𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
"We were born to die, not to kill, but if we must, then we do it wit...
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The Solstices call for sacrifice; for blood to be spilled by the feet of The Oracle of Phiri in order to stop The Silent Plague spreading across the eight sectors of Haelan, completing the cycle of the seasons, and returning life to the vast fields, valleys, and immortal mountains.
Litha, the Summer Solstice, marks the first day of the season of summer when the sun is at its highest point of the year. Underneath its burning rays, two competitors from each sector; Moscow, Budapest, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Seoul, Cairo, and Santiago are elected during the yearly Declaration and sent to the capital, Martell, to accept the challenge and compete in The Trials of The Eight Mountains.
Each of the eight kings, immortal and tied to the life of Haelan itself, must choose a competitor to favor, a champion, agreeing to fight alongside them in the trials and putting their trust in them as The Chosen One; the one with the power, and the destiny, to save the kingdoms.
As autumn passes and the days grow shorter, the nights longer, and the temperatures fall, the trials are set into action for all of Haelan to watch as the competitors fight to the death in the midst of the brilliant and everchanging colours of nature as their blood mixes with the falling leaves.
With winter comes Yule, The Winter Solstice, where the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky, and the last life of the year dies out as well. The Trials of The Eight Mountains must come to an end, and The Chosen One, if there is a survivor, a victor, by the end of the last trial, must ascend The White Throne and bring peace to the lands.
The cycle must be completed, whether successful or not, and is once again set into motion as spring arrives, bringing with it reincarnation, rebirth, and new beginnings as the kingdoms awake from the cold death of winter. It is a transition between the two solstices, and it will continue to be so until the true victor is crowned, no matter how many sacrifices must be made until then.
For the kings are immortal, and patient, and the competitors have no choice but to accept the challenge as The Curse of Clouds and Bone does not bow or recede for anyone.
