The Rise and Fall of Darkness

Part I : The Rise of Darkness

Geography and religion:
Three kingdoms exist in Verdryn.

-The White Kingdom, the land of ice, occupies the entire north. It is dark and cold through the entire year. The people in the White Land worship a fierce god. According to their beliefs, the White God gives those who are the more powerful in society welfare and luck. They have no animal symbol.

-The Red Kingdom, the land of light, occupies the entire east and a part of the south. It is warm through the entire year, perfectly fit for planting crops. The people in the Red Land worship a god that treats his people as they treat their lands. The more they give; the more they will receive. The Red God favors those with the capacity to love and work hard. Their animal symbol is the Phoenix.

-The Blue Kingdom, the land of water, covers the entire west and rest of the south. It located at the shores of the oceam. Fog and heavy rains fill up the land most of the year. The people of the Blue Land don't believe in a god. According to them, life is like sailing through the ocean, where those who are strongest and cleverest can only go through its hardships. Their animal symbol is the Shark.

The Rise of Darkness:

A beggar in a city in the White Kingdom used to roam the street day and night. She loathed those who had enough food and homes to warm themselves. After years of being mistreated and looked down upon by people, she knocked on the doors of the city's temple and asked to talk to the White God. The priests however, didn't let her come in, as she was too weak and deserved to suffer. One night, the beggar stole a knife from a butcher. She knocked on the doors of the temple and killed the priests. She entered, kneeled before the statue of the White God, and as the tale tells, whispered to him the right words. Admiring her bravery, the White God listened to the woman and decided to grant her what she needed.

The next day, the woman asked for a piece of bread from the baker, and he unreluctantly gave her one. She looked into the eyes of a man, preparing herself to ask him for a coin, and he directly gave her one. The woman utilized her new power to get gold, food, and a humble home. But, this wasn't enough.

She thirsted for more and more and became the wealthiest woman in the city, then in the entire kingdom. The White King came down to see the woman everyone was talking about. As soon as he looked her in the eyes, he demanded to leave his wife and marry her. Later, she gave birth to two twin daughters, and finally decided to give up on her tricks. She told her husband the secret and asked for his forgiveness. The White King however, was fascinated by her secret and tried to pray for the White God to grant him her power. As the days passed by without using her tricks, the woman became more and more ill.
She screamed all day and night with pain, and begged her husband not to do like her. Her flesh started to rot, and the white in her eyes turned to black. The White King finally gained her power, as she departed the world with pain. The White King became the strongest man in Verdryn, and the beggar woman was no more.