<|im_start|>user
Write me the opening chapter of a 'Grimdark' trilogy in the style of Joe Abercrombie and Rob J Hayes<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant

<think>

Okay, the user wants the opening chapter of a 'Grimdark' trilogy, styled after Joe Abercrombie and Rob J. Hayes. Let me start by recalling what defines Grimdark. It's a subgenre of fantasy that's gritty, violent, morally ambiguous, with complex characters and often bleak outcomes. Abercrombie's works, like the First Law trilogy, are known for their dark humor, flawed protagonists, and harsh realities. Rob J. Hayes, especially in his "The Dragonbone Chair" series, uses a similar tone with political intrigue and existential dread.

First, I need to set the scene. Grimdark often starts in a setting that's both vivid and oppressive. Maybe a city under siege or a harsh landscape. Abercrombie likes to introduce characters through immediate conflict or action. Let's think of a protagonist who's not a hero but someone with a lot of personal baggage.

Abercrombie's characters often have a biting wit and a sense of irony. So maybe the narrator is a cynical character, perhaps a mercenary or a soldier. The opening should hook the reader with a vivid, brutal scene. Maybe a battle or a betrayal. But also, establishing the moral ambiguity early on.

Rob J. Hayes might add more of a political underpinning, so perhaps the protagonist is caught in a power struggle. Maybe a city divided, with different factions vying for control. The setting could be a place with a dark history, like a city built on a cursed site or with a haunted past.

I need to balance action with introspection. Abercrombie's prose is descriptive but not overly flowery. Short, sharp sentences. Maybe start in media res. Let's say the protagonist is in the middle of a fight, but then the scene shifts to their past, showing their motivations.

Wait, maybe a prologue? No, the user asked for the first chapter. Let me think of a scene that introduces the main character and the central conflict. Perhaps a soldier who's seen too much, now facing a decision that could change everything. Maybe a betrayal by someone they trusted.

The tone should be bleak, with dark humor. Maybe the protagonist makes a sarcastic comment while in the middle of a dire situation. Names should feel gritty. Let's think of a name like Kael or Varys, something that sounds hard. The city could have a name like Blackhaven or Ironreach.

Also, Abercrombie often uses metaphors and similes that are grounded in the grim reality. Like comparing a wound to something mundane but brutal. The setting details need to evoke a sense of decay and danger. Maybe the city is surrounded by a wall, but the walls are crumbling, showing the decline.

Conflict-wise, perhaps the protagonist is part of a group that's been betrayed, leading to a massacre. They survive but are now on the run, seeking revenge or answers. The chapter should end on a cliffhanger, setting up the trilogy's overarching conflict.

Let me outline the structure:

1. Start with a vivid, violent scene – maybe a battle or ambush.
2. Introduce the protagonist through their actions and thoughts.
3. Reveal their past through flashbacks or dialogue.
4. Establish the main conflict and the world's state.
5. End with a decision that propels the story forward.

Need to ensure the language is tight, with a focus on character voice. Maybe the protagonist is a veteran with a sardonic view of the world. Use dialogue that's terse and meaningful. Also, incorporate elements of political intrigue, perhaps a ruler who's corrupt, setting up the larger stakes.

Check for Abercrombie's trademarks: morally grey characters, dark humor, and a focus on human frailty. Hayes might add more layers of political machinations and perhaps a touch of the supernatural, but since it's a trilogy opener, maybe hint at a larger threat without going into full detail yet.

Avoid clichés. Make the protagonist's flaws evident early – maybe they're cynical, have a violent temper, or a hidden weakness. The setting should feel lived-in, with sensory details that emphasize the grimness – the smell of smoke, the sound of distant screams, the feel of cold metal.

Alright, putting it all together. Let's start with a scene in a besieged city, maybe a soldier in the trenches. Use third-person limited to stay close to the protagonist's perspective. Show their internal monologue, their weariness, and their reasons for fighting (or not). Introduce a key event that changes their path, like a betrayal or a revelation.
</think>

**Chapter One: The Iron and the Ash**

The city of Blackmoor reeked of burnt flesh and regret. Kael Voss leaned against the splintered ramparts, his fingers tracing the groove of an old scar that ran from temple to jaw—a souvenir from a lord who’d learned too late that pissing off a sellsword was a quicker path to the grave than a duel.

“Another fine mess you’ve gotten us into, eh?” he muttered to the sky, which hung low and bruise-purple, as if the heavens themselves were ashamed to watch. The eastern gate groaned under the weight of the Iron Legion’s siege engines, their timbers groaning like dying men. Somewhere beyond the walls, a horn blared, and the ground trembled as battering rams charged.

Kael spat into the dirt. “Always the same. Kings and their puppets, all of ’em. They’ll carve you a tomb and call it glory.”

A shadow fell across the cobbles. Captain Elara Veyne, her armor dented and her blade still slick with the blood of this morning’s skirmish. “You’re not exactly a beacon of optimism, are you?” she said, though her eyes flicked past him, to the smoke-choked horizon.

“Optimism got your brother killed,” Kael said flatly. Elara flinched. Good. Let her feel the weight of it. Grief kept the living sharp.

The gate burst inward then, a thunderclap of steel and screams. The first wave of legionnaires spilled into the streets, their helms like blackened skulls. Kael’s hand found the hilt of his dagger—*Widowmaker*, they called it, a blade that had outlived more men than he cared to count.

“Stay close, Captain,” he said, grinning. “Or don’t. Either way, I’m keeping the loot.”

They fought in the alleyways, where the air thickened with the stench of fear. Kael moved like a specter, his strikes precise, efficient. A thrust to the kidney here, a slash to the throat there—each death a quiet joke. Elara dueled a sergeant twice her size, her swordplay a whirlwind of desperation and skill.

But the city was already lost. Kael knew it the moment he saw the banner on the western tower: the sigil of House Voss, his own bloodline, embroidered in silver thread. His *brother’s* banner, flying high above the carnage.

“*That’s* the real betrayal,” Elara hissed, following his gaze. “Your pretty little family reunion?”

Kael’s laugh was a dry rasp. “Family’s just the best kind of enemies, ain’t it?”

The truth hit like a blow to the gut. His brother, Corin—the heir, the golden boy—had turned traitor. Sold the city to the Iron Legion for a crown, or a throne, or whatever hollow prize came next.

A crossbow bolt whizzed past Kael’s ear, embedding itself in a nearby corpse. He raised his dagger, scanning rooftops. “Time to go, Captain. Unless you fancy a front-row seat to the coronation?”

Elara hesitated, then nodded. They retreated through the labyrinth of crumbling tenements, the sounds of slaughter trailing them like a funeral dirge. In the shadows, Kael’s mind churned. Corin’s betrayal wasn’t random. It was a thread in a larger tapestry—one he’d once woven himself.

The Voss clan had always been wolves, but even wolves needed a pack. And now, the pack was torn. The Iron Legion’s invasion was just the tip of the blade; the rot ran deeper. The old gods were stirring in the north, or so the bards whispered. Kings fell not just to ambition, but to something older, hungrier.

They reached the sewers at last, the reek of rot overwhelming even the stink of death. Elara lit a torch, its flicker casting jagged shadows. “Where now, sellsword?”

Kael stared into the gloom, where the river below churned with the city’s filth. “North. To the Bone Marches.”

“Why there?”

“Because the Voss don’t walk away from family.” He paused, the lie bitter on his tongue. “Or from ghosts.”

As they descended, the weight of Blackmoor’s fall pressed down—the screams, the smoke, the banner that screamed *treason*. But Kael Voss was no hero. He was a knife in the dark, a man who’d trade a hundred cities for one truth.

The road north would be paved with bones, but then, hadn’t it always?

---
This opening chapter introduces a morally complex protagonist (Kael) in a politically charged, decaying world, blending Abercrombie’s gritty realism and dark humor with Hayes’ political intrigue and existential stakes. The betrayal by family and the hinted supernatural elements set up a trilogy of power struggles and existential threats.