Beneath the Great Willow

Prologue - Three Droplets

As the sun dipped below the Ardolach mountain range, ripples in the sea of fate began to foretell a story like no other. These ripples were caused by three distinct droplets that unbeknownst to the world at the time, would set off a series of events that would lead to the unraveling of the spool of destiny for one particular human.

The first droplet that touched the sea of fate was but a speck of sand falling from one end of the hourglass to the other. It manifested itself in the colony of goldfur bats that flocked out of the forgotten cave in droves of flashes and shines that looked as if a large chestful of gold coins was inconspicuously knocked over in a busy tavern. There is only one thing in this world that is able to drain the vigor out of the most resilient ecosystems, and that is dark, mutated magic that causes harm to anything it touches. Something woke up in those cavernous ruins. and with its awakening released all the corrupt magic accumulated throughout the centuries..

And that cursed magic was the second droplet. It was the strongest of the three, and it was the one that changed this archaic cave the most. It slithered into the cracks of the weathered rock walls, wedged itself between the roots of the plants, and dispelled the warm glows of the firebugs. The ancient cave housing beautiful vegetation, diverse wildlife and ancient secrets degraded and was reduced to a dangerous wasteland of wilted foliage, mutated creatures, and dark magic that wafted through the putrid air, psychologically assaulting any unfortunate being with inadequate mental resilience..

Regular looking caves are already seldom explored, especially ones around the enchanted forests of Lithern and even less so those hiding inside the perilous crags and crevices of Ardolach. So when an ancient ruin belonging to a nigh-omniscient sorceress last mentioned in historical texts well over four hundred years ago is discovered lying in a cave situated on the border between these two unpopular regions, who else except literally everyone in the nation would be excited to exploit the long-lost fruits of her labor?

But who else except the strongest of adventurers and explorers would dare to dungeon-crawl in such a place once they have gotten wind of the powerful monsters lying in wait behind boulders, sticking to the ceiling, and hiding within the waterlogged laboratories of Eiliriei the sorceress, who once upon a time went by the name of 'She Who Sees All'?

And so the third droplet is introduced, as no other than an ordinary human. An adventurer if you may, an avid explorer and an ambitious albeit weak character. It is not important to know their name, but being the third droplet, this seemingly insignificant character is actually one of the most significant ones. Their accidental discovery of this monumental relic of a structure complex is ultimately what allowed the story about to be told actually get told.

There were three droplets. One awakened monster, one disease of the land, and one foolish adventurer who looked to risk it all.

But all of these factors working together to start the story is what will bring the story to an end beneath the great willow.