Charon: Scion of Shadow

by **Charon** Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:30 pm

Before the dawn of time, a battle was waged between eight Great Beings. Each one of these beings represented an element and sought dominance and a greater control of the yet to be created world of Lore.

This battle raged on until it was clear that no one side was ever going to be victorious. A truce was made and Lore was created to be the realm of the elements so that they would remain in perfect balance for the rest of eternity.

Or so they thought.

Legend has it that one day eight children will be born as the scions of the Great Beings. These children will each possess the potent elemental powers of their corresponding Being. Their coming will either signal the beginning of Lore’s golden age or foretell its’ complete destruction.

by **Charon** Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:33 pm

It was a dark, foggy night. As I slinked silently through the dense foliage, I kept my eyes trained on Iden. Since he was on his way to gather herbs by the moonlight, he suspected nothing, feared nothing. His lethargic gait made it childs' play to match his pace. There was only a few more minutes until his downfall and my freedom.

I found myself running over the plan in my mind over and over again. I knew that I was ready. I just couldn't fathom how I had progressed so quickly. A few years back, I wouldn't have even imagined that I could do what I was about to do; I wouldn't have even considered it as an option. After all, this man had saved me from certain death when my family was assassinated. How could I even think of killing him?

No. I had to go through with it. He didn't understand my nature; he could never have come to terms with my involvement with the element of darkness. Therefore, he had to die, so I could finally be free. It was the only way.

A chill wind blew through my hair as the path ahead began to widen. A bead of sweat fell down the length of my cheek. As I stalked soundlessly across the increasingly rugged terrain, I began to prepare my mind for the task at hand; breaking down my conscious while setting up emotional barriers. Nothing could have been left to chance on that night.

Before he reached the clearing where our herbs grew, Iden stopped. Suddenly the air around me began to pulse gently. I cursed softly under my breath and became completely still. The pulsing continued for a few more moments and then receded. I moved forward slowly to see if I could spot Iden. He had begun to move again.

The entrance to the clearing provided very little shelter, so I must advance with more caution then I had before. I focused my gaze on the old sorcerer as he neared the center of the clearing. He slowly turned in my direction. His lips began to move. Even though he was whispering, I heard his words as clearly as I would had he been right next to me.

"Come to me, Charon."

My eyes widened in disbelief, but I quickly composed myself and stepped out from my cover.

“So you’ve finally decided to make your move. A bit earlier than I anticipated, I will admit. But that is the nature of these things, is it not?”

How could he have anticipated this? I had done nothing to give away my plan, nothing at all! Has he been spying on me; watching my every move since he took me in?

“Well done, Iden. I hadn’t expected a fossil like you to discover my true intentions. No matter. I… I can’t turn back now!”

I quickly drew my blade from its scabbard and rushed at the ancient sorcerer. As I was about to impale him on the end of my sword, he seemed to disintegrate into the air. Baffled, I tripped over a rock and tumbled forward. Before I could fully rise to my feet, I was rammed from behind by one of Iden’s spells.

“Are you truly that cowardly, Iden?” I roared over the ringing in my ears.

I heard him chuckle to my left. I pointed my sword in his direction and cast a small darkness spell from its tip. It made contact with its’ desired target and he flew backwards onto the ground under an immense tree. He projected another spell at me, but this time I was prepared. I swiped at the oncoming orb of pulsing white light with my sword, which was still saturated with dark magic. The conflicting elements of light and darkness clashed, sending Iden’s spell directly back in his direction. It missed him, but it bored straight through the tree under which he crouched. As he turned to look, he was pulverized under the crushing weight of the aged tree. With a sickening crunch, Iden was no more.

Gasping for air, I slid my sword back into its’ sheath and turned away from the newly created grave. I limped over to a cliff overlooking the valley below and watched as the full moon slowly rose to my eye level. Bathed in moonlight, I realized that I had finally obtained freedom, yet I had no idea what I should do with it. Before I had a chance to think it over, I collapsed from exhaustion backwards into the wet grass.

by **Charon** Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:30 am

Hatred. A shapeless enemy that dwells within every living being. It blurs our vision and twists our will, causing us to temporarily become something that we aren't. However, hatred can infiltrate a soul so deeply that it becomes a permanent part of ones' being. When this rare phenomenon occurs, a Koturi is born. The Koturi are not defined by any one race or species, since each one takes a different form. In short, their ranks encompass every supernatural form in the world of Lore, making them very dangerous and unpredictable opponents. Very few have encountered one and lived to tell the tale...

by **Charon** Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:01 pm

I slowly opened my eyes to a brilliant sunrise. As I rose to my feet, I recalled the events that took place the night before. I still didn't know what my future held now that Iden was gone. I gathered the few things I had taken with me and started back towards the house. I could take a few of his weapons along with me for the journey ahead, and a few potions wouldn't hurt.

As I trudged down the narrow path, a plan began to form in my mind. Iden had told me about a university of magic in Galadrid, a large city not too far from the house. He always imagined that I would attend classes there someday in hopes that I would walk the path of the paladin. However, he did mention that there were classes in Dark Magic. If I could just find a way to enroll myself, I could continue my studies there.

As the thought crossed my mind, the house came into view. I took my key from my pocket, but I realized that the door was already cracked open. Had I forgetten to close it when I went to follow Iden? No, I couldn't have been that careless. Then why?

I slowly pushed the door until there was just enough space for me to squeeze through. As I crept through the main room, I got the feeling that I wasn't alone here. I silently made my way to the armory. I quickly scanned the selection for a weapon to defend myself with. I noticed a sword that stood alone at the far side of the room at the same time that I heard footsteps headed in my direction. I sprinted without a sound to the blade, grabbed it, and hid in a nearby storage clost.

Through the crack in the closet door, I saw a man in an immaculate dark suit stride up to the empty stand that belonged to the sword whose handle now rested in my grip. I heard him talk in a voice that was both disturbing and alluring.

"Mm, they seemed to have removed the Twilight Edge. Pity."

My eyes widened at his words. I looked more closely at the instrument that I held in my right hand. Those runes, this hilt...could it be...?

I heard him begin to walk away from the closet in which I was hidden. I opened the door and charged at him, impaling him on the end of my sword. I heard him gasp. His body went limp. I shrugged him off of the blade. Deep red blood covered it, the floor, his lifeless body.

Suddenly I was grabbed from behind. I felt cold steel press against my throat. I watched in terror as the corpse on the ground slowly began to rise to it's feet.

"Quite a nasty wound you've got there, Alek," the person that held me said in the same attractive tone that the other man had used.

"Yes, I don't think I will ever get used to coming back to life, Mash."

by **Charon** Tue Aug 04, 2009 10:59 am

"How old are you, boy?"

They had taken me to the study. Alek was standing over me while Mash went through Iden's vast collection of odds and ends. Some kind of binding magic held my hands fast behind my back in a vice-like grip. The tomes stacked around the room sagged with immense amounts of knowledge, most of which was probably known by Iden alone. The sun streaked through the windows in jagged lines, partially illuminating the musty room.

"I'll ask again. How old are you?" Alek queried.

"Fifteen," I reluctantly responded.

"Fifteen, eh? A little young to be a Koturi, don't you think, Alek?" Mash added.

"Mmm, they do come in all shapes and sizes, don't they."

Me, a Koturi? Why would they think that? And what do they hope to achieve by holding me as their hostage?

"I'm not a Koturi," I told them.

"Tsk tsk tsk. You think that you can fool us so easily?" Alek grinned, showing off a pair of gleaming white fangs.

"No, it's true! I am... was, Iden's pupil."

The vampires shot uneasy glances at one another.

"You mean to tell us that you were the apprentice of one of the greatest dark warlocks in the history of Lore?"

"Iden? A dark warlock? You must be raiding the wrong person's house, he was a merely a scholar. Plus, he would never have anything to do with the element of darkness."

"Yes, Iden did give up his life of evil to pursue his research, but at one point in time he was one of the most feared men in all of Halidar. No matter where he was, his dark hand reached far and wide; his followers pillaged towns, raided tombs, overthrew kingdoms. Had it not been for the Battle of Raskas, his leg would have not been injured, forcing him to retreat to his studies." Alek spat on the floor, barely missing a book that had been left lying open. "Slowly his name became a myth, a story told to younglings at bedtime. Most people think he died long ago, but some of his loyal followers still cause havoc under his wicked banner.

"I must assume," he continued, "that Iden had kept his past a secret from you. Not that you’ll remember any of this anyway…"

"What do you m-"

I was stopped short by Alek as he placed his hands firmly on my shoulders. He looked directly into my face, his once golden eyes now a deep red. “You will forget everything about our crossing paths. All traces of the events that occurred today shall be wiped from your memory!” My body went limp as I blacked out and fell to the floor with my eyes wide open.

"That should take care of him," Alek said evenly. "Shall we take the sword be rid of this dreadful place?"

"I thought you’d never ask," Mash replied.

by **Charon** Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:18 am

The bustling city of Galadrid was always crammed full with tourists who are attracted by the University, but it was even worse on that day. The annual Harvest Festival was under way, and it showed no signs of stopping. A myriad of vendors had set up shop on each side of the narrow roads, causing the already hindered flow of traffic to come to a standstill.

A slight breeze made its’ way through the crowded streets, sending chills up every spine it encountered. My thin cloak flapped in the wind as I attempted to traverse the throngs of tourists. Overhead, the sky begun to darken with the threat of snow. Clouds gathered around the tall bell tower of the University, obscuring it from view.

I clutched the ancient device that I wore as a pendant around my neck. A relic of some lost age, I had found it while going through Iden’s study soon after he died a year before. It probably had some purpose long ago, but at that point it was no more than a useless curiosity. It was small, circular in shape, and much heavier than it looked. A perfectly smooth sphere of blue topaz was set into its’ center. Three small dials penetrated the northern section of its' outer ring; they all pointed to different indecipherable runes that may have measured something at one time.

I had also found a large book of spells that I had been using to secretly improve my skills while attending classes at the University. It was far more advanced than the books they supplied us with for class, which led me to believe that it contained some very powerful magic that they didn't want their students to get a hold of. Typical. The high authority ensured that they held their title by enforcing inadequate teaching upon the rest of society.

To avoid the crowds, I took a series of backstreets until I reached the more industrial section of town. While most of the shop owners had taken their wares to the main road for the festival, the aroma of tanned leathers and freshly cut meat still permeated the air. I stopped by the tavern to grab a glass of warm cider, which was gone within moments.

As I was leaving, I was drawn to a small crowd by the sound of music. I recognized the towns’ renowned bard, William, plucking at his lyre while singing a lovely melody. While his voice was heavenly and his musical talents unmatchable, I couldn't help but to grimace at his song choice. He sang of the exploits of Atheros and Dianera Delimar, the reigning king and queen of Halidar.

Just as I was about to make my opinion of that wretched song known, I heard the sound of hooves on cobblestone.

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Charon: Scion of Shadow

Charon: Scion of Shadow

Chapter One

Preface to Chapter Two: Koturi

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

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