I wrote this for a project that made me big promises they never delivered on. The founder said he was going to give me company equity, make me the lore master of a game that would go viral. Turns out he was just a rip off artist. I’m sorry if my words lured anyone to invest in that project that shall not be named.
The Kings’ Oath
By CD Damitio
In ancient days, in the age before ages, the world was fresh and full of promise. The benevolent Queen Celeste ruled over all the lands and all the peoples with a love and understanding that has rarely been known. Her subjects flourished and filled all the roles that kept the world in a state of peace and grace.
All would have remained well, forevermore, but such is not the way of things. Queen Celeste became restless and sought to master that which should always remain beyond control. First, it was the Water. In her glass, her fountains, the streams, lakes and oceans of the world. No longer content to enjoy its refreshment or listen to its music, Celeste sought the secrets to dominate it…and she found them.
The world might have survived this, had she only sought to conquer Water. But she did not stop there. Soon she delved into the secrets of Earth, Fire, and eventually Air itself. It was the mastery of Air that brought about destruction and a quickening towards the end of harmony.
Celeste was transformed, and with her birth the universe was forced to bring forth something else to balance the scales of time and prevent their erasure. Thus was the dragon born, and the hearts of men and all the races were corrupted. For every noble king that Celeste placed on the throne, the dragon would corrupt another, and so the world was plunged into chaos.
The Peace-Priests of Old Karbalum descended upon their portion of the world and, over time, destroyed it with their dire-helms. The Elven folk of Thalinor abandoned their golden traditions and soon lost their identity in forbidden technology. The Merfolk of Fairwinds traded their ability to commune with the sea for a mastery over it, which made them feel powerful but left them, in truth powerless. These events occurred in all the kingdoms of all the peoples, and though Celeste was powerful beyond all understanding, she was unable to save them. She could only observe for she could no longer touch the living.
All that she possessed was taken from her, and she was left to watch as the kings of old destroyed all that had once been hers. Celeste, the most powerful being ever to be self-created, was locked out of the realms she had once ruled, realms that she could see but never touch.
For eons, Celeste sought ways to alter the course of time. In her search she discovered ways to repair that which she had broken. Difficult ways. Ways that she could not bring to pass on her own stuck in the liminal travel between life and death. Such was the lesson of Celeste. Community and the power of working together were the only hope. The past was set in place and could never be changed, but she was granted glimpses of the future, incomplete though they were, telling her that all hope was not lost.
The key lay in the hearts of the kings who had brought the destruction of her world. In the moments of their demise, between life and death, they lived in the same infinite space she occupied. Celeste was able to reveal to them the errors of their ways and how they might be redeemed. Confronted with the truth, each king swore a deathbed oath with his final breath. In the space between the living and the dead – the only place she could reach them – they chanted the oath that might save the world.
I swear a solemn oath this night,
The Oracle I implore,
To guide me on my final flight,
My rightful place to restore.
I pledge return to this world,
Find my graves and sacred tomb,
Fulfill my vow, the terms unfurled,
Chant the sacred words of doom.
Balance lost be regained,
Worlds where I transgressed,
Penance mine shall not be feigned,
Peace and truth, manifest.
Reborn anew, I fight
Now to claim my place,
Kingdoms old now are new,
Enlightened steadfast grace,
My final breath, I vow to thee,
To right wrongs thus committed,
Harmony must be restored,
Oracle’s will must be transmitted.
The Oracle. That is who and what Queen Celeste had become. Trapped between the realms of life and death until the last king had sworn the oath.
The Sorcerer King Ulythius of Arcadis was the last. Upon his death, the powerful spells he had cast to keep his land verdant and green dissipated. The sweet aroma of magic vanished with the protection Ulythius had provided. The last fair place in the world was gone, and the rich beauty of that which had been would disappear forever – unless the King’s Oath was upheld.
Upon the death of Ulythius, The Oracle was released from the space between the hidden realms. She could now bring warnings and knowledge to the enlightened and the true. Though her powers were limited in this world, she could see that the path to restoration would be long and perilous.
Over the centuries, she gathered the strongest, most honorable warriors, imbued them with her own magical abilities, and sent them on quests to aid the soon-to-be-resurrected kings of old. The Oracle leads them towards the re-discovery of the lost ancient language they will need to read forgotten tablets, coordinate sacred group chants, and save them all from Druk. Her notes from nowhere light the way but cannot reveal it completely.
For the ancient kings to be resurrected, they must find their hidden tombs, but they could not do so without the willing help and hard work of the enlightened, the redeemed, and the true and loyal. For those who choose this path, it will be rough living that may lead to sudden death.
The hidden tombs of the ancient and powerful kings lie deep within the forgotten lands. Massive and archaic tombs filled with untold treasures of knowledge and wealth that have been safeguarded for generations. Ancient runes and symbols, imbued with potent enchantments adorn the walls to ward off intruders. Artifacts, weapons, and items of great value spill from the tombs like forgotten toys, but most of these are traps for the greedy.
Valuable coins, rare gems, and magical artifacts of all kinds can be found within. Some relics so powerful they might alter the fate of all, while others so dark and twisted they might bring the destruction of the universe. Signets of gold, amethyst crystals, gemstones of sapphire, ruby, and emerald relics await those with true heart, courage, and the knowledge to wield them. These true treasures do not lie within the tombs however, they await the resurrected kings to reveal them.
The tombs are a deadly but alluring mystery to adventurers and scholars from throughout the ages. Many have attempted to enter and plunder them, only to vanish forever. Those who escape return broken and scarred, with tales of fearsome beasts, powerful magic, and indescribable horrors. It has been said that the tombs contain secrets that could unlock the mysteries of the lost realms, and the power of the ancient kings, and other worlds.
Legends tell that to wield this power, and to unlock the powers of the true treasure, the resurrected kings must perform sacred ceremonies involving the elements of earth, fire, air, and water. They must delve into the lost realms of time and space through secret incantations, meditation, and chanting secret words of power from dawn to dusk and dusk to dawn. To harness the full power, they must recite the correct words. The wrong words are easy to find but grant far less.
Only then, if they can accomplish this monumental task, might the resurrected kings be granted the immense mystical powers of the sacred treasures that could vanquish the dragon and release the Oracle from her bonds. Only if all conditions are met will the battle to save the lost realms and all the peoples within them commence.
Only with newfound strength from the tombs, the proper incantations, the vision of the enlightened, the wisdom of the torchbearers, and the clarity of the mystery, might their combined powers be sufficient to fight and defeat their foes and save the lost realms from total annihilation – if luck and the alignment of the stars favor them.
The Direhelms of Karbalum
by CD Damitio
Long forgotten by all but those cursed by them, the Peace-Priests of Old Karbalum were once mighty warriors who slew all who opposed them.
Growing weary and old and with no adversaries to oppose them they turned to inner worlds and meditation, transforming from those who killed to those who brought life…and peace.
Learning the path of peace and coming to understand the devastation and suffering they had brought, they delved into mystic studies to find a way to end the savagery and violence which had once defined them.
Many magical experiments were conducted in which they tried to find ways to bring light into the souls and inner beings of those who were attracted to darkness. Over centuries, these experiments all failed – the light simply could not transform the dark permanently, there was no way to extinguish the darkness.
In the sunset of their order’s existence, the final brothers grew distraught and hopeless as they looked on the history of their order and saw that nothing could save it, nothing could prevent the darkness from returning. In this moment, a bit of darkness was rekindled in them.
Thinking that the dark could only be defeated with darkness, they cast the spells which created the direhelms. Their last ditch effort aimed to punish the most brutal and successful of the warbringers.
Seven direhelms were cast and a tournament announced. One direhelm would be awarded to each of the seven kingdoms. Death would meet all who did not win and the victor of each would be crowned king of their realm.
In this way, the Peace-Priests thought to eliminate all but the most violent and then to torture them into a mental state where violence was no longer possible. The plan was fated to fail.
The cursed direhelms were indeed awarded to the last men at arms standing. Those men then turned on the Peace Priests and then upon one another.
A period of dark ages commenced and all of that time was forgotten. The direhelms lay on their owners waiting to be found by those who would bring their cursed memories back to life.