By EM Malachi As they waited for the parade to start, an old man and a mouse shared a plate of cookies. Mythran carefully bit into the sweets and considered the crowd around him. The sun warmed his face, and he felt more happiness than he had in years. He began laughing. The small mouse looked up, startled, her whiskers covered with crumbs. “Are you all right?” Mythran smiled at her. “Just remembering a story my mother told me long ago.” Sherry nibbled on a chocolate chip. “Would you tell it to me?” Mythran sat back in his chair. “When […]

By EM Malachi “Any requests?” asked the bard as he tuned the strings on his lute. Even at the bustling war camp in East Side Park, enough were off duty that Iolo had drawn a crowd. A young recruit requested the song Stones, and Iolo frowned slightly but nodded. Testing his lute one final time, he settled into the tune and started singing: “Long ago ran the sun on a folk who had a dream And the heart and the will and the power: They moved earth; they carved stone; moulded hill and channeled stream That we might stand on […]

By EM Malachi “Do we have a compact?” asked the wind. The mountain rumbled in disinterest. He had already started playing with the dead things buried on this new world. The remaining two, the fire and the sea, glowered at each other. It was clear that they had some disagreement. Stratos considered for a moment before asking, “What is the problem?” “Only the same problem we always have: incompetence. Why don’t you ask the Lord of Flame how he failed to capture one human?” Hydros scoffed. The flames on Pyros’s daemonic face grew hotter. “He is lucky to be alive. […]

By EM Malachi A few weeks ago… “Grave robbing. Almost no skill to it.” The thief muttered to himself as he carefully pushed aside the stone door. He waved his torch in front of him and tossed a few pebbles onto the stone floor. When nothing happened, he moved deeper into the tomb. When Sherry had challenged Ricardo to be the first Britannian thief to steal something from another world, he had expected exciting rooftop chases, clever disguises, and better locks. Then the mage Mythran had gotten him here with a single spell, and so far, there hadn’t been even […]

By EM Malachi The harsh winds attempted to push the king into the endless void. Blackthorn braced himself against the wind and summoned a field of energy to direct the unnatural gusts away from himself. He stood at the edge of a flat stone ruin with paths branching out in four directions. At the center of the plane, in the circle of glowing runes, were a few broken pieces of blackrock. The winds ceased pummeling the field, and the air in front of him condensed into a feminine form. The being spoke with a voice like a silver bell, “You […]

By EM Malachi The dead whispered, and Shamino listened. The murmurs belonged to those Shamino Salle’ Dacil had known over the long years – family, friends, soldiers he had sent into battle, and his beloved Beatrix. With the grief renewed after the centuries, he had spent a time wandering the wilds. Then he had returned to Skara Brae to find a way to serve, to bury his pain in work. Now he was standing vigil on Iver’s Rounding to watch over the Well of Souls. While mages would have explained the Well of Souls with talk of leylines and arcane […]

By EM Malachi Fog rolled over the bridges and islands of Vesper, cloaking the canal-city in grey. San-Lem shivered and walked faster, so she wouldn’t be left behind by those she had accompanied to the human city. Her employer, Aurvidlem, had requested that his entourage follow human custom and walk from place to place. Now, with such poor visibility, San-Lem was thankful for this rule. Being the personal healer to a merchant who had grown rich from trade between Ter Mur and Britannia was not what San-Lem had expected from her life. Still, it was better than struggling in the […]

Research Notes These notes are contained in the pile of books, and individual books seen here: The power of Theurgy is one granted by the Titan Stratos, this much I have learned from my studies of Pagan magics. What interests me most, however, is the recent events in the City of Minoc. It would seem that whilst digging there a group of miners uncovered what few have seen, but many are calling a most peculiar artifact! I can only guess they miners have located a hidden focus of Theurgy. Alas, without intervention I fear the miners may be trapped long […]

These books are found in the drawer of the small table at the entrance to Mythran’s home Updated History of Pagan Vol I Ages ago, in what is called First Epoch, there was considerably more land upon which humanity could walk. The Zealans, forebears to the Pagans, worshipped three who ruled the emotions. Amoras, beautiful and spirited, was the goddess of love and joy. Her counterpart was angry Odion, ruler of war, hate, and grief. Between them stood Apathas, he who controlled indifference, representing both the balance and absence of his two comrades. According to legend, these three gods and […]

Note: Spoiler alert, this page is almost, though not quite, a walk through. The Town Crier, issue III Today you would be wise to speak to the city herald before purchasing the paper. The news is unsettling, Murder in Moonglow?   As suggested when you open the newspaper, head off to the Marsh Hall, the only tavern in Vesper. There appear to be three people there you could talk to Xanthe The Baroness, Spenser the Merchant and Norris the Guard They don’t seem to be much help, but just as you finish speaking to them a tiny voice whispers in […]