War The wizard, Syrdaes stood on the balcony, looking out over the city he was sworn to defend. His white hair swept back from his face. His eyes, looked far older than the rest of him, as if they had seen too much pain in his short #life. As the sun rose over the hills in front of him, the light washed over the cobblestone roads below, lighting up the city in its special way. He could see the wall. The massive wall, surrounding the city. The wall which had stood for thousands of years. Beyond the wall, a dark mass of bodies had piles up. The awaiting horde. Syrdaes watched the creatures throwing themselves at the wall, crashing against it like waves over rocks. They had started this war years ago, and after weeks of preparation Syrdaes was ready to end it. For his people. For his city. But mostly for his wife. Syrdaes allowed himself a brief moment to think about his lover. She had been the most beautiful thing to him. She had always seemed happy and never once did she let the constant fear of war dull that happiness. He wiped away tear. He whispered a prayer for her, then walked calmly back into his room, where books were thrown everywhere. The time had come for justice. He launched into the recitations of the countless spells he had learned just for this. He hesitated only a moment before finishing the final spell. The sound of an explosion could be heard throughout the city. Syrdaes walked back out to the balcony and jumped, launching his body far out into the air. He felt a moment of weightlessness, then began to fall rapidly towards the earth below. His calm demeanor betrayed nothing as he summoned magic that was only barely within his control. He felt the wind lift him up and push him over the wall. He landed in the midst on the enemy. Thousands of black clad creatures from the darkest places in the world surrounded him, but he felt no fear. He felt only the barely contained surge of power. He lifted his hands in front of him and fire wrapped in lightning ripped through the ranks of the enemy. He turned, looking at the brave souls who dared oppose him, and they were ripped apart by some unknowable force. He was unstoppable as he swept up and down the battlefield, slaughtering the countless thousands who had chosen to attack his city. He lost control and in those seconds, there was only his unbridled rage. As the battlefield lay in ruins, with the burnt bodies of the dead lying everywhere, Syrdaes finally regained full control. He looked at the dead and sank to the ground, exhausted. He knew that he had saved countless lives, but this war was far from won.

Moradel The powerful city of Moradel rose up out of the ground. Built into a mountain, it was almost impenetrable. The guards posted around every gate made it all the more intimidating, with their sleeveless armor revealing their well-muscled arms. Each guard was armed with a variety of deadly weapons, and their stance quite clearly stated, that they were extremely competent fighters. Deep inside the mountain, where long ago great crafters had carved a city into the rocks, a tower stood, watching over the magnificent city and all its inhabitants. Inside the tower, wizards trained for years to become true Wizards of the Spire. At the top of this tower was a special room, built specifically as a cage for the powerful sorceress who had been imprisoned there. The sorceress looked out over the city and leaned against the window ledge, as visions of the future flashed through her mind; visions that she had spent years trying to make sense of and control. She often thought it was impossible to connect any of the random flashes of people and places to anything real. But something powerful was stirring in the depths of Moradel. A sudden powerful vision seemed to overwhelm the rest and she was finally given a vision that was more than just a quick flash. She sat in place, entirely still, for the rest of the day as the vision clouded all other thoughts in her mind. When the vision came to its conclusion, she found paper and scribbled words leaving it on the table. She then hurled herself out of the tower. Moments later, a wizard ran into the tower and saw the paper on the table. He looked at the note, but was only able to make out a few words. ‘Korin’ ‘Syrdaes’ ‘Ceira’ The wizard turned to the guards who had followed him up the steps. “Find these three. They are to become the Lords of Moradel.”