When the world was young, the Five stepped forth upon its face. They shaped it, transformed it, creating sea and sky and life itself. Everything they touched was perfection, and the world was a paradise. But from outside the world, jealous things watched. And one entered the world. None know its name, for it a creature beyond any understanding. When it is spoken of, it is called the Scorned. It terrified even the Five, and struck each of them mortal blows. Still, they fought, desperate to save their creation, even as this being’s mere presence corrupted them.
The battle lasted for eons, but it was over in a heartbeat. The Five forced the Scorned into the sky, and then threw it deep into the earth, shattering the land for miles in every direction. Seas dried up. Mountains shattered. Forests turned to ash. The stones of the land warped under the titanic force of the impact. But the Five thought this price worth paying. The Scorned was sealed away in the heart of the world, and their creation was saved.
But the Five looked upon the world, and found it wanting. The Scorned had wreaked havoc, upon the world and the Five. Where once they saw perfection, now there found ruin and desolation. The Five debated and argued among themselves, nearly turning against each other. They debated what should be done. Should they abandon the world? Start anew? Repair the damage? Eventually a compromise was reached They would create stewards to repair the world, and return to truly make it a paradise once more. The Five would set about creating other worlds and other paradises while they waited.
Thus the Men, Dwarves, Elves, Dragons, and Beastkin were created, the last and youngest of the creations of the Five. And they proved mightier than the others, for they were empowered beyond any other creature of the Five, granted souls full of vitality and spirits full of strength. And slowly that which was broken in the world began to be repaired.
But the Scorned still lurked within the core of the world, and it still desired to tear the creations of the Five asunder. It struggled against its bonds, and threw itself against the walls of its prison. While its efforts seemed futile, pieces of itself began to break off. These pieces, called Shards, floated up, finding cracks and gaps and weaknesses. The Shards began to make monsters, and these monsters fought the creatures of the Five, taking on many forms. And no matter how many died, the monsters kept coming. For the Shards did not become the monsters. They found places to hide, and took the souls and spirits of living things to make their servants.
The mightiest could even manifest and personally ruin the creations of the Five. Their names are whispered in stories and screamed in nightmares. Their sleep troubles kingdoms, their waking shatters empires. But even they started as nothing but a Shard with potential.
One such fragment of the Scorned drifts up, finding shelter in…
A. A dried-up well in the middle of the desert
B. A grove of dying trees in a forest
C. A shattered castle atop a mountain
D. Another desolate location
And it called itself…
Author
Topic: The Shard of the Scorned - A game of monsters (Read 3419 times)