Valen Battler of The Coliseum UNFINISHED ROUGH DRAFT

Valen grew up in a small war clan village just north of the Sacred Pillars. This is not where he was born, but where he was found. Wandering through a nearby clearing, cold, hungry and alone he was found by a warrior scout. This warrior scout, normally, would have instantly killed the child, not being of his own clan. However, he could sense the strength within the child.

Even as a small boy, he loved to fight. Not in anger, just because it was fun. However, Valen was constantly getting his ass handed to him. He understood the basics and he had an unstoppable chin. He was never getting knocked out, cut or even bruised. He would fight his hardest but still take a vicious beating more times than not. Usually, an opponent would, at some point, get too tired and frustrated at the fact that nothing could put him down, and just walk away exhausted. They would mock him. They would tease him and do anything to break the spirit of the boy they could not hurt physically. He was different. And he knew that being different in a war tribe is not a good thing.

It was at this point he would learn anger. He tried to swallow it at first, but his peers were relentless. Never missing a chance to embarrass him. The girls too would even join in. Being seen as his friend would only lead to your abuse as well. But as time went on, with every punch he took, with every fight that he lost, with every embarrassment and foul word he learned... and he grew smarter, stronger, he grew faster, and he grew larger. In fact, by the time he was 12, he was as large as any adult man in his village. It was at this point that no one his age would challenge him. He was too powerful. Only the adults would face him. And face him they did. They did not hold back and would fight him savagely. He loved it. He was honored that he was being treated as an equal by the men he grew up idolizing. It didn't take very long before they too were no match for him. However, in secret, these same idols of his, were plotting against him. They, unlike the children, were wise enough not to insult him or let on their jealousy. However, they feared that their place in the war clan would soon be taken by Valen. They realized that at this point, Valen could defeat their champion and the boy was not even of age to claim a title. It wouldn't be long before the young man would come of age to challenge for War chief. They all understood that when he wanted it, it was his. Nobody could stop him.

This was when they decided on a plot to poison him. One night they loaded his supper with enough Death Root to kill a small army and while Valen ate, they watched. To their dismay, it had no effect. They tried for weeks using every deadly poison in the realm but alas, Valen was immune. It wasnt long after, Valen could sense a change in the village. His peers were no longer teasing him. When he would make mistakes, nobody would snicker or attempt to embarrass him. In fact, warriors wouldn't even make eye contact with him anymore. Valen could sense that something was wrong. "What did I do? What did I say?" Valen thought. "I clearly fucked up... but how?" Valen would be tormented by these thoughts. He could not sleep. His every thought was of how he may have wronged his clan. It was driving him mad. He needed to know what he had done.

One beautiful day, he drew up the courage to head to the chief's hall and address the issue. He was sure that he would be scolded and sent away but he needed closure of any kind. To his surprise, upon entering the great hall, he was greeted with smiles. "Welcome, young Valen!" said the high chief, now standing "Im glad you are here. We must speak on a serious matter. One that we have been mulling for a while now. Your passage into manhood. Though you are not yet of age, you have proven yourself worthy time and time again. What say you, Valen... do you feel that you are ready to take the oath of the warrior?" Valen was stunned. Taking a knee and bowing his head he said "Yes. I've waited for this moment my entire life. It would be my honor and my life' goal to prove your decision a wise one." He said now throwing his clenched fist across his chest. "Rise." said the chief. "On the morow you shall receive your purifications and so will begin your new life as a warrior." Valin rose, then bowed his head again. "Thank you Chief." Then turned and walked back out of the great hall closing the door behind himself. He stopped and stood for a moment. He was trembling with joy and excitement. He couldn't believe it. By this time tomorrow, He'd finally be a part of the warrior hoard. "They do respect me after all!" he thought "All of my sadness, fears and worry were unjustified! I now can see that clearly, nobody wanted to ruin the joy of my surprise!" Valin had never been happier in all his life. He would finally be a man. No more embarrassment, no more silence. Finally, be accepted within his clan. Thank the gods!

Back in the great hall, the smiles were gone the moment Valen left. "So, tomorrow is the day. We've planned for this for some time now. Every man, woman and child will be armed, as is custom, he will have no suspicion. When he takes the knee, we will strike him down."

The following night...

Purification day had been the longest day of his life. In fact, Valen believed that this single day seemed to last longer than his entire life up to that point. The wait was excruciating. Valen busied himself throughout the day cleaning his armor and sharpening his Dane Ax, over and over again to kill time. The blade was now as sharp as anything that ever was.

As night fell and midnight grew closer,

Entered by: 0x308D…Fda4