I do not know how much more you are destined to live. The blood grows thick, and no worldly pleasures can make it run down the veins. The man departs from this world when only one part of the twenty parts of water which are present in his body remains. A month ago, a Tibetan healer sent by the Great Khan of Karakorum Mengu to cure Batu said, “Honorable Khan of the Golden Horde, there is no cure in the sublunary realm to heal your ailment. With each day, his fear of the death was dying out, and he was beginning to cherish each moment of life. Dried out by his ailment, small and feeble, he ride slowly through the steppe, and there his disturbing black thoughts would come back to him, for no one could see his face. His guards would follow him at a respectful distance for fear of bothering the khan. It was only in the afternoon that Batu, having finished dealing with the business, would put on his red chapan and an otter trimmed hat, just the same as those which Barak had worn, and go to the steppe, to the secret hill. Fate is merciless, and there is no force to stop it. For the first time in his life, Batu Khan felt love and affection for a living being, but his fate had been following him hard on the heels and finally caught him up disguised as a black eagle and took his bundle of joy away. Today, there had not been a simple bow and an arrow to save his son. Could the death of his son had been destined by fate, the fate one cannot escape and which will inevitably creep up on you, regardless of who you are – a soldier or the ruler of the Golden Horde? A slightest movement of Batu’s hand was enough to destroy cities and conquer countries. That moment they seemed to pass before his inner eye, and a violent tremor seized his whole body. Flames of conflagration, screams of people defeated and now dying of the merciless Mongol swords, scenes capable of making one’s hair stand on end had always been a source of joy to him. He, who was used to sending thousands of people to death, who used to enjoy the sight of the ground painted red with blood, came to understand that death was anguish, that death was a pain which was beyond comparison.
Barak was too little and vulnerable to resist the cruel world full of guile, in which one will never hesitate to spill his brother’s blood in pursuit of power.īatu Khan, the iron Batu Khan, who had never had mercy for a living being since he was born, was crying silently. But he knew that his dream was to never come true. The idea grew especially certain when he realized that he was living on a borrowed time. Batu could not explain what the source of this believe might be, but there was something about the young khan that made him think so. The thought, yet obscure, of Barak’s being the heir, the ruler of the Golden Horde he had created in due time, would occur more and more often. The intense smell of childhood excited the khan. Batu would embrace him and, as was the Mongol custom, smell at his forehead when patting the child. He resembled her in his anger, obstinate and furious. As years passed, the boy came to bear a greater resemblance to his mother.
Being always indifferent to children, always suspicious and cruel, busy with wars and feud, Batu was totally transformed at seeing Barak. The khan would take the boy onto his lap, and his face, rough, sunburnt and scarred by the wind of far-reaching campaigns, would grow lighter.
Time came for him to utter his first words, and Batu’s visits to him had grown more frequent since then. The Leader will be the Character seen moving about the world of Aveyond.The most faithful and reliable guards attended to the young khan. The Leader need not be Mel nor a Battler. Frequently, Stella makes a excellent "Fourth" since she can Protect, Heal, Cure and Revive fellow Party Members during a Battle.