Soulsprite

## Ancient Relic

The Soulsprite was an ancient relic hidden within the Blood Bogs until it was gifted to Connor Magnuson by the Antiquity after he passed her trial in the the Blood Bogs.

Soulsprites are the blood of the gods.

*"They were designed by Death, formed in the forges of both worlds, and He infused them with my soul when He created me long ago." - The Antiquity. “Life and Death are one, my dear,” the goddess said calmly. “Death is nothing without life to take. He is the master of both this world and the one that follows. The Creator and the Destroyer, even of the immortal. The Soulsprites are the blood of the gods, and they tether me to both worlds. I am one of the in-betweens. That is the one duty of all gods.”*

*"Some of our magic was stolen from us. Long ago. It was corrupted, mutilated, and destroyed. Our Champion must replace it. He must heal the ancien scar, and in exchange, we will build his power. With time, we will build you so completely, so fully, that you will be able to return the Soulsprite to us- because you simply won't need it."- Lady Dahlia. "Listen, Wraithblade, I don't want a servant. I want an ally. I want a partnership."*

*"Aeron Zacharias killed the gods," Dahlia added. "He wanted the Soulsprites, and he murdered immortals to obtain them. He stole the orbs, one by one, until only two of Death's gods remained."*

*“With time, it became clear he sought not just to master Death, but to become Him,” the Antiquity said with a weary sigh. “I believe, at first, he had no idea what the harm he had caused. We surviving gods watched in horror as we witnessed the tides in this world change. With each simmering soul he brought to life, our light began to fade.”*

The Antiquity had two Soulsprites in her possession. While it was within her the Soulsprite glowed green. However, when she removed one from her chest to give to Connor, it became dormant and black as ash. Inky spiral and ornate runes were carved into the surface, glittering briefly with pulses of green light, flooding through her body, like a flash of sunlight on obsidian, but it otherwise retreated to itself.

*“Each of us gods came here with three.” The Antiquity’s resonant voice hummed with sadness. “One of mine was stolen. One, now, is given. Only one remains,” the Antiquity said with a somber nod. “It is not a price paid, but an investment in the future. In rebuilding our power.” The Goddess told Dahlia as she explained why she was willing to weaken herself. “One for life. Two for power. Three for protection. When acting as the beating heart of a god, that is how the Soulsprites work.”*

*“When I find more, I will guide you to them,” the Antiquity promised. “It is my hope that, one day, you will rebuild my power. In exchange, I will make you and Slaybourne powerful beyond belief. I trust you will return this to me, one day. With luck and favor from the Fates, it will be one day soon.” “You have my word.” He stared deep into the goddess’s glowing green eyes and nodded. “Then all is well, and I give this freely.” She lowered her great head toward him, and the closer she came, the brighter the glow of her pulsing green light became. “Be warned, Connor Magnuson, that no being may possess more than three of these without a visit from Death. Zacharias acquired too many, and Death came to collect what He was owed. Never in my many centuries did I imagine my Champion would be fused to one of that heartless man’s abominations, but the Wraith King has not corrupted you. If anything, it is you who corrupts him.”*

Connor needed the Soulsprite to empower the defences of Slaybourne. However, as Freymoors new champion and ally, he reluctantly accepted one of the Antiquity's Soulsprites fully aware that doing so would weaken Freymoor. It would shrink the Blood Bogs but the Goddess ceded it with hope for a greater future for both Slaybourne and Freymoor.

The Simmering souls must never touch one of the Soulsprites. The magic they possess, what was done to them by Aeron Zacharias, will shatter a Soulsprite.