bhskittykatt
Synopsis
It's warriors. And wizards. Drunk wizards. Fighting aliens. And zombies, too. What more do you want?
In the City of Grex, the City Guard enforces the law and carries out the will of the Bidiariak, the benevolent aliens that reside in their airship above the city. Ceres is a young graduate fresh out of the Academy, ready to serve in the Guard. He soon finds, though, that the Guard may not be as glorious and honorable as he first thought.
Ebrius is a young wizard trying to prove his worth. His career is thrown into jeopardy when he finds Old Magic relics, which are banned in the kingdom. As his world begins to fall apart, he must find strength he didn't know he had in order to survive.
Luscinia's people live in the dark, forest realm of Nihthelm, far outside of the authority of the Bidiariak. Members of her village go missing. When she finds them, she discovers they are a little...undead. She leads a team into the foothills to discover the source of the curse, and to try and find a cure.
Meanwhile, the number of Bidiariak above Grex are increasing, with little reason as to why. Danger is lurking in the shadows and in the sky, and the three adventurers must find each other and work together if their respective homes and peoples are to survive the doom that approaches.
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
I remember when the war ended.
The battles had been raging for weeks, then months. The tensions had existed for many years before then. Tribes from the northern Firgenbeorg mountains and the southern coastal regions battled over control of the fertile valley. The Patulus Plains were stained with blood.
Both sides were in a stalemate, and there seemed to be no end or peace in sight. The soldiers were battle-weary. The wizards' stock of relics were being depleted. Farms on both sides were razed, and the villages were hungry. Yet the battles continued on.
That is, until the others arrived. The Bidiariak. Visitors from the sky. They appeared one day over the battlefield in their great airship, the Hezgati. Gradually, soldiers eyes gazed skyward. One by one, all eyes became fixed on the airship, until the fighting had completely ceased across the battlefield. We were captivated by the strange and wonderful magic that could hold such a great vessel in the sky.
Several smaller airships, which we later learned were called Murgils, descended from the Great Airship. They came down and landed in the middle of the battlefield. Most soldiers backed away, but a few brave souls approached the strange vessels. I did not approach, for I was frightened, but I stayed close enough to observe what happened.
The vessels opened, and the Bidiariak came out. We were all shocked by their appearance. They stood upright and had limbs like a human. Their skin had a bluish tinge, though, and their eyes were yellow. Their hair was yellow like their eyes as well. Their face was like ours, except for an apparent extra nostril on either side of the nose. They were tall, lean beings, being taller than most men.
They were dressed in plain gray clothes, which seemed to fit to their skin. One of these had silver markings adorning his clothes. He addressed himself as Hizlaria.
That night, there was no fighting. Leaders from both tribes had a great meeting with the new guests. There was a great dinner held for the guests who came from the sky. Soldiers and wizards from both tribes shared supper that night, and there was much friendly conversation and celebration.
The arrival of the Bidiariak brought about the end of the war. Men realized that there were greater things in this world than petty land disputes. The Bidiariak gave us New Magic, and helped us rebuild our ravaged civilization in the heart of the valley. Together, all the tribes joined to create unity and peace, with each other and with the Bidiariak. The city-state of Grex was built under the guidance of the Bidiariak.
The Bidiariak helped with agriculture. They told us which fields to plow and plant. They helped us find minerals to mine in the mountains to the east. They helped us supply our new city with timber. They guided us to grow, and they protected us.
They brought in New Magic, and took away the Old Magic. They said that the Old Magic was unstable and dangerous, and that we should not meddle with such things. They collected all the old relics, and gave us new ones. They gave us constant lamps, which gave light with no flame, to light our paths at night. They gave us flameless cookers, which let us boil water without fire.
All our progress, they observed from the Hezgati. Instructions were passed to us by certain liaisons, and by the reader boards they installed in the city square. Mostly, the Bidiariak float above the city and around the valley. Sometimes, a Murgil will pass overhead as well, but we do not always see the Bidiari who flies it.
Not everyone was content with the Bidiariak. Some preferred the Old Magic. Some did not trust the new visitors. Some felt that the mysterious disappearances of people were the fault of the Bidiariak. These people abandoned the unity and peace, and fled west, to the forest. It is said that dark things lurk on the perimeter of the valley, nameless terrors that stalk the grounds there. I do not envy those who choose to live in such lands. It surely must be a hard life.
Here in the valley, though, we are under Bidiariak protection. As long as we do as they say, we will thrive and flourish. They surely know what is best for us.
- from the journal of Auctor Flamen, stonemason
