The Fall of the Raven: A Legend of the Wood

The Raven hasn’t been seen in years now. No one really even knows if he’s still alive. Probably not. The Raven patrolled the woods with his band of men, keeping the poor safe from corrupt nobles who tried to rob them out of house and home by stealing from the nobles and giving it away to those in need. This was decades back when the cruel King Theros ruled over Ravenwood, taking everything and anything he could from anyone his battalion of tax collectors could get their hands on.

 

The king’s soldiers hated the Raven, doggedly pursuing him and his men at every turn, but the Raven was never caught. Even if some of his men were captured and thrown in prison, they would be rescued under the cover of night. One such man was Barric Ashe, the right hand man to the Raven. Barric barely came to the Raven’s waist. He was the Raven’s young protege, almost like a son to the bandit leader. Since he was so young, he was easy to capture and interrogate. King Theros took advantage of this, frequently kidnapping Barric and torturing him to make him reveal the Raven’s whereabouts. While Barric never shared the location of the Raven, the king’s influence slowly grew on him.

 

Barric realized that while the Raven handled immense sums of money, his band of men never received a penny. This thought boiled in Barric’s belly for years as he spent time with the Raven, learning to steal from the rich. As he watched bag after bag of money pass through his fingers without receiving a single coin, Barric had enough. The Raven had to go.

 

He had seen the glint in the eyes of two others: Guinevere Barn and William Fast. He spoke to them both, privately and quietly, about how he felt concerning the money. They both felt the same. However, the Raven had such a hold over his entire band that the three agreed that the only way to change the minds of their peers was to get rid of their influence.

 

Thus, the plot was hatched. Guinevere would ask to speak alone to the Raven. The Raven had always had a soft spot for Guinevere. She had come crawling to the Raven and his men years ago, starving and penniless. He welcomed her as one of his men so she could aid others that had been in her shoes. It wouldn’t be hard for her to get him alone and defenseless.

 

Then William and Barric would follow, each carrying a knife. If there was trouble and any screaming, the cover story was that a bear had attacked and killed the Raven.

 

That night, Guinevere persuaded the Raven to step away from the group’s campfire. She led him deep into the forest, where, even if the rest of the men did hear the screams, they would not be able to find the Raven before his demise. Barric and William soon followed into the depths of the forest.

 

As the ringleader, Barric struck first, slashing at the Raven’s throat. He was fast, but the Raven was faster. With years of fighting experience under his belt, the Raven barely had to think to react. He ducked out of the way, grabbing Barric by the legs and pulling his feet out from under him. Guinevere and William quickly leapt at the Raven, trying to stab him from behind, but the Raven quickly fought them off, but not without consequence. Barric’s knife caught the Raven across the arm, leaving him with a memorable scar, not unlike the shape of lightning during a storm. William managed to grab hold of the Raven’s famous feathered cloak. However, the Raven escaped. Barric grabbed William’s knife and chased him, wielding the two knives, but the Raven was too quick. He practically melted into the mists, leaving Barric gasping for breath and quite lost.

 

It was early morning by the time Barric found William and Guinevere again. He kept hearing rustling and whispers in the forest, likely the animals and birds waking up and beginning to go about their business of foraging, hunting, hiding and singing, but to Barric, every squawk of a bird, every rustle of a squirrel in a tree, was the Raven. Hiding. Waiting to come back and take control of the men.

 

With the Raven gone, the other members of the band named Barric the new leader. The Raven’s title was passed to him, but he declined. He wanted a new name for a new age. The Falcon. Thus, the Falcon band was born. Slowly but surely, Barric the Falcon introduced the concept of taking money for themselves. With the strong, kind influence of the Raven gone, the band descended even further. They began to rob from poorer citizens of Ravenwood, as they were much easier targets than the rich, who were often heavily guarded. If their victim refused to give what they had, the Falcon would kill them.

 

To this day, the Falcon and his band terrorize the forest, picking off anyone who gets too close. The Raven may still be out there, but if he were, he would be old and likely more tame. The Falcon thinks he can still hear the Raven at night. The Raven, he thinks, is waiting and watching. The Falcon does not want the Raven to return and take over. He wants The Raven dead, if he isn’t already.