The AlchemistWere it not for the spirit that urged her forward, she would have thought Astor was already dead. So far out in time and place from the reign of the Knights that no one could have found him through mortal means. Ichta still tried as a way of stalling. She truly wished she hadn’t.Through her search questioning all who would stand any chance of recognizing the name, she came to know ...
The ShieldIt took months for Ichta to pick up Yaret’s trail. She was not boastful nor a continued menace as many of the others had been, and so few knew her name—those that did had good things to say. It seemed she had left her mercenary ways behind her.The journey was long and grueling. It seemed to Ichta she had crossed the entire continent in her pursuit, barely scraping by in long stretches...
The Crown
Old Haarkon was a sight to behold. The warm glow of torchlight and braziers flooded the ancient city, standing as a shining beacon against the dark landscape. Elkoron’s reputation was enough to give raiders pause; there was no need for this place to hide. Blue-green roofs of long weathered copper sat atop crumbling stone ruins, patchwork cloth and wooden extensions grafted on by the ...
The ShadowThe air was filled with the chirping cries of insects, unseen among the branches of needle-lined trees. Roots twisted in winding patterns through the dirt below, hidden beneath dark weeds where what little light the moon poured down could not reach them. Ichta moved through the undergrowth, slow and cautious. Her preparation was through, armed with all manner of tools and tricks for a...
The Red DeathThey called themselves the Knights of Orin. Named in mockery of a hero of the early Night to earn them undue trust, they said they would bring order to a wrathful world.Out in the pitch black night, people huddled together in small pockets of civilization to hide from the monsters lurking between them, and came to see others as a threat more likely to stamp them out for plunder tha...
In a cruel world shaped beneath a starless sky, a woman makes a pact with the Spirit of Vengeance to hunt down those that have wronged her.
The ButcherSTILL BENEATH A DARKENED SKYScreams echoed through a night brighter than most had ever seen. The old fort was engulfed in flames, roughshod timbers buckling and shoddy stonework belching fire, its warm glow of retribution spilling out over the...
R E S O L V EYou flex your power with weary focus. From the dirt, a golden lotus grows and gently unfurls. You grasp the bloom and look within.Your thoughts are pulled to a stormy bluff pitched over a fathomless abyss. Chaotic winds rage all around you, threatening to knock you off your feet. At the edge of the cliff an impossibly long alabaster staircase rises up toward a dark tower far in the...
A Corpse Can HealI didn’t listen, of course.Gloam lilies only bloom in absolute darkness, too shy for even the dim light of the moon. They were always his favorite, and mine as well. A perfect symbol that not all hope is lost, that even in dismal shadow beauty thrives and new things yet can grow. Nothing else would suffice to honor his memory.And so, every week that I can I return again to that...
W I S D O MYou flex your power with hopeful focus. From the dirt, a purple hyacinth grows at cautious pace. You grasp the bloom and look within.Your thoughts are pulled to a maze of lilac hedges. Countless paths and passages lie ahead of you, and far in the distance a dark tower looms. You know you must reach it, and no obstacle will stand in your way.Intuition guides you, turn after turn, char...
The Howling Dark“Serenna.”The voice is gruff and filled with familiar disdain. Waiting at the village gate is a figure backed by the glow of a crackling brazier, a bulky crimson cloak draped around her shoulders in a way that conceals her scowl. She leans ever so slightly against a staff clenched in her hand.“Tell me: What do you see in the sky?”“Nothing at all. Same as always, I’m afraid,” I r...
S T R E N G T HYou flex your power with eager focus. From the dirt, a blood red thistle grows and rises defiant. You grasp the bloom and look within.Your thoughts are pulled to a salt-white battlefield. Clattering metal and thundering steps. An army stands between you and a dark tower rising in the distance. You know you must reach it, and nothing will stand in your way.The army marches. You ti...
A prologue to Once Glorious Artahk. A girl who has only ever known darkness clings to hope, while something else searches for a worthy soul.
KindlingThe world is dark and long forgotten. That is how I have always known it. Shadows linger at the edge of all horizons, and stories tell of past glory and wondrous things that once were but are no longer, and none seem to care at all for their abs...
A wretched man finds purpose in a terrible place. (Cut lore entry from Once Glorious Artahk)
There once lived a loathsome man named Alarus Veer. He hated the world. Hated the people around him. Hated himself. It was all he knew, and all he wished to know. He travelled the world in willful exile, bitter and alone.His path led him, one day, to a village torn asunder. Buildings razed to broken ...
