Arthane's Santuary

SEVEN: Cycles of Vengeance

"500 years past, at the end of the Golden Ages, a great darkness descended upon the Seven Worlds. Its coming foretold the end of history, and its power could break the worlds asunder. For many years, mankind fought desperately against the darkness, but their strength was not enough, and their efforts were in vain, and the darkness only continued to advance.
Finally, there arose from the seven worlds seven Guardians, mages of great and terrible power, and together they fought the darkness back against the boundaries of our worlds. However, even with their tremendous power, the Guardians could not destroy the darkness, or banish it to the void from which it came.
So together they created the Great Shield, which holds the darkness from our worlds and our children. But it has been foretold that someday, the Shield will fall, and the darkness shall come across our worlds again. It is said, however, that the Guardians sleep still, waiting for that day, to arise and face the darkness again.

This is the legend of the Seven."

Seven is an idea I have been working on for upwards of four years. It began as an idea for a role-playing campaign, but has since gotten deeper and more complex. The Seven Worlds correspond to the seven great houses of elemental magic: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Light, Darkness, and Life; seven worlds for the seven elements. Last year, I began toying with the idea of making a book or a comic out of the story. That story became the story of Seven. The first "chapter", "Cycles of Vengeance", details the ressurection of the Seven Guardians into a world which remembers the Guardians as merely a legend... But some among the powerful of these worlds have reason to believe this legend, and to fear it...

CHARACTERS

Arthane Lord of Cyrecil Keep, Arthane is the head of the house of Cyrecil, descendants of Garelius, the Guardian of Fire. House Cyrecil are masters of fire magic, but are not powerful players in the politics of the Houses of Firaethal, the vassals of the King of Firaethal, the monarch of the world of fire. As the Lord of the Keep, Arthane has a sacred duty: to protect and keep the legendary sword Golgarath for the day when it is needed by the Guardian again. Arthane is a powerful and extremely skilled warrior-mage.

Zekiel Lord-Presumptive of Cyrecil Keep, Zekiel is the eldest son of Arthane and the heir to the house of Cyrecil. While still lacking the experience and refined skills of his father, Zekiel is already an accomplished warrior, and is said to be the most powerful mage in the arts of fire to have been born into the Cyrecil line in seven generations.

Joral Second (and youngest) of the two sons of Arthane, Joral studies the blade and the arts of fire from his father and his brother. Joral shows great skill with the blade, but while he has great magical potential, Joral seems unable to control or focus his innate abilities. Joral looks up to, indeed almost worships his elder brother. A great bond of friendship and family ties the two together.

Malvius A powerful warlord of unknown origins, Malvius has been systematically conquering the houses of Firaethal for the past few years. Little is known about Malvius, save that he, too, is a mage of great power. No one has seen his face, for he hides his features behind a mask, giving him the nickname "Masque". The Houses of Firaethal are in an uproar over his conquests, but King Vesallan refuses to provide assistance or sanction against Malvius, so it seems that his power will not be waning anytime soon.

There are more of them, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for you...

	Arthane	Lord of Cyrecil Keep, Arthane is the head of the house of Cyrecil, descendants of Garelius, the Guardian of Fire. House Cyrecil are masters of fire magic, but are not powerful players in the politics of the Houses of Firaethal, the vassals of the King of Firaethal, the monarch of the world of fire. As the Lord of the Keep, Arthane has a sacred duty: to protect and keep the legendary sword Golgarath for the day when it is needed by the Guardian again. Arthane is a powerful and extremely skilled warrior-mage.
	Zekiel	Lord-Presumptive of Cyrecil Keep, Zekiel is the eldest son of Arthane and the heir to the house of Cyrecil. While still lacking the experience and refined skills of his father, Zekiel is already an accomplished warrior, and is said to be the most powerful mage in the arts of fire to have been born into the Cyrecil line in seven generations.
	Joral	Second (and youngest) of the two sons of Arthane, Joral studies the blade and the arts of fire from his father and his brother. Joral shows great skill with the blade, but while he has great magical potential, Joral seems unable to control or focus his innate abilities. Joral looks up to, indeed almost worships his elder brother. A great bond of friendship and family ties the two together.
	Malvius	A powerful warlord of unknown origins, Malvius has been systematically conquering the houses of Firaethal for the past few years. Little is known about Malvius, save that he, too, is a mage of great power. No one has seen his face, for he hides his features behind a mask, giving him the nickname "Masque". The Houses of Firaethal are in an uproar over his conquests, but King Vesallan refuses to provide assistance or sanction against Malvius, so it seems that his power will not be waning anytime soon.