"It is hereby stated, under the bind of my pen and seal and my words that carry executive law, that my place as King is a temporary matter. It has come to me that the Colton line is no more. I carry no relatives, no close blood, and no familiarity to entrust the future of my kingdom into. So this will shall be the instructions to carry out of my unwilling abdication upon my death. The net ruler of this great nature shall be born from Hathan royalty, as my mother shares the strongest ties with them. This appointed ruler must be the will of the current queen, with whom trust I have thanks and admiration. I trust her to appoint someone of a suitable role and stature. All that I may be able to request of my advisors and my Paladins is that they serve their new lord with diligence . . ." James trailed off, reading off his will. It was old; he had comprised it long ago about the same time he posthumous his father's throne. He had written it, knowing that his line may die with
Lyse remembers back to an incident that occurred a few years back. He was still just a squire at the time, but even squires are often given duties to prepare them for taking assignments in the field and under their captains or officers. Some bandits were making trouble a few miles outside the town and needed to be apprehended. They rarely see bandits this close to the capital; most of them stay far into the plains to pick off wagon trains and lone travelers. They were also either former soldiers or guards, deserters who were now wanted men and needed some way to earn what they call a living. His mother was at the height of her apprehensive nature and was very near to forbidding him to go after these criminals along with the rest of the squires. It took his father to convince her that he should be safe; Gabbes and his partner would be riding with them. To say the least, it was nowhere as dangerous as Lyse had been warned. They sent a decoy out to a strip of hilly plains where they spec
Garath stared at the altar, a beautiful thing that sat in the middle of this chamber. It was simple and unremarkable. It was just a stone slab raised from the ground near chest height. There were no embellishments or anything that pointed to a greater significance. The only thing in this entire room, really, was a bronze brazier which he waited eagerly to alive with flame, signifying a message from her. But for now, he marveled at this simple stone structure, the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. This was where gods were born. This is where men shattered their selves and took up the role of the strongest, the most capable. When he had joined this organization, it wasn't because of some philosophical belief or rule like some others, but pure greed. He deserves this power; he deserves it. So much of his time, fighting in the Arkoudan army to receive little reward. He watched friends and family die, killed in the name of the empire to see his actions shunned in the end. And he nearl
I am a god.The words turned these large chasms that much larger, it seems. And everything seemed to slow to a crawl at what had just occurred. The guards seemed nailed to their positions as Garath raised the goblet up. Realization became slow. The golden liquid oil fell into his mouth too quickly. A spear was lifted but was never used. And Garath's face, an expression of triumph, conquer. A wish and a promise being fulfilled in an instant, as the last of it disappeared in his mouth, some only dribbling off the side of his cheek next to his scar. And as that last drop seemed to hang in the air, things began to move once more.The braziers, casting a dull blue light upon them, suddenly burst to life as if fed with an extraordinary fuel, turning as bright orange as forge flames and licking the ceiling vigorously. It was haunting. Gareth's face, for a moment, embraced in a maddened smile, looked perplexed, as if not expecting the outcome that had occurred. The scar on his cheek slowly fa
vra: a spiritual force said to permeate through all things. With the leftover power from the birth of creation, humans and other creatures have found many ways to manipulate this force to affect the world around them. This power has decided many battles and wars from knights to mages and will continue to do so as its applications advance. Knights of Thiria and its reach has found structure in its use and has developed five talents taught amongst most;Dynami: the ability to form a protective aura that can block even gunfire and other blows.Enis: The ability to enhance physical attributes such as endurance, speed, strength, and even weight, allowing knights to float in the air as if untethered by the earth.Diav: The ability to cast the first two effects on other objects, often used to weigh opponents down or decrease the load of heavy objects.Void: The ability to sense avra as a sixth sense, even able to see even the invisible or beings of another realm.Anava: The last ability only
Lyse looked out towards the horizon to his west. The lapping oceans of the Valen Sea that separates Umani and the clans, one of the largest oceans in the world, in fact. The gentle mist that clung to the waters obscured the sun that rose from it. Streams of light and warm colors blanketed this early morning, the waves calm and steady, rocking the boat in a gentle lullaby. He wouldn't have thought that just a week ago, he was in mortal danger, tearing his way through a mountain to fight a god in the end. How chaotic those moments had been, to be met with this serene setting. And although Lyse had taken the time to warm up a nice cup of tea, sitting on the crow's nest to enjoy as much of the view as he could, he just couldn't relax his mind.The agitating thoughts that ran around his mind, shouting in every corridor to echo memories, didn't allow him to relax fully. He thought about what may occur very soon between sips. The spray of colors in the sky reminded him of the burst gouts of
Celia brushed a loose strand of hair from Massua's messy hair. She was stirring now in her sleep, and a little color had come back to her cheeks. Whenever she checks her eyes, the paleness that had startled her once had gone, and her crystal blue eyes had returned, though a little paler than she remembers. She hopes they could return to their former brilliance. They know little of this process of creating the Makhai. Never before have they ever stopped it before the effects settled in. Hollow, black eyes, deathly fair skin, and a lack of emotion. She thanks everyone for rescuing Massua in time. She could have lost her forever, no way to get her back once it was complete. And her resolve had somehow softened with this knowledge. She had gotten her daughter back, and now they were on the rocky trail of Arkouda headed to the plains of Aetos, then Liontari, where they will travel through the forest once more to enter Silondras. There, they will be safe. Hopefully, they may take a
It was a night that settled upon Silondras. The winter's weathering was passing now, the northern chilling winds cascading down the mountains making the clearer days still and cold. This time of year is met with anxiety for the kingdoms such as Liontari, Lykos, and Nychterida. This time of year, into the fletching days of the winter nights, the Frostlanders, Hyperboreans, become more ferocious and more powerful, fueled by the winds that shall return on the return of the season. So much effort has been placed just to keep them back from the borders. James was penning orders in his private chambers, answering letters of concern from various incursions due to the increased agitation of the Frostlands as of late. The one he read was from a recent letter sent from near the border of Lykos. Aurelius, the paladin of war, sent some of his own men there, expecting that this was where the Frostland kingdom of Mur'Elia. He also expected that they would favor more of their caste