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Kindness of Strangers
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At the foot of a lush, forested mountain sits a village frozen in time. Obscure and long forgotten, no one ever and no one leaves. The human natives find themselves bound to the land, yet are content in their blissful ignorance as the land is ripe with magic and always provides for their simplest of needs. Whatever spells is keeping them there keeps them safe from whatever prowls beyond the highland walls. There is but one exception: YC (any gender) who, after a strange mystical incident as a child, appears to be freed from the illusion around them yet is unable to leave the boundaries of the forest. For such reason, YC finds themselves an outcast in the community.
Until one night, their peace is disrupted. Late in the night, a crowd fills the square where murmurs and whispers abound. Torches raised to cast a glow on a fallen figure, sprawled among the brush and barely clinging to life. It isn't only the fact that an outsider hasn't breached the mountain mall for what feels like eons, the nature of the stranger raises alarm among the villagers: An elf, forgotten by time and on the verge of becoming lost to it. Had YC not stepped in, only the gods know what could have happened.
Some say its a bad omen, an agent of some unknown evil come to lure them to disaster, that it would be better to leave the elf to the elements and allow nature to do it's work. But YC refuses and as they nurse the elf back to health, more than could have been initially imagined is revealed.
The world outside the village is in utter chaos, the natural balance of magic disrupted and on the verge of an mystical apocalypse. Elves who were once powerful find their magic slowly siphoned from them. Orcs have been driven to the wildlands, where many are driven mad by mystical ailments. Dwarves sealed themselves in isolation and refuse to aid any but themselves. And Humans, as the other races know them, were believed to have been extinct until now.
This elf barely who escaped death (from some corrupted beast, enchanted storm or desperate outlaws) is equally shocked to see humans as they are to seen an elf. But as peaceful as this enchanted haven is, they know they can't stay forever. As trust is built between them and their an unlikely savior, their quest is revealed with the intent of uncovering the cause of this imbalance. What is stripping elves of their magic and causes humans towards extinction? What is causes unnatural bloodlust in Orcs and what have the Dwarves seen that has driven them to secrecy?
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Children of Dawn
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In the first dawn of an infant world, the gods spoke Ardunia into existence and upon fertile land, they molded the ancestors of the first races. In it's infant design, it was purposed to be beautiful. In the shadow of immortal wings, of gods who treasured the life the made, the races of the elves, the orcs, the men, and the beastmen thrived without knowing the burden of sin. As time passed, there grew the presence of another pantheon of gods. Except these were entities of great evil, having grown jealous of what what their kin had created, sought to corrupt its purity. Through deception and abuse of force, these wicked ones soaked the good mortal will with first worldly vices. And how terrible the evils of mortal kinds grew. No longer was there an immediate desire to do and to be good.
For the goodness of the creator gods was unending and they were unwilling to lose their cherished ones to the darkness. Thus began the war of the gods, all for the souls of Ardunia. But the strength of gods are powered through belief, through the mortal spirit's faith in their existence. Evil outweighed good and the dark ones grew powerful enough to begin to lean the scale in their favor. With only one resort left, the creators gave the ultimate sacrifice. Until they could one day defeat them, they combined their powers to seal the dark ones away and leave the mortals below to decide their own paths, be it good or be it evil. Their essence fractured, a ethereal prison with a singular purpose. And so it has been ever since.
Although the creators splintered, their presence in the mortal realm did not disappear entirely. Their essence shattered into five pieces. The Hearts of the Gods: aspects of principle and goodness, and they fell onto the earth like rain. Drawn to the goodness that still existed in a once perfect world, these hearts sought new saviors - individuals who, despite their innate wickedness, still aspired to achieve goodness even in a world where it was slowly becoming spent. They took the forms that could be perceived by mortal eyes, to be beacons to those worthy to carry them:
To one, a silver star that shines even in the darkest nights: The heart of the god Mytis and the foil of the dark god Caius. To one, a golden flower that grants healing through sacrifice: The heart of the god Ludio and the foil of the dark goddess Dialath. To one, a amber flame that burned at the sight of cruelty and injustice: The heart of the goddess Atheia and the foil of the dark god Tyranis. To one, a bestial strength that is untamed and wild in unbridled glory: The heart of the god Faunus and the foil of the dark goddess Mal'Valcur. To one, a foresight that is heightened by humbleness and cautious pursuits: The heart of the goddess Ithir and the foil of the dark goddess Necissa
Perhaps, these five souls could carry the beauty of humanity. Perhaps, they could reunite the hearts to their forgotten gods and reunite the lifeblood of virtue on those who have lost their way.
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