There once was a people in the very south of Kaphkos, that languished day in, day out under the scorching sun. Its hot rays fell on their heads for a large part of each day and their entire existence was centred around the sun. It is, therefore, not surprising that this people, which has been lost to history, saw the sun as a manifestation of God. It was always there, giving warmth and life, but it also brought hardship and tribulation. These people began to worship the sun itself as a god and offered sacrifices to it on altars. It was their one and only God. These practices are now long gone, like the people who carried them out. However, the symbol of the sun for the one true God has remained. The people of Camenia would adopt it and later make it the symbol of their omnipotent God in Teleiotism. This monotheism would then change everything. Sweeping away the old and creating a new world from its ashes. A sun cult would probably be blasphemy for the peoples of Kaphkos today. Such figments of misbelief soon disappeared with the rise of Teleiotism and were replaced by something else. For Teleiotism would give rise to something unprecedented: the incarnation of God's will on earth. A "chosen one".

  It was darkest night. A very tall man looked tensely down the hill, across the field towards a medium-sized town. There wasn’t a single light to be seen in any of the houses’ windows. His gaze turned to the moon. A short moment later, he tapped his heart three times with his right hand. "The sun will shine again, even here in Ordania. Until that day comes, we walk in darkness," he said quietly. Then he slowly disappeared into the thicket at the edge of the forest from which he had briefly emerged. He walked just a few metres further towards a small woodcutter's hut. Its windows were curtained so that no one outside could see, that someone was staying in the hut. The man opened the creaky wooden door and tried to close it again as quickly as possible so as not to tip off the town guards, that someone was in the forest. Inside, four other men were sitting around a table with a lit candle on it. They looked up briefly and when they recognised the figure as one of their own, they turned back to the maps and notes spread out on the table.

  The man stepped into the light of the candle. He had thick, chin-length black hair, a full beard, a scar on his face and wore iron armour without a helmet, of course. All the others wore only leather armour, but everyone here had a sword at their hip. Two of those sitting at the table had short black hair, the other two had brown hair, although one of them let his grow longer. That particular one with the longer mane looked well-groomed and not as hard-boiled as the others. He was also small, pointy-eared, almost like a weasel, and wore glasses, which was normally a sign of great wealth. In short, he didn’t look like very much of a fighter. One of the two blackheads stood up and said: "Sorry, Leader! I was just warming your chair while you were away." He stood up and vacated the chair for him, as there were only four of them here. Him standing also emphasised how tall the man in question actually was. He was at least a head taller than everyone else in the room and he had a massive, muscular body! "Thank you, G?tz," he thanked him briefly and sat down.

  Now the long-haired man took the floor: "And what's the situation? Are the conditions right or not?" The tall man, who looked like a bear at the table, replied: "Yes. If everything is prepared as you said, August, then we can get started." - "All right, gentlemen. Then we can get going any minute," replied the man wearing glasses. "Let's just go through the objectives again very quickly: We're not here to carry out large-scale looting or to spread fear and terror. Lieutenant General Brandolf, a member of the regime, was here at this base two days ago and passed on important information about the events in the north. My informants here are definitely trustworthy. That's why our goal is not to destroy the post here, but to secure these documents. The information is probably quite important and helpful for us. The men may, of course, loot everything that can be easily taken from the base, but they should retreat with the troops as quickly as possible once we have reached our objectives. Any assault strategy will again be left to our leader." The bear across from him nodded. "Is everything clear, or are there any questions? ....Theodor?", he turned to the big man. "No, everything is crystal clear. Tactics have already been discussed with the men. I just need to give the signal," he replied. The other two men also agreed.

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  "Let’s just hope it's actually useful information, that we'll retrieve. I don't want to die for a shopping list from the captain!" G?tz began to joke. At this, two of the people sitting at the table started laughing mildly. Theodor only met this with a serious, iron expression. August did the same, looking silently over at G?tz. "Sorry," he returned. Just as they were about to leave, August stopped them again. He held Theodor by the forearm and said: "The way I know you, you'll be fighting at the front with your soldiers again." - "What else? A leader must set an example and go into battle with his warriors." Looking slightly exasperated, August replied: "I would prefer it if you finally realised your value as the leader of the Martyrs' Brigades. You are too important to be sacrificed in some raid. It is not a sign of weakness to be rational and reasonable."

  Theodor replied: "You would know a lot about weakness, wouldn’t you? Not so much about good military leadership and fighting spirit." The other three tried as hard as they could to hold back their laughter, but it was completely obvious to the other two that they were rolling in the aisles. August looked over at them with a scowl.

  Then Theodor continued: "No, the men need me as a leader and as an inspiration. I'm going to be in the field with them!" - "I suppose that also means, you want to give another speech before we set off?" August asked. "Of course!" he replied promptly. August let out a sigh and finally gave up trying to change his mind. He added: "But it's not my fault, if we're prematurely discovered. If you really want to do this, then hurry up! We don't have all night!" The leader nodded and said: "Alright, commanders, let's go!"

  Theodor was not a man of words. He was a man of action. He knew how to use words, but only when they conveyed what he believed to be true. And in the same way, he did not use words to express things, that were simply not true. Words would achieve nothing with him, if they did not express what he believed to be true.

  The five of them packed their things, blew out the candle and left the hut together. Theodor wet his finger and held it up into the wind to see where it was blowing from. He realised, that it was coming from the direction of the settlement. That was very good. That way, the sounds, the troops made, would not be heard so easily, as they would be "blown away" in the opposite direction. The men went a little deeper into the forest behind the hut. Fifty metres behind them, they went down a slope, at the foot of which a large number of men were sitting together. There were no campfires lit, because they didn't want to be seen. When the commanders came down, they shouted, albeit not too loudly: "Formation!" All the men jumped up and got into their standard formation. "Saluuuute!" The men saluted in unison. "At ease!" The soldiers followed the order. Then Theodor stepped forward and began his speech:

  "Men, we, the Martyr Brigades are here today to fulfil a mission. But not just today, but again and again until a just order is restored in the land! But I want to see no arson here today until we have the records from the enemy! Is that clear?" - "Yes, sir!" - "It is the Lord's will that we eliminate the unworthy usurpers and heretics. Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood shall also be shed by man. For He created man in the image of God. Therefore, we will spare none of the servants of evil. We are the heirs of St Catherine, who died a martyr's death in the fight against this unrighteous ruling house. We will do the same, for we are the Martyr Brigades and we will not rest until the sun shines again over Ordania and all of Kaphkos!" Theodor raised his fist and chanted: "Praise the martyrs!" The troops followed suit: "Praise the martyrs!" All the commanders and August also joined in. Full of enthusiasm, he continued: "Freedom or death!" - "Freedom or death!" the men repeated.

  Nobody could inspire the fighters like Theodor. He was a true fanatic. Even, if the more rational August didn't seem to like it, it was an integral element to the strength of their organisation. Nothing could stop blind conviction. No form of logic was a match for it. Then the soldiers all packed their equipment and organised themselves into the pre-arranged assault teams. "March!" The men crept swiftly through the night. Their destination was the army post.