The Book of Winter
Author: unknown
And so the fields of the Old Kingdom
Place/Gathering Discovered: inherited from Grandfather Zeek McKrye's paperwork Date: pre-1002 M.R. Transcribed by: Sir Iawen Penn ran with blood. The ancient evil rained down upon the world, leaving many sick or dying or dead. The armies of good were laid to waste and the hand of the church was cut off by the Mad King's orders. The Hope if the world had been sacrificed to the Dark King's god and few could find the end to hunger and strife. In the depths of darkness, the Silver Queen came forth to fight the madness. From her very hands flew a flight of dragons, and side-by-side they battled the evil, with Banishment leading the way. And as the Stone of the Wheel cracked and the Mad King was forced into the depths of time, never to emerge to harm the Old Kingdom ever again. And so did the battle rage beyond this time and place. With the gods at her right shoulder, the Silver Queen and Hope re-born found the dead father and destroyed the Mad King. Many lives were lost and lost again as Pathos regained his sanity and his heart. But as his heart was mended, so was it broken again by the Silver Queen. And Lo, as Pathos died, he breathed a curse unto the new Realm. With the first snow of winter came a Plague like none had seen before. All animals of the farm slowly died and with their deaths came the death of thousands. And so went the first of seven Plagues that swept the new Realm, one for each slight the Silver Queen had given Mad King in his life. With both old and new, Sun and Moon discovered the Plagues and began their quest to defeat them all. Both Branch and Clan, both Griffin and Rook, both (end Page 1) Bird and Lion aided in the fight against the first Plague. Using the Old Magic, the Sun and Moon did hunt the Plague. For more days than can be counted they moved across the land like the wind, until the curse was at last before them. It fought with all the Evil it could muster, its diseased claws biting into the flesh of the Shadow. But quickly did the old woman fall to the power of the Boneweaver. To dust and cold did the Plague return and the land felt a shudder of calm. This calm lasted only a short time. For from the screams of the first fallen curse, the second opened her eyes and soured the land, killing grass and grain. Hearing the cries of the Great Mother, those close to Her aided the Moon to find the second Plague. Wrapped in a crown of thorns, the earth was again covered in blood. So as the Bone struck the heart, those close to the Great Mother heard the rage of the Forgotten Ones. Time itself shook as Eagle and Branch fought for their very lives. So from the shadow did Fear, the fourth Plague, come. To crush the Branch and Bird was his goal, to being War and chaos to those at peace was his feeding. Within the minds he moved, still locked in the icy core. Verily were innocents slaughtered by the guilty and the guilty slain by their own hand. He walked among the people of the new Realm without their knowledge, stopping them at every turn, taking their darkest thoughts and making them real. And so did he walk into the mind of the (end Page 2) Rook and find the Mad King's resting place and so did he find a new shelter for it, knowing the Plagues to come would have need of it. And so Griffin and Claw set out to end the third Plague while Fear walked wit them. There was much suffering as they found his Keep deep within the ice. Far below, they found him and dragged him into the light, each striking a blow into his heart, for the only way to defeat Fear is to stike it thus. With this done, the Moon did bring him low and so ended the reign of the third curse upon the New Realm. But Fear had been hard at work and had freed the fourth and fifth Plagues together from their prisons. As Fire spread through the land, taking children and burning villages, the Dragon Reborn hunted the Moon. And so did the peasants for the Branch suffer fire and ice and the Dragon's evil army of Hate. A call went up through the Green and the Gold to stop the Plagues before it reached the Rock of the People and began to burn them out of Keep and country. And so the Sun took the Gold to quench the Fire with Ice and water and wind, to force him back to the prison he came, until the time Sun and Moon would meet and lay him asunder. And while the Sun played, so did the Moon. The new once again played their part to chant away the Dragon Reborn. And so did the Bear and Rock and Branch and Blue did keep her army of Hate at bay while the battle was again played out to its conclusion, and the Dragon returned to her proper place. (end Page 3) And as the Dragon found her death, so did she release the sixth Plague of Death upon the New Realm. Twisted way the way of Death and Murder, killing in the night with no rhyme or reason, leaving bodies in sadistic shapes and feeding on children's blood. Through the summer nights she raged, and the people, tired of paying for the mistakes of their Lords rose up, demanding to be released from the enemy they could not see. Bands of armies formed to storm the Keep and castle of those who swore their protection. Villages of dead are found as they, without hope, took their own lives. And so did the rivers run red with the Blood of the innocent and the Plague took its hold upon the lands. And so did the New Realm rise up to stop the Plague. At the Heart did the Sun quest with Claw, Blue and Branch to View the curse. Far into the ancient wood did they find the great Beast that could give them Sight. There was great sacrifice to obtain Sight and the Sun did lose his brightness to save them all. As the leaves fell from the tress did they finally spy upon the Plague at Victory. As they hunted her, Justice's hand struck with a vengeance while the Moon did rise, leaving all to wonder at the final Plague. Although it is the last, it was the true first to appear in the New Realm, hiding within a sword of Time. So only when Death was conquered did it make its presence known. In vain did the Branch seek to destroy all swords of Time, for its evil seed had all ready struck the land that wielded it. (end of Page 4) Verily was it quieter than the rest and it snuck away to where fear had hidden the Mad King's body to bring it to life again. Seven more were found to Link the dead King to the world, Seven more would die to resurrect the evil and its evil heart. And as the Mad King returned to the living, So did the Sun and Moon together begin the final ritual to bring about the New Age. And as the Six Plagues were sent into oblivion, the last Plague and the Dead King did grow weak and become mortal. So then did the armies of the New Realm vanquish the Dead King and his last curse, bringing their bodies to the Sun and Moon to be sent unto oblivion, so that this evil may never return to the Wheel. Thus came the New Age. As the Umbra faded into history, the Sun and Moon shone with brilliance and were given Blessings by both gods and their friends. So ends the Book of Winter. May the True Evil never strike this deep again! (end Page 5, end of Book) |
Created by Janna Oakfellow-Pushee at 02-01-11 00:58 AM
Last Modified by Janna Oakfellow-Pushee at 02-01-11 01:35 PM