1st Entry
Enclosed is documentation of the visions of King Fafnir and the extrapolation of my theories regarding their meaning. My peers tend to disagree, but I firmly believe what he is seeing are indeed vestiges of a possible future. The old king's need to record his visions suggests he also shares this belief. It is my hope that this work ends up in the hands of someone who can use it to possibly steer the course of Aveldan and avert the disasters outlined within.
There are two preliminary concepts that should be addressed before continuing. First, we Scions have been made aware of the three alien beings within the Bloodstar who call themselves the 'Therion.' They are incredibly powerful, and interaction with them is to be kept at a minimum. It seems their appearances vary based on the mental state of those perceiving them. As an experiment, we sent a prisoner sentenced to execution into the Bloodstar, who reported gigantic beings with demonic visages before succumbing to madness. Meanwhile, King Fafnir reported seeing three children in strange garb. Whatever these Therion are, I believe them to be responsible for the king's visions.
Second, the nature of the visions themselves. Based on what King Fafnir has been writing, they seem to outline a disaster that will befall Aveldan and, in most cases, will mention an entity, goodly or otherwise, that will arise to stop it. It is my intention to identify what these disasters are, where they would be most likely to strike, and who or what will be needed when they arrive. With that said my theories are speculation and may not necessarily be correct.
Should the disasters within be allowed to come to pass, the outcome is horrible. To put it simply, it is the End, and I will refer to it as such in this document.
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2nd Entry
Visions of Fafnir Verse I
The skies redden and the clouds fly,
A stone from beyond the sky falls to the waters
Poisoning them to boiling salt,
Her suffering calls us home again
It took the sacrifice of two Myrellian spies, Harry and Vivian Metzen, to recover this verse. I deeply regret their loss and the two children they left behind.
This verse suggests a celestial object will fall into a body of water and, I imagine, render all water undrinkable. As the Bloodstar itself is a celestial object that fell upon Mahar and destroyed that rich land, it is not difficult to speculate ruining water is a capability the Bloodstar has, especially when one considers the Therion within. In any case, this would reduce the lifespan of everything in Aveldan to mere days at best, making surviving the subsequent disasters pointless without a means to restore water.
This verse is an outlier of sorts, as no force is mentioned that will reverse the damage done by the celestial object. It is hard for me to speculate on who the one 'Her suffering' refers to. My best guess is that the one to initiate the End will be a female, one who has experienced terrible mistreatment. As to what 'home' refers to...it can only be the Netherworld. Even should the End be averted, the death toll will be beyond count.
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3rd Entry
Visions of Fafnir Verse II
The arcane and the divine,
Clash blades in one last dance.
The old king rises with an invincible army
To claim his vengeance due.
The one damned beneath heaven's gaze,
To the peal of lion's roar,
Ushers he the quiet of shadow.
I've only recently met this 'Quora', and her help with recovering these verses has been most helpful...still, I am deeply disturbed by her interest in them. I will need to tread carefully.
The reference to a struggle between magick and divinity can only mean that Dreamford and Myrellia will declare all-out war. Such an affair would be unspeakably bloody and would leave both sides vulnerable to what comes next.
The old king who comes to claim vengeance can be none other than he, the Old King Fafnir. Lord Dreamford, sensing he was outmatched, consulted with King Orion mac Cumhaill for a spell that could turn the tide. Orion, being a master of dimensions, allied with Dreamford and gave him a spell that could banish one to the Netherworld while still alive. Such a fate has terrible consequences for the subject, as those who have been known to venture into the Netherworld while alive have, after a few hours, reported the onset of necrosis all over the body that subsided when the subject left the Netherworld. King Fafnir has languished in the Netherworld for decades, and it is known that the living cannot truly die within that place. It is likely he is fully conscious of the pain throughout his body - should he emerge as the visions state, he would be utterly mad.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
As for his invincible army, I cannot say for certain, as he had no such ambitions in life - at least, to my knowledge. My theory is that Fafnir will find a way to blow open the doors to the Netherworld and unleash the dead upon the world again. They are not his army, per se, but enough of those damned to the Neverbeck would follow him out of spite...and an army that cannot die would be unstoppable.
The one who destroys him is supposedly one who is themselves driven to darkness. The circumstances of such are irrelevant, but I imagine them to be from Myrellia, as the state of living there is objectively worse than that of Dreamford. I've heard rumours of a terrifying lieutenant under Lord Stragor's command who wields the power of shadows like a bow, and once hailed from Myrellia. He is not known to command beasts, but there are reports of winged lion-like monsters in the Shadowsteppes who are violence incarnate. To face the Old King, having the aid of such a beast would be invaluable.
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4th Entry
Visions of Fafnir Verse III
To man she once promised light,
To man she brings silence.
His greatest companion faces heaven’s wrath
And lives to deal a final blow.
I'll never forget the day I came face to face with a dragon in its true shape...it was a terrifying experience and sobering, too. To be in the presence of such majesty as Moonfang makes one feel small indeed. I must count my blessings that Eramus was able to pull through on stealing this verse from her trove of lore.
This she who 'once promised light' is almost certainly Myratel. I'm not sure of what manner of silence she might bring, but there is something oddly inhuman about the Papal Soldiers. They never speak, and always move in lockstep without fail. I've heard they don't even scream when injured or killed. Perhaps Myratel's plan is to amass such an army on so grand a scale that it might threaten the conquest of Aveldan.
'Man's greatest companion' would imply the one to destroy Myratel is not human. As to who that might be, my guess would be Lord Dreamford. He banished King Fafnir and established the safest place to live in all of Aveldan, which also maintains a high standard of living. Many of Dreamford's works are to the benefit of mankind, as are his deeds.
The verses have already mentioned a great struggle between Dreamford and Myrellia, and I imagine it is in one great battle that Lord Dreamford is to face Myratel herself...though it sounds like a battle he is not fated to survive. Lord Dreamford might be a dragon, but Myratel is a goddess.
Addendum: Quora has told me something that may confirm my theory of this disaster being Myratel and sheds light on the 'silence' matter. Quora states that Myratel has begun to spread her influence, and mana dies everywhere it goes, disabling the use of magick...perhaps permanently. The silence Myratel threatens to bring is worse than I could have imagined: it is the death of magick. itself. Should Lord Dreamford face Myratel, he is most certainly doomed.
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5th Entry
Visions of Fafnir Verse IV
The mother's death cry,
Awakens a roaring mount that burns the land
And cauterizes reality's wounds.
The seed shall halt the flames
And take root within life's ashes.
This was the only verse Fafnir himself trusted with me, and to this day I am baffled as to why.
There are plenty of motherly figures in Aveldan...some more powerful than others. I recall seeing a clutch of eggs during my encounter with Moonfang, which I'd assume to be Fafnir's progeny. I have also heard rumours that the Mountain Queen of Yggdramor had a son with King Orion, a union that is best left to the imagination.
In any case, their death will herald the awakening of the dwarves within the Roaring Mount. Only the dragons can recall the last time the dwarves were active...it was not a pleasant time. We have no certain documentation of what a dwarf actually is, but Fafnir mentioned creatures of fire and brimstone who cannot be reasoned with. At that time, the world became aware of Moonfang, her white fire pacifying the fiends and sending them into their current dormancy.
I believe this entire verse references the threat to Yggdramor. King Orion is a master of dimensions, and the veil between worlds has ever been his to toy with. 'Cauterizing reality's wounds' must be a reference to his works becoming undone. He also wears the Everseed on his chest, the source of his supernatural powers. I believe after the 'mother' dies, the dwarves will march upon Yggdramor, destroying as much as they can before King Orion puts an end to them once and for all.
Again, we have a battle in which the victor is not fated to survive, as I don't imagine King Orion giving up the Everseed willingly. The implications of the Everseed taking root are beyond anyone besides King Orion himself.
Addendum: I have just heard a horrific cry from the Mountains of Moon. Judging from Amelia's expression, I appear to have soiled myself.
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6th Entry
Visions of Fafnir Verse V
At last, she whose heart has forgotten all but its rage,
She stands at the edge of the future and threatens Man's triumph.
The one who has survived death shall silence her heart's drum
And so shall lead the rebirth!
Quora has been instrumental and acquiring these works...and that is a problem. Her domineering and obsession are becoming palpable. I don't care why she wants these works anymore - I need to get away from her, by any means necessary.
It's her. I don't know how, but something tells me it's Quora who stands at the edge. She's stronger than she appears, far more so than Lord Dreamford. Nothing that powerful can exist and not be a part of the visions of the End. The visions cannot reference Fafnir and Dreamford and Moonfang and then fail to mention Quora. No, I refuse to believe it isn't her.
I don't know what it takes to survive death, and I don't care. If they can kill Quora, so much the better. This world will die because of her. She is the one referenced in the first verse, I've never been more sure.
The verses tell us nothing of who the two fated to survive could be, but it is obvious it is a man and a woman, as they are to lead the rebirth of mankind. The Everseed must be a catalyst in restoring the land and water after the End. There must be more...
…Otherwise, the survival of the fated is rendered meaningless.