History

Hyboria. The land we reside on. Someday we will truly be able to call Hyboria home. Someday…a day that is fast approaching due to the efforts of all the founders and members the Acolytes. This is their story.

The Acolytes weren't formed overnight at the whim of some hooligans dissatisfied with their way of life. Before the Acolytes were formed they were enslaved to mine the iron deposits in the hills. The regulations at this time were many and the penalties harsh. This in and of itself was not a problem. The rules were needed for everyone’s safety. No one questioned it. As the planet became further developed, the rules should have been changed to suit the new environment. Hundreds of years passed but the rules didn’t. One place where the rules were the strictest was in the iron mines. Any mistakes and a cave in or explosion could kill you and your fellow miners. However, many of the rules just didn’t make sense after the initial decades of operation. All the prisoner were worked hard and all were equally tortured and some driven to their deaths by overwork. If the prisoners just would not cooperate at all they were sent to prison camps. Children born in the camps had no life to look forward to. It seems the “sins of the father” would ensure a life of slavery for these children. There was little hope for anyone working the mines.

News of the world outside the mines was scarce. Sometime a new inmate would be brought in and all the old prisoners would pick their brains for current events. Light began to shine in the darkness of the mines. After years of struggle it seems that the prisoners had enough of the mistreatment! The people who knew only oppression, toil and heartbreak began to plan their escape.

After several years of planning, training, scrounging weapons and explosives, bribing guards was about to pay off. Many of the older miners and those old before their time decided to make the ultimate sacrifice for the younger inmates who were often their children. At least 60 if not more of these older miners, the parents and grandparents of many Acolyte members, led the attack on the guards at their prison mine. The guards, having grown fat and lazy, were taken totally by surprise. With suicidal bravery they bought enough time for their children and grandchildren to escape. Unfortunately, it is believed that all of those elderly volunteers were killed in action as no word was ever heard from them again. Their sacrifice was not in vain. A very young Redruum led the able bodied miners and all the children through the fences that were blown open by carefully hoarded explosives. Patrolling guards killed many as they fled the compound. They killed at least a dozen youths as they scrambled for freedom. Redruum led his bloodied band through mile after dangerous mile of hostile territory to freedom.

The going was hard and several members were lost due to the hostile wildlife that infests Hyboria. They decided to make camp and a memorial service was held for those that lost their lives. Tears flowed freely among all involved and many an oath of revenge was spoken that night. They were determined to become followers of war until their thirst of revenge was satisfied, hence the Acolytes were born!

Early the next morning they arose and noticed they were surrounded by the guards that they tried to escape from the previous day. The children were caught off guard and were not expecting the guards to chase so far, so there was nothing they could do but surrender. As they were being dragged away they all agreed that they shall somehow reunite to carry on their destinies!

Years of continued slavery have passed until one day they find themselves in the bowels of the slave ship. By the luck of the gods their shackles are torn lose when the slave ship gets rammed by a another galley, in the midst of a massive storm, the Acolytes gather with other slaves and start swinging their chains and kill the tormentors holding them captive on the ship. The Acolytes jump off of the ship as the devastating storm starts to sink the slave vessel. The monstrous waves throw them in all different directions until screams are no longer heard. The next day, the Acolytes wash up on to a beautiful beach, but they are all spread so far apart on the beach no one else is in sight. They all start to take their own individual trek inland to try and reunite with their brothers once again. When the Acolytes reunite together free at last, Hyboria is not going to be the same...........all hell is going to break lose!

Be warned the Acolytes are coming!