In a time long forgotten, when Europe was but a collection of fledgling kingdoms, there lived a bard named Edrik. His voice could stir the hearts of men and calm the wrath of kings. It was said his melodies were a gift from the gods, every note carrying the weight of divine beauty. He traveled far and wide, his lute slung over his back, serenading courts and villages alike.
But every light has its shadow, and Edrik's muse—the spark that had guided his hand and voice—began to fade. At first, it was subtle. A missed chord here, a discordant note there. But soon, the music turned sour, and Edrik's performances became less frequent. His patrons grew concerned as whispers spread that the once-great bard had lost his touch.
Desperation gnawed at Edrik's soul. In his frantic search to regain what was lost, he wandered into forbidden territories—places where no mortal was meant to tread. It was there, in a mist-covered forest, that he heard a voice calling to him, distant yet familiar. Following the sound deeper into the woods, he stumbled upon a rift, a tear in the fabric of reality.
Through that rift lay another world: Tether.
Tether was a realm unlike any other, where the laws of nature twisted and bent to the will of unseen forces. It was a place filled with shadows that whispered and winds that howled melodies of their own—a siren's song to any who dared to listen. Edrik, lost and broken, answered the call.
As he crossed into Tether, his music returned. But this was no divine inspiration—it was something far darker. His melodies, once pure and uplifting, were now laced with malevolence. Each note he played seemed to seep into the world around him, corrupting everything it touched. Trees withered, rivers ran dry, and the very air became thick with dread.
Edrik was no longer a mere bard. He had become something else entirely, an instrument of Tether's will. Driven by an insatiable hunger, he returned to Europe, but the man who had once been hailed as a savior now brought ruin. Kingdoms fell, their citizens devoured by the dark energy that pulsed from Edrik's twisted melodies.
As his power grew, so too did his madness. He consumed entire regions, his influence spreading across the western continent like a plague. The skies darkened wherever he went, and even the bravest warriors fell to his malevolent songs. His once beautiful music had become a weapon—a force capable of unraveling the very fabric of the world.
Now, as the last remnants of civilization crumble under Edrik's spell, the only question that remains is whether anyone can stop the Bard of Tether, or if the world will be consumed by the darkness of his corrupted melodies.