Introduction[]
This is where you will find the main story line for Alteria, this is the beginning... the story that sparked the fire for this roleplay server.
Chapter 1: Birth of a Prince[]
On a warm morning, just as the first rays of the sun began to slowly roll over the Morroc desert, rising and falling in the sea of sand dunes, an event of epic proportions was taking place.
In a room covered with lavish and colorful fabrics, in a palace at the heart of a beautiful city the color of salt and golden sand, lay a queen holding her newborn prince… this would be the beginning of an era in the lands of Alteria. The royal family had long awaited an heir to the Morroc throne, the great power that coursed through their veins made it easier to maintain control over their kingdom, their abilities rivaled by few, but also made it difficult to conceive, magic would always overwhelm the child and it would be lost, consumed by the great strength of the magic within the bloodline. After many heartbreaking attempts, a child, worthy and strong was born, a gift from the gods, stronger than any other before him, he was named Prince Cyrus Amondrial of Morroc.
Morroc was a grand walled city with high archways that almost appeared to reach the heavens. Its winding streets filled with merchants, traders, adventurers, and all sorts of folk. There were fountains that glistened in the sun and giant palm trees that gave their shade to weary travelers. The markets were filled with food, spices, fabrics and wares from all over Alteria. The delicious smells from the food stands made their way to every last corner of the city. It was a time of great wealth and prosperity, everyone had what they needed, there was barely any crime on the streets and what little there was, was dealt with swiftly and without hesitation. Right at the heart of the city, surrounded by gardens, was the Ivory Palace.
On this morning the palace was particularly busy, servants bustled about cleaning and making everything shine, the kitchens were full of cooks and their helpers preparing for a great feast, the gardens were being trimmed and watered. In the nursery a ray of sun shone through the window and into the wicker Moses basket where Cyrus slept soundly. He was to be introduced as the royal heir today, before the whole of Morroc society. Into the room walked the queen, followed by a hand maiden carrying a small cotton and gold embroidered baby gown. She picked Cyrus up into her arms and dressed him for the event.
All citizens were outside the palace ready to catch a glimpse of their new Sovereign, the king and queen made their way to the balcony of the palace and as they appeared the crowd cheered and yelled in glee at the new baby Prince. After all this there was a grand celebration, food was abundant, music was played all over the city, laughter could be heard in every street, dancing and drinking in every household and plaza. It was the grandest event in the history of the grand desert nation. The celebrations finally ended after 3 days and nights, slowly the people started to go back to their duties and there was calm tranquility as life returned to normal, Morroc was at peace, and this peace would last.
Cyrus was a very smart child, he learned quickly and managed to master anything he put his mind to. He was willful, perseverant and very solitary in nature. He rarely had the chance to meet other children, but when he did he quickly got bored with them, so he kept to himself. As a prince he was taught to read and write at a very young age, by the time he was 4 years old he had already started learning Arcane arts, for which he had a natural born talent and affinity, he quickly mastered every spell and ability that he could get his hands on, and by the time he was 6 he was well into intermediate spells, which was astonishing for one so young, he was dealing with spells that were for people much older than he. Cyrus was a child prodigy.
Chapter 2: Wild Child[]
It was a very warm spring evening, Akara Isildrial, first child of the Kings of Crowshire ran through the palace, he could hear his mother’s screams. As he made his way to the room where his mother was, he was scooped up into the arms of one of the royal bodyguards, an Assasin. The young prince tried to squirm out of his arms, but the assassin held on. “shhh… ‘tis alright little one.” Akara faced him, worry and fear on his face, the man looked into the young princes’ eyes and hugged him as he carried him away.
That night a beautiful baby girl was born, they named her Miathiel Isildrial, half elf princess of Crowshire. She was wrapped in beautiful silver silk embroidered blanket when she was handed to her parents. In Akara’s room sat the Aldo, the assassin that had taken him away from his mother’s room, he sat there watching over the young prince as he slept, deep in thought, a slight knock on the door shook him from his trance…“Master Assasin, I am sorry to disturb you, but it is over.” Aldo looked at the guard and nodded, then stood up, walking over to the young boy… “My prince, we can go see your mother now.”
He again took Akara into his arms and walked down the long hallway to the royal chambers. The assassin stopped and set the prince down. “This is as far as I am allowed to go, you must enter by yourself” Akara looked up and nodded, as he was about to go in, he turned and hugged the assassins leg gratefully and proceded to go inside, Aldo smiled and walked off.
The inside of his mother’s room was filled with candles, she looked over at him and beckoned him closer. His father picked him up an propped him on the bed. “Akara meet your sister Princess Miathiel…” Akara just wrinkled his nose and smiled…”Hello Mia, I am your big brother, I am going to take care of you.”
Mia was a bright child that loved spending time in the palace gardens. She was considered to be kind and wise beyond her years. She had long auburn hair, deep brown almond shaped eyes and small, light colored freckles dotting her cheeks, nose and shoulders.
She had begun her training with assassin mentor Aldo in the art of stealth; this was all for her own protection, but it turned into a double-edged sword. It was designed to help her escape danger, but it also helped her escape her own caretakers. More often than not, she would run off unnoticed and go exploring in Thistlewood Forrest, despite its terrible reputation, princess Mia was safe, it was like she was being watched and taken care of by a very powerful being. She would often feel like someone was watching her, but never knew what. In time she grew accustomed to this feeling and would barely notice it.
Chapter 3: A New Friend[]
Princess Mia was now four years old, though she spoke and carried herself like someone a lot older would. That morning, her nana had come in and woken her earlier than usual. “Miathiel…Ai tarien… wake up” Her eyes fluttered open and as she saw her nana she smiled and asked “ Ai tarien? What does it mean?” Nana laughed “It means –little princess-” Her wavy auburn hair, which she always wore in a braid was matted, so nana proceeded to brush it and comb it into place.
Soon her mother walked into the room, Akara close behind. “Good morning my little merka hin!” This was a nickname Mia knew well, it meant “Wild Child” in Elvish, Mia just giggled “Morning mommy” as she held out her arms waiting to be picked up. The queen scooped Mia up into her arms. “Today we are going on your first diplomatic trip, you must be on your best behavior Mia” The little princess smiled “Yes mama”.
Mia stared at the rays of sun bursting through the colorful stained glass windows. She analized every small detail, the shapes they made on the floors of the palace hallways, how the colors melted into the rich carpets and tapestries. On sunny days like this, she would often lie on the floor and run her fingers along the colorful reflections, but today there was no time for play, she had to be her very best, it was her first formal diplomatic journey.
The carriage was just outside the palace, waiting for them. The coachman opened the door for the royal family, as the queen climbed in he held out his arm for support. Akara jumped right in, then Mia and finally the King. The chariot was escorted by master assassin Aldo and 3 other members of the royal guard, each riding a perfect white stallion with silver colored armor. The royal family traveled for three days and three nights, on the fourth day just as the sun rose, Mia peeked out of the window. She had never seen such beautiful wild flowers and so much sand in her life. Suddenly from the rolling sand dunes and exotic plant life rose a grand city. The carriage rolled into the city, Mia just stared, mouth wide open. The first thing she saw was the market place, it smelled of fruit and spices, children were running and playing in the streets. As they saw the lavish coach make its way to the palace, they ran alongside it waving, Mia could not help but smile, Akara did not seem as astonished as his little sister.
Upon arriving at the Morrocan palace her parents left Mia and Akara with their caretaker in one of the exotic gardens. Akara walked over to a palm tree and sat in the shade to read a book, Mia on the other hand wandered around and explored the small desert oasis. This garden was so different to the ones in Crowshire, it smelled of honey and other things she could not quite pinpoint.
It was a very warm day and the sun was at its highest point in the sky, Mia walked over to a fountain to cool off. She held her hair up as she lowered her mouth to the water. It felt cool against her lips and she drank it in eagerly, out of the corner of her eye she saw a small shadow. She quickly whipped up her head and next to her she saw a small boy about two years older than her. He had scruffy purple hair and the most beautiful deep emerald green eyes Mia had ever seen. She stood there staring at the young boy, who casually walked around her, Mia never broke eye contact. Suddenly his mouth turned into a crooked grin, “How come you have strange pointy ears?” Mia, having never noticed this trait as being akward of different, immediately touched her ears and analyzed this startling new discovery. “I don’t know”. The little boy started to giggle and instead of being angry, Mia started giggling as well. “I am prince Cyrus” he said, “I am princess Miatli….Miatithel…..Mi…. oh! Just call me Mia”. Akara looked up from his book at the sound of Mia´s giggles, he had seen this boy on other visits to Morroc, he couldn’t help but feel jealous, he and Mia had never really understood each other and suddenly there was this strange boy that had been able to make her laugh. Mia decided that she liked Cyrus straight away; there was just something about him that made her feel happy. “Hey Cyrus, want to play hide and seek?” Cyrus smirked and said “Sure…” Mia took something Master Assassin Aldo had given her out of her pocket and grinned. “Try and find me now!” Lifting her arm and quickly bringing it down *poof* she was gone in a flash of smoke. Cyrus’ eyes widened in complete astonishment, but his mind was quick and sharp as a blade, in one swift movement of his arms he moved water from the fountain into the air and had it rain down all around him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small figure moving fast, the water made her silhouette stand out, he let all the water rain down directly on her in a giant waterfall. Mia stumbled and fell to the ground, suddenly appearing completely drenched. Cyrus started to laugh and Mia did too, suddenly out of nowhere Akara appeared and shoved the young prince to the ground. “You cheater!” Mia stood up fast as a whip and put herself between Akara and Cyrus. “He is not cheating, I used tricks too! Leave him alone Akara!” He turned around and stormed off.
They spent the rest of the day playing and talking about their small adventures, but then the time came for Mia to leave. “Come along Miathiel.” Her mother called. “Yes mama”, “Goodbye Cyrus”, she hugged him. “see you soon”. She would never be more wrong.
Chapter 4: A Night in Morroc[]
After a long day of arduous study and light training Cyrus made his way to the grand dining room. He could eat a whole cow at that moment. This was the way it always was when he had spent the day casting spells. As he walked down the hallway a servant came up to him with a letter in hand. “Your small majesty *bowing* a letter from Crowshire” Cyrus snatched it eagerly out of his hand and barely remembered to say thank you as he tore the envelope open.
Dear Cyrus,
Today I went to the Thistlewood forest again, I know I am not supposed to, but I really wanted to try out that water spell you showded me. After many many tries I made it make a little splash, nothing at all like what you did with the water from the fountains in your garden, but I will keep trying. Anyway, I founded this flower and smushed it in my history book until it was dry, so I could give it to you.
See you soon,
Mia
Cyrus looked in the envelope and found a small pink flower perfectly flattened and preserved, he took it carefully and put it in his grimoire. He sat down at the table and scarfed down his food, his parents stared at him. He finished quickly. “May I be excused?!” His mother smiled and nodded. Cyrus sprang up from his chair and rushed to his room.
A cool breeze flowed through his window as he began to write a letter to his new friend Mia. It was a calm cool night in Morroc, all the merchants stands were closed, the innkeepers were locking their doors and guards began to patrol the streets and the city’s high walls, as it got later, the night grew colder and Cyrus sat at the balcony looking out into the night sky holding the letter he had spent hours writing.
As Cyrus is looking out into the distance, he sees a few small embers appear on the horizon, as he squints trying to make out what he is seeing the dunes flicker to life with thousands of bright lights. His eyes widen as he realizes what is happening, he scrambles toward his bedroom door and bursts out into the hallway. As he runs towards his parents’ bedroom, the city’s horns begin to sound out into the night.
The palace guards are already running past him through the hallways, none of them seem to notice the young prince heading toward the royal chamber. Cyrus hears the windows break, and ducks under a table filled with ornaments. In front of him he can see the legs of a guard and another individual as they confront each other in combat. The royal guard is quickly cut down, and falls to his knees, then to the ground, the last thing he sees is Cyrus and he mumbles “run highness” with his last breath.
The young prince crawls on his hands and knees, feet away from his parents room, suddenly their bedroom door bursts open and he sees his father stumble out, and behind him a large very muscular man drags his mother out, dark violet hair in hand. The queen screams as two men grab the King and a third slits his throat. Cyrus crawls back under the table just as his mother sees him and bites the large man trying to take all attention off him. The man hands her to another and slaps her across the face. Cyrus feels rage boiling inside him, he takes a small ornate dagger his father had given him out of his belt and quickly charges toward the muscular man, stabbing him in the thigh. The man howls in pain and centers his attention on the young prince, the queen sees this and in a desperate act to draw attention away from her only child, breaks free and tries to lure the attackers away from him. The last thing he hears his mother say to him is “Run Cyrus! Don’t look back!” she is cut down seconds later by the large man as the others run after the young boy.
Cyrus could hear the heavy footsteps of the soldiers close behind him, he had burst out of the palace and was running down the streets of Morroc amidst screams, and chaos. He quickly rounded a corner and suddenly the floor gave way beneath his weight. He tumbled down a sealed off passage way that led under the city and into some ancient catacombs. He hit the ground hard and the soldiers were still hot on his heels. He got up as fast as he could, pain shot through his right leg, he had sprained his ankle, but he knew he could not stop. The young prince kept moving forward, limping, deeper and deeper into the tomb, the footsteps behind him never let up and he was left with no choice but to continue forward.
Cyrus found his way into a great hall; it seemed like a dead end. His despair was evident now, he had turned to face them and inched his way back until he hit the wall, it was the end of the line. The soldiers stood in front of him weapons ready, blocking the only way out. Cyrus realized he was alone, his family was dead, he was hurt and tired, at that moment tears streaming down his face he falls to his knees.
One of the soldiers picks him up and holds him in place as their leader proceeds to slap Cyrus and then punch him. The soldier drops him to the floor and they proceed to kick him, they beat him within an inch of his life. The prince lays motionless in a puddle of his own blood, almost ready to accept his fate; The leader smirks at him and raises his weapon, ready to end the boys suffering, as his arm swings down upon Cyrus all the torches go dark, and the swing is deflected by something unknown. All he could hear were the cries and screams of the soldiers; as quickly as it had begun it stopped and the torches started to burn once more. The soldiers’ mangled bodies were strewn all around Cyrus’ fragile frame, and as he looked up he saw a demon, standing in a dark corner of the grand hall.
Cyrus' eyes widened as fear took hold deep within him, the demon moved toward him and placed his hand onto the young boys left eye, he had lost a lot of blood and was cold, but he suddenly started to feel warmth return to his body, and his heart beat grow stronger. The demon was the last thing his eye ever saw, he was blinded, but it was a small price to pay for his life back. He spent the night in the tomb and the next morning he emerged to find Morroc completely destroyed, burned to the ground, not a soul in sight.
The boy left the city and wandered aimlessly through the desert, he had nothing left, no family, no kingdom. He started to grow weak, from dehydration and hunger. He reached into his pocket to find his grimoire and in it the flower from Mia, this kept him going, he still had someone he cared about though it was not enough and soon after he passed out under the relentless heat of the sun, collapsing onto a sandy dune.
When he awoke, Cyrus found himself in a room, and sitting in a chair in front of him was a man dressed in a dark cloak. "Relax young one." the man spoke as he handed Cyrus a cup of water and a small plate of fruit. “Who are you? Where am I?” he asked, as he shoved the fruit into his mouth and he took a huge gulp of water from the cup. "I am Tal Doma".
Chapter 5: A Memory Lost[]
Cyrus had been saved by the Great mage Taldoma and his followers known as the Talasha. The mage sensed a power within the boy and took him in as one of his own, and though he seemed to be a kind man, he was really after the power that laid within Cyrus.
A few months after her first visit to Morroc, Mia was getting ready for another diplomatic visit, something about it was off, but Mia wasn’t sure what it was. Her nana’s face was solemn; she helped Mia into a little black satin dress, combed her long curls and cleaned her small face. Suddenly her mama came in the room and took her by the hand, they walked silently to the carriage that awaited them outside the castle and climbed in. The whole trip was this way; even her brother Akara was being quiet.
Suddenly the rolling hills of Alteria turned to sandy dunes. Mia recognized this landscape, she started to get excited, she was going to see her friend Cyrus! As they arrived at the palace all she felt and saw was sadness. She realized all the royal families they had visited at some point in her life were there, they were all dressed in black, which was completely meaningless to Mia, who just thought it a funny coincidence.
They all walked in silence to the palace courtyard and there she saw 3 carefully carved wooden boxes. One was smaller than the other two. “What are those mama?” “Why is everyone so sad?” “When can I leave to go play with my friend Prince Cyrus?”…. her mother just looked at her and softly told her, “We are here so you can say goodbye to your friend Cyrus”, “Say good bye? But we just got here” Mia said crossly. “I know darling, but you see Cyrus and his family are gone forever, you cannot see him, not because we don’t want you to, it is just the way it is, we are sorry.”
Mia stared at her mother not quite understanding the implications of what she was saying. She remained silent the rest of the evening, listening to every little conversation. “They never even found the body….” A man in the crowd said to another. “Terrible…. They are barbarians, to hurt a child is unheard of” These conversations continued and slowly it dawned on Mia… she finally understood the concept of death and loss. She walked off toward the fountain where she had first met Cyrus, sat on the floor next to it and cried herself to sleep.
After the ceremony her mother came looking for her, followed closely by the young prince Akara. She saw Aldo the assassin master sitting on the edge of the fountain, guarding the little princess. “How is she?” the queen asked, Akara just stared blankly, genuinely sorry for his sisters loss. “She is much better, I have made sure she doesn’t remember Prince Cyrus…” he smiled sadly “You realize they were meant for each other, don’t you majesty?” The queen nodded, “I know… so young and she has already lost her soul mate… It was the perfect match, the mages told us… it was forseen, such a waste”.
Akara knew this all too well, this was the reason he had lashed out against Cyrus the day he was playing in the garden with Mia, he just wanted to make sure he knew never to hurt her, or he would make sure he regretted it, and now just like that he was gone, generations of diplomatic visits and work had vanished into thin air, the whole bloodline lost. The young prince felt guilt wash over him, Aldo saw this and placed a hand upon his shoulder, easing the pain, that was all he needed, quickly he regained his regal stance, and let it all wash through him.
Aldo scooped the princess up into his arms and followed the Queen to the chariot that would take them home. As he walked he whispered in her ear the last words of magic to lock away the memory forever. “Memory fades, pain washes away, but in your heart his essence will stay”. From that night on she dreamed of a purple haired boy with deep emerald eyes and tanned skin…she did not know his name.
At the Talasha Temple, Cyrus slept… he dreamt of a girl with long auburn hair, deep brown almond shaped eyes, small light colored freckles, and pointy ears… as the night went by her image faded until she was a blur… after that night, Cyrus would never dream of her again, the spell that caused Mia to forget him, severed his ties to all light and plunged him into complete darkness…that night Cyrus Amondrial turned into TalCyrus.