Rune of the Sprites

You are Prince Solon Cerulean, a child of the waters. You play in the depths with your siblings. Your older brother is the strong, proud one and he molds himself into the image of your father the king. Your younger brother is the introvert, fascinated by the nature of your world, by the water itself. Your sister is the tie that binds you all together for she loves you all with a full heart. Together you swim and frolic not knowing the horror to come…
Years later, as the Bearer of the Shell Shield, protector of your people, you are getting ready to rally your troops. The Abyssians are coming through. The Naga have summoned a huge army of undead. You hoist you Shield of Shell and nervously call the hussars to attention but, as you speak, the fear leaves you and words of confidence and pride roll forth. You realize that a lifetime of sitting at the knee of your father has given you the orations of a king. The hussars react as if it is your fathers words as cheers and war cries go up. You inspired them. They will follow you into death! You take a moment to revel in this feeling and wonder if this is what it will feel like if your father chooses you to become KING.
Years later, you stare into the Chalice of Visions in disbelief. Your father, King Sargoth Cerulean, is dead but your brothers are not waiting for a council to decide which of you four children will be monarch. They are plotting to kill you and take the throne together. What is wrong with them? It is clear that they have always wanted the throne far more tan your sister and you, but to kill for it… madness! You most find a way to face them alone without their armies before they move to kill your dear sister: neutral ground. You will lure them from the water and fight them on dry land, in Eidenhomme itself. You know their plans to not only betray you but themselves as well and you will use this chalice to find a way to stop them!
With it you draw them into Eidenhomme. You watch as the wall of water that your brother summoned crashes into the pines and maples, uprooting and drowning them all. Flights of tiny fay try to escape the deluge but are swallowed up by the torrents. They would destroy all of Eidenhomme just to kill you. What has happened to you brothers?
Your brother, your enemy, Thrang Prince of the Mirror Shield erupts from the deluge and the duel begins. You struggle to get past his guard. You want to incapacitate him as quickly as possible. He is your big brother. You love him but you see no love in his eyes just anger and power lust. He bashes you in the face with his mirror shield and you nearly pass out.
You lie prone on the ground of the flooded forest. Thrang can dispatch you and the crown will be hiss. Thrang will have to betray his youngest brother, Narzynn, to become monarch, but compared to you, Solon, Narzynn, Prince of the Water Shield, is not much of a threat. Thrang raises his sword to finish him when he goes weak and his legs crumble. In his shield, Thrang sees that he ages years in a matter of minutes. His strength, thoughts, everything is draining out of him. He falls to the ground and looks at his brother before it goes dark. Your eyes are filled with horror and fear for Thrang. You love Thrang and he was going to kill you. As the world goes black Thrang wonders what has happened to him and he think to himself “Why did I do this?”
Stepping over the wizened form of Thrang is your younger brother, Narzynn attacks. As you reel from his blows, it is clear to you that Narzynn, flooded with Thrang’s essence, has become stronger than you. Your little brother… stronger than you and terrifying in his power and battle lust. You feel cold. It’s fear. You fear your brother and with good reason. Drunk on power, your brother is trying to kill you. He will kill you!
Narzynn strikes. You feel your life, your heart, your mind, your… everything being siphoned off. How is he doing it? Then you see it in his hands… the Grail. He stole the Blood-Wine Goblet! He knows how to activate the power but not how to control it and the ancient power has driven Narzynn mad. He will kill you as he did your brother and it won’t stop there. He will drain the world dry! You were taught once how to use it so you lunge and grab it. It sparks and the air crackles with power, too much power. The energy is building but you can’t let go! The power won’t stop! It is going to kill you both and this whole flooded forest when it erupts. You smell burning flesh and see your fingers are charring! You can’t let go and neither can he. As he begins to crack and die, he looks at you with a look of pain, fear and betrayal. You betrayed your brother.
Narzynn’s form shifts and fragments. He is torn into its component parts: soul, spirit, body and animus. The soul essence is absorbed into the Bloodwine Goblet and from there into Thrang. Meanwhile, Narzynn’s spirit, animus and body are lost into a whirlpool dimensional rift caused by the battling brothers. As you tremble with the power and essence stolen from your brothers, the whirlpool collapses and you and Thrang’s corpse are swept away.
The war is over. You did not want to fight this war, destroy this forest, kill your kin but it was forced on you. You throw yourself onto the mercy of the royal court. You confess to your part in the destruction and death and tell them you are ready to be punished for your unforgivable crimes. Your sister swims to you. She takes you in her arms and holds you. She speaks in your ear, “It’s not your fault. You had no choice. You are forgiven.”
They are words more valuable than any other that have been spoken. They ease your heart and let the tears come. You cry for many weeks, mourning your loss until the people gather on your coronation day. The crown is a bitter reminder but you will wear it for the people’s sake. You will wear it and do your best to live up to your father’s legacy and repent for the harm you and your brothers caused. You will become a good king, no matter what you make sure that you are a good king.

Years pass and you find yourself in the unfamiliar realm diplomacy. You have been meeting with this little human for days now. Over and over about taxes, fare-trade, tariffs, on and on. You want to know a simple fact: is Fallenstar the ally of the Sprites or not. That is all, but this greedy little penny-pincher wants it all in writing. You are ready to lose your legendary temper when you take a deep breath. You are a king you remind yourself not an impatient child. You take a breath and in rapid fire prose espouse to the trader / founder the need for this alliance the benefits to each race and the man is so taken aback by the force and clarity of your thought that he has no where to back up to. You box him into a corner with your words: Is Fallenstar an ally to the sprites? Do you wish our help against the dark forces? Will you aid us if we are in need? The trader tries to squirm back to a lucrative trade agreement but you stay firm yet calm. He answers: Yes. Yes. And Yes. The treaty is signed.
Years pass, you enter Fallenstar with your trusted counselor and older brother, Thrang. You find yourself noticing how weak he is these days compared to the strong, imposing prince he was before you and your brothers went to war. You toast to the Sprites Realm / Fallenstar Treaty only to feel you soul-essence being drained into the wine bottle you hold. Your world grows dark. You awaken and see Thrang and men from Fallenstar. They have traveled the lands and recovered your stolen essence. As you recover, you see the one that they call the Vintner but you and Thrang recognize as your little brother, Narzynn. He is some type of ghost though and it is clear to you that he is incomplete. A large portion of his being is missing. You wonder where it is and if there is any way to restore him, to heal Narzynn.