Saving Sancreith

Prologue - History

Author's Note: This simple history is here for anyone who is interested. There are some terms and important outlines followed here, to clear up some later confusion if need be. Thanks for reading!

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Long ago, in a time much after the nine Gods created Sancreith and blessed the land with gifts from the Light, there were three sins committed: greed, envy, and pride. These things spread like wildfire, swift and devouring, and can corrupt one's mind like a deadly plague. They can strip a man of his morals and his sense in an attempt to gain anything he so desperately desires. These strong sensations can cause any man to act out rashly to obtain the things he lusts after. These were the sins of the ages long before the peace was brought over the land. But before the peace, men let chaos take reign. Humans turned against themselves; friend turned against friend, brother against brother.

It all started with greed. A young man by the name of Kanxo killed his own father all for the meager money in his pocket. His elder brother, Rugo, was never able to forgive his brother for what he had done. Kanxo had taken his mother away at birth, and now his father was with her. The brother that Rugo once knew and loved had been destroyed and transformed into a sinister man. On that day, Rugo swore to his brother that he would never be able to forgive him for his actions. He vowed that one day, someday, he would avenge his parents both and punish Kanxo.

Then there came envy. A young princess by the name of Celyn had fallen in love with Rugo. Their marriage to one another would unite all the known realms; thus, a new kingdom was created. Kanxo was furious that he could not have a wife, be a prince, and own all the lands that his brother did. He grew more and more furious as time went on, allowing Rugo to further build his kingdom as the newly crowned King of all Realms, while Kanxo was left to wander with no place to call home. A year after Rugo was crowned king, he was blessed by the Gods above with a baby boy, the crown prince to the throne. This sparked something wicked in Kanxo, blinding him and convincing him to murder his brother's son. Rugo's kindling hatred for his brother grew after the news of his son's murder—thus he banished Kanxo from his kingdom and putting a hefty bounty on his head. In addition to the outlaw, the king formed a circle of knights who were specially trained and strong to protect the kingdom. He sent one to every village to keep the people safe. These knights were Brothers of the Order of Blood. Ever since the King reunited the lands, these were the King and Kingdom's sworn protectors. If harm ever fell upon Sancreith, this order of knights would do everything in their power to keep it safe.

With the bounty on his head, there was only one place for Kanxo to go, and that place was a realm that no one dared wander. It was a barren wasteland ever since a fire swept the land, leaving dead as far as the eye can see. People spoke of it as if they believed it was cursed. Maybe it was.

Lastly, there was pride. Rugo's wife bore him five healthy sons and two healthy daughters before she died of a sickness in her later years. His kingdom blossomed, and his people were happy. He boasted of how much of a great king he was to his people and believed that his brother would never dare to come near him again. But he was wrong. With the bounty on his head, there was only one place for Kanxo to go, and that place was a realm that no one dared wander. It was a barren wasteland ever since a fire swept the land, leaving dead as far as the eye can see. People spoke of it as if they believed it was cursed. Maybe it was. Here, Kanxo built himself a mighty castle in the north, Castle Ardan. He built an army of outcasts, thieves, murderers and rapists—all who had nowhere else to go as well. As his armies grew strong, so did his influence and power.

That's when the Great War broke out between brother and brother. Families were split, and other kingdoms were forced to choose sides. The Elven people of the woodland realm far off to the west came to Rugo's aid. Dragons, born of dark magic and the lava of the hissing volcanos to the east were captured and enslaves under Kanxo's control.

When Rugo heard the news of a mage who could create beasts born of sorcery and fire, he devised a plan to smite his brother. A small group of thieves who hailed from the Desert of Khalzaar, were hired to sneak into Kanxo's castle and steal the dragon eggs laid for his armies. The other dragons were severely poisoned, leaving them infertile but alive.

The population of dragons began to dwindle down as some became old and passed, and others died in battle for their Lord. Without the dragons to aid Kanxo's armies, Rugo's force began to overpower them. When Rugo was almost able to smell and taste his victory over his brother, Kanxo disappeared. Every able-bodied man was sent out to look for the evil Lord Kanxo, but none could find him.

For many years, the Rugo family lived in fear after the war, fearing that Kanxo had never died and would someday retaliate, but as time dragged on and nothing happened, they began to live in peace once more.

Hundreds of years and a handful of generations of kings later, the kingdoms flourished, and the peace grew stronger every waking hour of each day. The feud between house Rugo and house Kanxo was soon forgotten, as was the disappearance of the Lord Kanxo. Some believed he would still return, or that some evil would come to bid Kanxo's doing, but most lived their lives thinking those stories of a second-coming was a fairy tale. But with all the stories sprouting like weeds, some people began to question the past. Where did Kanxo disappear to? Was there ever a possibility that he was still alive somewhere, or did he had children with vengeful hearts, planning another attack on House Rugo? What would happen if he came back into full swing; would he be able to win this time around?

Rumors spread, and people began to get curious, as people always do. Some went long lengths searching for his body after hundreds of years after he went missing. Of course, no body or any remains that hinted of his death, or even his life was ever found.

Songs were made and sung, false prophecies were created, and a hype over the second coming of the Evil Lord spread like wildfire. Children grew interested and terrified over the stories and the idea that they might have to witness it. Adults grew skeptical and unbelieving. A political war erupted over whether or not someone was right or wrong. Even in his absence, Kanxo was able to create anger and controversy.