Ambition

Delverne and Cantor have been engaged in a face-off on entry to the Leywood since the annexation of west Cantor. Delvans have been relentlessly trying to break the barrier raised by the Ley Elk, and Cantish have been readying for a race in the forest and sabotaging Delvan efforts when they can.

For Delverne, it is a matter of destiny. The last expedition proved that relics of their elvish ancestors are hidden in the Leywood - heirlooms that belong to them. Among the relics are items of power far greater than anything in Alva now, which they believe are Aurea's gifts to pave their rise. Blessed with prophecy and divine will, they are determined to save the world from evil and turmoil by assuming rightful control over Alva.

For Cantor and the Kingdom, it is a matter of survival. The last expedition proved that the Leywood is sacred not to Aurea but to Therras, by the discovery of the Ley Elk - an earth deity in their folklore. The fear is very real that Delverne's avarice may destroy the natural balance of Alva... and even if it doesn't, that it will not hesitate to annihilate the rest of the Kingdom if it dares to reject Delvan rule.

The Ley Elk's barrier finally broke to an enormous fire spell on the 16th Sun. The plume of white fire from the spell was visible as far south as Cantor city. The scream of the Ley Elk that came with it was felt as far away as Amedra. Closer to the centre of the continent, it was intense enough to cause fainting and crippling nausea. Further towards the edges, it came as a sudden vibration and dizziness. In all cases it was felt through the bones rather than heard. The effect on animals was similar - nearer to the centre the frenzy was chaotic and lasted hours, while nearer to the coast it led only to noise and a few panicked individuals who soon calmed down. Many creatures have since seemed generally uneasy, especially those in Cantor.

On both sides, the breaking of the barrier was call to action. Both had been preparing for months, and for both it would take another few days to pull together all the people and resources they had been steadily gathering. Come the 21st Sun, the race to find and claim the secrets of the Leywood begins in earnest.

Reluir has made little headway into Iadlain’s lands for months, thanks to the stubborn resistance of the Empire. The elvish nation was prepared to outlast their opponents in a siege, until Iadlain struck one of their captured towns with their newly completed Adabrene poison in the month of Flowers. It failed to drive Reluir away, but it did enough damage to convince them that taking Iadlain was not necessary for their goals.

Reluir set to work immediately after the blessings of St Beitris’ Feast. Strange, ornate chests were placed as close to the Iadlish border as they could safely get, creating a massive magical ritual spanning miles. For seven days, palace mages assembled a strange spell around these chests, and on the 19th Sun, it is completed. Beneath every chest, the earth tears open with a terrible shaking, forming a single, gargantuan ravine.

Immense dark energy pours from it, freezing the land and forming thunderstorms overhead. A giant figure rises slowly from the abyss, its body so dark it seems to absorb all light and warmth. It looks almost like a person, except it has no head and only emerges up to its waist, as if unable to leave the crevasse. Even so, it towers into the clouds. As its arms reach out, inky shadows drip from it, and every drop becomes a violent, pitch-black beast.

It is Reluir’s weapon of unimaginable power. Yet something is wrong: the figure seems to have no mind, and therefore cannot obey the commands of Reluir. Instead, it passes its ethereal hands over Relan and Iadlish land alike, indiscriminately covering them with ice, monsters and terror.

Something must be done before everything east of the mountains – and then perhaps west of it too – is destroyed. The intuitive plan is to destroy or seal the chests fuelling the figure, but each one fell into the ravine, making it incredibly dangerous to retrieve them. Iadlain and Reluir have their owns secrets and own plans as well: Iadlain’s Count claims the figure’s mind is in Iadlain’s woods and can be spoken to, while Reluir’s Queen states that if more power is funnelled into the figure, it will find its own mind and come under Reluir’s control. No plan is safe or certain, but action must be taken – and fast.