(Teaser) The power of love... And the blood it spills
Once upon a time, in the fair land of Kaerok, there lived a young Knight. She was beautiful and kind-hearted, spreading the compassion of Lumaya through words and through deeds. Not only did she fight to protect the weak, but she also learned how to soothe the wounded, for her heart would accept nothing less.
Alas, her rival nobles looked upon her with disdain and jealousy. Before too long, assassins stalked her shadow as she walked the woods near her home. The ambush began with a poisoned bolt, but it missed her by a hair - a flash of Lumaya’s blessed light had blinded the would-be killer. Glancing around, the Knight saw herself surrounded and outmatched. She had no choice but to flee.
She rode hard, dodging trees and arrows both. Minutes turned to hours, and evening turned to night by the time she lost her pursuers. By then the Knight was wounded and fatigued, she was lost in the deep forest, and her horse had been driven to exhaustion. There was little hope of salvation, but as the moon rose and lit her path, she found old weathered cobblestones beneath her feet. The road was not inviting: overgrown, abandoned, and nearly lost to the brush. But assassins yet lurked, and wolves could be heard in the distance. She had no choice.
The abandoned road led her to a magnificent castle rising up from the forest. Though the stone was ancient, it was clear that someone - or something - maintained this place. The grounds were kept. The doors sat imposing in their frames. And… an eerie light could be seen from the windows of the tallest tower.
This was a Fey place. The Knight knew to fear such things. And yet, she led her horse into the vast gardens that lay around the castle. Flowers of unearthly beauty bloomed on all sides, bringing with them the promise of dark and ancient magic to come.
The Knight did not turn back. Something held her. Her heart beat faster and faster, bringing a blush to her cheeks as she approached the great doors of the castle. She was meant to be here, she realized. Something in this place was broken that she was meant to heal.
She struck the knocker on the door, and, far above, a lonely silhouette disappeared from its post at the window.
There are many sad stories in Teleria. Most are forgotten. Some… some will not allow us to forget them.
Go to a place on the southern coast of Arnoc, far off the beaten roads, along the sea cliffs where waves crash and seagulls cry. Travel the southernmost road out of Kaerok, but step off the path at a birch tree a few miles from Felwin’s Gate. Walk the coast for an hour or so. If you’re looking, you will find a crumbling church atop the bluffs.
It’s a Lumayan church, but you’d never know by looking at it. Ignore the rotted arch and broken tables within - the wedding feast went to dust long ago. Instead, step to your left, on the path to the graveyard. Cut away bushes and brambles until you find two graves, set side by side. The words on the headstones are long gone, but the story lingers. It was a story of young love - of promise, and of joy. But you’ve found it on a headstone, so perhaps you can imagine how it ended.
Treachery leaves a mark on the world that can last much longer than the betrayed. Not this time, though. This time… well. If you were to dig up those graves, you would find them empty. Before sundown, anyway. I advise you not to linger.
There are many sad stories in Teleria. Some will not allow themselves to be forgotten.
