| Subject: Crimson Forest: Prologue |
Author:
Phoenix Ragella
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Date Posted: 20:07:25 04/18/04 Sun
Prologue
Many thousands of years ago, there was a peaceful and prosperous kingdom called Tyerra. It was ruled by King Thelandir, his wife Queen Raffina, and their two daughters, Mariana and Idril. Mariana was next in line for the throne, and all of the subjects agreed that she would be a perfect queen. Everywhere she went, people talked about her beauty and grace, and what a fine queen she would make. This made her younger sister, Idril, quite jealous. However, she kept this to herself for the time being.
Now right outside Tyerra, there was a great forest where Mariana and Idril loved to play. Mariana especially liked to sit near the rather large lake in the center of the forest. She always felt safe there, for she (like all other Tyerrans) had heard the legend. The legend told that if any evil was ever done here, the entire forest would make it known to all. Nothing was ever seen out of the ordinary, so she spent most of her days here, unaware that evil was already looming around her.
On the eve of her twenty-second birthday, Mariana was preparing for her wedding. According to custom, she would be wed this night, and be officially named queen the following day. As she finished getting ready, Idril appeared and asked if she would take one last walk with her through the forest. She agreed, and the sisters set off. As they walked, Mariana was thinking happily of her wedding, and anticipating her coronation. But it was not to be…
Upon reaching the lake, Idril roughly spun Mariana around to face her. She coldly told her frightened sister that there would be no wedding, no future queenship for her. As Mariana realized what she meant, Idril picked up a heavy branch lying nearby. Mariana turned to flee, but before she had taken two steps Idril struck her over the head with the branch. As she lay there on the forest floor, she could just hear the faint clink of chains through the black haze that was clouding her mind, and felt them being wrapped securely around her body. The next thing she knew, she felt the shock of cold water, and dimly realized that she was in the lake. The last thing she saw as her life ebbed away in a crimson stream was Idril; her cold eyes watching Mariana slowly disappear into the depths.
When Mariana did not return home that night, Thelandir immediately sent out search parties and posted sentries at the walltops. Hours passed with no sign of his eldest daughter. Suddenly a dismayed shout went up from one of the sentries, who was pointing west towards the forest. Looking out the window, everyone was shocked and horrified to see that every leaf, tree, and blade of grass in that forest was a deep bloodred- the signal that the legends had spoken of. Thelandir ordered three of his soldiers to search the forest instantly. They returned shortly, bearing something damp wrapped carefully in their cloaks. Frantically pulling the layers back, Thelandir and Raffina stared in horror at the body of their daughter.
Princess Mariana lay unmoving, her once sparkling blue eyes now closed in death. A thin ribbon of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Steel chains still held her lifeless form in their cold embrace. As Thelandir comforted his grieving wife, a piercing shriek from the doorway caused them both to look up. Two armed guards were dragging Idril into the room. Keeping a firm hold on the struggling woman, they explained that they had gone to her chambers to inform her of her sister’s death. When they opened the door, they saw her stuffing a stained and bloody robe under her bed. They also noticed that her arms bore red stains on them as well. When confronted, she had confessed to murdering Mariana so that the way to the throne would be clear.
Thelandir was shocked and furious at his daughter’s betrayal. However, though she had murdered her sister, he could not sentence her to death. Murderess she may have been, but she was still his daughter and a princess of Tyerra. Instead, he decreed that she be locked away in the dungeons for the rest of her life, and never spoken of again. She was taken away, and everyone in the entire kingdom came to Mariana’s burial. Queen Raffina was hit the hardest, as she was unable to bear any more children after Mariana and Idril. Wracked by grief and despair, she retreated further and further into herself. She soon would not even leave her chambers within the castle. After several months of this inner anguish and torture, she gradually faded and died like a delicate flower caught in winter’s icy grip. Thelandir bore the deaths of his wife and daughter with as much quiet dignity as he could possibly muster. And so time passed on, and Mariana was always in the minds of the people. But a few months later, odd things began to happen…
Frequent reports of strange creatures seen in the forest began to reach the king. This normally would have been dismissed as mere folly, but for the fact that these were well-known creatures of legends. Hellcats, Wharks, and Dragonraptors (among others) were frequently glimpsed at the borders of the forest, which was now called the Crimson Forest. The most startling sighting of all, however, was of what appeared to be the spirit of Lady Mariana. No mortal person who pursued these creatures into the forest ever came out though, so the sightings and reports soon passed. Fact became legend, legend became myth, and most were forgotten.
But somehow the old legends and myths survived the passage of time. Stories told of a bloodred forest where restless spirits and other creatures could be reborn; some said to aid a powerful elf-queen who ruled there. It was also said that Lady Mariana herself still dwelt there, helping lost spirits to find their way. Many other creatures lived there, and each with their own unique tale. One such being was Valera Thya, a powerful vampiress. Shunned by those who feared her, she was driven away from the only home she had ever known. She thought that she was being driven to her death, but the Forest had other plans in store for her. Here her story begins…
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