Cursed blessings

Arevinyan continent is largely considered to be the cradle of humanity. While there is some presence of other races, like our distant cousins, Dwarves and gnomes, it is still humans that populate most of our blessed homeland.

It is known to us, through great effort of imperial navy and our esteemed cartographers, that there are two more distant lands aside from our home of Arevinya. The first one has been named Eresinya and its name was given in the honor of the goddess Eres, mother of the elves who live there in obscurity. Little is known of said continent since voyage across its borders has been forbidden by both royal and heavenly decree.

The other land is called Gertinya, home to the many merchant kingdoms that were founded there on the order of the King-Emperor in the last few centuries, its lands are still largely unexplored but already it is clear that it is home to many wicked and vile creatures, both beastly and intelligent.

Both of these lands remain of little importance to us in this day and age, and they pale in comparison to our magnificent Arevinya, whose glory and splendor knows no equal.

It is our blessed home that is topic of this lesson. A vast land, crisscrossed with many rivers and plethora of streams that begin their flow from the central mountain region of the continent, where Kingstown is located.

From said mountains, its many rivers roll out across the land, watering the colossal forests that spread across immense distances to the west, and some distance to the south-east where the land eventually gets dryer, the sunbaked earth giving way to parched rock and desert sands.

If one would dare to make the journey north, he would find there many frozen forests and overgrown mountains filled with vegetation accustomed to cold climate. It is a land locked in perpetual ice and snow but still it remains a realm of life and beauty, hardened but not destroyed by its cold embrace.

The Arevinyan landmass is mostly unified, with very few gulfs and only a handful of lakes that are situated only closer to the shoreline, where the land gets fairer as it settles from its mountainous center into rolling hills and breezy valleys as one gets closer to the shore.

The vast oceans surround our home from all sides, with only a handful of islands breaking the monotony of an unchanged horizon.

But the sheer size of our homeland, and lengths involved, my dear reader are hard to present to uneducated minds. To explain how enormous Arevinyan truly is would take me many more pages and untold hours of work, so instead, it will have to suffice when I say that one would need to travel many months on horse or carriage to barely make a third of the journey from the sea to the capital of Kingstown.

Our homeland, blessed by the gods, is also a home to many kingdoms that have throughout the centuries past both came to power and occasionally crumbled to dust. Sometimes from war, plague or even from the wicked works of sinister forcers, destroyed by the followers of evil gods that haunt the dark corners of our world.

It is for this reason that to this day there are still many lands in our homeland that are considered as unconquered wilderness, these countries and kingdoms lost through time. Ruins uninhabited by the living still lay hidden on the edges of our realm and remnants of civilizations long gone by dot the land, buried beneath the earth.

After all, we need to take into account that it is only in the last three millenniums that Humanity had risen and taken its rightful place as servants of the gods. And from the ancient records we can see how far we have come under their guidance. Rising from mud and depravity to the current height of cultural progress and magical advancement.

But it is only in these last two thousand years that we have finally unified as a people under the rule of a King-Emperor.

To clarify this to all who read this text, you must understand that no matter what kingdom you may hail from, it is only to the One king, the King-Emperor that we owe allegiance to first and foremost.

For thousands of years before our age of prosperity humanity has struggled, its many kingdoms more interested in killing each other and fighting over the religious worship of the Gods. It took us thousand years of bloody war and pointless conflict before we wizened up and unified under the will of gods and kings alike.

Yes, dear reader. It was only so that two thousand years ago the first King-Emperor was chosen by the council of kings. The first One, the chosen king, was given favor by the gods. Taking a pledge to protect humanity and dispense justice and order, he took up the rule over all kingdoms not just as a king, or an emperor, but as a father and a caretaker too.

And it is so, that to this day the many kingdoms od Arevinya give their pledge to the One king, to serve and follow his will. In return the King-Emperor serves as an Overseer, leaving the kings and queens to their own work, interfering only when necessary to protect or stop conflict.

Unfortunately, even the will of heavens is not enough to cure greed and envy, which is why even today there are wars and conflicts among the many rulers of our lands, petty as they are.

Our One-King, greatest of all men, is unfortunately bound by law and holy pledges to dispense justice only in the direst of needs, when no other choice remains. This in turn leaves many a ruler free to pursue their greedy wants to a certain extent, but it also stops many from wantonly pillaging and killing their neighboring kingdoms.

And so, through providence of gods and our holy Kings guidance, we are elevated and set free to reach even greater heights, as only humans could do.

Excerpt from "History of the Imperium" by Ser Guliver Lawson, considered to be prejudiced and inaccurate by gnomish and dwarven historians who love to actively and fairly point out the fact that most of surviving ancient texts and murals come from dwarven culture, while the magical and technological breakthrough in the last millennium can be attributed mostly to the Dwarven smiths and Hemonidas the luminescent, current arch mage and sole master of the crystal tower, who is by all accounts, a gnome.

"Lyrium?"

King Emperor Leonard Rex asked, calmly looking down on two Healers who were kneeling in front of his throne.

On his left and right side, seated by the marble tables that hugged the walls of the throne room, were seven of his closest servants and advisors.

Two of his children among them, Dorian his third child, who served as his sword when necessary and who was also second in the line for the throne, and Adriane his second child, who was most politically capable of all of his children and also his most likely successor.

Five other people, some of them generals, other spies or old tutors and friends, looked dumbly at the two healers who were now casually chatting with the emperor.

These two Healers, members of their mysterious order, usually so stoic and silent were now standing in front of the Emperor happily chippering and supplying him with information that they would usually never reveal, not even under torture.

But spoke they did, because Leonard asked them to tell him.

"Yes, my emperor, it is a metallic substance unlike a processed quicksilver that has highly magical properties, quite volatile and... "

"I know what it is."

The emperor interrupted him with a casual wave of his hand.

"I had a sword made of that bloody thing, isn't it supposed to be poisonous?"

The healer cringed at the simplification of the entire point, gesticulating with his hand as if to process the words in a way that would be precise and yet still simple enough to answer the emperor’s question.

"It…is. Well, in a way yes, it is. But not really poisonous my Lord… Toxic would be the better word because it does not in fact…"

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The other healer, who had stood by his brother’s side continued to prattle on as the other stopped, not breaking the sentence for even a second.

"… does not in fact have any poisonous aspects as such, but instead it's highly magical composition can have negative aspects on people not resistant or attuned to magic…"

The first healer continued.

"…which can lead to mana poisoning, necrosis, rash, insanity, acne, blindness, constipation…"

“… and various other maladies. It is by its nature a metal, in the loosest meaning of the word, and also one of the best magical catalysts known to us…”

“… not readily available though, it is quite expensive, and used in all manners of enchanting, smithing…”

“…alchemy and quite a few magic rituals. It can also be used in healing but only in extremely small doses, because as I already said it is toxic…”

“… you see, the abuse of this substance as a performance drug is well documented since it has been used by quite a few mages across the years...”

“…and mages, for all their failings, do love to document experiments properly…”

“…one of their few saving graces really…”

“…but we digress, you see...”

Now rubbing his templates in frustration Emperor stopped them with a raised hand.

"So it is, in a way, poison, is it not?"

Squirming uncomfortably at the inaccurateness of the statement one of the healers continued.

"The effects of its consumption can be used as a means to poison, my Lord, or alternatively in smaller doses it can act as a drug similar to Redgrain, just much stronger."

Noticing the signal from his raven-haired daughter Leonard turned to Adriane, motioning her to speak. With a small nod as a show of respect she turned to the group.

"Yes father, I had Edwards Guardian thoroughly questioned and unfortunately, aside from the fake personas of his dealers we cannot find the means through which Edward acquired the drug. What I have been able to piece together from his Guardian seems to indicate that Edward had no idea what he was getting into when he first took Lyrium. As to who supplied him, well, he got the Lyrium through hidden, unnamed contact in the city. No names, no faces… hmm. The city has been combed through by the guards and our underground contacts questioned, but there is no sign of Lyrium on black market. This is concerning enough i know, but what bothers me more at the moment is Edwards health. The dose he acquired seems to be substantial and it seems that he partook of it for longer periods of time, so what will be of his health?"

One of the healers turn to Adriane, bowing in supplication before answering.

"Well, that is a good question Mistress. He is of royal blood, which makes him more resistant to… well... everything. The boons he draws from his bloodline are not to be discarded easily. In fact, from what we have seen, it is very possible he would have been long dead if not for his nearly divine constitution. That said, there is an abnormality that we found out upon examining him, that makes all this much more interesting. You see, it seems that Edward is similar to your firstborn in the way that he too has some magical potential, latent talent to be sure, but still potent from what we have seen."

Leonard remained silent after that, memories of his eldest son bringing mixed feelings in his heart. Rubbing his chin in contemplation Leonard sat in silence that followed his lack of response. Naturally, no one dared to break it until he spoke again.

"He is a mage."

"Yes, my Lord, a mage is someone who not only practices sorcery, but instead has a natural…"

"It wasn't a question; I know what Mages are."

"I apologize sir."

Leonard dismissed him with a casually hand motion, showing him that he wasn't offended.

"I know all about magic users, both those who can learn magic and that those who are born with the natural talent for it. But how did this only come to light now, after all this time. With all of the mages my court employs and all of the healers in our care, how come nobody ever noticed Edward had the gift?"

Now somewhat uncomfortable the healer squirmed before answering.

“Well, we did check once when he was born my Lord. And after that, well… there was no need to check. You have to understand, even if someone does have a latent talent, they very rarely unlock its potential. The Lyrium your son ingested must have sparked some reaction in his darkest moments, hence the sudden outburst of mage fire. Frankly, if he didn’t break through his limitations and crystalized his magical essence, he would have likely perished.”

Leonard sighed.

"So, if my memory serves me right. My son Edward, as a mage has a natural resistance to magic, and therefore some resistance to Lyrium, but in turn its properties make it very addictive to him, does that sum it all up?"

"Yes, while most practitioners shy away from Lyrium for its negative aspects, to mages it acts as an enhancing drug. Aside from heavy addiction its immediate effects are boosts in morale, power, and overall happiness, while in later stages of more aggressive abuse the substance may cause complete mania, paranoia, violent behavior…."

"…It also considerably boosts magic abilities, both temporarily and permanently since, depending on the amount of the drug used, it can bind itself to mages, permeating the flesh and binding to the bones, sometimes crystalizing over certain areas of the body …."

"…However, since its addictive properties are too strong to simply shake off, and it is too powerful a boost, its use became a taboo to mages across the world. Especially since sustaining such an addiction for prolonged periods of time is incredibly expensive, and frankly quite deadly in later stages of abuse…"

"…Furthermore, while it is possible for mages to rid themselves of such an addiction it is incredibly hard to clear the body of the adverse effects of Lyrium, and no more than three such cases were documented in known history…"

"…Well, four if we count your son, but given how his circumstances are somewhat peculiar we don't think anyone will be documenting this case…"

Slowly nodding his head Leonard asked them.

"So, do you think Edward managed to rid himself of its influence?"

"Yes, most definitely, two of the three decontamination cases were well documented, and it fits perfectly with what Prince Edward went through…except that entre, blowing up part. That doesn't usually happen, but there were some instances where newly manifested mages did damage their surroundings, so we believe that is normal too…in a way. It is interesting to note that in one of the known successful cases the mage in question was a novice, similar to Edward, and he burned the Lyrium essence out of his system through uncontrolled burst of magic, almost accidentally. While in other two cases the mages were adepts, and they detailed the process of guiding the magic through their body, crystalizing the mana and residue of Lyrium in their bodies."

Emperor Leonard sighed tiredly.

"So, he will be well?"

"Yes, in terms of his physical state, yes. As we said there might be some abnormalities, appearance vise, but nothing crippling or dangerous. What will you do with his magical power however, we do not know."

Leonard nodded thoughtfully again, and turned his advisors.

"Thank you for your insight and help, master healers. If we are in need of your wisdom once again, we will be sure to call you."

Bowing in union the two healers spoke as one, as was custom for their order for a thousand of years.

"We serve only the emperor; his power is ours and ours his."

With that said, the two mysterious and usually silent figures that belonged to one of the most enigmatic orders in the kingdom moved from their place and quietly left the throne room.

With the healer’s disappearance there was a question left lingering in the air that everyone but the emperor wanted to know the answer to, but his five advisors knew better than to voice their thoughts, and two of his children knew that they would be told the answer, sooner or later.

And so, Leonard asked his question.

"Any thoughts on this?"

Aku, who was a huge, muscled general with ebony complexion and more strength in his shaved head than in his powerful body, spoke first.

"Your son is safe, at the moment that is what matters the most my Lord."

Nodding, Leonard agreed quietly.

"What of you Adriane, what do you think?"

With charcoal black hair and long, slender, yet powerful build, Adriane was what most people would describe as a stunning beauty. She paused for a moment before answering and looked thoughtfully downwards with her hands crossed across her chest.

"Well father, I knew Edward had some issues with discipline even as a child. And it does not surprise me that his temper got worse in these last few years since he is in that rebellious stage of life, but I could not have predicted this. How he managed to acquire a steady supply of Lyrium I truly do not know, but it sounds extremely suspicious."

Approvingly Leonard motioned her to continue.

"For one I find it hard to believe that he knew he was a mage, if he did, I am sure he would have bragged about it at least a little bit, as he usually loved to do. Second, it is practically impossible that he acquired the Lyrium himself, which means he must have had a dealer, someone who knew he was your son."

"Which would mean someone was trying to get a hold on him through addiction."

Leonard concluded.

"Yes father, it is not certain but it surely seems likely."

"Hmmm."

Leonard rubbed his chin again.

"It sounds plausible enough, Dorian your thoughts."

Grim and furious Dorian twitched at the use of his name, snapped out of his thoughts he looked in anger at the floor before the throne.

"Whoever was responsible for this will pay, by my hand Father, I promise you that."

With a voice that carried like a breeze on summer morning, Leonard soothed him.

"Easy my son, for all the power you have you are as hot blooded as your sister is cold, and both of you need to learn much restrain. Do not promise or act foolishly or heartlessly, there is only failure and regret for those who do. And that goes for both of you."

He looked at Adriane and Dorian in turn.

"Now, we have learned much tonight. I trust that you will keep all this to yourself and not act carelessly or without my permission, but I do leave you free to investigate what you want about this event, just discreetly. Is that understood?"

With sounds of confirmation from everyone present he spoke to them again.

"Very well, as I know you are all busy and tired, so I'm ending this meeting, do go about your duties and schedules as you please, and be ready if I call you. This situation is not yet cleared. That is all."

With everyone slowly leaving, Leonard was the only one left sitting, and soon enough, after all fell silent and everyone but him left, he too stood up and went to the room hidden in the shadows, just behind the huge throne that he sat upon just a minute ago.

There, he opened one of the hidden safes and extracted from it one empty crystal bottle, engraved in gold and silver. It survived the explosion, enchanted as it was, to hold the liquid metal safely, and he now gazed at it in wonder and worry.

With the amount of pure liquid Lyrium the container could hold it was truly a wonder how Edward was still alive. But how much of the substance fused with his body, well, that was something they would learn in time.