Hyvelic's Hyvelic Quest

There was a Kingdom whose power and glory had spread from barely a group of similar individuals to an Empire of technological nightmares brought down upon enemy after enemy. There are several ages that are noted to be catalysts of great change, be it a great deal of bloodshed or forged unity. The ages each unique and standing apart but together. There is a start for every story, so I shall grant you a single boon: I shall allow you to pick where your story starts.

[ ] The March upon Paradise
The start of the story, a people marched for day after day, until they came to what could only amount to paradise. The land was perfect; there was land for farming, animals for food, resources to grow with, and it was defensible from outside sources. Though this seemingly infinite paradise was but an illusion, for all of those who would live upon the land there was little for them to live on compared to the greater kingdoms beyond the borders of this new paradise. Warlords sought to claim this land for their own, yet the people who found this land, who would build their homes here, will not go without a fight--not until death-- and although they are few in numbers now, the power that united them will help them stand tall against the tide of war. It will soon become the stage for something so much greater, but this was a dangerous time for these souls who wished to create their true home.

[ ] The Darkened Sons
Years and years later, under the king that united them, the people of the small land stood tall. They had risen from warriors holding out against warlords into soldiers of the highest caliber, respected and feared, ruled by Fellowship rather than Iron they stood, and they go into the world, not as soldiers of conquest, but as soldiers of gold. But time has a way of punishing those who do good in the world. An explosion of black fire eclipsed the nation who would have stood against all, a nation that would fight this black fire. From the darkness came the Rift. Their homes destroyed, their people killed or worse, those who remained returned to their roots, refusing to bow to this new threat rose to the occasion, and as their blood boiled once more, they had marched united into the darkness, spirits burning brighter than any light. Many died and the fellowship broke, but the darkness was repulsed for a time. They looked towards their homes and wept.

[ ] The Shattered Mirror
Broken but undaunted they took it upon themselves to hold back the darkness until all were prepared for the coming tide, or if possible to defeat the threat itself. But as time passed, no help came, no one spared a passing thought for the once noble soldiers, and they lost what faith that had remained. When they lost their faith the old gift, one that was with them from the start of the journey, replaced by something new. Unity was long gone, destroyed under the black fire; it was only a delusion, one that they couldn't afford to keep. So they threw it away, alongside their desires for peace, and their hope for the kinder nature of those that shared the world with them. The dark fire was eventually repulsed once more and denied the reality it so greatly desired. Their hopes and dreams discarded, they turned from ancient defenders into unwavering conquerors. They had taken all which the others called their own for themselves and destroying them simply for being who they once shared the world with. Until only their empire stood. From the planet that had grown so small they looked to the stars, for new worlds and empires to crush beneath their mighty heel.

[ ] The Burning Tide
They took to the stars with a fury, relics of the past gave up on peace and joined with the new bloody tide that formed. They found civilization after civilization and took them into themselves, all who would not bow were taken and adapted, changed until nothing of what they once were existed, only a twisted puppet of what they once were. There were those who broke free, their strings cut, and with a dark irony ascended into something more. However knowing what they were, and what all else would become, they resisted and fought, cutting the strings of their brothers and sisters in slavery, but it was all for naught. When the time came the Empire crushed them like the insects they became, and soon there was nothing left to take. Knowing the Darkness would return however they fortified all they had, the hearth from which they came became something that could stand for eons and not falter in production or destruction for even a moment, and with this they slept. They entered a deep slumber until the stars created replacements for all they took, then they would awaken and take everything once again until the Darkness returned to fight them once more.

[ ] The Heir of Conquest
Eons passed and they awoke to find another empire, one that took what they had stolen and made it their own. The new empire knew that the Old Ones would return one day and wipe them out like they did so many others in their existence. So they adapted the technology, the power, even the culture of the ones that came before to stand on even ground. Two empires stood amongst the stars, one ancient and experienced in the art of warfare, while the other stood united-- prepared to wage a bloody war which they knew they had no chance of winning, yet choosing to fight for no other reason than spite, to not go gentle into that good night. An eon passed and from it rose great fires and unceasing war, until finally, time ran out. The Darkness returned from its exile and the aged empire left their fight to show the old enemy their hatred once more. The Heir, seeing this new enemy, joined the fray against this enemy to all.

[ ] Entropy
The war was waged like in the past. The Darkness prepared to fight a foe that it had not encountered in all the time it has existed. The Old Empire's fire alight, their mouth fixed in a bloody smile, fought to exterminate their ancient foe in a frenzy that was never seen before. The New Empire joined the war against this new foe, reluctantly prepared to put aside their hatred and fear of the Old Ones to fight what they deemed was the worse threat. The Rift opened completely and once more, armies flowed forth from the Rift. Legion after legion who once fought each other came together again this dark tide that had come forth for the master that ruled them. After a time when the blood stopped drowning the worlds that stood in their way, the Old Empire unleashed the greatest weapon they ever wielded.

Thanks to my Beta

The village that you were raised in was a small, run-down place with barely over 700 people in total. The village was simply called Forest's Edge. It was named that because of the fact that the trees that surrounded it were once only at the edge of the town a generation ago.


The forest in question wouldn't be anything special if not for the fact that three and a half decades ago it had been much smaller, but for some reason, it had grown rapidly over the course of the years until it had grown past the town by several miles. It was infested with monsters like anywhere else, though these were more dangerous kind of monsters than in most places.


The only reason the town hadn't been destroyed as soon as it had been founded was a small clover shaped plant that the monsters truly despised. It didn't stop them from raiding but it kept the majority of the beasts from persistently assaulting the village. All attempts to grow the plant failed so the town was confined to the areas it grew in. Sometimes at night villagers see the silhouettes of monstrosities lurking in the dark just beyond the edge of the forest's choking embrace. A few villagers disappear into the night every so often, when it happens a majority of people stay indoors during the night. Despite this danger though people still came to stay in the village.


The village had different people and creatures from all walks of life, and each had kept to their own in different parts of town. The Low Elves stayed closer to the southern edge of the forest; they preferred to preserve the connection to nature they were raised to have long ago while still having the protection of the community. The Dwarves lived in the center of town where their businesses stayed booming. The Orks kept away from the parts of town where the Low Elves lived; further away from the deeper parts of the forest where the most dangerous of the monsters live.


The High Elves stuck mostly to the northern side of the town, something about how if the monsters were going to kill everyone, they would at least be able to fight back since it was furthest from the southern part of town and the deeper parts of the forest. Beast-Kin were scattered throughout the entire town, not really far from any part of it at all. There were a few Half Breeds around, though they rarely left their homes. There was a family of Giants somewhere between the center of town and the western edges, you wouldn't know since nobody really saw them often around in the town's markets.


Then there are the Monster-kin, creatures spawned between monsters and any other being whether intelligent or not, nobody including Monster-Kin really know how monsters spawn only that many have tried to find out only to die. They were pushed out away from the town and almost outside of its boundaries, and closer to the monsters of the forest.


Then there was you.


Ever since you were young you had noticed that you were different. Not outwardly, for you had no disease that spread at the slightest touch, no demonic visage that made babies cry. But to the townsfolk, there was just something wrong about you, and that was reason enough to shun you. You were treated as an outsider, even by your own kind, never truly one of the villages own. Things got better (or rather, less serious) the longer you spent around your fellows, the less they seemed to care about what happened around you.


You tried to find anything that made you different with an almost zealous energy. After looking for so long you had a lead, you noticed several things that stood out to you. Things like the people who interacted with you lost their vitality just at first, things got dramatically worse after that. These things couldn't have been explained away with magic or Magical creatures like Spirits or Sprites since the Mages couldn't find anything wrong spiritually.


As you noticed these strange things that happened around you, they began to change how you saw the world. You found that as you began to grow older, you changed. The moment the changes began can be singled out to a moment a few years ago when you were nine years of age. The adults in the village ignored you, the other children taunted you. The pain this caused left its marks on you. Everything started when you:


[ ] Were drawn to a fire's warm embrace.


[ ] Drowned inside the ashes of your home.


[ ] Attacked another child like a wild animal.


[ ] Began to Hear whispers telling how things worked, as well as how to break them.


[ ] Started to kill small creatures, their blood felt invigorating


[ ] Winter's frigid grasp never bothered you anyway


[ ] Knew what was poisonous or not and how to mix them into dangerous combinations


[ ] Found and tamed beast and monster alike.


[ ] Entered the night and got lost amongst an abyss for hours.


[ ] The Sun's soothing heat gathered around you.


[ ] Felt your hair move along with the clouds on a stormy night.


Your parents sadly died a few years after this event, but since no one would take you in you held your own life in your hands, you had to work to survive since no one else would help you.


From that moment on you changed from the child everyone felt wary of, into someone else, someone they would come to shun you far worse than they already had, you were barely getting enough to eat since they wouldn't even let you get scraps most times. Eventually they relented and allowed you to eat more than what you had been. But your daily ritual had not changed much and still revolved around getting enough food to eat and money to pay for it.


But today had been different. Today you met someone who didn't recoil from you. A stranger had come to the village. You were curious about who would come to the village that was too out of the way. They did not seem to plan to stay long, nobody planned on staying here for long. The town wasn't in the way of anywhere important. Which could be the reason they came here. The idea itself however, wouldn't work very well if you were a criminal of some sort.


You decided to head to the tavern today. You don't know why, but something was pulling you there, it probably was the fact that the food itself was the cheapest option for you at the time. You look around and spot the tavern's only entertainment.


The village's old entertainer, you didn't know his name, nor did he care to know yours, introduced the tale he was planning to tell to everybody that night, a recent addition from the southern lands, the old man began to tell the tale of how the Monsterous Jia'tu'ong died. The Jia'tu'ong like most of the legendary monsters that plague the world has a specific name. Jia'tu'ong is Ancient Speak for "The Twelve Winged Terror". You've heard the tale several times since it came along.


It has been told over and over again and just like all the other legends and stories he has told over the years they were beginning to become stale. But the stranger seemed to have taken interest in the tale themselves.


The Twelve Winged Terror was defeated through the sacrifice of several legions from various warlords-- and though they were victorious, few warriors returned, and fewer still survived the monster's lingering venom. Soon after the tale was done you saw that the stranger had gotten up and left. You don't know why you decided to follow them. You didn't notice anything off physically but for some reason, you were concerned about them. So when he entered the forest surrounding the village, not bothering to take the roads out of town for some reason, you followed them.


You barely kept up, keeping them within your sight almost the entire way. As the stranger keeps moving you recognized where you were headed from the dead trees and the lessening light. You were headed towards Winter's Pond, a place well known in the village for the seemingly extraordinary dangerous monster locally known as "Winter" who shows up on the hottest days of Summer and the coldest days of Winter.


As you enter the clearing the first thing you notice, after your eyes are cleared of the sudden brightness of the sun reflecting off the water, is that there is no one here. You seem to be alone, and that feeling from earlier is still there but the target of it is missing. You slowly approach the pond looking warily at the trees surrounding you. You still hear the animals in the background, frolicking you assume—throughout the forest. You scan the water and look at the reflection that stares back at you. You realized how much you've changed since the last time you came here. You've certainly grown as a:



[ ] Male


[ ] Female


______________________________________________________________________________


[ ] Human

- A species that have learned to change the environment. They specialize in all sorts of activities from war to farming. They live everywhere but they rule over the Empires of Hua and Juul

-- Can learn anything given time.

--- Near impossible to survive on own, must stay with a group for the best chance at survival.



[ ] Low Elf

- Elves who have purposefully lessened their link to the magical arts, they prefer to use Nature as their weapons, from ents to bows. They reside primarily in the Great Forests of Shaal.

-- Can communicate with creatures of nature.

--- Extremely hard to Learn magic.


[ ] Dwarf

- A physically durable people whose culture focuses on physical tasks such as smithing, fighting, and building rather than magical tasks. They reside mostly in dark environments near the rocky mounds and mountains of Vila.

-- Extremely Durable race.

--- Weakened by exposure to sunlight.



[ ] Ork

- Hardy nomadic people who hunt the largest animals and Monsters of their lands. They specialize in hunting and all its aspects, They live amongst the grasslands of Baec and Juul

-- Strong Race.

--- Have little Culture beyond The Hunt


[ ] High Elf

- Magical Creatures who learn magical arts as they learn to speak. They live amongst the Magical Ruins of Shaal.

-- Strong Magical Talent.

---Low physical Ability.


[ ] Beast Kin

-[ ] (Write-In) Animal

-- Creatures of Humanoid and Beastly features, they take the features of the beasts they descend from, they reside in places of high concentration of nature such as The Great Forests of Shaal or the Grasslands of Baec

--- High Endurance, but Weak Strength


[ ] Half-Breed

-[ ] (Choose Two Races)

--Creatures born when two species mix. The closer to each other the parents are physically the better the outcome. Take refuge across the Empires of Hua and beyond.

--- Have the strengths of their parents.

---- Stronger Defects the further parents are from each other physically.


[ ] Giant

-Creatures of Enormous stature and strength. Though they are slower than other races, it does not mean they are idiots. They walk amongst the lands of Shaal and Shuun in small tribes.

-- Unparalleled Strength,

--- Slower on the uptake compared to any other of the races.


[ ] Monster-Kin

-[ ] (Write-in) Monster

-- Creatures born of violence. What they are can vary from one location or another. From the mountains to the plains, to the oceans, Monsters rule the lands from which Civilization does not tread and these are the descendants of these creatures.

--- Do not Aggravate Monsters naturally.

---- Universally discriminated against.


After staring at yourself a while longer you realize that you don't remember why you came out this far from town, it's a ways off from the village and it is nearly sundown. You hope that you can make it home before the moon comes out. You begin to wander off towards your home. As you walk you realize that you seem to recognize the area you are in. Though it is certainly not because you just came this way here. However, it seems like you know the area as though you've been here a hundred times before even though you haven't stepped anywhere near this specific area of the forest.


As your thoughts wander, you leave the trail you made to get to the pond in the first place. Your pondering keeps you from focusing on where you are going. You try to remember why you came this far out. You stop, trying to fight the strange feeling of melancholy overtaking you. Just as you are beginning to fight back mentally the feeling disappears. You look around to spot whatever might have compelled you to come here. What you spot instead of a monster is an empty clearing.


You look throughout the clearing for what could have brought you here, but there was nothing. Nothing you could see at the least. You attempt to escape but everytime you try to leave you you wind up turned around to facing the clearing again. You start to worry over what is going on—this hasn't happened before! You briefly wonder if this is the effect of strange occurrences that surround you, or if it is something even more malicious behind it.


As you stand rooted, scared of what's happening to you, somebody finally enters the clearing. They are wearing a ragged brown hooded cloak that covers most of their form. They slowly reach towards their hood and lower it showing you a:


[ ] An elf with... dark skin?


[ ] A Worn Plated Helm


[ ] A scarred brown haired human


[ ] An ork with cloud colored eyes

——————————

Vote Summary
[ ] Were drawn to a fire's warm embrace.

[ ] Drowned inside the ashes of your home.

[ ] Attacked another child like a wild animal.

[ ] Began to Hear whispers telling how things worked, as well as how to break them.

[ ] Started to kill small creatures, their blood felt invigorating

[ ] Winter's frigid grasp never bothered you anyway

[ ] Knew what was poisonous or not and how to mix them into dangerous combinations

[ ] Found and tamed beast and monster alike.

[ ] Entered the night and got lost amongst an abyss for hours.

[ ] The Sun's soothing heat gathered around you.

[ ] Felt your hair move along with the clouds on a stormy night.

——————————


[ ] Male

[ ] Female


——————————


[ ] Human

- A species that have learned to change the environment. They specialize in all sorts of activities from war to farming. They live everywhere but they rule over the Empires of Hua and Juul

-- Can learn anything given time.

--- Near impossible to survive on own, must stay with a group for the best chance at survival.


[ ] Low Elf

- Elves who have purposefully lessened their link to the magical arts, they prefer to use Nature as their weapons, from ents to bows. They reside primarily in the Great Forests of Shaal.

-- Can communicate with creatures of nature.

--- Extremely hard to Learn magic.


[ ] Dwarf

- A physically durable people whose culture focuses on physical tasks such as smithing, fighting, and building rather than magical tasks. They reside mostly in dark environments near the rocky mounds and mountains of Vila.

-- Extremely Durable race.

--- Weakened by exposure to sunlight.


[ ] Ork

- Hardy nomadic people who hunt the largest animals and Monsters of their lands. They specialize in hunting and all its aspects, They live amongst the grasslands of Baec and Juul

-- Strong Race.

--- Have little Culture beyond The Hunt


[ ] High Elf

- Magical Creatures who learn magical arts as they learn to speak. They live amongst the Magical Ruins of Shaal.

-- Strong Magical Talent.

---Low physical Ability.


[ ] Beast Kin

-[ ] (Write-In) Animal

-- Creatures of Humanoid and Beastly features, they take the features of the beasts they descend from, they reside in places of high concentration of nature such as The Great Forests of Shaal or the Grasslands of Baec

--- High Endurance, but Weak Strength


[ ] Half-Breed

-[ ] (Choose Two Races)

--Creatures born when two species mix. The closer to each other the parents are physically the better the outcome. Take refuge across the Empires of Hua and beyond.

--- Have the strengths of their parents.

---- Stronger Defects the further parents are from each other physically.


[ ] Giant

-Creatures of Enormous stature and strength. Though they are slower than other races, it does not mean they are idiots. They walk amongst the lands of Shaal and Shuun in small tribes.

-- Unparalleled Strength,

--- Slower on the uptake compared to any other of the races.


[ ] Monster-Kin

-[ ] (Write-in) Monster

-- Creatures born of violence. What they are can vary from one location or another. From the mountains to the plains, to the oceans, Monsters rule the lands from which Civilization does not tread and these are the descendants of these creatures.

--- Do not Aggravate Monsters naturally.

---- Universally discriminated against.


——————————


[ ] An elf with... dark skin?


[ ] A Worn Plated Helm


[ ] A scarred brown haired human


[ ] An ork with cloud colored eyes