Lore

Castle Adiart
"The exterior reaches of Castle Adiart, where the King of the Blue Dragon faction resides, is quite bleak. Those that are welcomed within the castle can masquerade within these golden halls of nobility, while those exiled experience a desolate wasteland of emptiness, only to be seen by the awkward gazes of distant crows. Shadowy creatures have been seen lurking about the outskirts of the royal graveyard, crying for simply being forgotten in both this realm and the next."

The Good King
"The king struggles with power - learning his followers are not all who they claim to be, and his devoted ones seemingly lacking devotion. When the king falls, who shall rise? He worries not about himself, but the kingdom; if he were no longer to be the keeper of balance. This royal blood struggles if he should take action, or silently wait for the ideal moment to avenge his royal family."

The Corrupt King
"Royal blood flows through this man that challenges the throne is that of the Black Rose faction, his heart as black as the the dungeon chambers far beneath the kingdom, eyes glowing of deceit, as if already devouring the poor souls of the ones he lays sight upon – for he is no king of men, but a harbinger of death and slave-master to both loyal servants and enemies alike"

Where is my Color..? A Fool's Story
"The sweet aroma of nightfall has swept across the kingdom and the throne is found empty, echoing sounds of glory with each step in this warm throne; yet the floor is so cold. I often ponder the unquestioned - why is he my king? I didn't vote for him. What makes him royalty? His robe? Where is my color? I stare at the reflection on the polished royal tiles to see only one image: Nobility. Gahaha..... now I see it. The missing puzzle piece, laying in my shadow, taunting me this entire time:

I have been king all along! This is no fools story... everyone shall see! EVERYONE!! Hehehehhh......."

The Gathering
"Who shall be your king? All the royals gather before the throne to decide. The silver lining in the King’s heart is thin: All together, we could make up his mind. Do you desire your king to be kind, or for him to be evil?

Lies are those we heard, those we told. We were naive to those we believe."

The Conspiracy
"The corrupt king forges a meeting in the deepest reaches of the castle, calling upon his members of the Black Rose. In this particular meeting, lives will be marked and, soon, forgotten. Strategies of betrayal are normal tactics within these grounds - it is commonly known here to shield your back, although, they say, it's better to keep your enemies closer..."

The Story of the Court Wizard & The Sage
The Court Wizard's Journal Reads:

 DAY I 

Deep within the realm of Castle Adiart, renowned for the Blue Dragon faction, lay a confused king, his trusted nobles,and a few unsung heroes that may not be so trusting as factions become divided. Rumors of treason echo through these castle walls and now we're at war amongst ourselves! We must quickly discover friend from foe before nightfall.

I find solace in my warded room at night, but fear this may be my last.. I used the last of my magic to summon forth a runed spell of protection to guard me this night - I hope it will last..

 DAY II 

At first light, i found myself still breathing..! ..but, discovered those closest to me begin to fall without the faintest sound of fading life. I suspect our King.... is not who he says he is. Those that speak up are at risk to be executed for treason against the realm. I have already seen too many falsely slain by coercion and trickery. I felt that I still have friends, so I tightened my fists.... felt the cool rush of fresh air in my lungs.. and called out our King for being the TRAITOR that he is!

The tides turn as the accusation suddenly seemed to cause everyone surrounding me.. to fall into shadows -- as I stepped into the light of attention full of unkempt faces as eyes glared and fingers began to point at me. "I am The Court Wizard-- I SWEAR it", I said, as my pulse started to race. No-- that is not what others say.. Others say i am the Black Rose, their sworn enemy, whom shall they believe..?

Sun sets, and I swiftly scribe....in my journal my final thoughts to leave behind for the others -- That the king is not of our faction -- but is a traitor! ...a member of the Black Rose.. My brothers, I fear you may be next--

(The journal page is found to be unfinished, with only the letters "Masterm....." before the journal ended.

 DAY III 

(The Sage speaking) "What appears My allies of the Blue Dragon, I need you to trust me-- that I am an ally of yours, and together... we can find the traitor that did this..! *Suspicious laughter through lips* *Maniacal Laughter*

...if only they knew..."

Lore: The Reapers of Corax
Although actual Reapers have long been considered a myth, we have found evidence of their influence throughout Adiart's history. There have been three tales of debatable relevance.

Firstly: An urban legend passed around: a section of cultists supposedly dedicated themselves to what they call The Reaper's Penance where they would kidnap a serving maid or child and force them into crypts or mausoleums with little explanation. One child documented his experience and of a Paladin who came to his rescue, noting the presence of something that created a crushing sensation in his chest and the ravings of lunatics. Of course, the tales of children can never be completely believed and no paladin alive has attested to saving a child in need, at the time. The child in question, however, went on to become an Assassin of the Black Rose faction. None can tell why his path led him to evil. The Reaper's Penance carries on, even to this day, every 4 years - but one can only wonder that, should the reapers be denied their sacrifice, whether they shall rise to take it. As a legend, we cannot take this as fact, but as it turns out, most legends are based on fact - so, perhaps, this has legitimate merit.

Secondly: A report from a Knight of the realm. A man condemned to die for his assassination of a Noble's son accused his jailer of being quite close to a description of these creatures... He begged his wife and son to remain safe while the town Sheriff took him away. He yelled out, pleading for the guards to skewer him there and then. 2 days later, he was due to be executed. The executioner brought out his body on his shoulders. Onlookers attest to his inability to move or speak. His body and face were rigid, yet they hung him anyway. It was unclear what happened that day, but all law enforcers attest to his good health at time of death. The knight also attests that the man was perfectly fine and that the sheriff was not under the influence of dark magic. All we know, for sure to guarantee foul play, was that the mark of Corax appeared on the hand of the accused as soon as he was hanged. What is strange is that, although the Cult appears to have some kind of pact with Mithras and Corax, they don't seem to actually be affiliated with reapers. In fact, there have been reports of reapers slaying Cult members. Then again, how can we know the mind of a deity of pure darkness?

Thirdly: This tale was taken from a Black Rose member's diary. A bard in a tavern sung jolly songs every night at a local tavern for 7 years always managing to entertain the patrons and making a well earned living at the time till one night he was accosted outside before his show. He entered the tavern and began to sing, but his words... they warped to form a soliloquy of despair. The lyrics were "...and in the dark, those muggers see, their fateful eyes shall rest. For with my words, and my last breath, I'll put them to the test. With woeful sorrow, and fated faith, I shall bid you all farewell; as now I sing, Corax's song, and now i ring his bell". At that moment, the tavern was engulfed in the dark cloth of a reaper the size of the tavern and the building was erased from this world. The ground scarred with the lyrics where the tavern once was and 37 limp bodies lay there. Shivering in the corner lay a singular maiden, clawing at her arms and shivering from head to toe. An illegitimate Princess of the realm, as it were. Naturally, the Black Rose claim this was reserved as knowledge only for Kings before a copy was stolen by the Black Rose from the royal library. It would appear that even they fear the reaper. It appears that the reaper is an ally of no man - well, at least not an ally of humanity.

-- Magnasword2, Loremaster

Lore: Whispers of the Gods

 * Mithras, The Blood GodCultLeader-cut-SD80.jpg


 * Corax, The God of DarknessCorax-cut-SD80.jpg


 * (???) ...Why won't the the gods devoid of darkness and despair whisper back? Perhaps if the cry is loud enough, it will one day be heard...