The Team

Prologue

Back in the dark ages, a couple millennia ago, when the planet Earth was nothing more than a barren lump of coal, three magicians rose out of the ashes to renew the once flourishing world. These magicians split their newfound home into three. The Three New Kingdoms. From the ruins of the kingdoms before, which had perished due to everlasting battle, they brought forth new life as the many previous magicians had done before them.

Each magician ruled his or her kingdom in peaceful harmony for many years. Each taught their brethren their gifts in order to keep the line of magicians flowing.

Blaise, the oldest, was a healer. Blaise and his apprentices could cure people even inches form death. Thousands would travel to the healing kingdom every year, lining the streets to beg for the magician's services, where he would be paid in nothing but the humble thanks and praise of his clients.

Variel ruled her kingdom gracefully. She reigned with confidence for many years, and led her people and her land to prosperity, and taught them her beautiful art of shape shifting. Shape shifting was an elegant and mysterious power that led to the birth of the greatest warriors the world had ever known. Despite its glory, shape shifting also had boundaries, which Variel created to prevent the use of shape shifting for evil purposes. These boundaries stated two laws: One cannot shape shift into inanimate objects, and that one cannot shape shift with an open wound. The Two Laws of Shape shifting were kept ever since. Even though Variel and her people used to be able to perform under these circumstances, they chose not to, to grace their queen with their loyalty. As the years passed, the lack of use in these techniques made it physically impossible for the future generations of shape shifters. They just became non-existent over time.

Achar, the third magician was a mind twister. He was a powerful and intimidating king. Mind twisting started out as a gift for the better, a power used to detect liars, and read the minds of suspected criminals. But as Achar began to explore further the capabilities of the art, it became a gift for the gifted, and things turned for the worse. He thought that his power could be used in greater ways than shifting or healing. And because of this, he thought that he deserved more power and the right to rule by himself.

Achar turned on his old companions and a war was engaged that lasted for years. Constant fighting ripped the three thriving kingdoms apart as the mind-twisting kingdom turned against the others. The mind twisters used their once precious gift to influence, destroy, and brain wipe.

Throughout the war, Blaise and Variel kept a strong alliance to fend off the oncoming invaders. This very alliance was what brought the healing and shape shifting kingdoms to victory. With both in combat side by side, they were able to outnumber any force with the healer's wits and brains, and the spapeshifter's swiftness.

Achar was later executed for his treachery and crimes. Blaise and Variel believed that his punishment was suitable for his what he had done. They both believed that if they wanted to rid themselves of the evil corruptness of greed, they had to uproot it from its source.

Positioned on the executioner's block, Achar screamed his last words in a maddened rage. He set a curse upon the shape shifters and healers in the generations to come, and that the mind twisters would continue down their darkening path and one day, consume the other two nations. Frightened, confused, and protective, Blaise and Variel passed a law that all surviving mind twisters were to be banished to the isolated and rugged mountain climate. Their mercy sealed the curse and the fate of future healers and shape shifters, for in the snowy, mountainous regions where life was seldom, mind twisters began to brew horrible schemes, and perfect wicked techniques that they hoped would one day avenge their fallen lord.