The figure before you radiates an ambiguous aura of piety and aggression. Such is the way of the Hurd, a religious sect to which some see more as a fanatical cult.

Hurd doctrine tells of their mission to rid lands and people of the evils that plague them. All "units" must obey a strict code of guidance at all times, and those who lack dedication are shunned.

For a High Priest, their calling requires only the most devoted. For them, using magic is strictly forbidden. Reliance on such practices is viewed as a weakness of body and faith.


----
I have known suffering since I were a young babe in the womb. My life has been nothing but suffering. Where once I was satisfied living a humble life as a woodsman felling trees for a living, greed overtook me.

I started by riping off customers, followed by pickpocketing, and theft. Eventually, I "graduated" by doing hit contracts. The bloodlust became so strong that one day I butchered and entire family for fun.

This was what was the start of a lengthy spell in gaol which gave me time to reflect on my life.

During my term, I came across an old man in the gaol courtyard, rambling on about some god. I was certain he was nothing but a senile old crackpot.

He turned to me, and thus he spake:
"I am a High Priest of the Hurd, my child, yet as blind as I may be, I can see your troubled soul. And I can, relieve your burden, should you desire."


-----
It took some time for me to admit it to myself, but deep inside, I knew he was right.
As I listened to his teaching, my mind was opened to the hidden reality around me. I became aware of the filth that has corrupted the land.

On the old man's deathbed, I vowed to uphold the Hurd and all its holy righteousness. And thus, he bestowed upon me the powers of Hurd as had his predecessors done unto him. I dedicated myself to the cause of Hurd, and as I finally stepped through the prison gates upon my release, I realised that my life had just begun.

Unsheathing my felling axe for the first time in over a decade, I let my tears of guilt consecrate the weapon. I vowed to never again shed innocent blood, to protect the weak, and heal the sick. I threw my axe up in the air and shouted:

FOR THE HURD!