Back to a changed Keralon

by Luke Thomas

Dear Diary,

Amarra has given us a new hope. A chance to end this conflict by restoring what was undone.

She came to me this evening, eyes alight with the thrill of discovery rather than the weight of war. She has devised a method to attune all four Elemental Hearts to a single user—me. It requires crafting a specific ring to act as a conduit. The shopping list, however, is formidable: an uncut diamond worth a thousand gold pieces, a fey creature (we have plenty of those, unfortunately), and the egg of a Foxant. According to Amarra’s maps, these creatures nest in the Lorewood, two days' travel north-east.

If I can do this—if I can wield the power of all four hearts—I can restore the ancient protective barrier around Keralon. I could push the fey back. I could lock the doors.

But before we can fix the lock, we had to see the house. We needed to know what has become of our city.

The intelligence we gathered was grim. Keralon is under martial law. The Knightly Circles—the Long Table, the Octant, all of them—have been abolished. There is only the King now. Those who swore direct fealty remain; the rest are gone. Fey now hold positions of power in the court and the city watch. The irony is bitter: the strict laws on magic items have been lifted, likely to facilitate the construction of massive ritual sites springing up near the city walls.

With my new archive, I dug into the mystical history of our monarch. The threads of magic paint a picture of a "Betrayer King," or perhaps a "King Betrayed." He seeks to unify a divided country, to build the greatest realm in existence. "Silver walls will shine with new light," the texts say. It sounds like a prophecy. It feels like a threat.

We had to see it for ourselves.
Early this morning, we teleported. I used my bond with my familiar—still trapped in the tomb of the First King within the city—as an anchor. Hayley cast *Seeming* to disguise us as commoners, and we materialized in the silence of the royal mausoleum.

The city was ghostly quiet. The great bridge was raised. The Opera House stood deserted. The Cathedral was empty. There was no heraldry, no banners of the old orders. Only fey, clad in armor, patrolling the streets of my former home like they owned the cobblestones.

We moved through the poorer districts toward the old cemetery. We were looking for the tomb of Sir Tibold, a knight from the era of the Leper’s Revolt. Alistan felt a pull here; the shield on the statue matched the design of his own.
Dadroz picked the ancient lock with insulting ease. Inside, the air was unnaturally cold. I opened my Third Eye and saw him—a ghost, resting in his coffin, a spectral gash across his chest. He was noble, bearded, and silent.

Alistan opened the coffin to release the spirit. The ghost reached out, trying to seize Alistan’s arm. I saw Alistan’s muscles tense as he resisted the possession, a battle of wills in the dark crypt. Then, realizing the spirit couldn't speak without a vessel, Alistan relaxed. He *allowed* it.

Sir Tibold spoke through Alistan’s lips. He told us of the Leper’s Revolt, led by the Alchemy Guild and a masked man named Vincent—the very same Vincent whose mask Gael now carries. It escalated into a civil war, a desperate assault on the palace. They failed, though they managed to kill the King's mage advisor, Cordival. Vincent scarred the King’s face—the mark his supposed descendant still bears.
Tibold confessed he broke his oath. Not for power, but for mercy. He found Vincent’s pregnant wife hiding in the chaos. Knowing she would be executed, he helped her escape. He died fighting his own brothers to buy her time.
He wasn't a traitor. He was a hero who made a hard choice. Liliana, with gentle solemnity, performed the rites to send him on to the next world.

We left the dead to check on the living. We scouted the ritual circles near the walls. They are heavily guarded by fey, who are affixing gems to the masonry. I cast *Arcane Eye* to study the geometry safely.
My blood ran cold. They aren't reinforcing the walls. They are dismantling the reality of them. The ritual is designed to dissolve the barrier between planes, shifting Keralon into a state of flux between the Material Plane and the Feywild. The only reason it's working is that the barrier is already dangerously thin.

The King doesn't just want to rule Keralon. He wants to rule a city that exists in two worlds.

We headed back to the harbor district. Rumors whispered that the dissident knights were being held in converted barracks there. We reached out to Sir Callos via a *Sending* spell. He is alive, imprisoned near the docks.
Dadroz and Gael scouted the perimeter, plotting the guard rotations. We have the layout. We have the target.

Everything is set for our first prison break.

— Luke

Continue reading...

A test of magic
24th of Aran, Y126 Year of the Tree

Trades and Punishments
1st of Edon, 126 Year of the Tree

Homecoming
15th of Edon, 126 Year of the Tree

The price of a ring
16th of Duna, 126 Year of the Tree

The Journal Entry’s title

The Journal Entry’s title

A Festival of Foxes and Frolics
30th of Dagda, Year 121, Era of the tree

Elsa

Adventure Ahead!
1st of Lug, Year 121 of the Tree

Rosebloom's Bookworm
4th of Lugh, Year 121 of the Tree

What to do when your hostess has a Secret Society Membership
5th of Lugh, 121 Year of the Tree

The most useful kind of magic
6th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

A Betrayal of Satyrs
7th of Lugh, 121 Year of the Tree

Maladies of the Mist
8-11th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

The Hunter
11th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

A Hidden Path to Logvale and Beyond
12th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

A Master of Fire
13th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

Too Many Goodbyes
20th of Lug, 121 Year of the Tree

Letter to Hayley I
1st of Ogan, 122 Year of the Tree

Letter to Hayley II
3rd of Solstice, 122 Year of the Tree

Letter to Hayley III
24th of Edon, 123 Year of the Tree

Letter to Hayley IV
17th of Gobu, 124 Year of the Tree

Letter to Hayley V
7th of Daga, 125 Year of the Tree

Letter to Hayley VI
14th of Mannan, 125 Year of the Tree

Dreaming of Lord Ignus
127 Year of the Tree

The Reunion
14th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Emissaries of the Fenhunter
15th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Fall of Cairn Fussil
4th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

Festival Frenzy
10th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Terror of Ravensfield
13th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

Dragon Bones in the Dark
15th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Determination of an Undead Kobold
16th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

Battle at the Burning Village
17th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

A Reminder to Take Action
18th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

A Grand Ball of Intrigue
20th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Search for Norgar
20th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

Why you can never trust a bard
20th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

A Royal Reward and a Challenge
28th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

An apple a day...
29th of Nuan, 126 Year of the Tree

Dealing with the fey
30th of Nuan, 126 Era of the Tree

Aunty's Wrath
3rd of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

Best served cold
9th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

Venturing into dangerous waters
11th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

The Fury of the Marsh
11th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

The young stag and the undead wolf
20th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

Anaya's Prison
21st of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

Tales of Immerglade
22nd of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

The festival of Wolf's Rest
26th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

Battle of the Bards
26th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

Undead at the Cathedral
30th of Aran, 126 Year of the Tree

Elves and worms
4th of Brigan, 126 Year of the Tree

How we got Sixteen Cows
8th of Brigan, 126 Year of the Tree

Descent into Acid
9th of Brigan, 126 Year of the Tree

Sorry we stole your hoard
10th of Brigan, 126 Year of the Tree

Strange Dreams of the Northern Wetlands
12th of Brigan, 126 Year of the Tree

Latebra Velora
15th of Brigan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Tragedy of Alistan De la Roost
17th of Brigan, 126 Year of the Tree

From Keralon into the Feywild
22nd of Brigan, 126 Year of the Tree

A Feywild Festival
??, 126 Year of the Tree

Into the Jaws of the Warg King
??, 126 Year of the Tree

The birds have wings
??, 126 Year of the Tree

Sneaking into Whitewail
??, 126 Year of the Tree

Arrival at Nimmerburg
29th of Gobu, 126 Year of the Tree

The Fey Tournament
1st of Madan, 126 Year of the Tree

Lumiria
1st of Madan, 126 Year of the Tree

Homecoming
2nd of Madan, 126 Year of the Tree

The dinner party
4th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Mausoleum
11th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

Chain of Souls
11th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

Sister Willow's Story
15th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Briar's Ritual
15th of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Water Temple
22nd of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

An unexpected journey
22nd of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

Temples of Sand and Air
22nd of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

Haggayn
22nd of Mannan, 126 Year of the Tree

The beginning of the end
30th Mannan 126 Year of the Tree

Ashes of Wolf's Rest
30th Mannan 126 Year of the Tree

Exiles of the Silver City
10th of Edon, 126 Year of the Tree

The Prison of Rosebloom
15th of Edon, 126 Year of the Tree

The Darkness around Hillfield
16th of Edon, 126 Year of the Tree

Setting the stage
16th of Edon, 126 Year of the Tree

Why is it always spiders?
9th of Duna, 126 Year of the Tree

The Ethereal Bard
9th of Duna, 126 Year of the Tree

Trimming the Greenery
10th of Duna, 126 Year of the Tree

The road to Ghenna
10th of Duna, 126 Year of the Tree

Back to a changed Keralon
15th of Duna, 126 Year of the Tree

The bitter taste of defeat
15th of Duna, 126 Year of the Tree

A Hard Choice
16th of Duna, 126 Year of the Tree

Dragons and Elves
2nd of Hagan, 126 Year of the Tree

The Primordial Storm inside
7th of Hagan, 126 Year of the Tree

Rumours of my death are somewhat exaggerated
11th of Dagda, 126 Year of the Tree

The Beast of Butchery
12th of Dagda, 126 Year of the Tree

Stalked in the Maze
12th of Dagda, 126 Year of the Tree

The dangers of trying to steal from hags
13th of Dagda, 126 Year of the Tree

Moving planes
17th of Dagda, 126 Year of the Tree

The Queen of Immerglade
17th of Dagda, 126 Year of the Tree

All Hail the Ice Queen
3rd of Solstace, 126 year of the tree

Wibbly-wobbly, Timey-Snowmeny
4th of Solstace, 126 year of the tree

A Wizard's Torment
4th of Solstace, 126 year of the tree

Giants in the Dark
5th of Solstace, 126 year of the tree

A Maze of Devils
5th of Solstace, 126 year of the tree

A Duel of Fireballs
5th of Solstace, 126 year of the tree

Back to a changed Keralon

Continue reading...

Find your way!

Resources

WHO WE ARE

LEGAL

Get the news

Worldbuilding Academy

Listen to our Podcast