The land of Luxoria has been at peace for the last 80 years, monsters have been forced back into the farthest wilds, evil spirits no longer haunt the graveyards, and the three kingdoms have a standing alliance preventing hostilities from breaking out between them. Trade flourishes in the larger cities, while the villagers on the outskirts get on with their daily lives, content in the knowledge that they looked after. This all came about after the demise of the Lord of Demons, a powerful sorcerer who pulled the evil things from their hiding holes and tried to rule everything with force. Life, to a lesser or greater extent, is good.
Three generations of people have been born and grown up knowing nothing but peace. Those born under the Hero's Star find themselves drawn to become leaders of men, just as much as they do becoming adventurers. While there are still may dark places out in the world, the promise of uncovering hoarded riches are few and far between. However, stories have started to circulate that the villages closest to known monster haunts are suffering from fallow fields, and something drawing off the natural mana of the land. It could just be fanciful tales to explain bad harvests, or it could be the rise of a new dark lord... or the return of an old one...
=Village of Corbry, Arken province=
A small village, consisting of a few dozen simple thatch houses built around a modest paved square. One area has been put aside for merchants from Arken to exchange coin for farmed goods, and nearby is a taphouse intended for those merchants to spend the night. Surrounding the village are large open fields full of various grains, with an area to the south-west given over to pastoral land. A single dirt road leads from the south of the village, towards the provincial capital. The people are close-knit, and follow a village elder in all things.
(Amy)
It was time. Time to bring about the culmination of decades of work, and claim the lands of mortals as your own play-thing. It did not matter to you that a being of immense power summoned you into this realm, or that you had lied through your teeth when he demanded your true name, instead giving him the name of one of your siblings. All that mattered now was that you were here, and you had been given a goal which the fool had been lax in giving the exact details of. Of course, this made your task perhaps a bit too simple - you had been instructed to bring the villagers under the domain of that sorcerer, but without initiating combat with any of them. It seemed that he wanted them to follow of their own free will and, while he undoubtedly had a plan in mind, and had probably written them into that contract, you had been left up to your own devices. As far as you can see, the locals are minding their own business, tending to their fields and whatnot.
(Cresca)
Fenric has given you your marching orders - to investigate why the flows of magic have been subtly tapped, and are not running quite as strongly into the lands of Man. He does not know to where they are going, or why, which is why his favourite pet has had her collar released, and sent out into the world. While your skill with magic is non-existent at best, there have been clues which have drawn you to the most northern village of the Human lands of Arken - growth in the north being slightly stunted, the recent vacation of a tribe of Goblins from their home, whispers of the dead rising beyond the mountain range, and it seems that your hunch is on the money! While scouting out the village, your keen vision picked up a feminine figure with copper hair, wings, scant clothing, and a certain air about her. Clearly she was a demon, and at this village for reasons other than taking in the view. A direct confrontation may not be wise, but it could get an answer quickly. Of course, there is the chance that the peasants might know something, too.
=The Five Old Men=
(Nyx)
The world has changed. Or, rather, you have changed and see the world differently. Although strange and difficult to process, the barriers of the physical world yield to your presence as if they were not there at all. It is a simple matter to move down the pitch-black stone corridors of the dungeon, everything seeming well-lit to your eyes even when the wall sconces have long since had their contents burn out, and the iron begin to corrode. You can recall the way in, and it should be a simple matter to retrace the steps that your captors once took and emerge from the dungeon, but who knows what else is here? Could some evil still lurk within the crumbling walls? It is difficult to understand why, but you can *see* the fain trails of magical energy in the air and, if they are flowing anywhere in your prison, then it would be toward something of power.
=City of Arken=
Provincial capital of the smallest of the three realms, Arken is still a large city in its own right. Powerful stone walls ring the city, and keep the cramped streets safe from wandering monsters. With space at a premium, the city is not divided into quarters like the other provincial capitals, but instead residential homes press up against commercial properties, and inns nestle against temples. Multi-culturalism is a way of life here, as the only way to get away from persons or species that are undesirable is to leave the city. Most of Arken is built around the base of a hill, on top of which is another stone wall which surrounds the ducal palace
(Myst)
Finding people to have your fun with has been easy in the city. Perhaps a bit too fun? There is always some simpleton wanting to engage in one perverse thing or another, allowing you to wrap them around your finger and feed at your leisure. Still, recent days have given rise to a pall falling over the city, as word filters from the north of failed crops close to the border of the Five Old Men, and those old enough have started to whisper of the return of the Demon Lord. You know that your master has spoken of him in the past, but has always been evasive when it has come to explaining the Lord's goals. He may be able to shed some light on if this is the same, or perhaps you could strike out on your own. The light of day doesn't hurt nearly as much as it used to, and you always have your magic to make it more tolerable.
=Guild of Venture, City of Tonner=
(All the other heroes!)
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
The city of Tonner only holds that title by simply being the biggest collection of buildings in the province. It is far less a city, than it is a collection of villages that are close enough together to offer mutual protection. There is no outer wall, but there is a ring of inner defences that connect the fortified homes of the ruling caste together. Each district has its own watch and, while functionally their own town, there Is no barrier preventing movement from one to another. The Guild of Venture, located within the defencive ring, is run by a co-operative of the ruling families combined with the official Adventuring Guild, and is a large enough structure that all of the city's adventuring types will end up in at one point or another. Contracts are often posted up on the boards, but local and foreign, with payment backed by the families. This has led in the past to people placing contracts up and not paying personally, but each time that happens the families simply raise the taxes to cover their expense. Very few do so anymore.
Contracts on offer today:
Goblin extermination (Local farm)
Garrison Duty (Village of Po, western border fort zone)
Dungeon Investigation (Western border fort)
Bodyguard Duty (Travelling merchant)
Artefact Retrieval (Vandamire Family)
=Church of Valestrn=
If it was located anywhere else, then the Grand Church dedicated to the Lord of Knowledge would be considered little more than a large library, with its two stories packed with tomes of various designs, with attached cloisters for the priests. All the more dangerous books, however, are kept under lock and key in what can affectionately be called the dungeon. Knowledge is strength, but be careful from whence that strength flows.
(Nuria)
Today was a good day. The priests had, so far, been welcoming of your presence within their walls. With your appearance resembling some sort of cross between monster and human, they still opened their doors to you so that you might learn. Today was different to most others, as there was a very specific shift in the air. The flows of magic had shifted, and begun to flow more weakly than before. Strange, considering one tome you had found suggested that magic flows like a river, at a constant pace and down specific channels. Although your had been forbidden from accessing the books in the basement, there may be one or two around who might have an idea of what is going on. However, there is little substitute for personal investigation
