Black Talon: Mercenaries
Black Talon is a fictional mercenary leader from a book series known as Condemned to Life. He appears most in the book, The War on Baera'Nashid. The character is a violent and ruthless savage murderer who almost takes S&M'ish pleasure in his work. Though he is called a mercenary, throughout the book he and his band, known as The Rouge Montari, are portrayed more as assassins of a sort. They barely need payment for their work, though they do maintain a sort-of honorable view on life.
Black Talons real name was never known, though he did at one point say that his father, who was the Duke of Baera'Nashid (A Mythical isle), was his father (I know that that's kinda repetative but read it again!). It would seem that he works in his profession because it was how he learned how to live and survive, after his family was brutally slaughtered by a "noble" family in the area. His history is one well cloaked in mystery.
"I knew as soon as I got back, that something had happened. Even before I crossed the mountains I knew that they were dead. Smoke billowed from the valley as if a great bonfire had been built; one that would reach up to the heavens and be fit for the cookfire of a god. I knew they were gone, but I refused to see it. This was my mistake, and I knew that I would never again close my eyes without the bloody faces of my family in my mind. I will never live a true life!
-The Journal of Black Talon
From this I assume that he now kills out of not only anger, but also rutheless and emotionless hatred for life. Black Talon also dictates his tribe as a sort-of Judge/Jury/Executioner person. If someone harms someone else but gets away with it, though, he ignores it. If you are familiar with R. A. Salvatore's book series The Dark Elf Trilogy or The Legacy of the Drow then you will know what I am talking about. He, like the drow societies in the Dark Elf Trilogy, believes this-
Laws of the Rouge Montari
If a man leads his followers or friends into battle, but in doing so seizes the opportunity and kills a friend in order to take his properties, then that man is put to death in the "Pit of Eternal Pain."
However, if this man does so, but has none to see him, or is not caught within 101 days of the time that he does so, then that man is exempt from any punishement.
As you can see, Black Talon is a twist of honorable warrior, and ruthless savage. In truth I believe that Black Talon is nothing more than a man who cannot accept what life has given him, and will never truly understand it until he either ends his own life, or another ends it for him.
The Book Series, Condemned to Life was written by Mr. Dave Pregan, who lives in Seattle, WA and writes fictional stories.