A VILLAGE CLOSE TO EVERMOORE
The Village Elder gathered the children around him and began to speak in a low whisper that made the children tremble with fright.
“October is when the veil between the living and the dead . . . the past and the present . . . is at its thinnest. It is a time of haunting . . . and a time of horror. . . . Only the brave come to Evermoore near the end of October. Evermoore, children, is the haunted heart of this world . . .”
“Why?” asked the Children, even though many of them knew the reason, for their village elder told these stories every year.
“The Crystal City of Evermoore was sacked by the Orcs, Klactons, and Pythians during the bloody month of October,” whispered the old man. “The world remembers the Fall of Evermoore as a festering wound of evil that has never healed. We live in the Valley of Rainbows . . . close to the Inn at Evermoore. More blood has soaked into that ground than any other place within this realm.”
“Tell us the stories,” cried the Children.
The old man’s voice was low. “There was a Warder who blasphemed the teaching of Natallis by joining his soul with the primal essence of a wolf.” The children shrunk away in terror as he continued. “It was during the dark days following the Fall of Evermoore that the Warder, grieving for the destruction of the Five and the end of the Dream of Peace, began his own war against the Orcs, Klactons and Pythians.”
“In a bloody rite so foul and evil, this wayward warder merged himself with a wolf and became a demon of vengeance. He would rage through the countryside surrounded by packs of snarling wolves and kill all who did not worship the Five. He was eventually hunted down and killed, but as he died he swore to return on the anniversary of the Fall of Evermoore to kill all those not following the Way of the Five.”
“And every fall, when the leaves turn golden-red and the chill winds begin to blow, his spirit reforms into the cursed demonic essence that terrorizes the lands around Evemoore until it is killed by Guildsmen.”
“Some say you can survive the encounter by holding up the symbol of the five and speaking their names in reverence and faith. Others tell that the Wolf-Warder can see into your heart and knows if you truly follow the Way of the Five. The Wolf-Warder knows if you follow the tenants of balance, harmony, freedom, law, and love.”
“What happened if you don’t live that way?”
“Then,” said the old man with a bit of melodrama, “Then, the Wolf-Warder eats you alive.”
The children cried in mock terror and then demanded, “Tell us another story.”
“Do you want to hear the story about why the goblins hang pumpkins in the trees? Or the story about why so many scarecrows come to life around Evermoore?”
“Both!” cried the children. “Please, please. Tell us both stories.”
PLAYER PROLOGUE Roulette, Played by Nick Gish, Melissa Buccine, Gabriella Kenny, Matthew Miller, Kathleen Burns, James Thompson
Ridge Creek Village, SOMEWHERE IN THE WESTERN FORLORN MOUNTAINS
Dawn broke over a Ridge Creek village, a small farming town in the mountainside. As the sun continued to rise the voices of the villagers could be heard as people began getting ready to work for the day. It was a quiet morning and far from the hustle and bustle of big towns like Evermoore. Tradesmen were a rare sight in this tiny community. But they had been graced with a special guest during last evening.
Slowly the glowing form of an Avatar roused themselves as the morning sun shone uncomfortably in their eyes. Begrudgingly, the figure grabbed the sheets to slip out of the comfortable bed and began to dress for the day, strapping on their weapons as quietly as they could. They left behind the sleepy commoner who was content to rest a while longer after an exciting night or perhaps someone who had been kind enough to grant them shelter for the night. The Avatar decided to let the commoner rest a while longer.
As the morning continued the Avatar walked through the village, weapons strapped to their back, ignoring the looks of fear and admiration gracing the faces of those they met. Whispers filled the air of comedy pawns being in the area.
“Please, please, sir Roulette.” Cried a small Beard’on woman with reddish brown hair running up to their glowing, white robed form. “There are some Comedy pawns along the edge of town and they have taken my son!”
A somber nod was given, “Nothing to worry about. Guildhall’s justice will be swift and merciless.”
Once Roulette gathered as much information about where the child was last seen from the mother, they left the village proper to head into the woods. They investigated around and found several tracks of a larger being and a smaller being dragged behind them. Now that they had a direction, quickly they went deeper into the woods, practically sprinting towards the sound of jingling and giggling.
“Now, now, don’t be a spoiled sport,” said the high pitched voice of a jingly hatted man in a blue sequined domino mask. He was dragging a sobbing Beard’on behind him by this beard. “You’re going to serve a higher purpose. You should be honored.”
“What do you think you are doing?” growled Roulette, their hand gripping the sword and rage increasing the fire in their eyes.
The pawn straightened up, but the grin never left his face. “Doing a gods’ work, I swear.” He said, saluting the glowing form with one hand while holding on to the child with his off hand.
“Let him go and we’ll give you a merciful death.” The Avatar advanced forward slowly, steadily.
“Now, now don’t do anything stupid.” The pawn said, pulling the child forward. He met Roulette’s eyes as he grabbed the dagger on his belt. He yanked the child up against him to hold a knife to his throat.
The child’s eyes were wide and terrified as the blade pressed against the delicate skin of their neck. When the avatar continued to step forward with their measured pace, the pawn pulled the child closer to them and a thin line of blood appeared as the knife pressed a little firmer against it.
Roulette stopped moving and stood a few feet away from the pawn. Their glowing presence lit up the trees around them, but the glow in their eyes when they focused on the pawn seemed to brighten.
“I won’t,” said the god.
Roulette reached behind them to a hidden knife and flung it with deadly force. In a less skilled hand the knife would have fallen flat, but this was no mere mortal man throwing the knife- the blade found its home between the pawn’s eyes.
The pawn slumped down dead behind the child, the domino mask split apart where the knife hit.
Roulette stood still as the frightened child backed away from the form of the living god. A look of kindness and pity entered into their eyes.
“Go on. Get yourself back to your mother. She’s worried sick about you.”
The child looked at the bloody corpse of the pawn once more before running with all speed back home.
“Now everybody!” The Avatar said to the spirits that danced around their head, “We have more Comedy to hunt. They will not terrorize anyone else if the god of justice has anything to do with it!”