Introduction
11941 AD Cepheus is a continent at war. Kingdoms are tearing each other apart: borders, resources, grudges and personal ambition are all reasons for neighbors to clash. Alliances are made and broken. Only the universal truce instituted during the month of Leonis allows the continent to breathe a sigh of relief. However, the lull is only apparent: while the clatter of pitched battles ceases to leave the way clear for the pilgrimage to Malicorne, in the shadows, all blows are permitted. The only rule: don't get caught, or better still, frame a rival kingdom.
Context
In this month of Leonis 11941 AD, the son of King Abraxxar of Rull, young Vélar, must in turn undertake the long journey to Malicorne to take part in the Summer Solstice Ceremony and submit his blood to the judgment of the Gods. For the young heir to the crown of Déreïs, the journey seems particularly perilous: he will have to leave the shelter of the thick walls of Solaria to reach the south of the continent. Threats abound: the war with the neighboring kingdom of Tubéreuse drags on, and the Lions of Durmiz would welcome the extinction of the Young Sun.
The way south via Framentor is also blocked: this mountainous kingdom has been a forbidden zone since the death of King Silas. Nobody really knows what's going on behind the misty peaks, but there was no shortage of suitors, and it's a safe bet that the succession is being played out in a bloodbath. The road to Jonturas: first through the forested town of Faldrijn, then on to Bordian, the capital, and by boat along the Amoxtli coast to Hennéa in Yllurie.
Finally, to reach magnificent Valombreuse, crossing the endless dunes. So simple, yet so complicated. Fortunately, Abraxxar?s advisors have fertile imaginations and have come up with a plan, enlightened by Asthor: the young heir will travel undercover, disguised as a simple merchant?s daughter, to Yllurie. At the same time, an official convoy escorting Vélar will leave Déreïs and serve as a decoy. The stratagem should keep the young prince safe from enemy scheming.
Plot
And so our characters are hired to escort the daughter of a wealthy Déreïs merchant and her governess to Malicorne. Unaware that the girl is in fact the heir to the throne, young Vélar travels incognito. This subterfuge should enable him to reach Valombreuse safely.
Travel as planned
Travel as realized
Introduction to Players
11941 AD, Cepheus is a continent at war. Kingdoms are tearing each other apart: borders, resources, grudges and personal ambition are all reasons for neighbors to clash. Alliances are made and broken. Only the universal truce instituted during the month of Leonis allows the continent to breathe a sigh of relief. However, the lull is only apparent: while the clatter of pitched battles ceases to leave the way clear for the Pilgrimage of Malicorne, in the shadows, all blows are permitted. The only rule: don't get caught, or better still, frame a rival kingdom.
It's already been five years since you entered the monastery. You haven't forgotten the excitement of the pilgrimage, nor the precise moment when, submitted to the judgment of the Gods, your blood revealed itself to everyone: vigorous, ancient and powerful enough to justify Malicorne's interest.
This was followed by five long years with the line's greatest masters: an apprenticeship that was demanding, difficult, but so effective. Five long years of learning, understanding, failing, trying again and again. Finally, with your companions, completing your training and becoming inseparable. Five long years that were only a prologue, however: because at the end of your training, you went to the Isle of the Eye for the Winter Solstice ceremony. And there, once again, your blood was drawn and mixed to form the Vein: your new family, the one that replaces all others, the one for whom you would give your life without hesitation. Your Vein was consecrated by the High Priestess of the Temple of the Moon, and in accordance with custom, following a dream inspired by the Gods, she gave it a name: the Protectors of the Dawn. She also revealed to you that you were to play a decisive role in the dawn of a new age. And it's without really knowing how to realize this glorious destiny that you set out to reach the kingdom of Déréïs and its capital Solaria. After all, where better to seek the dawn than in the kingdom of the Sun?
Malicorne
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