Cerberus

Master Warrior

Cerberus is of noble stock, born to Lord Artemis, Duke of Italiana and Lady Armedia. Italiana is a distant land of great culture and variety of peoples. A land renowned for it's spirits from the grapevine, and rich bountiful food. His childhood was an easy one, protected from the harshness of a peasant's life; his was the upbringing of royalty. One could say he was born with the proverbial "silver spoon" in his mouth. A destiny of riches and power were his for the taking. But, instead of the lad Cerberus relishing in his good fortune he rebelled against it. As a teen he was terribly difficult and would disobey the commands of his father Lord Artemis. He would stare out over the castle walls onto the countryside below and dream of the days of riding into battle, a dream he dared not share with his parents. His parents had a different dream for him as successor and ruler of the vast land the Duke ruled over. Cerberus began trading favors with one of the guards he had befriended. A little extra vino from the private stock of the cellar for lessons in hand to hand combat and swordplay. His mentor Sir Achilles would teach him well. Cerberus did not know just how valuable this training would become. He knew not the fates that lie in wait for him. As Cerberus matured and was well into his late teens he would venture out beyond the castle walls at night looking for adventure and excitement. He came upon a wandering gypsy trio one evening and began a friendship. This was a one sided friendship as the trio of rouges had less than honorable intentions. There was a young girl in her mid teens that especially caught the eye of Cerberus. She was a bawdy wild soul who showed young Cerberus some things Sir Achilles could not. Little did Cerberus know that Athena; the gypsy girl was plotting with her two "brother's" as well. Cerberus was enticed into giving Athena a peek into the castle walls on late evening, something that was strictly forbidden. So Cerberus led her into the grounds through a back entrance he would use for slipping out unnoticed. He did not know that Athena's evil counterparts were awaiting their sinister plan just out of sight in the shadows that night. Once Athena was within the castle walls she began to set the plan in motion. It all started with the uncorking of a bottle of wine to "set the mood". Cerberus did not notice when Athena opened her ring and dumped a white powder into his glass. All it took was a few sips of the wine and Cerberus was out cold. This gave Athena the chance to carry out the gypsy's plan. She went to the secret entrance and let her two travelling companions in to raid and loot the castle of its fortunes. Cerberus arose to the thundering sounds of his father regaling the story of a massive robbery. "The family Jewels are gone, our fortune has been plundered!" exclaimed Lord Artemis. He demanded an explanation from Cerberus and was furious when he found the young man had naively let thieves in the castle walls. The jewels, the jewels, were all that anyone could hear. It was soon learned that Sir Achilles was the one whom Cerberus had gained exit from the castle to frolic unattended. Still inflamed from the loss of some of his fortune the Duke ordered Sir Achilles to be put to death. Lady Armedia pleaded with him but to no avail. Cerberus could not believe what was happening. His friend and mentor were about to die due to his indiscretion. And his father regarded a few rubies and emeralds over the life of a dear friend and mentor. Cerberus was full of shame and despised everything he had. His fancy clothes, the finest stable of horses, riches beyond belief, it was all making him ill. "The value of my close friend is worth more than all of these material things," he thought. Now was the time for action, he must do something to save the life of his friend and mentor, but doing so would cost him all that he had. It did not take long for the decision to be made. Cerberus packed a modest bag, leaving anything of any value behind and while the guard to the dungeon was sleeping peacefully, he unlocked and opened the door to the cell where his friend was being held. Sir Achilles was happy to see Cerberus but not for the reason young Cerb had thought. As soon as Cerberus handed Achilles the sword he had took from the guards armory, Achilles grabbed the sword, looked Cerberus dead in the eye and said, "Honor is the only true freedom, I have dishonored your family and the Duke for which I serve. I must die with honor" And with that he fell onto the sword impaling himself. The guard arose at the sounds from the cell, came running in and grabbed Cerberus yelling, "murderer, Cerberus has killed Achilles!" But Cerberus managed to struggle free. Cerberus escaped out his hidden doorway and ran into the night. He was confused and felt his life would end. He knew he had caused this to befall his friend and family and swore never to return until he could bring honor back to his name. So he left, left it all behind and went out to start anew. Cerberus found his way to Britannia. Penniless and soiled from his journey he entered the town. For the first time in his life people looked down upon him. He was ridiculed by a local provisioner for being a common no good beggar. This was the lowest point of his life. A noble armsman took pity on him and threw him a few gold coins for a meal and a bath. This man was Jorus. Jorus showed Cerberus a great deal of kindness and very nobly helped him to get a start in the new land of Britannia. As their friendship grew and they trained together Jorus sponsored Cerberus into the guild he was in, the Knights of Britannia. Cerberus worked hard at his skills and always strove to be honorable to his friends and countrymen. He battled alongside his fellow guildmembers and earned the distinction of Knight. But alas, the dark shadow of his past continued to haunt him. He knew he must return to the land from whence he came to regain the respect of his father and to prove himself worthy once again. Cerberus never told anyone his story and one night simply disappeared into the darkness. He returned to his birthplace only to find his homeland in ruins. His families castle had been destroyed, his mother and father long dead. The land was now over run and only remnants of a village exist. Cerberus spent quite a long time in the countryside coming to terms with his fate. He has now vowed to never let what happened in his past re-occur. His new family, if they will have him back, is the Knights of Britannia. Cerberus has vowed to avenge all that fall victim to the rouges and gypsy's and will uphold Truth, Honor and Justice until his last breath. And so it begins anew, Cerberus has returned.