Mythrendor, a world that has stood since the beginning of time, was cobbled together by old, forgotten gods. It has a grand history, one that the people of today easily forget, despite the earth being marred by the scars of war and the ebb of time. They are focused on the here and now, on shiny, new countries attempting to establish order in this world of chaos. These countries are inhabited by races of all shapes and sizes, each with their own hopes and dreams, filled with grand ambitions, whether that ambition is to marry their love or to conquer the land.
Thousands of stories have occurred here, and millions more will occur. Stories of a mortal becoming a god, a goblin becoming an emperor, and a man falling in love with a god. This world contains stories of the grandeur of battle and the horror of war, stories of the noblest debates, and stories that hold the destruction of all that is known. Many of these stories have already happened, but others have yet to do so. Our story is one of the present.
This story is not as grand as the others I have mentioned. This is a story of the forgotten, of the broken, of their struggle—a struggle of the common man. But it is my personal belief that every story deserves to be told, especially one such as this, a story of redemption, hope, and sacrifice.
But before I get to the subject of our story, I must start at the beginning, where it all began.
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22nd, Suncrest, 1376
One year since the end of the Hundred Year War.
Buried underneath mountains of sand, in the midst of an old and broken kingdom, a chamber was once again occupied. The chamber, in my humble opinion, would have made any noble in the Holy Capital jealous with the wealth casually displayed.
The chamber was supported by tall walls, that glowed with a magical hum. Despite the depth of the chamber, the walls displayed a bright sky filled with rolling clouds; however, the illusion wasn't perfect as cracks extended throughout the ceiling, filled in with gold.
The northern wall held a grand door, perhaps twenty feet tall and constructed of white marble. A fireplace slowly crackled on the eastern side. Tall guardians in black, obsidian armor stood around the room at attention. Beneath their dark helms, green glowing flames could be seen where eyes once sat.
A long table filled with the finest delicacies filled the middle of the chamber. Around it were eight chairs carved of stone, covered in dragon leather of the softest quality. Upon the seats of the old kingdom, six individuals of terrible power sat. Their soft idle chatter filled the air, mingling with the scent of roasted meat, and accompanied by the occasional crackle from the fireplace.
In the chair closest to the fireplace, an unholy beast sat ramrod straight. A ramshackle combination of beast and man, the extra parts filled with mechanical parts.
It spoke to the muscular female human sitting across from it in a flat tone,
"The materials for Project Hydra have been secured. Influential individuals from every nation across the world have been gathered and put in place at the Spine. They will be transferred by Caligo's bishops to my lab. I will convert them. Then I shall release them like the others."
Its voice sounded as if three distinct people were talking at once in an unholy matrimony of sound.
Its conversational partner leaned forward. The figure was tall, muscular, and not afraid to display her numerous scars. The woman was adorned with leather armor and her animalistic, fierce yellow eyes glinted with dangerous curiosity as she stared at the machine. The scars on her face twisted as she spoke, "You know Deserus, you can just take them away in broad daylight. I don't get why we do it stealthily."
A tall shadow within a cloak to the right of the It responded with a voice that contained a chorus of whispers, "The world is more powerful than you think Balu."
A man responded, "I have subordinates who would love a good fight more than anything."
The man seemed out of place in comparison to the rest of the group. He was beautiful by any humanoid race's standard. Soft sky blue eyes, a light tan, and ruffled brown hair. He wore a priest's robe adorned with a golden script from passages written long ago.
Across from him, a woman in a dress so white it could be made from freshly fallen snow snorted. "A bunch of idiots." She crossed her arms, her skin so light it was almost blue. "I wouldn't brag about drug-addicted servants"
"What's wrong with a few dependable servants." The man responded. "My subordinates will never betray me; after all, I hold their lives in my hands. At least, I am my own keeper. You on the other hand still play subordinate to the Holy Empire if I'm not mistaken. No wait, isn't your boss one of the folk?"
"Calor, you know exactly why I do that." The temperature in the room dropped as she spoke, "That man holds a crystal, the more he grows in power, the power I hold."
"Why not just kill the man and take the crystal?" Calor responded, "You don't lack the power to do so."
"Where's the fun in that?" Balu cackled, "It's way more fun to raise them up than kill them slowly. The look of despair is priceless. Isn't that right Frilla?"
"..." Frilla remained unresponsive as she glared at Balu, then turned to Calor, "I wouldn't exactly say you are your own keeper. You're acting as a Cardinal right now. Shouldn't you be sucking the Pope's-"
The room dimmed as the shadows began to dance and whispers filled the room. Balu, Calor, and Frigus turned to look at the cloaked figure,
"The Emissary is approaching"
At the Shadow's words, the group sat quietly, looking at the door.
After a moment the doors slowly and silently opened revealing a passageway carved into the group itself. A well figure dressed a lengthy purple robe walked inside. Silver was woven into arcane sigils on the robe. Golden bangles hung around his neck. Despite the luxury of his attire, his appearance took away from it.
Darkened gray skin stood tightly against his bones, any excess flesh had been worn down from centuries of waiting. Two glowing orbs hovered in dark, empty sockets. The being floated towards the seat at the northern end as the council watched him.
"Took you long enough," Balu snarled.
"I was speaking with the King," a cold whisper slithered out of his throat. "He hath grown irritated at the interference of the gods. The prophecy has been an unexpected issue; however, the hero hath yet to be found. Caligo, of thy wolves in the shadow of the sword, hath anyone managed to pull it from its seat?"
The shadowy figure silently shook it's head in response,
"Contact me immediately if that becomes the case." The emissary looked around. "The plans are set in motion. The King shall be freed in 24 years on the sunless day. His kingdom shall be ready for him. Deserus report thoust progress."
"Gambling is sixty percent higher due to the end of the war. Twenty-five percent of nobles in both capitals have received currency to push for another war. Ninety percent of the common folk in Seraphina's Haven have been converted. Project Hydra will be complete in several days."
"What of thoust studies into the emotions of the living mind?" the Emissary asked, "Are there any results?"
"The seven sins are progressing eighty percent faster than the seven virtues. Two of fourteen have shown immense power. The current hypothesis is that sins allow for more strength to be drawn upon." It spoke in the same horrid voice.
"Thou may terminate the studies on the virtues if thou so desire. Focus on cultivating faster, the Empire is beginning to catch on. Once they do so, moving undetected will be much harder." The emissary turned to Frilla, "Report."
"I have obtained the trust of the leader of Twilight. He holds me in close confidence. He includes me in confidential meetings and listens to my advice." Frilla stated, "Furthermore, I have been working on Project Fear for several years. If all goes well, we shall have a seventh apostle by the end of the week."
The Emissary nodded approvingly, "Ensure that he doth not go insane during the process this time. The only reason we were discovered was because of the outburst from the last apostle."
Frilla nodded as the Emissary turned his attention to Calor.
Calor spoke forth with a smooth tone, "The corruption of the Sands is going well. The dust trade is thriving, the dungeons are operating as they should be. Soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers are being drawn in by the rumored treasures. More and more are dying in the dungeon with no end in sight. No hiccups have occurred either."
"Ensure that thy hold over the church in the Sands in solid." the being whispered in a harsh tone, "Thou art inviting maggots into mine Masters home. If a single one damages it, I will hold thee personally responsible."
Balu smirked at the pale look on Calor's face while stating, "The slave trade has been banned by the new Empress, which, only means people are willing to pay more. Nobles on both sides have weaknesses that I am exploiting. Nothing is stopping this trade no matter what actions they do. The new slave seal I working on has a tracking function, so even if they are freed I can recapture them."
"Ensure thou art documenting blackmail material. If the Empress tries to band together the nobles, thee can release the papers to the public, leading to a rebellion."
Balu's face fell at the mention of documentation as the Emissary turned to the shadowy figure, "Caligo, report."
The whispers flew from the cloak once more, "The Program is progressing. We utilized leftover material from the First Holy Emperor to produce a batch of children with varying connections to divinity. However, a few of them show promising capabilities to be the next Saint."
"Hast thee found any traces of the First Holy Emperor? The new Saint cannot be born without the first one dying."
"It's been two hundred years," Balu protested, "Is that bastard still not dead? He's only human!"
"If he were dead, a saint would have formed naturally by now." Caligo spoke forth, "Despite my shadows combing the continent there is no sign of him anywhere. Not even a trace. We have looked for a century now. However, I know the gods well enough to trick them. With my new method of making a mock Saint, he should be powerful enough to mimic the First Emperor."
"Recall the shadows, for thou art spending too much manpower elsewhere. I desire thy shadows to guard the birthplace of the new Apostle. Give command of them to Frilla" The Emissary's eyes glowed a faint hue of red. "The Empire hath somehow been notified of our movements for the past year and hath struck several facilities. Ensure that the new Apostle is protected."
"Ye all have done well. We hath been moving for nigh a century, gathering strength and progressing forward. Some of thee hath gathered enough power that even if one of thee were to die, it would awaken the core within thee." The Emissary's voice grew quicker.
"Our goal is nigh perfection. The gods hath been too focused on a petty war to notice our movements. In a few years, we shall tear the gods from their pedestal and pave the way for our king. We shall make them grovel at our feet."
With a fervency unmatched, the Emissary whispered, "For the glory of the Immortal King."
In unison, the council called, "For the glory of the Immortal King."
The guardians around the room in unison lifted their kite shields and banged on them thrice.
"Go forth and complete thy duties. Do not fail." at those words the Emissary glided out of the doors and down the passage.
"Caligo would you do the honors?" Calor asked,
Shadows began to crawl up from the ground and envelop all the council.
"Calor next time we meet up we will spar. It has been too long." Balu called out as the shadow crawled up her.
"I don't remember agreeing to that," Calor responded as the shadows reached his head.
As the shadows reached the top of each of their heads their figures merged with the ground and disappeared. All but one.
Caligo looked up towards the ceiling. No. Towards me.
"I believe you have seen enough." The whisper echoed as darkness flooded my vision.