[The Word-formatted Summary is found here.]
“It had never previously been understood why the Northerner word for ‘unavoidable danger’ literally translated as ‘blue fire mountain.'” – Loren Kenither, BoS
"“More are
men’s ends mark’d than their lives before.
The setting
sun, and music at the close,
As the last
taste of sweets, is sweetest last,
Writ in
remembrance more than things long past."
–William Shakespeare,
King Richard II
Events of 5 November 2005 in Charlotte, N.C. / 10-11 June 2192
B.Y.
in far western Cromwell, a place known as the Salt Sea Region
[the
same day as the events of the Eighth Telvar
Open]
[NOTE: Some of the diverse summaries of these
events contain contradictory information, and skewed perspectives based on the
experiences of the characters involved.
Some of these have been noted specifically, but otherwise the unique
perspectives of each group have been maintained. The truth
of each situation probably lies somewhere in the middle.]
We
begin as:
A corrupt and evil kingdom of slave lords collapses…
A city built on the edge of a large salty sea is in chaos…
And Cromwellian forces enter the region to restore order and
crush the slavers…
The ruins of an ancient Kraken temple molder…
A haunted forest in the shadow of an extinct volcano slumbers…
And a librarian at Cromwell’s famed Academy heads off on an
unusual vacation…
But
meanwhile:
A holy Paladin of Nevron receives a vision of great
importance…
One of the High Priests of Aurora hears a rumor of a city in
dire straits…
And the government of Cromwell realizes that there are several
“irregularities” in the librarian’s
preparations for his vacation, resulting in an Academy Team known as Death from Above being dispatched in
pursuit…
Events
begin to fall into place in the city, forest, and surrounding lands, as…
The city of Towlmere devolves into chaos and mayhem…
The servants of Aurora and Nevron converge on the area…
The Academy Team finds the trail of the errant librarian and is
in hot pursuit…
As the librarian completes his work on a strange device
at the top of an ancient pyramid in the midst of the haunted forest…
And
an ancient evil awakens…
Continue reading “The Ninth Telvar Open Tournament: Faces from the Past”