Post by Spamus on Feb 16, 2011 12:02:34 GMT -5
So recently I finally started legitimate work on the story to go alongside the characters I draw. I've posted it in a few places already, and figured "hey, why not here" so now I'm posting it here. Read, don't read, enjoy, hate, critique, whatever you like.
Without further ado, the first little chunk:
PROLOGUE: REVIVAL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The world that once was pure;
Lost to the lost themselves.
For years wars were fought for thee;
Land of our ancestors’ home.
Light through the shadow came;
To rescue the war torn and lame.
Light through the shadow shone,
To free and cleanse our home.
The foul scourge fought well;
The light pierced their strength.
Two great powers clash;
Whom in comparison we pale.
When the dust cleared, neither stood;
Both taken under Deaths gray hood.
While the horde lost fight;
The light took flight.
Dispersed the beast;
And struck its heart.
Sealed forever was the plague;
Under the souls who took part.”
“They’ll have to change those last lines; after today they no longer hold true.” A man garbed in a dark cloak with dirty brown hair draped over the right side of his face grinned sadistically. To be perfectly honest, he could not have found this place alone. Old myths and stories had guided him along paths known only in legend, to a place he had only heard of. He now stood at the edge of a great underground rift; a subterranean chasm almost a mile across and equally deep. He now stood at the edge of the long sealed Gate.
“Forward. Forward. To the center. Forward.”
The voices emanating from the weapon at his side had been what provided the directions that old storytellers could not, guiding him to a sunken hollow deep within a great desert, hidden through magic and the mazelike ravines surrounding it. The bowl shaped pit glowed faintly with the arcane markings that indicated the many spells used and the lives sacrificed to cordon off the Gate. Now, he stood there, before the carved stone dais that stood at the bottom of the curved pit, holding in his hands the one thing that could shatter the seal. The same voices that led him here had also told him how to break the spell and release a flood of chaos into the world again. The weapon he held was an axe known as the Hades Moon; a blood red weapon imbued with the malicious intents of beings from times past and trimmed in black, now charged with the deaths of the hundreds of lives needed to awaken the entrapped spirits and burning with the power to break the bonds on the horde.
“Destroy. Seal. Break. Seal.”
The voices became increasingly excited and impatient. “This place is something out of legend, and was said to be lost forever,” the man mused,” and here I stand, ready to rewrite those legends. With a few words and a swing of this weapon, I will become the master of an endless army!” Raising the axe in his hands, he began a chant, “Ancient forces of discord and anarchy, heed my cry! With an offering of souls for each year you slept, grant me the strength that never dies!” With this said, he brought the axe crashing down on the large carving at the lip of the dais, shattering it completely. A few seconds passed in silence before cracks began to spread from the shattered remnants of the carving the man had crushed. The fractures split and grew, racing along the surface of the dais until the entirety of the structure was filled with fissures. In an instant, the aged stone gave way and began to collapse inward upon itself, all the while streams of faint light wafted out from the cracks, appearing more like smoke than light.
“We... are pleased.”
As the dust fell and pebbles rolled, the remaining symbols and carvings all began to crumble into dust or fade away. The glowing within the pit intensified until it reaches a nearly blinding strength. Until the light became blinding, the man had not moved from where he stood; however, it had become apparent that he could not remain so close to the center. With a dull rumble growing to a roaring crash, the last seal disintegrated and the gate erupted as he attempted to climb back to the top of the basin. The cavern exploded outward, and the energies of the gate arced towards him, striking him in the back and spinning him around. As he struggled to regain his footing and ignore the burning pain from the impact, another bolt crashed a short distance to the side and blasts the man back down the face of the pit. He skidded to a stop roughly half the distance he had just climbed before struggling back to his feet and turning to attempt escaping yet again. Unfortunately, he made it no further than twenty paces before another arc of power struck him in the shoulder, launching him forward and slamming his face into the rocks. A brief second of blinding pain gave way to numbness in the right side of his face; the man rolled over and felt the warm flow of blood across his features before blacking out.
However, the sweet release from his injuries that his sleep had been did not last. The explosion of the Gate had begun to die down, and with a final crash that jarred the injured man from his unconscious the blazing light faded back to a dull glow. The man tried to sit up, but his body had lost all strength to move. Because of the incline he had fallen on, he was still able to look across the Gate to see what had transpired. After a moment, he realized that something was strange and that his field of vision seemed impaired. The collision with the rocks had not only gashed his face, but had ruined his right eye; the sheer level of adrenaline coursing through him coupled with shock had caused him to not notice the pain of the wound. Retraining his focus into his remaining good eye, he began to survey the area. Where the massive dais had stood was now a gargantuan pillar suspended above the bottomless cavity and fastened to the edges of the pit with enormous chains fashioned from some unearthly substance. The tower itself appeared more living than artificial, with faces and pulsing vein-like structures running up and down its length. Rather than stone, wood, or metals, the tower was built from seemingly organic material, as though it truly was a living entity. “Heh, how appropriate. The embodiment of life is as grotesque as it’s creations”, the man pondered before the blinding pain of his injuries finally made itself known, scattering his thoughts and preventing any further observations.
A cold voice echoes from the gate, calling him, “You, human…you have released us and not been destroyed by the gate. This proves to us that you have the means to lead us back into the world…” A whirlwind of lights flowed out of cavity and raced towards the man’s prone form. As the power blasted into him and lifted him from the dust, his body was altered, jagged markings appear on his flesh, his senses enhanced, and his strength restored. The grave wound he had endured was also healed, both staunching the blood flow and replacing his ruined eye with a new, chillingly inhuman eye; although leaving a large scar running across his face and over his fresh right eye. “Your soul will be marked with this power…you are no longer fully human, but a being infused with our powers. We will provide you with two servants, both of the same pedigree, as only the blood of another will truly sustain your new body. Now, go forth and lead us to our rightful place in the world.” The voiced faded and the surging lights from the Gate ceased. As the man returned to the earth, a pair of winged figures rose from the pit, and landed at his feet, one male, garbed in tattered leathers and his skin coated in similar black markings to the ones now adorning the man; the other, a female dressed in significantly less clothing and also bearing several marking, though hers were purple. Together, they bowed to him and spoke in unison, “Master.”
The city of Arlens, capital of Antaea, was bustling with activity as usual on the chilly third day of the annual trades fair, when merchants from across the world traveled across the lands to each nations capital to sell and buy. The city was constructed on the top of a bluff, with sheer cliffs forming a natural barrier as well as limiting the city to a single main gate. Much of the commerce was focused on the area around this gate spreading back into the web-like network of streets that made up the city proper. The fair was a major event, so the streets were filled with far more people than was typical; a joyous mix of tradesmen, shoppers, and those merely enjoying the celebration. The rough times that had befallen much of the world placed a damper on the everyday life of the populace, so anything that would take their minds off the constant warring that had been going on for the past seventy-five years was an extremely welcome diversion.
A young boy, no older than twelve years, carefully wound his way through the crowd on his way back home. The boy was garbed in a very fine dark green coat and lightweight black woolen scarf. His short dusty brown hair ruffled in the fresh breeze as he dodged his way past heavy crowds and the occasional drunken reveler. The youth had a worried look in his emerald green eyes as he quickened his pace upon escaping the areas of the heaviest crowding. “Crap I’m gonna be late,” he muttered to himself, “ Everend’s gonna give me another lecture if I don’t make it back on time.” The boy looked down at a small bundle cradled in his arms; the fruits of his trip to the fair. Inside resided a number of small trinkets such as bronze coin engraved with a hawk and a silver pocket watch. The most prized, however, of the boy’s new possessions, was a crystal clear red gemstone, cut into a near perfect sphere. The gem was a relatively common mineral known as cherrystone, after it’s striking red color and tendency to form into rounded shapes, making spherical cuts simple. “I took too long picking out stuff I wanted and forgot the time…” the boy trailed off in his thoughts as he slowed his pace, having reached his destination. The building in front of him was one of the many residential homes in the northern section of the city and belonged to the adolescent’s mentor and current caretaker for the past 4 years. An attack on his former home had resulted in the death of his uncle, the ruler of the city, and the near destruction of the city. As a result, the boy’s father was thrust into the kingship and made the decision to relocate the citizenship to a safer locale, away from the desert from which the source of decades of strife emanated. During the pilgrimage, it was decided that, in order to prevent any further loss of royal lineage, the family was to be split up. The young boy now stood at the doorstep of the man who had become his caretaker as a result of this division of kin.
As the boy raised his hand to open the finely carved wooden door it abruptly opened for him. Standing on the other side was a kindly middle-aged man with a graying beard and thinning hair. A heavy long coat hung from the man’s solid frame, obscuring much of his other garb from view. His stony gray eyes performed a brief once over of his charge standing guiltily before him before he chose to speak. “You’re just in time, Keyn. I was about to go looking for you myself.” Keyn shuffled uncomfortably, waiting for the lecture on promptness. “I’m sorry Mr. Everend. The crowd was really big and it was hard to get back and the weather’s getting worse and it’s windy and I had to carry all the stuff I bought and there was a crowd and…” The string of excuses likely would have continued had Everend not interrupted. “No worries m’boy, you’re not late yet. I said you were just in time; I wasn’t lying. Now get inside before your new trinkets spill out into the street. Keyn looked down and noticed that while he had been frenziedly trying to excuse his now unjustified worry of tardiness, the bag containing his recent purchases had fallen open and some of the contents were in danger of spilling out. He quickly pulled the bag back shut and stepped into his guardian’s home. Once inside, Everend removed his coat, revealing a simple cloth shirt and pair of pants, and hung it on the wall near a large armchair before seating himself in the chair. “Well, Keyn, lets see what you bought while you were out before we start today’s lesson” Everend said to his charge as the young man hung his own coat and scarf on the wall next to that of his teacher. Under the coat Keyn was dressed in a black tunic and brown pants. Embroidered on the tunic’s left sleeve was the crest of his family, a pattern resembling a falcon’s head with a wing extending around nearly in a circle with a small dot in the center.
Keyn took a brief glance around the room as Everend settled into his leather-bound armchair. The room was a large open space that took up most of the houses lower floor. On the wall to the left of the entryway was the coat rack that had previously been utilized and next to it was Everend in his chair. Along the wall near the chair was a moderately sized fireplace made from simple brick with a fire roaring within to stave of the chill of the fresh winter outside. A thick throw rug made from the fur of a local breed of wolf occupied the center of the room, lying atop the wooden floor. Scattered about the room were three ornate standing lamps, the craftsmanship of which seemed at odds with the other rather simplistic furnishings. These lamps, in addition to the long table covered in various minerals and vials opposite of Everend gave the casual onlooker a hint as to the middle-aged man’s status as an accomplished alchemist. At the far end of the room a set of stairs led to the second floor, on which the bedrooms and a balcony could be found. “I wonder why Everend doesn’t get a bigger house, he can certainly afford it.” Keyn mused as he carried his satchel of purchases over to the rug and sat down.
After sorting through the contents of Keyn’s festival purchases with Everend and setting aside several of the items for later, Everend picked up the sphere of cherrystone. “This was a good find, Keyn,” Everend said, “It’s a good quality stone, and you got it for a very reasonable price. You know, these things are more valuable than what they’re worth in my opinion.”
“Why’s that, sir?” Keyn inquired as he watched his teacher turn the glossy red stone over in his hands.
“Because this mineral is both versatile in an alchemical sense and very receptive of magical applications. A chunk of high purity, like this one, can be enchanted for any number of uses, from lighting dark places to purifying drinking water. Mundane, perhaps, but useful.” As Everend continued to ramble about the various uses of Keyn’s pretty rock a knock sounded on the door, interrupting Everend’s thoughts. “-and you could even…oh, I’m sorry son, lost track of time. That must be Craig at the door; mind letting him in?”
Keyn stood and walked over to the door to allow his friend of the past four years into the house. Upon opening the door Everends prediction was confirmed as Craig, dressed in a thick coat, hood, and loose pants, stood on the other side. “Hey Craig, good timing.” Keyn said, “You managed to miss Everend lecturing over the stuff I bought.” Craig grinned as he walked inside and removes his hood before ruffling his shaggy jet-black hair with his hand. “Well I’m here for my lessons, so we’ll just get more lectures anyway,” he said as he hung his coat on the rack next to the other two. During this time Everend had carried the cherrystone to his table across the room and begun fiddling with his various tools. Once the boys had finished their short discussion and approached him he spoke, “I’m going to throw a little blessing on your stone, Keyn, to allow it to be used to light up dark places. Should be useful to you.” The bearded man tapped the stone a few times then picked up some faintly luminescent powder from a jar labeled ‘Invar Glowcap’ and sprinkled it over the stone. After muttering a few words the dust seemed to sink into the stone and the glow faded. “Here, it’s done. Just tap twice on the stone to activated the enchantment and it will light up.” Everend handed the stone back to Keyn, who took it and rapped on the side of it twice to test his teacher’s enchantment. Sure enough, the stone promptly began to glow warmly with a pinkish tint that illuminated the boys face. It was surprisingly bright considering the dull glow of the mushroom powder used. “Thank you sir,” Keyn said as he tapped the stone again to disable the spell. Everend crossed the room again and reseated himself in his chair. “Now then, boys, about time we got started. Go ahead and put your stone where ever you like for now then come have a seat.”
She was hungry and cold. These were the only complete thoughts running through the young girls mind as she wandered through the alleys of Arlens, watching the festivities from the shadows. It had been a week since she came to the city, having snuck in with a crowd of merchants who had come in preparation for the trade fair. Since then she had managed to sustain herself with stolen bits of food as well as the occasional offering from a sympathetic passerby. Her time spent on the streets, as well as her long lonely trip to the city had left her looking a pitiful sight. Medium length dark brown hair hung loosely around her face, filled with dust and grime. Her dim green, angular eyes darted about, searching the crowd for anyone who may be prone to leave something behind she could take. As she looked she fumbled in the pocket of her once ornate, now tattered gown. Finding what her hands had been grasping for, she withdrew it from its place of keeping. The urchin girl dangled the necklace in front of her for a moment, letting the emerald set in the center of the gilded flower catch the light from the sun. The glittering gem was oddly comforting to the girl. It was the only real possession she still owned beyond the clothes on her back.
Stowing the necklace back in her pocket, the young waif slipped into a passing crowd. Worming her way through the group, she spotted a glimmer of gold in the coat pocket of one of the men in the crowd. I can probably sell that to a merchant for some food, she thought. Quickly working her way up behind the man, she deftly slipped her hand into his coat pocket to extract whatever valuables she could. As she withdrew the gold pocket watch, however, she was suddenly stopped by a firm grip on her wrist. “Excuse me, little miss, but what do you think you’re doing?” the man she had been attempting to pickpocket was looking down at her, his hand restraining hers. “You’re a little thief! Didn’t your father ever teach you not to steal from other people?” Upon hearing this, the girl’s eyes widened and her face paled; in a pair of swift movements she kicked the shins of her target and bit his hand to extricate herself, along with his pocket watch, and took off running. The man recovered quickly and immediate took to pursuit of the pickpocket yelling, “Someone stop that girl! That street rat stole my pocket watch!” While several people ignored his pleas, several men and women joined his chase. As she ran, the girl pocketed her steal and veered a corner into the alleyways in an attempt to evade her pursuers, but to little effect. Her short, child’s legs were simply outpaced by the longer strides of the men and women chasing her down. Leaving the alley, she elbowed her way through another passing crowd as the man behind her yelled for them to stop her; however, no one reacted quickly enough. Escaping the crowd she charged into one of the towns fountain squares in an attempt to lose herself in the masses and the trade stalls. Unfortunately for her the man’s shouting was constantly alerting people to her presence and preventing her intended blending in. Her mind raced, trying to devise an escape plan as she continued to flee through the mass of people. As she ran she spotted a potential haven in the form of an open storage bin along the side of a building across the square. Determined to escape, she made a beeline for the hiding place, ducking and swerving through the square and leaping into the fountains edge, splashing several bystanders as she slogged through the water as quickly as her legs would take her. As she attempted to leap from the fountain, her foot caught of the lip of the stonework and sent her crashing to the street, causing her necklace to fall from her pocket and skinning her knee and elbow. Stumbling to her feet, the girl fumbled to snatch up her treasured possession as tears began to well up in her eyes. As she couldn’t afford to nurse her injuries, she continued her flight as the shouting of her pursuer grew louder. Attempting to block the stinging pain of her scraped joints she moved as fast as she could towards her sanctuary. Mere steps away from the bin a strong hand caught the young thief by the collar and yanked her off her feet. The man had managed to catch up with her due to her fall and subsequent slowing of pace. Reaching down and hoisting her up by the arm he looked her dead in the face, now streaked by lines her tears had cut through the grime on her cheeks. “That’s enough running, girl. I’ll have my watch back, and then I’ll be taking you to the authorities. I’m feeling generous, so I won’t hold anything against you, but I’m sure your father will not be pleased with your behavior.” The man snatched his watch from her trembling hand and stuffed it back in his pocket before noticing the girl had gone extraordinarily pale. “Hey…little girl…you feel ok?”
Without further ado, the first little chunk:
PROLOGUE: REVIVAL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The world that once was pure;
Lost to the lost themselves.
For years wars were fought for thee;
Land of our ancestors’ home.
Light through the shadow came;
To rescue the war torn and lame.
Light through the shadow shone,
To free and cleanse our home.
The foul scourge fought well;
The light pierced their strength.
Two great powers clash;
Whom in comparison we pale.
When the dust cleared, neither stood;
Both taken under Deaths gray hood.
While the horde lost fight;
The light took flight.
Dispersed the beast;
And struck its heart.
Sealed forever was the plague;
Under the souls who took part.”
“They’ll have to change those last lines; after today they no longer hold true.” A man garbed in a dark cloak with dirty brown hair draped over the right side of his face grinned sadistically. To be perfectly honest, he could not have found this place alone. Old myths and stories had guided him along paths known only in legend, to a place he had only heard of. He now stood at the edge of a great underground rift; a subterranean chasm almost a mile across and equally deep. He now stood at the edge of the long sealed Gate.
“Forward. Forward. To the center. Forward.”
The voices emanating from the weapon at his side had been what provided the directions that old storytellers could not, guiding him to a sunken hollow deep within a great desert, hidden through magic and the mazelike ravines surrounding it. The bowl shaped pit glowed faintly with the arcane markings that indicated the many spells used and the lives sacrificed to cordon off the Gate. Now, he stood there, before the carved stone dais that stood at the bottom of the curved pit, holding in his hands the one thing that could shatter the seal. The same voices that led him here had also told him how to break the spell and release a flood of chaos into the world again. The weapon he held was an axe known as the Hades Moon; a blood red weapon imbued with the malicious intents of beings from times past and trimmed in black, now charged with the deaths of the hundreds of lives needed to awaken the entrapped spirits and burning with the power to break the bonds on the horde.
“Destroy. Seal. Break. Seal.”
The voices became increasingly excited and impatient. “This place is something out of legend, and was said to be lost forever,” the man mused,” and here I stand, ready to rewrite those legends. With a few words and a swing of this weapon, I will become the master of an endless army!” Raising the axe in his hands, he began a chant, “Ancient forces of discord and anarchy, heed my cry! With an offering of souls for each year you slept, grant me the strength that never dies!” With this said, he brought the axe crashing down on the large carving at the lip of the dais, shattering it completely. A few seconds passed in silence before cracks began to spread from the shattered remnants of the carving the man had crushed. The fractures split and grew, racing along the surface of the dais until the entirety of the structure was filled with fissures. In an instant, the aged stone gave way and began to collapse inward upon itself, all the while streams of faint light wafted out from the cracks, appearing more like smoke than light.
“We... are pleased.”
As the dust fell and pebbles rolled, the remaining symbols and carvings all began to crumble into dust or fade away. The glowing within the pit intensified until it reaches a nearly blinding strength. Until the light became blinding, the man had not moved from where he stood; however, it had become apparent that he could not remain so close to the center. With a dull rumble growing to a roaring crash, the last seal disintegrated and the gate erupted as he attempted to climb back to the top of the basin. The cavern exploded outward, and the energies of the gate arced towards him, striking him in the back and spinning him around. As he struggled to regain his footing and ignore the burning pain from the impact, another bolt crashed a short distance to the side and blasts the man back down the face of the pit. He skidded to a stop roughly half the distance he had just climbed before struggling back to his feet and turning to attempt escaping yet again. Unfortunately, he made it no further than twenty paces before another arc of power struck him in the shoulder, launching him forward and slamming his face into the rocks. A brief second of blinding pain gave way to numbness in the right side of his face; the man rolled over and felt the warm flow of blood across his features before blacking out.
However, the sweet release from his injuries that his sleep had been did not last. The explosion of the Gate had begun to die down, and with a final crash that jarred the injured man from his unconscious the blazing light faded back to a dull glow. The man tried to sit up, but his body had lost all strength to move. Because of the incline he had fallen on, he was still able to look across the Gate to see what had transpired. After a moment, he realized that something was strange and that his field of vision seemed impaired. The collision with the rocks had not only gashed his face, but had ruined his right eye; the sheer level of adrenaline coursing through him coupled with shock had caused him to not notice the pain of the wound. Retraining his focus into his remaining good eye, he began to survey the area. Where the massive dais had stood was now a gargantuan pillar suspended above the bottomless cavity and fastened to the edges of the pit with enormous chains fashioned from some unearthly substance. The tower itself appeared more living than artificial, with faces and pulsing vein-like structures running up and down its length. Rather than stone, wood, or metals, the tower was built from seemingly organic material, as though it truly was a living entity. “Heh, how appropriate. The embodiment of life is as grotesque as it’s creations”, the man pondered before the blinding pain of his injuries finally made itself known, scattering his thoughts and preventing any further observations.
A cold voice echoes from the gate, calling him, “You, human…you have released us and not been destroyed by the gate. This proves to us that you have the means to lead us back into the world…” A whirlwind of lights flowed out of cavity and raced towards the man’s prone form. As the power blasted into him and lifted him from the dust, his body was altered, jagged markings appear on his flesh, his senses enhanced, and his strength restored. The grave wound he had endured was also healed, both staunching the blood flow and replacing his ruined eye with a new, chillingly inhuman eye; although leaving a large scar running across his face and over his fresh right eye. “Your soul will be marked with this power…you are no longer fully human, but a being infused with our powers. We will provide you with two servants, both of the same pedigree, as only the blood of another will truly sustain your new body. Now, go forth and lead us to our rightful place in the world.” The voiced faded and the surging lights from the Gate ceased. As the man returned to the earth, a pair of winged figures rose from the pit, and landed at his feet, one male, garbed in tattered leathers and his skin coated in similar black markings to the ones now adorning the man; the other, a female dressed in significantly less clothing and also bearing several marking, though hers were purple. Together, they bowed to him and spoke in unison, “Master.”
The city of Arlens, capital of Antaea, was bustling with activity as usual on the chilly third day of the annual trades fair, when merchants from across the world traveled across the lands to each nations capital to sell and buy. The city was constructed on the top of a bluff, with sheer cliffs forming a natural barrier as well as limiting the city to a single main gate. Much of the commerce was focused on the area around this gate spreading back into the web-like network of streets that made up the city proper. The fair was a major event, so the streets were filled with far more people than was typical; a joyous mix of tradesmen, shoppers, and those merely enjoying the celebration. The rough times that had befallen much of the world placed a damper on the everyday life of the populace, so anything that would take their minds off the constant warring that had been going on for the past seventy-five years was an extremely welcome diversion.
A young boy, no older than twelve years, carefully wound his way through the crowd on his way back home. The boy was garbed in a very fine dark green coat and lightweight black woolen scarf. His short dusty brown hair ruffled in the fresh breeze as he dodged his way past heavy crowds and the occasional drunken reveler. The youth had a worried look in his emerald green eyes as he quickened his pace upon escaping the areas of the heaviest crowding. “Crap I’m gonna be late,” he muttered to himself, “ Everend’s gonna give me another lecture if I don’t make it back on time.” The boy looked down at a small bundle cradled in his arms; the fruits of his trip to the fair. Inside resided a number of small trinkets such as bronze coin engraved with a hawk and a silver pocket watch. The most prized, however, of the boy’s new possessions, was a crystal clear red gemstone, cut into a near perfect sphere. The gem was a relatively common mineral known as cherrystone, after it’s striking red color and tendency to form into rounded shapes, making spherical cuts simple. “I took too long picking out stuff I wanted and forgot the time…” the boy trailed off in his thoughts as he slowed his pace, having reached his destination. The building in front of him was one of the many residential homes in the northern section of the city and belonged to the adolescent’s mentor and current caretaker for the past 4 years. An attack on his former home had resulted in the death of his uncle, the ruler of the city, and the near destruction of the city. As a result, the boy’s father was thrust into the kingship and made the decision to relocate the citizenship to a safer locale, away from the desert from which the source of decades of strife emanated. During the pilgrimage, it was decided that, in order to prevent any further loss of royal lineage, the family was to be split up. The young boy now stood at the doorstep of the man who had become his caretaker as a result of this division of kin.
As the boy raised his hand to open the finely carved wooden door it abruptly opened for him. Standing on the other side was a kindly middle-aged man with a graying beard and thinning hair. A heavy long coat hung from the man’s solid frame, obscuring much of his other garb from view. His stony gray eyes performed a brief once over of his charge standing guiltily before him before he chose to speak. “You’re just in time, Keyn. I was about to go looking for you myself.” Keyn shuffled uncomfortably, waiting for the lecture on promptness. “I’m sorry Mr. Everend. The crowd was really big and it was hard to get back and the weather’s getting worse and it’s windy and I had to carry all the stuff I bought and there was a crowd and…” The string of excuses likely would have continued had Everend not interrupted. “No worries m’boy, you’re not late yet. I said you were just in time; I wasn’t lying. Now get inside before your new trinkets spill out into the street. Keyn looked down and noticed that while he had been frenziedly trying to excuse his now unjustified worry of tardiness, the bag containing his recent purchases had fallen open and some of the contents were in danger of spilling out. He quickly pulled the bag back shut and stepped into his guardian’s home. Once inside, Everend removed his coat, revealing a simple cloth shirt and pair of pants, and hung it on the wall near a large armchair before seating himself in the chair. “Well, Keyn, lets see what you bought while you were out before we start today’s lesson” Everend said to his charge as the young man hung his own coat and scarf on the wall next to that of his teacher. Under the coat Keyn was dressed in a black tunic and brown pants. Embroidered on the tunic’s left sleeve was the crest of his family, a pattern resembling a falcon’s head with a wing extending around nearly in a circle with a small dot in the center.
Keyn took a brief glance around the room as Everend settled into his leather-bound armchair. The room was a large open space that took up most of the houses lower floor. On the wall to the left of the entryway was the coat rack that had previously been utilized and next to it was Everend in his chair. Along the wall near the chair was a moderately sized fireplace made from simple brick with a fire roaring within to stave of the chill of the fresh winter outside. A thick throw rug made from the fur of a local breed of wolf occupied the center of the room, lying atop the wooden floor. Scattered about the room were three ornate standing lamps, the craftsmanship of which seemed at odds with the other rather simplistic furnishings. These lamps, in addition to the long table covered in various minerals and vials opposite of Everend gave the casual onlooker a hint as to the middle-aged man’s status as an accomplished alchemist. At the far end of the room a set of stairs led to the second floor, on which the bedrooms and a balcony could be found. “I wonder why Everend doesn’t get a bigger house, he can certainly afford it.” Keyn mused as he carried his satchel of purchases over to the rug and sat down.
After sorting through the contents of Keyn’s festival purchases with Everend and setting aside several of the items for later, Everend picked up the sphere of cherrystone. “This was a good find, Keyn,” Everend said, “It’s a good quality stone, and you got it for a very reasonable price. You know, these things are more valuable than what they’re worth in my opinion.”
“Why’s that, sir?” Keyn inquired as he watched his teacher turn the glossy red stone over in his hands.
“Because this mineral is both versatile in an alchemical sense and very receptive of magical applications. A chunk of high purity, like this one, can be enchanted for any number of uses, from lighting dark places to purifying drinking water. Mundane, perhaps, but useful.” As Everend continued to ramble about the various uses of Keyn’s pretty rock a knock sounded on the door, interrupting Everend’s thoughts. “-and you could even…oh, I’m sorry son, lost track of time. That must be Craig at the door; mind letting him in?”
Keyn stood and walked over to the door to allow his friend of the past four years into the house. Upon opening the door Everends prediction was confirmed as Craig, dressed in a thick coat, hood, and loose pants, stood on the other side. “Hey Craig, good timing.” Keyn said, “You managed to miss Everend lecturing over the stuff I bought.” Craig grinned as he walked inside and removes his hood before ruffling his shaggy jet-black hair with his hand. “Well I’m here for my lessons, so we’ll just get more lectures anyway,” he said as he hung his coat on the rack next to the other two. During this time Everend had carried the cherrystone to his table across the room and begun fiddling with his various tools. Once the boys had finished their short discussion and approached him he spoke, “I’m going to throw a little blessing on your stone, Keyn, to allow it to be used to light up dark places. Should be useful to you.” The bearded man tapped the stone a few times then picked up some faintly luminescent powder from a jar labeled ‘Invar Glowcap’ and sprinkled it over the stone. After muttering a few words the dust seemed to sink into the stone and the glow faded. “Here, it’s done. Just tap twice on the stone to activated the enchantment and it will light up.” Everend handed the stone back to Keyn, who took it and rapped on the side of it twice to test his teacher’s enchantment. Sure enough, the stone promptly began to glow warmly with a pinkish tint that illuminated the boys face. It was surprisingly bright considering the dull glow of the mushroom powder used. “Thank you sir,” Keyn said as he tapped the stone again to disable the spell. Everend crossed the room again and reseated himself in his chair. “Now then, boys, about time we got started. Go ahead and put your stone where ever you like for now then come have a seat.”
She was hungry and cold. These were the only complete thoughts running through the young girls mind as she wandered through the alleys of Arlens, watching the festivities from the shadows. It had been a week since she came to the city, having snuck in with a crowd of merchants who had come in preparation for the trade fair. Since then she had managed to sustain herself with stolen bits of food as well as the occasional offering from a sympathetic passerby. Her time spent on the streets, as well as her long lonely trip to the city had left her looking a pitiful sight. Medium length dark brown hair hung loosely around her face, filled with dust and grime. Her dim green, angular eyes darted about, searching the crowd for anyone who may be prone to leave something behind she could take. As she looked she fumbled in the pocket of her once ornate, now tattered gown. Finding what her hands had been grasping for, she withdrew it from its place of keeping. The urchin girl dangled the necklace in front of her for a moment, letting the emerald set in the center of the gilded flower catch the light from the sun. The glittering gem was oddly comforting to the girl. It was the only real possession she still owned beyond the clothes on her back.
Stowing the necklace back in her pocket, the young waif slipped into a passing crowd. Worming her way through the group, she spotted a glimmer of gold in the coat pocket of one of the men in the crowd. I can probably sell that to a merchant for some food, she thought. Quickly working her way up behind the man, she deftly slipped her hand into his coat pocket to extract whatever valuables she could. As she withdrew the gold pocket watch, however, she was suddenly stopped by a firm grip on her wrist. “Excuse me, little miss, but what do you think you’re doing?” the man she had been attempting to pickpocket was looking down at her, his hand restraining hers. “You’re a little thief! Didn’t your father ever teach you not to steal from other people?” Upon hearing this, the girl’s eyes widened and her face paled; in a pair of swift movements she kicked the shins of her target and bit his hand to extricate herself, along with his pocket watch, and took off running. The man recovered quickly and immediate took to pursuit of the pickpocket yelling, “Someone stop that girl! That street rat stole my pocket watch!” While several people ignored his pleas, several men and women joined his chase. As she ran, the girl pocketed her steal and veered a corner into the alleyways in an attempt to evade her pursuers, but to little effect. Her short, child’s legs were simply outpaced by the longer strides of the men and women chasing her down. Leaving the alley, she elbowed her way through another passing crowd as the man behind her yelled for them to stop her; however, no one reacted quickly enough. Escaping the crowd she charged into one of the towns fountain squares in an attempt to lose herself in the masses and the trade stalls. Unfortunately for her the man’s shouting was constantly alerting people to her presence and preventing her intended blending in. Her mind raced, trying to devise an escape plan as she continued to flee through the mass of people. As she ran she spotted a potential haven in the form of an open storage bin along the side of a building across the square. Determined to escape, she made a beeline for the hiding place, ducking and swerving through the square and leaping into the fountains edge, splashing several bystanders as she slogged through the water as quickly as her legs would take her. As she attempted to leap from the fountain, her foot caught of the lip of the stonework and sent her crashing to the street, causing her necklace to fall from her pocket and skinning her knee and elbow. Stumbling to her feet, the girl fumbled to snatch up her treasured possession as tears began to well up in her eyes. As she couldn’t afford to nurse her injuries, she continued her flight as the shouting of her pursuer grew louder. Attempting to block the stinging pain of her scraped joints she moved as fast as she could towards her sanctuary. Mere steps away from the bin a strong hand caught the young thief by the collar and yanked her off her feet. The man had managed to catch up with her due to her fall and subsequent slowing of pace. Reaching down and hoisting her up by the arm he looked her dead in the face, now streaked by lines her tears had cut through the grime on her cheeks. “That’s enough running, girl. I’ll have my watch back, and then I’ll be taking you to the authorities. I’m feeling generous, so I won’t hold anything against you, but I’m sure your father will not be pleased with your behavior.” The man snatched his watch from her trembling hand and stuffed it back in his pocket before noticing the girl had gone extraordinarily pale. “Hey…little girl…you feel ok?”
