Zoe Sigra, my second childhood friend and current ‘Demon King’...well, Queen. The three of us grew up together in Freskali Village, a fairly remote settlement in the eastern mountains. Not exactly a dangerous place, but removed enough to make it difficult to receive supplies or information on the outside world. An old village, steeped in tradition and extremely dedicated to the study of history. Our families were close, so we ended up spending a lot of time together. Life was fairly normal...for a while. Both Zoe and Stephanie became a bit...obsessive after we turned twelve. This was largely due in part to having lost my parents to a bandit raid. They were merchants as well, traveling merchants at that. They would even take me with them sometimes, but normally left me with the elders and sometimes Stephanie or Zoe’s parents. I suppose that may have been the underlying reason for me to become a merchant myself, as some sort of way to stay connected to them. At the time, I had been devastated. If it hadn’t been for the elders stepping in to watch over me, I’m not sure I ever would have made it through. Those two, however, began to develop strange behaviors after the incident. Steph began tormenting herself over the notion that she needed to protect me, keep me safe and isolated; a sentiment that as I’m sure you can see she never outgrew.

As for Zoe, I’m not entirely sure where to begin. She was always rather quiet, but after the incident she was loath to leave our side. She would spend long nights in the village chief’s library in order to study magic, as she was far more compatible with it than anyone else in the village. Eventually she learned everything the library could provide, and practiced at every opportunity. Being the remote location we were, we rarely saw visitors, so the appearance of a wandering mage was surprising to say the least. Even more so that they were willing to take Zoe on as an apprentice. From what I had heard, it took quite a bit of convincing from her to get her parents to allow it considering she was only fourteen, but she eventually managed it. She left two weeks after the mage arrived, asking that Stephanie and I wait patiently for her return. In the following months Stephanie and I began to learn swordplay from the village watch, and I started to learn the merchant trade from the books my parents left behind.

Though we continued to wait for Zoe, life carried on. Learning, training, and waiting, all in a near endless cycle that lasted a year after her departure. On the eve of her fifteenth birthday, a large group of seemingly uptight yet important travelers entered the village looking for Stephanie. They were from the church in the capitol, and they claimed to have received an oracle from their god. It pointed them towards our village, prophesizing “a young woman blessed with holy light, to bear the symbol of god in battle against those of the dark.” There were many religions throughout the country, yet the church in the capitol was the official state religion.

Though I myself was skeptical, it appeared to be true. During her coming of age ceremony she was bathed in a blinding light, after which she emerged bearing the symbol of their god on the back of her left hand. The priests proclaimed her “Hero”, deciding then and there to continue her training in the capitol. Stephanie begged them to bring me along as well, but they saw no use for me as I was. She was, however, given a week to say her goodbyes; a kindness she was truly thankful for. I on the other hand, was less enthusiastic. I was on the verge of losing the last person I had close to me, not knowing if I would ever see her again. I was always being protected by her, and I wanted to protect her for once. Near our village was a large series of mountain caves, many of which housed tombs from a bygone era. Dedicated as we were to history, it was common knowledge that the tombs belonged to warrior clans that had once dominated the region. Though the people themselves were long gone, they had mastered a method of forging that would ensure the life of a weapon for centuries, possibly even millenia. And so it was with little hesitation that I took my sword and ran off into the tombs, hoping to find something that would protect my friend.

As it happened, those tombs were sealed for a damn good reason. I barely made it through the entry chamber before I was attacked by a couple of balrua; mole-like creatures native to the region. While we knew the history of the tombs and their people, none of the villagers had actually entered a tomb that hadn’t already been opened. It was practically a full on den, and it was through sheer dumb luck that I didn’t become the newest corpse to call that abyss my final resting place. I stumbled my way almost blindly, panicking and slashing my blade at anything that moved. I actually cried when I found a large open chamber with outside light seeping through cracks in the ceiling. Sarcophagi lined the walls, facing inwards towards another placed on a pedestal in the center, and I will never forget the way it looked as long as I live. Beautiful, intricate carvings depicting the life that person had led from birth to death were placed with utmost care into the dark gray stone. Hunting, battles, childhood, and even the birth of their own children encircled the coffin just under the lid. The lid itself was inlaid with gems, each giving off faint light and surrounding an imposing image of armor. I marveled for a time, simply taking in the beauty before I felt something compelling me to open the lid. My consciousness faded slightly as I felt my body move of its own volition, sliding the heavy slab over and peering within. Regaining control of myself, I was surprised to see that in the coffin there was no body. Instead, there were three shining items, each glowing with a faint aura; an amulet, a sword, and a ring. Each was intricately carved, lined with what I recognized to be runes. Small gems dotted the sides of the amulet and sword handle, with three centered on the ring. I slowly pulled out the sword, examining it carefully before smiling. Satisfied, I made to leave and search for an exit when I felt myself lose control of my body once more. The last thing I saw before my vision faded completely was my outstretched hand reaching for the remaining relics…

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When I awoke, I found myself laying on the ground outside the tomb with no memory of my escape. The sword lay on the ground next to me, with the amulet and the ring nowhere to be found. Unaware of how much time had passed, I decided not to dwell on it and ran with the blade fast as I could go back to the village. Running down the path, I tripped over a tree root and rolled down the rest of the way before landing at the bottom in a heap. Much to my delight and her concern, I landed directly at Stephanie’s feet, who then proceeded to strangle me while crying hysterically. From what she and the elders told me, I was gone for three days, and even the members of the church had helped in the search. Before they could continue to scold me for vanishing, I presented the sword to Stephanie, who was shocked speechless. The bishop who accompanied the church was just as shocked, stammering while asking where I got it. I told them what had happened in the tomb, all the way up to finding the sword. Something about the man struck me as off, however, so I neglected to mention the ring or the amulet. Once everyone was done fussing over my admittedly minor injuries, the elders announced a feast to celebrate Stephanie’s new purpose. We ate, drank, and sang, and everything seemed to finally be settled. And it was, at least until Zoe came back home…

She arrived on the day of Stephanie’s departure, carrying herself far more confidently than she had in the past. We were thrilled to see her again, to hear of what she learned, yet also unsure of how to tell her what had happened to Steph. The two of us greeted her happily, wrapping her in a hug. The hug she returned however seemed...off. Possessive. Wrong. As she pulled away, I could swear I saw a familiar looking amulet peeking out from her robes, but I quickly dismissed the notion. She was smiling as she animatedly spoke of her studies and travels, but quickly soured when she saw the clergymen preparing Stephanie’s carriage. She actually demanded to know why they were there, something that seemed completely out of character for her. When we explained what had happened only days prior, Zoe’s expression went...dark. She started mumbling, though neither Stephanie nor myself could make out what she was saying. When she looked up though, her eyes were glowing. Now, at the time I only knew the basics of magic, but even I was at least aware that glowing extremities meant the use of a powerful spell. When she started floating, I all but confirmed it and started to back away slowly, taking Stephanie with me. I don’t know what I thought she was doing, but I definitely wasn’t expecting a portal to open in the center of town. And the screaming...I don’t have the words to describe it, yet I will never forget the way it sounded. As for what came out of those portals? I knew what they were. We all knew. I couldn’t count all of the tomes that detailed how they looked or what they could do. Demons. A horde of them, practically pouring into the center of the village, rampaging and destroying everything in sight. To their credit, the members of the church joined forces with the village watch to dispatch the coming tide. And Stephanie and I? We were paralyzed in shock. Our friend, someone we loved, was destroying our home. Not knowing what to do, we ran. We tried to, at least. Those beasts quickly surrounded us, blocking off all means of our escape. We thought we were dead, so the two of us prepared to make our final stand only to be caught off guard by Zoe telling them to capture us: alive. I made to attack the closest demon to me, only to be bashed to the side and picked up by my throat. What happened next, I’m not sure. Stephanie drew the runic blade and became shrouded in blinding light, similar to the one from her ceremony. I couldn’t see anything, but I felt myself drop to the ground shortly after. When the light faded and my vision returned, the demons were gone and only Zoe remained. She continued to float, staring down at the two of us before vanishing in a flash of magic.

Miraculously, no one was killed in the attack. The church quickly collected Stephanie, announcing they would return to the capitol immediately to inform the Archbishop of the demonic invasion. Stephanie and I exchanged no words; we simply gazed sadly at one another before she turned and entered the carriage. As they departed, the elders called for a council, and the streets quickly emptied leaving me on my own. I wandered the village, observing the destruction and wondering what could possibly have come over Zoe. Near the outskirts, I found a demon. Fortunately, it was dead: crushed under rubble from the mountain. Laying nearby was its sword; a cruel looking obsidian blade laiden with various enchantments. I picked it up to study, wondering what technique could create such a weapon only to watch it shimmer and vanish in my grip. At first I believed it to have returned to its realm of origin before I noticed something shining with a familiar light on my right hand: the ring from the tomb. I tried taking it off in confusion, only for it to become horror as I discovered it wouldn’t budge. Composing myself, I started to look it over, noting the faint light coming from the gems. As I stared, I could feel a...a list of some kind appear within my mind. There was only one item on the list however, an “Obsidian Edge”. I focused on the name, falling over in shock as the sword materialized in my hand. Focusing again, I stared in wonder as it vanished and the name once again reappeared on the list in my mind. Enraptured as I was, I hadn’t noticed the elders approaching from behind. Evidently they had decided the village was no longer safe for me, and were preparing to send me off into the world as well. Our chief had sent out for an old acquaintance of my parents, an older gent with a storefront off in Antiva City…