight. We do not kill our enemies. For that is what they want. By doing so you've proven that you are no better than them and should perhaps find yourself as an equal to them more than your own kin here. We do not kill. Justice will be your weapon, so use it wisely."

The man straightened himself and gave the children one last harsh stare. "That is all."