Our protagonist is John Stitch, a scholar who spent much of his life studying in Relgar's Academy, but he has always had a dream to become a Hero of which the legends speak. Leaving behind the Academy, he joined the Adventurer's Guild in Relgar and obtained the entry rank of Porcelain Adventurer.
As his first quest he took up a request to copy some aging records of the Temple of War's archive, but strangely upon heading to the Temple he was stopped outside by the statue of the War God himself seemingly come to life. Time had frozen for all, but John and the God before him. He seemed to call him a Heroic Spirit, remarking on the oddity of your original path before offering two choices: the Crown or the Sword. Of the two choices offered John chose the Crown, a boon that left a mark upon his brow unseen by others and a strange power to dominate the free will of other beings.
Even such a simple task as copying old records couldn't go simply apparently for in the process John discovered a journal which spoke of a long dead clergyman's interactions with the founder of the Relgar Township. According to it, Relgar was capable of tilling miles of land with a single strike from a hoe and when the founder noticed the priest's shock at the sight he left behind one sentence.
'For those who follow a path to the end even the most mundane things can turn into miraculous abilities.'
Afterwards he found a scroll bearing the seal of the Cult of the Burning Sword, the order of knights entrusted with enforcing the laws of the Temple of War and guardians of the Bastion Mountains. Worried of persecution and the potential that it might fall into the hands of an innocent people he stole the scroll, as a Hero rightfully should.
During his second request working for the Guild, John assisted with bookkeeping at an inn and managed to uncover acts of embezzlement and leaves it to the owner to handle. During his work there John established his own Code of Ethics as a Scholar, even a mere student of knowledge should have rules to abide by.
Sometime after John entered into a dream realm, a black void with nothing in it aside from a multicolored flame constantly circled by a faint, golden crown. It was there that he learned he was the Vessel for the Heroic Spirit, a strange entity that apparently appeared in every era in it's time of need and set it's "Vessel" on a path to greatness. It seemed to state that the "Vessel" was required to continually pursue the path of a Hero, but in return they would be granted strength for their achievements.
The Heroic Spirit's rules were:
- A Heroic Spirit's vessel must forever strive towards greater heights, a Hero is never created from nothing.
- If a Vessel achieves something of note, an act that would contribute to their legend, then the Spirit will grant them a chance for power.
- When a Vessel obtains a new level the Spirit will reward them with yet more potential power.
- A Vessel must never willingly reveal it's existence as one.
- A Vessel must hold no attachment to life, even death can forge a legacy.
The offered "chance for power" came in the form of Heroic Legacy Points, which he had earned by earning the blessing of the Crown from the War God, reaching Level 2, and establishing a Code of Honor unique to himself.
After that dream he took on a request to gather some medicinal plants and ended up dominating his first follower: A common Vicious Rabbit that had attempted to accost him on the road. It would later turn out that when it comes to training in effective methods of evasion, a rabbit can beat a scholar with ease.
Sometime after John was once more drawn into that strange dream realm only to be ripped away into yet another realm, a great hall adorned in countless murals depicting scholars, battles, herbalists, and far more. Within that temple he encountered a Flame far beyond the scale of that which he saw in his dreams, it spoke and declared itself the Origin of Heroic Spirits, and Arbitrator of .... something? It pressed John to progress faster, claiming it had brought him there to instill a greater drive to build his Legacy.
It was in that same Temple that he discovered five pedestals, and seven statues that towered above the temple hall. Of the pedestals one seemed to represent himself, a plain book with merely a page and half of writing resting upon it. Writing that encompassed all of his existence, equal to nothing more than a mere page and a half.
Following a conversation with the Origin of Heroic Spirits, John is offered a chance to examine the things within the temple. Among them he chose to view the murals which led to his experiencing the later stage of an unknown man's life, the years spent doing nothing aside from copying the records of an Imperial Family's library. When he awoke he found his hands torn beyond recognition, and blood dripping from his nose. Supposedly a result of an injury to the soul.
