It was a sunny morning in the small village of Hunshum, the birds were chirping, the workers were working, and life went by exactly as it did every day. In every house, people and elves alike were bustling about, happily going about their business. The village streets were occasionally dotted with carts of traveling merchants offering exotic goods, carriages of some nobles passing through, and the villagers themselves. For a small village, Hunshum was always rather busy, not only because there were many important roads passing through it, but also because of the incredibly homey and cozy atmosphere that the villagers created for all visitors. Especially popular with all that passed through was The Silver Rooster, the village inn known throughout the land for the warmth and comfort it provided its visitors with. Interestingly, although the village was very well-known, the villagers chose to keep it a small and simple village, not growing it to the size of one of the main cities of the kingdoms.

On this one day, seemingly similar to all others, an event would occur that would completely change the course of history as we know it, and it all started with one small training session. One of the villagers, a goblin by the name of Gorgug, was in the middle of his daily training to become a warrior. Gorgug’s dream was to become one of the main warriors in King Gurpheston’s army, gaining him all the fame and honor he could get, which in fact was the dream of many young goblins, each and every one striving to become warriors in service to the Goblin King. In contrast with other goblin youths, Gorgug was truly determined to achieve this dream, and would stop at nothing to achieve it. He had already finished all possible forms of education required for warriors, and was now focused on trying to find himself a heroic deed to do, for although the goblins were a barbaric people, heroes were still held in high regard amongst them, and the more fame a goblin had, the better.

With thoughts in mind of today being another day to try and find himself a heroic deed, Gorgug finished up his training and began aimlessly wandering the village streets, for deeds won’t appear to the hero on their own, and he first must find a way to find them. After a few hours of concentrated walking from one end of the village to the other, Gorgug gave up on thinking for the day and decided to give the inn a visit, as most villagers did every day to relax and unwind.

Upon walking into The Silver Rooster, Gorgug breathed a sigh of relief and slightly smiled, baring his fangs and scaring away a human visitor who had clearly never seen a goblin before. This only brightened our young goblin’s mood, and with a light heart, he strolled over to his usual seat next to the owner and cook of the inn, Nif Morgonzo, who returned the smile and asked:

“You’ll be having the usual, I assume?”

“Nif, you sly dog, you know me well!” Gorgug grunted out with a hearty laugh.

Nif quickly jotted down the order, not even asking to confirm it, for Gorgug had stopped at the inn and ordered the same thing so many times that Nif knew it better than he knew the back of his own hand. He quickly strutted over to the kitchen and began working his culinary magic. Nif was not only an experienced wizard, he was also an expert cook, and combined with a pinch of his wizardry, every dish he sent out of the kitchen tasted almost as if the gods themselves had cooked this. Although everyone who ever ordered anything from Nif always came back for more, he continuously denied his talent as a chef, and always took praise in a humble manner, not letting his popularity get to his head.

While Gorgug was waiting for his three smoked pork legs, four whole eels, and two bowls of Nif’s famous spicy broth, he started looking around the inn, trying to find anyone who might offer up a heroic quest or two. There was a group of orcs sitting at a table, chugging ale and drunkenly singing old orcish songs. A mysterious hooded figure stood in a corner, sipping his drink. Gorgug kept scanning the room, but no one seemed like they would be the ones with the perfect quest to become praised as a hero in the goblin kingdom. Suddenly, the door slammed open and a messenger of the Main Alliance, the alliance between most of the kingdoms, completely out of breath, stumbled inside. Almost as if in a daze, the messenger slowly walked up to a table, drank the pint of mead standing there, sat down, and stared blankly into the distance ahead, his whole body shaking like a leaf in the wind.

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“Alright then,” said Nif, “if you come in here as if you own the place, you might as well explain what message you came to us with.”

“Th..the d..darknes…s… it’s approaching…” the messenger said in a shaky voice, and after a few more seconds of violent shaking, collapsed onto the table, his face landing straight into a bowl of mashed potatoes.

An hour later, the messenger finally regained consciousness, and in a slightly less trembling voice explained that the observatories and watchtowers along the borders of the kingdoms had noticed a looming darkness on the far edge of the Badlands. He, along with a myriad of other messengers, was sent to deliver this news to every soul in the kingdom to warn them of their slowly approaching doom. The inn went completely silent, and the messenger, paying up for the mead he drank and the ruined potatoes, ran out, mentally preparing himself to carry on this disturbing message to others he’d meet on his way.

A few hours later, the inn was still unusually quiet, as the few who stayed in the inn were either drinking in silence or sitting in corners, discussing what had happened in hushed tones. Nif was also buried deep in thought, carefully rubbing a glass with a dirty rag and shying away from conversation, very much unlike his usual talkative self. Gorgug seemed to be the only one somewhat oblivious to what had just happened, stuffing his face like it was his last meal. A little while later, seemingly unaware of his surroundings, the goblin strutted out of the inn, whistling a happy tune, and headed off to the town bulletin board. The board was typically disregarded and rarely used, and yet although many have proposed to get rid of it once and for all, it stood strong, and every few months or so, some desperate villager would put up a small request. These small requests would usually be either to find a runaway chicken or harvest a medicinal herb or two, all for a measly reward of a few copper coins. However, Gorgug almost religiously checked that board for anything worthwhile, eagerly hoping for a real quest that would snag him enough fame to become a renowned warrior in the goblin kingdom.

As Gorgug drew closer to the board, he noticed that there was an unusually large and neat poster hanging right in the middle, carrying a very simple message: “Darkness is nigh, danger levels are high, run as far as you can if you want to survive.” After reading that morbid text, Gorgug also noticed a small note on the very bottom of the poster, and after just a small bit of squinting, he was well on his way to the nearest teleportation stone to be transported to the capital of all the kingdoms, in the middle of all realms, for he very suddenly had urgent business to attend to. In his rush, he nicked the poster with the dagger dangling from his belt, and the small piece of paper flew through the air, reading “All aspiring heroes willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the realms are free to audition at the main temple of the capital of the human kingdom for the role of Hero of Light''.

Minutes later, Gorgug already reached the teleportation stone, and muttering to himself his destination, touched the stone, and within moments was already knocking at the doors of the human capital. The two orc guards standing next to the open gates, each holding a hand on the hilts of their broadswords, briefly nodded to the young goblin, indicating that he could pass though, and soon Gorgug was surrounded from all sides by the bustle of the capital. Although he had been here many times before, every visit was like his first. The city’s busy streets, filled with all sorts of creatures from realms far and wide, were truly a sight to behold, and above it all rose the towering figure of the palace, its white walls almost shining from the bright rays of the sun. Both the flags of the humans and of the Main Alliance fluttered in the light breeze atop the purple rooftops of the impressively built palace towers, and Gorgug simply stood and marveled at the beauty and grandeur of the massive building in front of him. However, he soon awoke from this mesmerized state and quickly rushed off to find his way to the main temple, thinking about how this was his chance to become the hero he always wanted to be.

Running through the streets and lightly pushing others out of his path to be able to get to the temple as fast as possible, Gorgug swiftly reached the majestic entrance, two imposing doors with carvings of representatives of all races of the Main Alliance, from all realms and kingdoms, each sitting around the circular table around which the Alliance usually gathered. The massive marble pillars to either side of the doors, adorned with the banners of every kingdom in every realm, were truly a sight to behold, but Gorgug had no time to stand around and gaze at the ancient constructions. With a light push on the door, he entered the sacred building, and not knowing what awaited him ahead, started slowly walking towards the main hall, taking in the entrancing view of ancient statues, mysterious relics, and the sparkling blue ceiling. A short while later, he reached the main hall, and after a few deep breaths for calmness, he pushed the doors open and walked inside, ready for whatever test that could be waiting for him there…