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In the depths of Liscor’s Dungeon, past rooms filled with deadly traps, magical ward spells and places where foul monsters made their homes, a skeleton sat on the ground. He held his head in his hands. Literally in his hands. Toren’s skull stared blankly ahead. The skeleton sat with his back against a wall in […]

She lived in Liscor, at least for the moment. It was a home away from home, of sorts. But in truth, her real home lay far away. Someday she wanted to go back to it, but for now she did her best. That was what she did. Her best. It was a curious thing, but […]

It was the middle of winter when the first of Flos’ vassals began to reach his city. Standing on the balcony on one of the higher floors of the palace, Trey stared moodily down at the procession of armed warriors entering through the southern gates. His eyes were good—too good in fact; Trey was a […]

Venith heard the messenger out in silence. His teeth ground together and the mounted soldiers watched him cautiously. They were eighteen, and though Venith’s own soldiers were present in the courtyard, they would have the advantage in the seconds following. But Venith Crusand had a hand on his sword. He gripped it with knuckles that […]

Trey was sitting in the banquet hall with Teres, trying to explain what a shortcake was to an interested audience of servants and a harried [Cook] when Gazi found him. The half-Gazer strode through the crowd and jerked her thumb. “Come.” It was indicative of her personality that no one asked questions. Trey and Teres […]

Two days after Flos returned to his city with an entire village at his back, Trey woke up at the crack of dawn. It was part of his new routine. He woke up when Teres took his pillow away. That was a surefire method to waking Trey up. He opened his eyes grudgingly and saw […]

“Flos of Reim. I have come for your head.” The young man lying on the ground looked up. He stared in vague surprise at the other young man on horseback. His eyes fixed first on Venith’s set face and clenched jaw. Only then did he focus on the sword in Venith’s left hand. He sat […]

Trey followed Flos out into the corridor. He walked seven steps, then felt someone grab his tunic from behind. “Wait a second. Don’t follow him.” “Teres! What are you—” His sister pulled the startled Trey back into Flos’ room. Then Teres shut the door. Trey stared at her in disbelief. “Teres! What are you doing?” […]

The sun was setting as Flos, the King of Destruction, found the small rock outcropping at the top of the hill. He trudged up the grassy slope, admiring the greenery around him. Despite the burning fires of the army’s campfires below and the sea of tents and moving soldiers who had based themselves around the […]

The day after Christmas, Ryoka woke up in a quiet village where the houses were still partly submerged by snow. She got up and after eating a communal breakfast with the villagers, began to say her goodbyes. “Are you sure you won’t stay, Miss Ryoka? There’s hardly a road to follow, and the snow hasn’t […]

And then…it was Christmas. Erin was up before dawn again, rubbing at her eyes. She hauled water, helped Lyonette finish cleaning the room—and got food ready. That was what it was. Food. Erin mechanically created and seasoned a fatty soup with sausage, mushroom, vegetable extract, flour, garlic, a hard-boiled egg…all added to a rye flour […]

Two days before Christmas, Ryoka stared up at a Frost Faerie and wondered how it had come to this. “Come on, Ivolethe. Please?”   “Nae. I won’t do it!”   Ivolethe folded her arms and glared at Ryoka and Laken. The Frost Faerie hovered outside of the Runner’s Guild as Laken and Ryoka stood and […]

When Ryoka left the Mage’s Guild she found Reynold waiting for her. The young woman was not surprised; she let the [Butler] fall into step beside her as she walked slowly down the street. Reynold was not smiling. Not that he was usually beaming; but he normally carried himself with professional impartiality. Right now he […]

She didn’t want to walk up the hill to her inn. No—it wasn’t that. Erin didn’t want to walk up the hill to her inn and go inside. Or…no, it was more like she didn’t want to walk up the hill to her inn, go inside, and then have to feed and deal with another […]

The word that travelled north was brief, but noteworthy. Amid the surge and ebb of tensions among the city-states and local aristocracy, it stood out. Around the city of Liscor that marked the sole safe passage between the northern and southern parts of Izril, news was seldom good. The Goblin Lord was only the most […]

“Tomorrow, then. Or sooner if I can get a hold of the Horns of Hammerad by mage spell.” “Very well. Please confine your visiting hours between dawn and sunset.” That seemed like a fairly easy request, so Ryoka nodded to Hedault as she and Reynold left his house. She supposed that without clocks, appointments were […]

Day 49   My name is Laken Godart. I am blind. Also, I’m trapped in another world where reality seems to conform to the rules of some kind of game. I could be a victim of some kind of elaborate prank or test, or a social experiment. I could see myself being an easy target […]

In the city of Esthelm there was a slime. It oozed along the ground, leaving a trail as it went. It was a slime, a round little pebble of liquid with no real defining features besides its dark greenish brown insides, which pulsated as it moved. But it was a slime, and as of such […]

It was still dark, still quiet, when the door of the inn opened. It was not night. But it was not day either. This was the brief moment before dawn, the quietest, most empty time. The sun had not risen, but the sky was no longer quite as black. The door to the inn slowly […]

Erin Solstice had returned. That phrase meant little to most people living in or around Liscor. The vast majority of Drakes, Gnolls, and newly arrived Humans did not know this young woman. They would not have cared about her returning if they did. But it was curious that in a city that housed over ten […]

The half-Elf walked off into the darkness, leaving Wistram behind. After a moment, Pisces stepped off the ship as well. He looked back towards the ocean where Wistram could no longer be seen, but where he knew it lay. Then he turned and was gone too.   The story ended. Ceria looked up from the […]

Her name was Cognita. That was what she told the people she met. Her name was Cognita. She had once been shaped and given life by Archmage Zelkyr, the greatest expert in Golem creation of his era. Perhaps ever. Because Cognita was a Truestone Golem. The word itself was a symbol of her authority. Truestone […]

On a controversial report published by one of the foremost [Emissaries], Trixal Therest in the year 2 EL.R, he listed Wistram as one of the most powerful factions in the world. Trixal’s report was issued to one of the Great Companies of Baleros who had hired him to write the primer, but it soon became […]

Of the many wonders of the world, the isle of Wistram and the academy of mages which rests upon it is not, in fact, one of the greatest. It is not the oldest relic of the past, not by far. The tall, dark citadel of stone does not shine with the colors of a thousand […]

Wistram was a world unto itself, with a different set of rules, a different kind of people. And yes, Ceria thought to herself as she cautiously opened her door, a different sense of time. This early in the morning the hallway was empty. Seemingly empty. But Ceria knew better than to step out incautiously. She […]