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… …
1438But for him never came again the Elvish girl, and forever his soul stays 1438But for him never came again the Elvish girl, and forever his soul stays
1439alone. And so ends what we know about Butakis and Twak, and so dies my 1439alone. And so ends what we know about Butakis and Twak, and so dies my
1440story. 1440story.
1441 1441
1442 1442
1443=head1 Wolfen the White, The White Hunter, The One Who Listens
1444
1445Wolfen is one of the three moons orbiting around The World. It is said to
1446be the spirit of the legendary hunter Wolfen, who tracked Kalkaruntes, God
1447of the Dragons, to is cavern and vainquished it.
1448
1449In astrology, Wolfen is the symbol of practical mind, swiftness and
1450flexibility, but also cowardice and stealing. It is associated with the
1451Earth element in Alchemancy. Wolfen is seen as a protector by hunters and
1452rangers. Priests of Lythander think it is the reincarnation of the wolf
1453that hunts with Lythander in the divine forests of Nerënna. Fenxes see it
1454as Fixas, the one that saved them from the Humans so long ago.
1455
1456
1457=head1 The Wizard School of Blue 1443=head1 The Wizard School of Blue
1458 1444
1459“Although the School disappeared with the Empire itself from The World, 1445“Although the School disappeared with the Empire itself from The World,
1460several wizards claimed to be the heirs of their ancient, secret wisdom, 1446several wizards claimed to be the heirs of their ancient, secret wisdom,
1461and nicknamed “the Blue Ones”, a reference to the color of the School 1447and nicknamed “the Blue Ones”, a reference to the color of the School
… …
1619Morgul was a Dark Mage that built a tower in the hope of creating a bridge 1605Morgul was a Dark Mage that built a tower in the hope of creating a bridge
1620with the skies, so that demons could attack heavens. Fortunately for 1606with the skies, so that demons could attack heavens. Fortunately for
1621angels, a group of adventurers defeated him in 2374EK. 1607angels, a group of adventurers defeated him in 2374EK.
1622 1608
1623 1609
1610=head1 Wolfen the White, The White Hunter, The One Who Listens
1611
1612Wolfen is one of the three moons orbiting around The World. It is said to
1613be the spirit of the legendary hunter Wolfen, who tracked Kalkaruntes, God
1614of the Dragons, to is cavern and vainquished it.
1615
1616In astrology, Wolfen is the symbol of practical mind, swiftness and
1617flexibility, but also cowardice and stealing. It is associated with the
1618Earth element in Alchemancy. Wolfen is seen as a protector by hunters and
1619rangers. Priests of Lythander think it is the reincarnation of the wolf
1620that hunts with Lythander in the divine forests of Nerënna. Fenxes see it
1621as Fixas, the one that saved them from the Humans so long ago.
1622
1623
1624=head1 Ranisha the Red, The Red Death, The One Who Commands 1624=head1 Ranisha the Red, The Red Death, The One Who Commands
1625 1625
1626Ranisha is one of the three moons orbiting around the world of 1626Ranisha is one of the three moons orbiting around the world of
1627Crossfire. It is said to be the spirit of the legendary warrior Ranisha, 1627Crossfire. It is said to be the spirit of the legendary warrior Ranisha,
1628who was supposed to be an invincible general that was even able to 1628who was supposed to be an invincible general that was even able to
… …
1632also of strength and courage. It is associated with the fire element in 1632also of strength and courage. It is associated with the fire element in
1633Alchemancy. Priests of Ruggili consider it as the watchful eye of their 1633Alchemancy. Priests of Ruggili consider it as the watchful eye of their
1634god. 1634god.
1635 1635
1636 1636
1637=head1 Asferenn the Blue, The Blue Sister, The One Who Suggests
1637 1638
1639Asferenn is one of the three moons orbiting around the world of
1640Crossfire. It is said to be the spirit of the legendary wizard Asferenn,
1641who was said to have been able to force the gate of the divine dimension.
1642
1643In astrology, Asferenn is the symbol of wisdom, endurance in effort,
1644diplomacy, but also treachery and dark secrets. It is associated with the
1645water element in Alchemancy. It is said that the cycle of water creatures
1646are strongly influenced by Asferenn.
1647
1648
1649=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume I
1650
1651I’ll tell you about Lorkas of Amudrias, and how he found the White Bird
1652of Hope, and how he capitained it, opening the Gates of the Sun, and some
1653stuff like that.
1654
1655Some say that Lorkas was an angel of Valriel, that fell long ago from the
1656Skies, stealing a couple of highly holy artifacts, and hiding them in his
1657new underground domains.
1658
1659Some also say that Lorkas is a dark spirit, a lost soul, an unclean,
1660unfaithful, untrusty creature of Doom and Chaos.
1661
1662But, for what matters, some also said that Fido was a fiction, or that
1663the Empire never was more than a dream of a past that never existed. Some
1664definitely are foolishly uninformed for sure, and speak more than they
1665think.
1666
1667Because, if they were less quick on jumping to conclusions, they’d
1668quickly notice how difficult it is for an angel to fall from the sky and
1669never be able to climb back, as if wild gooses were never able to take off
1670again once they land after their long journey to the South.
1671
1672Anyway, as every wise man knows, Lorkas was no angelic creature of divine
1673essence, or even a magical creation of a godly force.
1674
1675Some say that Khelens is the Beginning, first of the Cities of Men. That,
1676too, is untrue: before the Age of Khelens was the Time of the Kingdoms
1677at War. And before them, the Era of Songor the Great. And going back
1678through the thick book of history, you’ll cross Arnistar of the Desert
1679Dwellers, the Republic of the Two Rivers, and the Ancient Haemdel, and the
1680Kingdom of the Long Wall. And before it, the forgotten towers of light
1681that Horadrists built.
1682
1683
1684=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume II
1685
1686Lorkas was born in Kuratas, a small agrarian state that existed on the
1687Coronian Valley, when Songer and Khelens were still in infancy. He was a
1688boy that wanted to see everything, to understand the world and its stars,
1689and discover its limits, for it was extending much further than the mists
1690of his home valley.
1691
1692But life was rude in Kuratas, and trying to think about anything else than
1693your next harvest wasn’t well perceived by most; and, more than often,
1694Lorkas dreamed with tears and despair about the Mountains with the white
1695tops, and Seas that ended only when they touched the sky, far away.
1696
1697Tired of his senseless life, he left his parents, his village, his
1698friends, when he was only 12, and for weeks walked to the West, until he
1699reached the Coast of the Stonewalls.
1700
1701And there, he saw Ottarakans, the Infinite Ocean that extends west of the
1702Old World, and so fell in love for the sea. He then joined the Port of
1703Kridatta, which was famous for its ships, as its inhabitants had mastered
1704a powerful arcane, so that their boats roamed not only the seas, but the
1705very clouds themselves.
1706
1707Because he was smart and quick-brained, Lorkas soon got enrolled in the
1708team of Capt’n Bortaras; and after several adventures I shall maybe tell
1709about another day, he took the succession of the old mariner.
1710
1711Horizon was the name of his ship, and famous was his crew, exploring huge
1712territories and fighting the Princes of Sinas, who back then tried to put
1713the whole area under their iron, greedy grasps.
1714
1715
1716=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume III
1717
1718But Lorkas heard about a wonder that him and his crew soon wanted to
1719find: The White Bird of Hope.
1720
1721Buried in the Very East, it was said to be. And so he sailed east; he
1722crossed the Great Desert, passed the Mountains of Daigojij, reached the
1723forests oft he western normanika. But still was the Bird further away.
1724
1725Reaching the Eastern Ocean, they decided to try to cross it, despite that
1726it was said to be the end of the world. And for 30 days and nights, across
1727tempests and monsters, they firmly kept heading east, east, east.
1728
1729When despair was growing on them, mists magically opened, revealing a
1730golden city built on what seemed to be a rich, fertile coastal plain.
1731
1732People there spoke a strange language; they were small and not unlike
1733joyful foxes, and they welcomed Lorkas and his men (and women)
1734warmly. Soon, they learned to understand each other enough.
1735
1736They called themselves “The People of the Mother”, and they had
1737never seen the “Flat-Eared Giants” before, although they already met
1738“Flat-Eared Beards” and “Flat-Eared Greens” before.
1739
1740But there was a lady called Sonja. And, although she wasn’t human, she
1741seemed brighter, smarter, more beautiful than any other woman Lorkas had
1742ever seen before.
1743
1744Those months were the most wonderful for him - and her - and time seemed
1745to have stopped for them in their endless love. But of course it hadn’t.
1746
1747And after a while, some of his men wanted to go back to their own homes,
1748and some wanted for their families to come to the Golden City. And, also,
1749there was the Bird.
1750
1751They had no problem to find the White Bird of Hope - a statue entirely
1752made of the purest of the white marble, with gemstones of red ruby as
1753eyes. But so much the inhabitants liked it, so they thought that a
1754valuable friend was much better than a valuable statue.
1755
1756And so they said: “Take the bird as a gift of us to your masters, to
1757show them we want to make friendship with them. Welcome are the friends of
1758the children of the White Bird.”
1759
1760And so Lorkas left, promising Sonja that he’d soon return.
1761
1762The people of the Golden City also told him that “The Bird is imbued
1763with powerful magic: the one owning it will always keep hope.”
1764
1765
1766=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume IV
1767
1768When Lorkas came back, he and his men were welcomed as heroes. So where
1769does the story turns sour, as Lorkas is said to have fallen from the skies?
1770
1771Well, when he and his crew came back home, Kridatta was at war with Sinas,
1772and for several years, he and his crew fought, using the power of the Bird
1773to help them. And during those years, Lorkas kept in his heart the hope of
1774seeing again Sonja.
1775
1776Then came the Fever Plague, that killed a third of the people in the
1777Ancient World. And again was the Bird used, and again did Lorkas help all
1778those he could help, still having hope of seeing the Golden City again
1779soon.
1780
1781And then, he sent messengers and explorers, as he had become influent,
1782rich, and powerful, across the seas, to rebind the ties with the Golden
1783City, as he promised. But they all came without finding their way to
1784those faraway shores; yet all that time, and for each new mission sent to
1785explore the seas and the skies, they seemed closed and closer from the
1786goal.
1787
1788Sixty years passed. The world changed; new kingdoms ruled old cities;
1789Lorkas was now an old man that lived in a small house looking at the
1790Ocean.
1791
1792And still, each day, he spent hours waiting, watching the line where the
1793sea met the sky, hoping that one day, one would sail back and tell him:
1794“we found the Golden City !”. And always he hoped, but never received.
1795
1796Nearly all of his companions were now dead, and the Horizon had been
1797retired long ago, now slowly rotting in the bay, fading souvenir of a long
1798forgotten past.
1799
1800
1801=head1 Story of Lorkas the Fallen, Volume V
1802
1803Lorkas walked to his boat, and where there was only tarnished wood and
1804corroded metal, he still saw the fierce ship on which he saw Sonja for the
1805first time, so long ago. Who knows what he did, then? One thing is sure:
1806the vigile of the Sea Tower of Kridatta, that watched boats coming and
1807leaving from dozens of miles away, reported that an ancient ship left the
1808bay, with Lorkas sitting at the front of it, holding the Bird, as if he
1809was sleeping.
1810
1811Nobody knows exactly where he went. Was he even dead? Nobody knows. But
1812everybody kept hope that, one day, he’d reach the Golden City
1813again. Lots of people tried to find the Bird after that event. They all
1814accused Lorkas of having “stolen” it. The story became legend. The
1815legend became fairy tale. And the fairy tale got forgotten by most.
1816
1817Yet, Centuries ago, deep in the oldest parts of the Old City of Scorn,
1818people claimed to have found an ancient mausoleum, a relic of the
1819past. All made of the purest, finest gold. On the walls were engraved a
1820man at the wheel of a strange ship, and a woman with pointy ears, watching
1821the skies. And many nowadays keep the Hope that the White Bird now sleeps
1822down below the streets, having found its way back to home with Lorkas.
1823
1824But who could tell if it is the truth, or only a silly story? Who
1825knows? As for myself, I don’t care: I just hold hope it is. And so ends
1826the Story of Lorkas, and so keeps Hope running.
1827
1828
1829=head1 The Prison of Madness
1830
1831It is said that deep in the underworld there is a vast maze that will make
1832everybody who dares to enter die of madness.
1833
1834It starts in a room, with a row of mirrors to the south. pass through
1835those, and carry on slightly further, and you are in the maze proper.
1836
1837Little is known about the maze, but Worus the Wanderer claimed to have been
1838in it, seen many of its wonders and returned.
1839
1840He also wrote a book that details all the ways and passages, alas, nobody
1841could decipher it yet:
1842
1843gb2trg2gb2gur2rkvg:
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18452vg2vf2ba2gur2obggbz2ragenapr2bs2n2znc.
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18672tb2guebhtu2naq2gb2gur2yrsg2gb2ernpu2gur2inhyg.
1868
1869
1870

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