HISTORY`it can make or break

[`CAT]

;; Back when the human race was still young, horses had existed for thousands of years. A thriving race, the horses had been. At least one could be found in every corner of the globe, whether that corner was known or unknown. It was convenient, then, for the humans when they began to capture the horses. The original intent of these humans? No horse has ever been sure. In the end, some wanted pets, others wanted work animals. Some horse submitted without question. Others fought furiously, not willing to submit to a race they considered lesser. Soon, horses were just as 'everywhere' as they had been before, only now they were being used to pull loads, to carry people, and to do anything willed by his or her human possessor. Those who fought truly could fight no more. They found it to be no use, they simple gave up. The will of the horses had been broken; they were nothing more than pets. One group, though, decided this wouldn't do. Seven horses made up this group, each horse calling himself after a different of what the humans called the Seven Deadly Sins. What was better than to fight the humans with what they feared most? They spent their days fighting the humans, attempting to rlease horses. They were friends of the horse, never mind that their names might have implied otherwise. It didn't take long, though, for the personalities of the Seven to change. After living so long trying to make the humans fear them for what they called themselves after, they truly became more and more like it. Pride, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Anger, Greed, Sloth. And after while, they weren't really friends of the horses anymore. They weren't really friends of anyone. They simply became enemies of the humans. They terrorized the humans their domesticated horses, purely for the sake of enjoyment. This continued for years, and the Seven Vices often changed from father to son, mother to daughter. They couldn't live forever, after all.

Then there came the time when the humans simply had enough. The Seven Vices, especially the younger ones, had thought themselves invincible. They thought there was no way possible, in heaven or in hell, that the humans could beat them. See, in their mind, they were just too good. They had been doing what they were doing all their life. But this pride was their downfall. With all the strength the country could bring together, the humans fought back. They fought back with such a strength that the Vices couldn't believe it. They were losing a battle they had long thought they were forever victorious in. It wasn't long before all seven were captured, held behind bars and in cages. The perfect place for sin. Hell. Without hesitation, they were sent away by boat with strict instructions given to the captain. He was to sail until he found a deserted island, dump them there, and return, to use their words. The poor captain completed the first part of this without much difficulty, but in all his excitement to go home, he never got a chance to do so. He died before reaching the country again, and the knowledge of his death has led to the speculation that one of the vices - possibly Anger - killed him.

Whatever happened, the Seven Vices now found themselves on the beach of a new land, completely void of any life they could consider equal to their own. It was the perfect place to start over, really. The only problem? None of them wanted to start over. They had been the Seven Vices for far too long, they knew not much else. Somebody Else's Beach they named it, a sign that there was no way they were accepting this place as their home. They moped on this beach, eating the grass at the edge but not going much farther than this. It wasn't their home, and they weren't going to make it so. No one is really sure why, or how, but during their time on this beach a curse was placed on the Seven. It is another of the mysteries of the island and the story of how they got there, another never to be solved. Many believe, however, it was a storm, perhaps the wrath of some god from somewhere, adding to their punishment as if they had not had enough. This curse not only effected the original Seven, but was sent on to their children and their children's children. Each horse was left with a curse of their own, any one of the seven sins, a continued punishment thanks to their ancestors. This sin would later frame who they were and where they belonged. It would give them powers out of the ordinary, something many would find uses for. The tradition of the Seven Vices would continue, as well, and after a time, they became the rulers of the island, each after a different sin. The island was split into seven parts, which were in turn split into four parts, one for the Vice and three four other unfortunates like themselves to claim and rule over.

Life went on as normal, then. The population of the island continued to grow, and many got used to the strange curse, some even forgetting it was a curse at all. It was simply a fact of life. Now, several years later, the island is still ruled in the way it was set up all those years ago. Each Vice has the privilege of immortality - maybe to make up for the rest of their sorry lives? - but that privilege, as well as their position, can be challenged for. Challenges take place, lands are claimed, herds are coming up out of the woodwork, so to speak. However, there is something else coming, something to change their view of life, or to simply make their life more exciting. There are new arrivals on the island. Where they've come from and what they plan to do, no one truly knows. Another mystery, perhaps? Hopefully a solvable one, in any case. The Seven Virtues are ready to set these sinners straight, though. A war is on the horizon, preparation starts now.