Upon an ivory balcony, with the sweetly scented breeze of Spring caressing her long golden hair, a young human woman stood gazing down upon a mixed crowd of humans, elves, dwarves, halfling and gnomes.
A tear of sheer joy slid down her cheek as she looked at them all, her oceanic eyes were filled to the brim with an unrestrained love and protectiveness for each and every precious soul down there. Each life was special, each life had meaning, each one of them was the very heart of this kingdom.
To see them like this again… arm in arm in brotherhood and love… it was all she wanted.
In the principality of Mirenia, the kingdom with its varying provinces were not long ago ruled by the selfish and tyrannical Prince Caedus, who placed humans upon a pedestal that towered above all the other races of the kingdom… everyone else was reduced to even less than second class citizens.
The provinces suffered terribly under the rule of Caedus, the people couldn't afford to live… profitable farms were seized or plundered, often given away to those Caedus favored… and the original owners… they were either enslaved or murdered. Suffering and fear was rampant in Mirenia.
It had gotten so bad that provinces had begun attacking each other, desperate for the resources their individual communities needed to survive… all the while, everyone far too afraid to take their animosity directly to Prince Caedus in retaliation for his cruelty.
Well… almost everyone…
Princess Seraphina, twin sister of Prince Caedus… she could bear her brother's cruel madness no more…
For years, even since childhood, Seraphina knew her brother to be selfish and cruel… the way he spoke to the palace staff… the outrageous demands he made of their father throughout the years… the numerous maids that had come to her as she and her brother entered adulthood, telling her that the prince had accosted them in the worst way possible and threatened them if they told his father…
However… Caedus was the male heir… the son that their father, the late Prince Porfirio, had so fervently prayed for… he was untouchable where their father was concerned, going to him would likely only get Caedus a mild slap on the wrist and a halfhearted order to halt his actions.
Then one day… it seemed poison made it into their father's cup… Prince Porfirio was dead…
Heartbroken, Seraphina mourned her father… he may not have been perfect, but he had never hesitated to show her love and adoration. He had been a good father to her.
She knew Caedus was at the heart of the murder… somehow… some way… the poisoning was his doing… Seraphina was confident she was not wrong about this…
Immediately after their father was put into the ground, Caedus seized the crown and put 'changes' into effect… he came up with some ridiculous accusatory story against the elves first, claiming they resented the human's seat at the head of the Grand High Council of Mirenia, he stated the elves felt they should be the most powerful of the kingdoms, given their magical affinity and longevity. Surely, they had arranged for one of their stealthy assassins to poison Prince Porfirio!
What rubbish… the elves adored their father, he had taken great strides to build bonds of friendship with them over the many years of his rule, Seraphina knew to the depths of her heart and soul that the elves would have never done this.
Unfortunately, with countless corrupt nobles and councilmen craving the promises of more wealth and elevated power beyond what they presently enjoyed… Caedus succeeded in ousting the elves from the Grand High Council…
It didn't stop there… no, it only got worse…
When alchemists tested the wine their father had drank and determined that the poison used had come from the dwarven province… Caedus leapt all over that, claiming passionately that the dwarves were in cahoots with the elves, that the long ears must have promised them something… like full control of all mines in Mirenia, for example… it didn't take much for Caedus to further to sink those within his grasp into further paranoia…
The dwarves too, were ousted from the Grand High Council…
Seraphina had tried to speak up on behalf of the accused, but when her brother demanded she show proof of their innocence… how in the world was she supposed to do that? No one was allowing her access to the investigation!
Caedus had set this all up well… he must have known she wouldn't have just sat quietly and let him do anything he wanted.
Outraged by the treatment of the elves and dwarves, the halflings demanded of Caedus to see all evidence that supposedly pointed fingers at the elves and dwarves… but like everything else, Caedus's smooth talking turned the situation around on them…
Caedus convinced the council that the way things were going, it seemed all of the non-human provinces were plotting against the high ruling family… he said he wouldn't doubt it if they were all promised great boons once the human's were evicted from the high throne…
It was insanity, just pure insanity… every halfling and gnome was forced out of the council chamber by those loyal to Caedus and his goon, the fiends chased them out of the capital city entirely before they were satisfied!
Months of this went on… humans lived it up… while the other provinces under the bullying of Caedus and his strong armies, fell in terrible decline.
Seraphina had had enough…
The princess worked tirelessly to find those that hated her brother, individuals willing to help her get smuggled out of the palace, find a secure base of operations in the underground and then get messages to the provinces. She was determined to spark a rebellion to end her brother's tyranny.
Many secret meetings took place between the princess and the leaders of the individual provinces… much arguing ensued about the behaviors of their neighbors in the desperate times. In the end though, Seraphina had been successfully able to remind them of who they once were… who they were together, the way they were together… the brotherhood… the friendships… and that the true enemy was Caedus, he had done this to them, he had pushed them to this desperation. It was Caedus that needed to answer for all the pain and suffering, not each other.
An elaborate plan was laid out, carefully and intricately designed by the combined efforts of leaders selected by each community… the bulk of their united forces would serve as a distraction, while their group of five infiltrated the palace…
Getting Prince Caedus's personal guard and the thugs hired by his puppet nobles had not been an easy task… but in the end, with their bond and shared dream to see Mirenia restored to it's beautiful former self… they came out victorious…
The nobles involved were thrown in prison… and Prince Caedus was to stand trial before a jury of officials from each of the provinces…
Seraphina was voted to be placed upon the high throne immediately as High Princess and to celebrate the end of so much suffering… the first festival of their restored kingdom would held!
Which brought the thoughts of the princess back to the here and now, her ears happily drinking in the sounds of laughter and joy down below…
"Ingrid…" She said, turning to smile upon her personal attendant standing nearby "Accompany me, we shall join our people below in the festivities"
"I would be delighted to share in this happiness at your side, your highness" Ingrid replied, smiling brightly as she gestured for the princess to continue on in front of her away from the balcony.
A tear of sheer joy slid down her cheek as she looked at them all, her oceanic eyes were filled to the brim with an unrestrained love and protectiveness for each and every precious soul down there. Each life was special, each life had meaning, each one of them was the very heart of this kingdom.
To see them like this again… arm in arm in brotherhood and love… it was all she wanted.
In the principality of Mirenia, the kingdom with its varying provinces were not long ago ruled by the selfish and tyrannical Prince Caedus, who placed humans upon a pedestal that towered above all the other races of the kingdom… everyone else was reduced to even less than second class citizens.
The provinces suffered terribly under the rule of Caedus, the people couldn't afford to live… profitable farms were seized or plundered, often given away to those Caedus favored… and the original owners… they were either enslaved or murdered. Suffering and fear was rampant in Mirenia.
It had gotten so bad that provinces had begun attacking each other, desperate for the resources their individual communities needed to survive… all the while, everyone far too afraid to take their animosity directly to Prince Caedus in retaliation for his cruelty.
Well… almost everyone…
Princess Seraphina, twin sister of Prince Caedus… she could bear her brother's cruel madness no more…
For years, even since childhood, Seraphina knew her brother to be selfish and cruel… the way he spoke to the palace staff… the outrageous demands he made of their father throughout the years… the numerous maids that had come to her as she and her brother entered adulthood, telling her that the prince had accosted them in the worst way possible and threatened them if they told his father…
However… Caedus was the male heir… the son that their father, the late Prince Porfirio, had so fervently prayed for… he was untouchable where their father was concerned, going to him would likely only get Caedus a mild slap on the wrist and a halfhearted order to halt his actions.
Then one day… it seemed poison made it into their father's cup… Prince Porfirio was dead…
Heartbroken, Seraphina mourned her father… he may not have been perfect, but he had never hesitated to show her love and adoration. He had been a good father to her.
She knew Caedus was at the heart of the murder… somehow… some way… the poisoning was his doing… Seraphina was confident she was not wrong about this…
Immediately after their father was put into the ground, Caedus seized the crown and put 'changes' into effect… he came up with some ridiculous accusatory story against the elves first, claiming they resented the human's seat at the head of the Grand High Council of Mirenia, he stated the elves felt they should be the most powerful of the kingdoms, given their magical affinity and longevity. Surely, they had arranged for one of their stealthy assassins to poison Prince Porfirio!
What rubbish… the elves adored their father, he had taken great strides to build bonds of friendship with them over the many years of his rule, Seraphina knew to the depths of her heart and soul that the elves would have never done this.
Unfortunately, with countless corrupt nobles and councilmen craving the promises of more wealth and elevated power beyond what they presently enjoyed… Caedus succeeded in ousting the elves from the Grand High Council…
It didn't stop there… no, it only got worse…
When alchemists tested the wine their father had drank and determined that the poison used had come from the dwarven province… Caedus leapt all over that, claiming passionately that the dwarves were in cahoots with the elves, that the long ears must have promised them something… like full control of all mines in Mirenia, for example… it didn't take much for Caedus to further to sink those within his grasp into further paranoia…
The dwarves too, were ousted from the Grand High Council…
Seraphina had tried to speak up on behalf of the accused, but when her brother demanded she show proof of their innocence… how in the world was she supposed to do that? No one was allowing her access to the investigation!
Caedus had set this all up well… he must have known she wouldn't have just sat quietly and let him do anything he wanted.
Outraged by the treatment of the elves and dwarves, the halflings demanded of Caedus to see all evidence that supposedly pointed fingers at the elves and dwarves… but like everything else, Caedus's smooth talking turned the situation around on them…
Caedus convinced the council that the way things were going, it seemed all of the non-human provinces were plotting against the high ruling family… he said he wouldn't doubt it if they were all promised great boons once the human's were evicted from the high throne…
It was insanity, just pure insanity… every halfling and gnome was forced out of the council chamber by those loyal to Caedus and his goon, the fiends chased them out of the capital city entirely before they were satisfied!
Months of this went on… humans lived it up… while the other provinces under the bullying of Caedus and his strong armies, fell in terrible decline.
Seraphina had had enough…
The princess worked tirelessly to find those that hated her brother, individuals willing to help her get smuggled out of the palace, find a secure base of operations in the underground and then get messages to the provinces. She was determined to spark a rebellion to end her brother's tyranny.
Many secret meetings took place between the princess and the leaders of the individual provinces… much arguing ensued about the behaviors of their neighbors in the desperate times. In the end though, Seraphina had been successfully able to remind them of who they once were… who they were together, the way they were together… the brotherhood… the friendships… and that the true enemy was Caedus, he had done this to them, he had pushed them to this desperation. It was Caedus that needed to answer for all the pain and suffering, not each other.
An elaborate plan was laid out, carefully and intricately designed by the combined efforts of leaders selected by each community… the bulk of their united forces would serve as a distraction, while their group of five infiltrated the palace…
Princess Seraphina of the Humans… Cleric of Xania, Goddess of Justice and Peace- Healer and ranged damage dealer.
Lord Salidar Amberleaf of the Elves… Wizard, Powerhouse with ranged capability
Lord Roigan Stoneborn of the Dwarves… Barbarian- The Muscle
Lady Imelda Beck of the Halflings… Swashbucker Fighter- the Swift and decisive striker
Lord Twizz Sunbloom of the Gnomes… Rogue- Sneaky sneak extraordinaire
Lord Salidar Amberleaf of the Elves… Wizard, Powerhouse with ranged capability
Lord Roigan Stoneborn of the Dwarves… Barbarian- The Muscle
Lady Imelda Beck of the Halflings… Swashbucker Fighter- the Swift and decisive striker
Lord Twizz Sunbloom of the Gnomes… Rogue- Sneaky sneak extraordinaire
Getting Prince Caedus's personal guard and the thugs hired by his puppet nobles had not been an easy task… but in the end, with their bond and shared dream to see Mirenia restored to it's beautiful former self… they came out victorious…
The nobles involved were thrown in prison… and Prince Caedus was to stand trial before a jury of officials from each of the provinces…
Seraphina was voted to be placed upon the high throne immediately as High Princess and to celebrate the end of so much suffering… the first festival of their restored kingdom would held!
Which brought the thoughts of the princess back to the here and now, her ears happily drinking in the sounds of laughter and joy down below…
"Ingrid…" She said, turning to smile upon her personal attendant standing nearby "Accompany me, we shall join our people below in the festivities"
"I would be delighted to share in this happiness at your side, your highness" Ingrid replied, smiling brightly as she gestured for the princess to continue on in front of her away from the balcony.