Under the Cover of Darkness

Chapter 9 - M.O.B.

The magical kingdom of Set wasn't the most elegant of the five major kingdoms. It was nestled in the only major mountain range of Netueeia. Because of this, its economy was mainly based on minerals and metals found in the depths of the mountains while also providing one of the most profitable substances in all of the lands, magic. Furthermore, its relatively small population, second only to Ardor, was able to provide a surplus of agricultural materials from the numerous abundant valleys that flourished with green; however, for the last decade, the mountains had begun to be stricken down by colder temperatures that devastated crops and forced them to rely heavily on the imports from other agricultural based kingdoms like Ardor and Herfdole.

This need had stifled their economic advantage and eventually let Herfdole take control of the global economy. The frustration among the populace had also pressured King Dalart to incorporate a council of magically knowledgeable elders into the parliament as a way to hopefully take the reins of the unwieldy kingdom. During this time before the council was made, Set entered one of the darkest moments of their history as a black magic market had risen within their capital city.

Once the Grand Council of Elder Wizards was implemented, the use of dark magics had begun to become outlawed, and the influence of this council eventually spread across Netueeia as the wrath of the twelve members frightened even the strongest warriors. During the five years of the council's rule, King Dalart became a figurehead as his power was slowly diminished, so he turned to the black market to find support. The council retaliated with what would become known as the Week of Fire where two thousand people who were affiliated or connected to the black market were slaughtered along with their families in an attempt to eradicate the spread of its influence. The general public was angered by the action as it severely crippled the economy of Set yet again, so when the council attempted to remove King Dalart from the throne, the people refused to accept it. It was the only time the council was afraid of being stood up to as the people would have greatly been able to take them down. In turn, the council responded by starting a covert operation to end the black market's reign while continually fighting the king.

Right after Quanti's trip to Ardor to help with the tournament, they passed yet another ban on magics associated with life, nature, light, and organic creation. Their reasoning being that the magic types were contrary to the natural law of the world, but it was reasoning that no one would attempt at arguing against. With the ban was the extermination of the sources of the magic, sources that took a humanoid form.

These beings, named M.O.B's, or Magical Otherworldly Beings, were extraterrestrial peoples that lived in harmony with the various intellectual species that populated the universe. They were sent from an unknown source to help with the protection of their assigned species through the teachings of magics; however, when the council began to ban multiple magic types, the M.O.B's became criminals that were to be hunted down by the secret police the  council had set up. Plus, since the M.O.B's all resided in Set, the police were able to annihilate the foreigners quickly.

Kirboliness Limezoun Poulyserf was a M.O.B. who taught people about nature magic, or similarly known as plant magic. It gave people the ability to control the green earth's plant based organisms, but generally, it was too difficult to learn. Nature magic was extremely destructive and often times consumed the caster using it. Only one person had successfully learned how to use it, but he had died years before. The power of controlling the obstreperous natural world was so immensely powerful that people turned to potion-making in order to harness its strength, so for the past couple of decades, Kirboliness Limezoun Poulyserf had been helping make recipes for nature potions.

In fear for his life, the celestial being lived in a small town on the western half of the Setian kingdom in one of the various valleys that was closer to the flatlands which laid over the mountains than to the capital city. The town acted as a resting point for herders who brought their various animals through the valleys of Set's mountains. Various ranches were scattered across the valley floor and were populated by short grasses for the animals to feed on. At one of these ranches, run by the descendants of the town's founders, was a barn where inside lay the homeless M.O.B. who had kindly been accepted by the generous family.