Forlorn Legion Arc
As Pangaea's flora and fauna begin to flourish once more, a forgotten kingdom rises from the ashes, seeking to reclaim its place in the world...
Plot points/Scenes
Structure
Exposition
After the United Forces fought back against Nzara's hellish legion and freed the lands of Pangaea from the corrupting darkness of the Void, the people were finally at peace. Worldwide, the people of Pangaea would celebrate this day as the Solaceon Festival, a celebration for the return of light to the Earthly Realm. For his bravery and valor during the war, King Atem would appoint Baar a marquess of Faeheim. His territory would come to be known as Caelum, the first true Hakuna region in centuries since the War of Man. Kilik however, could not hold joy in their victory. After the great war, despite victory being achieved, the dark voice in Kilik's head grew ever stronger, revealing dark secrets to him that eventually led to his disappearance a year after the war's conclusion. Though he looked for his friend, Baar was unable to find Kilik.
2 years later, Baar was approached by an envoy of the Nereid Kingdom. This was the first contact the Nereids had with the surface world since the times of the First War. This envoy, a spiritmender by the name of Kureha, told of a vision predicting the return of a great evil from a time when the Nereids were still living among the other races. Balor the Evil Eye, was an Avatar of the Hasha, one of the Dhimwari. When Baar asked the spiritmender why she came to him specifically, she simply informed him that it was his destiny to stop Balor and his minions, being the newest wielder of the sword, Ysander. But he would not be at it alone. It was her mission to seek out twelve others predestined by the stars, as told to her by Drendel, God of the Destiny and Music. As the new God of Water and a member of the Pantheon of Seven, Drendel wanted the Nereids to rejoin the surface world. To help Kureha in this mission, he informed her to seek out "He who inherited Melusine's Will," Ysander's wielder.
Before Baar could ask any further questions, a cacophony of screams drew his attention. When he and Kureha got to the streets, before them stood a monstrosity whose name hadn't been uttered in centuries. A creature straight out of myth, standing before them. Kyr, the Mountain God. The First and only Dragon of Pangaea. Though he and his retainers tried their best to fight off this threat, Kyr's monstrous strength proved too much for the group, easily swiping them aside before seemingly getting bored with his destruction and flying away into the distant mountains. Wanting answers, Baar asked Kureha if this beast had anything to do with Balor but Kureha was just as confused as to its appearance. Kureha held his hand, reassuring him that they both had a part to play to save Caelum and the Earthly Realm. Kureha would head for the capital of Faeheim, where the twelve chosen by the stars would be. Meanwhile, Baar was to accompany Norn, Kureha's mute companion, and go to the shores at the edge of Caelum to await passage to the undersea kingdom of the Nereids, Lyonesse. It is there he would find the answers he sought and discover how to unlock Ysander's true potential. Despite the protests of his closest allies, Baar set off for the coast, ready to fulfill his destiny put into motion the moment he released Ysander from her resting place. Before her departure, Kureha approached Rey, one of Baar's closest retainers, to inform her that she too, had a part to play in all of this. Should she choose to follow Kureha, her destiny would be fully realized and she would be able to protect that which she loved most. Flustered but intrigued by this new sense of purpose, Rey accompanied the Nereid spiritmender to the capital city of Faenheim.
In an unknown location, a fully armored man sits on his ironforged throne as a Nereid man drags several terrified Fae children before him. The armorclad man picks up Sparta at his side and Balor's Eye opens, its demonic eye darting around eagerly before focusing on the children before him. Suddenly the eye begins to glow an eerie red as the children become captivated by its gaze. Nearby, Hekane smiles, looking off into the distance towards the lands of Caelum, inquiring when the armored man would make his move. The man gripped Sparta in both hands, a sinister aura enveloping him as he returned to his throne. The children knelt before the armored man and Hekane felt him smile underneath his helmet. "Soon," he said, "Soon Caelum, Faenheim. It will all be mine."
In the distance a bestial shriek could be heard as a cloaked figure watches the armored man from the shadows. Then his attention is turned to Hekane briefly before disappearing back into the shadows.
Rising Action
Baar and Norn arrived at the eastern coast of Faenheim overlooking the expansive sea. Before the marquess could question their purpose there, Norn blew into a small instrument and a massive sea creature emerged from the ocean's depths. Frightened, Baar drew Ysander to defend himself but Norn silently put a hand out in front of his less aware ally, slowly approaching the creature and placing a hand on its smooth head. Recognizing the creature to be friendly, Baar lowered his guard just in time to once again be frightened as the creature opened its massive mouth and watch as Norn stepped between its powerful jaws. Though skeptical, Baar followed the Nereid man inside and the creature closed its mouth, beginning its descent to the bottom of the ocean.
Meanwhile, Kureha and Rey have arrived in the capital city of Faenheim and without much delay made their way towards King Atem's palace. Though wary of the Nereid's sudden appearance, Atem's reports of a massive creature in the lands of Caelum were enough to make him believe Kureha's story, for the time being, offering any assistance he could during their stay while he gathered his best soldiers to hunt the gargantuan beast in the mountains. Though Morgiana prepared to ride off with her liege, Kureha humbly requested her assistance, informing the King that she was one of the people she was actually looking for, to both of their surprises. Although Morgiana began to protest, Atem agreed to her staying and assisting Kureha, informing his right hand to protect the city and their honored guest with her life.
After his uncomfortable ride inside the mouth of a massive sea creature, Baar and Norn finally arrive in the Nereid Kingdom of Lyonesse. Upon their arrival, the duo is greeted personally by Queen Thetea and her son, Prince Triton. Immediately Triton challenges Baar to a duel, catching the latter off guard and seemingly having the upper hand until Baar manages to disarm the Nereid prince, earning his respect. Apologizing for her son's rudeness, Queen Thetea asks Baar if he's truly ready for what will be required of him by the Gods of the Sea, both Old, and New. Unsure of what's being asked of him, Baar questions what that will mean as Queen Thetea gives him a brief history of the power he wields and the evil he's preparing to face.
Queen Thetea spoke of the First War of Man and how before Melusine, the Goddess of Water, managed to severely wound Balor and removed his eye. After losing the source of much of his power, Balor was forced to retreat and in his weakened state, was unable to defend himself as the Old Gods imprisoned him deep within the Earth for all eternity. After the war's conclusion, his eye was given to the Nereid people for safekeeping, as well as the final essence of Melusine, contained within her jeweled heart after her death in the face of Caothannach. These two artifacts would come to become part of the twin blades, Ysander and Sparta. While the legends Hekane spoke of for Ysander were true, she purposely hid Sparta's true nature, playing an active role in the revival of the Dhimwari and Kilik's corruption. Balor's Eye was in fact still accessible by the Dhimwari avatar, giving Balor the ability to witness events outside of his eternal prison and hypnotize all who were unfortunate enough to get caught by the eye's gaze. It was through this hypnosis that the first followers of Balor were made and Sparta was forged in secrecy. Eventually, the nereid Queen of Old and her forces became aware of Balor's followers and an epic battle was fought, during which the hypnotized Nereids took the opportunity to flee to the surface world. Balor's followers left Sparta in the sands of the shore, guarding it and waiting for the unsuspecting to stumble across the sword and increase their ranks through Balor's hypnosis. Sometimes Balor's Eye would choose a champion, making a more powerful hypnotic bond with the one chosen to be the sword's wielder and allow Balor to corrupt their mind until they were nothing more than an extension of his will entirely. Sparta would have many wielders before finally arriving in its final resting place, the tower in which Hekane led Kilik that fateful day.
Wanting to free his dearest friend from Balor's grasp, Baar begged to know the secrets of Ysander and its power but Thetea simply claimed it was not for her to decide. As she began to reach for a key at her side, Baar dashed towards her, alerting her son to go on the defensive. The Nereid queen gasped as Baar narrowly deflected an arrow aimed at her neck, an assassin's shot barely missing its mark as several other Nereid guards suddenly turned on the Queen and her guests.
Though a tough fight, Baar and the others managed to defend Queen Thetea and subdue their assailants. Prince Triton was able to speak with one of the disguised guards, revealing the identity of their group: "Praise to Balor, long live the Forlorn Legion," he said with his dying breath. Not wanting to waste any more time, Queen Thetea led Baar to a hidden passage to the side of her throne room and descended a long spiraling staircase. After what seemed like forever, they finally descended into a spacious cavern, a large underground lake in its center. Floating above the lake, was a massive sphere of water, an unusual form huddled at its center. Queen Thetea informed Baar that this was the remains of the fused entity that was Melusine and the avatar of Hasha, Caothannach. After the war, the Nereids were put in charge of safeguarding her body, to prevent whatever entity she would become after fusing with Caothannach from wreaking havoc in the world. The key to it all was Ysander. Queen Thetea smiled at Baar as she promised that she would help him gain the strength to fight back against Balor's followers and the mysterious beast from the mountains. In return, he would swear to champion the Nereids, promising to return this favor to them when their time to return to the surface world came. Baar accepted and began his training with Ysander.
It took several weeks, through various adventures through the capital and much convincing, Kureha and Rey managed to track down every person they were looking for including Onyx, who was recently promoted to captain of the royal guard, and Absalom, freshly released from prison after serving his sentence for his actions before the War against the Dhimwari. This ragtag group would quickly be put to the test when Morgiana receives a lead on the location of the group responsible for the various cases of kidnappings in the city recently. After receiving another vision from the God of Destiny, Drendel, Kureha, and Morgiana decide it would be best for the group to investigate together.
Upon arriving at the kidnapper's hideout, Kureha was surprised to see Nereids among their numbers. Assuming they were linked to Balor, she prepared to take the chance to observe but Absalom, ever the hothead, charged in blindly two of the others rushing in right behind him and forcing the group to engage the kidnappers directly. Though they were steadily outnumbered, the party managed to fight off and capture the kidnappers with the late arrival of the royal guard. Just as the last of the kidnappers are rounded up, a terrible realization hits the group, where are the children? They were here before the fighting, but somehow during they all disappeared, maybe take elsewhere by an escaped kidnapper? Before any questions can be answered, Rey recognizes a familiar face as it peers back before disappearing into a nearby alley. Rey attempts to give chase, alerting Onyx to follow her into the same alley but when he turns the corner both Rey and the hooded figure she chased were gone.
Climax
Days passed and Baar had finally finished his training with Queen Thetea and the Nereids, becoming one with Ysander and the hidden powers he had released from within her. With a final farewell to the people of Lyonesse, Baar, accompanied now by both Norn and Prince Triton, ascended to the surface world and the kingdom of Faenheim. After weeks of searching in the mountain ranges of Faenheim King Atem and his forces had finally located the lair of the monster that attacked Caelum. Hoping to catch it unaware, they charged deep into the cavernous lair only to discover no beast anyways. Instead they were met by an ambush as the members of the Forlorn Legion launched their track to attack the King of the Fae.
Meanwhile in the capital of Faenheim Kureha's party searched high and low for the kidnapped Rey. After days of no leads finally a child showed up, letter in hand personally signed for Morgiana, ordering her and her companions to come to the ruins under the capital city alone. Though they were wary, the group had no choice if they wanted to stop Balor's awakening. Upon arriving deep underground in the ruins of Crete, the group finally met face to face with the leader of the Forlorn Legion, the armored warrior wielding Sparta in hand. Though Absalom and Onyx were ready to go on the offensive, the presence of the kidnapped children complicated things. Each child stood before the Armored warrior, knives in hand aimed at their own throats. Revealing they had become minions of Balor, the armored warrior made a demand: Kureha's group was to surrender or the children would die. Unsure of their options, the group prepared to surrender when suddenly a calming aura swept through the underground ruins. The children suddenly dropped their weapons, momentarily dazed and giving Kureha and her allies enough time to charge Forlorn Legion as Rey freed herself and led the children away. Joining the fight to everyone's surprise, was Baar and his group, greatly swaying the odds against the Legion's forces. In the heat of the fighting, an earth-shattering shriek stopped everyone in their tracks. Flying his way down through a massive chasm in the ceiling of the cavern, was the same creature that rampaged through Caelum: Kyr, the Mountain God.
Falling Action
After the War of Man and Hasha's avatars were dealt with, the land of Pangaea was still cloaked in the darkness of the Void. To protect the world as she tried to regrow, Pangaea created three sacred creatures to protect each of the Earthly Domains. To protect the skies she created Minokawa the Sun Eater and to protect her oceans she made Timigula, the Monster of Lyonesse. To watch the land itself, she created one more creature and arguably the strongest: Kyr, the Mountain God, King of the Land and the first and only Dragon in Pangaea. Before his might, both Baar's group and the Forlorn Legion scattered as he landed with a thundererous roar. The Forlorn King laughed as he stepped and placed a hand upon Kyr's massive claw, stating Kyr to be Balor's newest and greatest ally. With another roar, the beast lunged at Baar and his allies, forcing them to again scatter as the fighting resumed.
Finally all together, the twelve chosen who Kureha had seen in her vision prepared to take on the Mountain God while Baar steeled himself to duel with the Forlorn King, strongly believed to be his best friend, Kilik. The fighting was intense and several times both sides seemed to be on the verge of defeat but ultimately Baar got the upper hand on the armored warrior, disarming him and managing to knock off his helmet. To his surprise however, the warrior was not his close friend Kilik, but someone entire different. The Forlorn King was a man introducing himself as Nebuchad, descendant to the ancient royal line of House Brandt of the ancient kingdom of Crimea. Taking advantage of the moment, Nebuchad managed to plunge Sparta deep into Baar's stomach, inflicting a life-threatening wound. Baar stumbled backwards for a few moments before collapsing.
Meanwhile the fight against Kyr was heating up. Despite their best efforts, none of the attacks the twelve warriors threw at it were able to do much. Ultimately they came up with a plan and working together, the twelve managed to knock the Mountain God back into the side of the massive cavern, causing the dragon to fall with a thunderous thud. This however caused the cavern to begin to collapse in, as the already ruined city of Crete began to crumble around them. The members of the Forlorn Legion scattered as the heroes scrambled to save the children. Though prepared to kill Baar, Nebuchad turns to leave, deciding to leave the marquess beneath the rubble of the underground ruins. Before anyone can react, however, Kilik appears and frees Ysander from Baar's weak grip before he can react and plunges the blade through the back of the forlorn king. Balor's champion gasps as he loses his footing, allowing Kilik to take advantage of the opportunity and repeatedly stab the man in the back until he's unmoving. Tossing Ysander aside, Kilik grabs Sparta and immediately is overwhelmed as Balor reestablishes the connection with his new champion. Struggling to stand, Baar locks eyes with Kilik, reaching a weak hand out as he loses consciousness. As everyone is escape the collapsing underground city, Morgiana spots a fallen Baar and just barely is able to drag him out before the tunnel was sealed beneath the fallen debris.
Outside the twelve and the kidnapped children are met by Atem and his people, having just arrived from their mountaintop ambush. Although remnants of the Forlorn Legion escaped, with the fall of their leader and the burying of the mountain god, Kyr, all is assumed to be well for the time being. As such, the heroes are able to continue with the Solaceon Festival as scheduled. During the celebration, the people of Lyonesse made an appearance, their first interaction with the surface folk in centuries and the start of their new relationship with Faenheim and the people of Pangaea. The twelve warriors were publicly honored by the masses for their hand in saving the kidnapped children and defeated both the Forlorn Legion and their leader, preventing the rise of Balor. A further testament to their deeds came by the sudden arrival of Drendel, the God of Destiny. Accompanying him was a visage of Uthos, King of the Gods himself and the leader of the Pantheon of Seven. For their dedication and preservation of order, Uthos granted the twelve his personal blessing, dubbing them the Zodiac Knights, defenders of Destiny. For her dedication as the voice of Drendel, Kureha specifically was gifted a small pendant through which he said she could speak to him if ever needed.
Resolution
Some days later, Baar finally regained consciousness having recovered from his wounds. At his side throughout his recover, Rey rushed to inform Atem and Thetea of his recovery so that they may speak with him about what has happened in the time since. Though pleased to hear of the events and celebrations, Baar regretfully informs them of Nebuchad's fall and Kilik's ascension as Balor's new champion, information that visibly caused Atem's face to tighten. He and Baar would order all of their men to scour the kingdom looking for any trace of Kilik and the scattered Forlorn Legion. Though several members of the legion would be found, Kilik would continue to evade detection for years to come. In the meantime, Baar's new mastery of Ysander would allow him to break Balor's control over people using Melusine's essence. This would allow him to free fully release the children from mind control as well as the captive members of the Forlorn Legion, causing many to praise Baar as the true hero of the Forlorn Legion conflict. But Baar would walk away from the incident with a new insecurity in his mind, remembering his failure at the hands of Nebuchad and his inability to save Kilik once again.
Days prior however, during the Solaceon Festival as the people of Lyonesse went to the surface to celebrate, it was revealed that Balor kept one more of his followers hidden within the city of Lyonesse, patiently waiting. Aware of the secret tunnel to the secret lake below the throne room, Balor's thrall descended down into the hidden grotto and stood before the Water Goddess Sphere. From deep within the earth in his prison Balor smiled. The time of his revival was coming soon.
But first, there was another that would need immediate attention.
Plot type
Story Arc
Parent Plot
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