Thread: Grimoire of Myths

Shadows And so it came to pass that all that was once great and powerful to the people of the world began to wither and fade. And in it's place, darkness fell over the lands. Old, and powerful, it had waited and slept in the corners of the land, waiting for the moment that it might once again rise to proper prominence. To reclaim that which it had lost to the light. Piece by piece, the kingdom fell to the ravages of this cloud of shadow, this rapidly spreading dark. Shadows stretched across the people, and when the sun began to fade from the sky, they sheltered in their homes, shutting themselves away, burning every light they owned. Because once the darkness came, no one was safe within it. And for a time, it was enough. A burning lantern, a blazing torch, and one could pass through any darkness that came. But over time, the shadows grew in strength, and began to battle the light, to press in at the edges, and begin to force past the normally safe wards. The people could not live like this, and they knew that something had to be done. And soon. So a champion would need to rise up, one that could hold at bay the dark, one that might stand against the tides, against all odds, and perhaps bring home a triumph of light, to banish away the shadows from the lands, and allow the people to live in peace once more. The champion stood tall, shining like a beacon of pure light, casting aside the forces that dwelt within the shadows, and strode to claim the one thing that would save the lands. The First Fire. Gifted to man, that fire had been kept burning brightly in reverence, for should that fire go out, ten it was said that man would fall from grace, and never reclaim it's place in the world. The Champion advanced on that flame, knowing that to bring it back to the masses would secure them from harm. The quest was sure. The goal within reach, and the Champion was confident. The Champion remained confident...even upon his death and failure. Thousands perished, as the Champion's failure led to the despair of the lands. The remains of the people huddled together in terror, burning ever stronger lights to keep the darkness at bay, but they knew it only delayed the inevitable. They would need a champion to save them. And so very quietly, one rose. Not born of light and fire, this one skulked calmly in the darkness, slipped past the forces that waited, and was ignored by all of the land. They needed no praise, needed no acclaim, they knew their purpose was to bring the light back into the land. But the power to do this came with a burden. The burden of knowledge. The new Champion knew what the price of saving this land would be. One who moved through darkness could not long bear the power of the First Fire. They could bring the light back to the world...but that quest would claim their life. Heavy in heart, they set out. Knowledge was a heavy price, but in that knowledge, came the sense of what not only SHOULD be done, but what MUST be done. The land could not much longer hold out from the onslaught. Unhindered by the darkness, knowing that those within would accept the new Champion readily as one of their own, they sought the First Fire, and took it atop the mountain it had hidden in. Lighting the ancient beacon there, light was brought tot eh land in a blazing wave. The new Champion died on that peak, scoured away just as easily as the creatures that dwelt within the darkness. The sacrifice was virutally unknown, and that Champion perished, unknown to the land at large. But not by the remnants of the darkness. Not known as a traitor, but rather as an ideal. The new Champion had risen above their nature, made the choice on their own. Though the name was never known, the deeds live on in the memories of those who aspire to perhaps be as great, as mighty as they had been. All of those who dwell in darkness are shunned by the lighted world, and damned in their eyes, the fools not knowing that they owed their lives to one. The Champion who had walked in Darkness would never be forgotten though. The dark ones still sing their song, that the damned may still remember. A note on perspective! THe other stories of this piece are all told from the perspective of a Song-Sage of the People, while Shadows is not. It is from the side of the Song-Sage within the Dark Lands.