The Zodiac Empire

Prologue - Birth and Death

Sartur Raizu rocked back and forth in his chair, rubbing the backs of the two girls in his lap. It was a quiet, late night. Too late for a five year old girl to still be up. The only audible sounds were the creaking of Sartur's chair and the crackling of the fireplace as it shone brightly, illuminating their faces in the dark room. A long story always the best way to keep an adamant Cosena quiet and put her to sleep.

Sartur took a sip from his glass before he began telling the story, "Once upon a time, the north region of Kricade was inhabited by the blizargwins – massive winged serpents with icy scales. To the south lay Rafendile, land of the Moltrogk – titanic, monstrous creatures with bodies of stone and flames. Though these regions lay on opposite ends of the world, their winds managed to reach each other, and through this phenomenon, a road connecting the two lands was formed. When this path appeared, both the moltrogks and blizargwins were curious of what lay on the other side, and so they set off to discover what was at the end of this road.

"When their paths crossed, both races were caught by surprise. It didn't take either party long to suspect the other of trying to invade their land. Wishing to avoid conflict, Nircogard, king of the blizargwins, took it upon himself to try and reason with the moltrogks. The blizargwins were merely curious, he explained, of what lay at the end of this road, as they hadn't known anything lay beyond Kricade. In response, Egitnafir, queen of the moltrogks, explained that they too were curious, as they'd only ever known the blistering heat of Rafendile. So, the two sides struck a deal. The blizargwins would allow the moltrogks to enter their home and see what lay there, as long as the moltrogks did the same."

"The journey to Kricade was long and tiresome, but the moltrogks were not disappointed when they arrived. They were amazed by just how much land there was in Kricade. Unbeknownst to the blizargwins, the moltrogks had long since outgrown Rafendile, and so they needed new land to sustain their people. Luckily for them, their body heat was strong enough to endure the chilling frost of Kricade. So, while Nircogard and Egitnafir discussed the issues of their peoples, the greedy moltrogks made secret plans to exterminate the blizargwins and take Kricade for themselves. When the blizargwins were lead to Rafendile, they were not prepared when the moltrogks blindsided them."

Cosena gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh no!"

Sartur pulled her closer to him and continued, "The war was long, brutal in nature, and by the time it was over no blizargwin remained. However, the moltrogks had not escaped unscathed. Few moltrogks remained standing, burning with rage over the death of their queen. However, the moltrogks knew that both Nircogard and Egitnafir would be back, as the end is always followed by a new beginning. In preparation for this, and to avoid the harsh snowstorms that ravished Rafendile due to Nircogard's slumber, the moltrogks carried Nircogard's corpse back to Kricade and threw it into the depths of the ocean. They returned to Rafendile, awaiting for the return of Egitnafir.

"Centuries passed. A previously undiscovered region to the west known as Drazilwalnd was populated with the revived souls of the deceased blizargwins. Rather than being reborn as blizargwins again, they were born as a new species, the wizards. These revived souls had no memories of their past lives, all of them except for Nircogard and Egitnafir, reborn as twins. They remembered everything. However, as they were now of the same race, they agreed there was no more reason to fight, deciding to live their lives together in peace. Yet this peace was tenuous, for one day Nircogard awoke to find his twin sister missing, left only with rumors that she had fled south, in the direction of Rafendile.

Cosena clutched tightly onto her father's shirt, pressing her head into his chest.

"Knowing he must act quickly, Nircogard told everyone of their past lives, warning them of the dangers to come. Some laughed in his face, while others toyed with him, pretending to believe him only to go behind his back and mock him. No one believed his ridiculous tale.