The armored group that strode into the Burning Troll inn said little as they passed quietly by the tables. Some of them offered smiles in greetings, while others looked too weary for pleasantries. These men were fresh from the war, and they looked the part: days-old wounds adorned their faces, and the banners they bore - depicting a stylized sun on a field of black and blue - were dirtied and tattered. The group ducked behind the thick veil into the back room. Only one of them stayed to grace the bartender, Fat Angus, with quiet words.
The boy looked with wide eyes as the coin changed hands.
"Pa! Look, pa. There be rebels..." He hissed quietly as the man followed in the wake of his compatriots.
"Rebels?" His father chuckled quietly. "No, child, not anymore."
"But they's fighting the empire, aren't they?" The child asked. "Isn't that what they do?"
"The empire is no more, Thadeus." A faint smile crossed the father's lips, though it vanished just as soon as it came. "At least, not the empire you were born into. We are Dasarians, as is our queen - and when her day comes and Canas is vanquished, her son will rule as king; a Dasarian king."
"The Princeps? But pa, what about his empire! Doesn't he want to rule all the lands?"
"It is not for man to rule over lands so wide he alone cannot even fathom their breadth; that is the duty of gods, son, and no man should see himself a god... lest he turns to evil and madness. You were not born to see it, but the Varanite empire was not kind to us when its soldiers marched upon our lands.. all that your greatparents, and their parents before them, created -- near all of it, they sought to destroy, and remake us in their image."
The boy deadpanned. "So?"
"Your mother and I, Thadeus... we did not live as free people. You, however.. you may yet have the chance to know who and what you want to be, without emperors, templars, and wizards from distant western lands deciding what that might be in your stead."
Thadeus did not entirely understand what his father was on about; he didn't much care. He knew who he wanted to be - he wanted to be a famous knight, or a great archmage, or...
His thoughts were interrupted as another group of men loudly made their way into the hall. They cheered, hooted, and sang songs as they greeted the patrons -- and though they bore similar colors and similar banners as the group that came before them, their armors shone as new, and their faces were fresh and clean. Even Thadeus could tell the difference between them and the others, whose smiles bore a certain tempered quality to them. These men have not yet gone to war.
"Few of them will return, and they know this." His father said to him, as if reading his thoughts. "For now, they live."
"So if they's not rebels..." Thadeus' gaze followed the group as they slinked into the back room, where a cheerful roar rose from all in attendance. "What are they?"
"Daybreakers," his father explained. "They fight for Dasaria, and what it stands for. They rebelled once, yes... but they don't need to, not anymore; the line of Siril rules over Dasaria, again - Varana no longer holds our kingdom in its claws. These people strive to keep it that way, even after Canas is gone."
"They's fighting Canas, then?"
"Chiefly, among other things. Dasaria will certainly not be free until he is gone."
"What other things?"
"As I have told you, Thadeus... much and more of what your ancestors built and wrote was destroyed. These men - these men seek to rebuild and rewrite it. They mean to help you and I understand who we are and where we came from -- to reclaim our legacy, our history and our traditions... to restore the old ways."
"Ew," Thadeus spat. "I don't wanna be old!" With that, the child hopped off the bench, skipping outside to stare and awe at the warriors' horses. The father sighed lightly, a smile crossing his lips as he brought his tankard to his lips.
Tharon be good, Thadeus will live to see the rebirth of the kingdom he has only ever dreamed of.
* * * * *
What is the Daybreak Alliance?
Rising against the Varanite tyranny when its power still held fierce and true in the province of Dasaria, the Daybreak Alliance began as a collective of knights who wished to see Dasaria reborn to its former, independent glory - and restore to the land a sense of justice, freedom and dignity. Gaining a following among Dasarians who wished to cast Varanite rule from their conquered land, the Daybreak Alliance soon spearheaded the most recent Dasarian revolt against Varanite overlords and Canite usurpers alike.
Whether their words rang true in the ears of Siril II, or whether it was the result of simple, cold calculations - there is no denying that much of the Daybreak Alliance's goals have been, eventually, achieved. With the empire crumbling upon itself and Siril II having embraced his Dasarian legacy, going as far as making the motion to reintroduce the worship of Tyrak and Rel - faiths considered heretical by Varanite tradition, and long associated with Dasarian core values - some might question what the Daybreak Alliance has left to be fighting for.
Old wounds have yet to close.
Dasaria is more than a name - it is history, culture, faith and values that have been ruthlessly stamped out by the Varanite empire when it marched over Dasaria in the aftermath of the Great War: Of faith, the Church of Lochwar warped the Dasarians' pantheons, proclaiming their god "king" in Tharon's stead, and allowing the worship of dark deities such as Culnul and Coloth. Of values, fear and obedience rose to prominence over compassion and understanding. Of history, the deeds of Dasarian heroes remain besmirched or unsung. The list goes on, but the principle remains the same. Much has been lost, and much has been forgotten.
The Daybreak Alliance is not so much a faction as it is an ideal. Anyone can bear its banners, so long as they believe in a free and independent Dasarian kingdom -- free of the shackles of Varana and true to its roots. Yet, there are those among them who would rise above the others to teach their Dasarians brethren of their lost past, and more importantly, their potential future -- not only in words, but also in example.
An order to champion the old ways, and carve a path to the new.
(( I am gauging interest in the reprising of this faction into active duty, with new and old characters alike! Read the wiki article for more information, and let me know, IC or OOC, if you are interested. :) ))
