Book of Destiny Story
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
By Wolf
As a young boy, I lived a peaceful life in a small village known as Paws, between Trinsic and Britain. That is, until the days of Thornewood and the attack of the orcs. History books tell of the orc attack and how the village was destroyed. But few know the full story of evil, deception, and death…
When the orcs attacked, the men hid the women and children in barns and cellars, and then sent a call for help to the Paladins of the Trinsic Honor Guard. But the message never arrived.
Running to Trinsic, the messenger found a Guardsman on the trail and begged him to call the Guard to aid Paws. The Guardsman wheeled his horse, glowered down at the panting man, and struck him down with a single blow! For this Guardsman was an imposter who had infiltrated the Guard’s ranks. It was he that led the orcs against the town. His name was Thornewood.
Not knowing the messenger’s fate, the men and many of the women of Paws fought bravely against the waves of orcs that attacked their homes and families. But they never stood a chance against the horde. Blood ran freely over doorsteps and through the streets. Men, women and children were all cruelly slaughtered. And the mysterious Guardsman was never seen again.
In the end, Trinsic’s Honor Guard did learn of the attack and arrived to find the orcs in the last stages of the obliteration of Paws. Hartham himself strode through town demolishing orcs and searching for survivors. In one of the few houses not burned to the ground he beheaded an orc that had just killed some poor, brave woman of Paws. The story has been told that as Hartham turned to leave, he heard a sound under the floorboards. Tossing aside a rug he ripped open the trapdoor, ready to attack any vile creatures below. And there he found a young boy. Apparently, he was the sole survivor of the once peaceful town of Paws. His name was Crawworth, and Hartham raised the boy as his own. Years later Crawworth achieved notoriety in the battles against the Followers of the Armageddon, and in the initial explorations of the newly found Lost Lands, where he was eventually killed.
What many people have never known was that Crawworth was NOT the only survivor of Paws. Indeed, several years ago, it was discovered that Farley, a half-mad drunk living in the swamps, had been hidden in the woods as a child and was overlooked by the orcs. When the Knights of Sosaria were building their town of Elysium on the ruins of Paws, Farley played a part in quelling the angry cries of ghosts that rose up to complain to the people of Trinsic for not sending aid during the attack. He eventually told them of the false paladin who betrayed both Trinsic and Paws, thus finally allowing the ghosts to rest in peace. But soon after, Farley disappeared and has been seen no more.
I know this story well. It’s a dramatic history lesson that I’ve followed all my life. But it’s like the surface of a deep pool….it’s only a small part, the beginning of the story. Many may know that my daughter, Nova, and I founded the Knights of Sosaria and that we built our homes in Elysium, on the ruins of Paws. Few know much more about my history, and how I came to be drawn to the area. Perhaps by now you’ve guessed…
I am another survivor of the devastation of Paws.
Few people know, or ever knew, that the small town of Paws held much more than taverns and shops. Deep in the woods west of town was a small, plain looking house. Tucked away in a thicket, most never even saw that it was there; but if they did, it looked so ordinary they paid little attention to it. Just a cottage inhabited by a few old men, living out the ends of their days telling each other stories of when they were young. Or so it seemed. But hidden away inside was a great secret.
Those men weren’t just telling stories of old lovers and historic battles. They were scholars and mages who had dedicated their entire lives to hiding, protecting, and understanding an artifact far older they. They called themselves the Elysians. Long ago they had joined this sect and vowed to give their very lives for this thing.
It was book. No one knew how old it was, nor where it came from. It was titled “The Book of Destiny”. After years, even generations, no one was able to decipher any more than that. It seems the title could be easily read, but the script inside was unfamiliar to anyone who ever saw it. They didn’t know if it was in code, or some ancient language unknown to anyone living.
But why had these men, and many others before them, dedicated their lives to a book that no one could even read? What made it so special? Miraculously, the book was sentient. At least, it could speak! Which is not to say that it would converse on mundane topics of daily life or even speak all the time, but it would speak. And more, it seemed to know of things throughout the lands, and perhaps even throughout time! I gather it spoke of historic events, and even seemed to warn of dangers to come.
I don’t know much more about the book. The only reason I know of it at all is because when I was a very young boy I was befriended by Thomas, one of the Elysians. Young as I was, I’ll never forget the time he took me in to see the Book; or perhaps it was for the Book to see me, I’ll never know. I thought it was a fair bit of magic when I heard it speak, though I was chilled to the bone by what it said. “Death soon surrounds this one.” A week later, Paws was attacked.
Looking back, I think Thomas must have hoped I would succeed him. And in a way, I have. I’ve dedicated my life to finding that book. You see, during the attack on Paws The Book of Destiny disappeared.
I woke up to sounds of my father shouting in the next room. Mother was shaking me. “Wake up, wake up! We have to run!” She dragged me out of bed and into the main room. Papa pushed a large knife into my hands. It was like a sword to me. “Richard! He’s only seven!”
“Old enough, if need be. Don’t worry, you’ll both be safe there. And the Honor Guard will have word soon. Now go!” She kissed him, and grabbed me by the hand. In a daze, I tried to keep up as we ran out the back and headed through the woods. I glanced back to see my father pulling out his great viking sword that usually hung over the door.
“Orcs are attacking! And hundreds more where seen skirting ‘round the swamps. We have to go see Thomas,” she panted, “He’ll keep you safe”
As we rushed along, I remember hearing shouts in town to the south. Then some of the shouts turned to screams. We kept running. Thomas and the Elysian’s house never seemed so far.
Mother stopped short. Somewhere ahead we heard heavy footsteps, leather, and steel. Dragging me into the bushes, she said, “Stay down here. If they look this way, I’ll lead them south. When they go out of sight, run to Thomas’s house! I’ll meet you there.” I started to cry for her not to leave me, but she covered my mouth.
Orcs came around the bend at a slow trot. I had never seen an orc up close. They looked huge and mean. My hand tighten in fear around Papa’s knife. Just as they came past us, one of them stopped and turned, sniffing the air. “Remember to find Thomas” she whispered. Then Mother jumped up and ran across the path and into the trees. The orcs growled and followed her. I was frozen with shock and fear. Then finally, I got up and ran on.
I found Thomas and the others outside their house, listening to the sounds of battle in the near distance. “We have to prepare to leave”, they said.
“We can’t leave. Mother is coming! And the Honor Guard will be here soon.”
“They won’t get here in time, boy. We must protect the Book. I pray your good mother will be alright, but we must leave. And the Book tells us that you must come with us. Let’s get inside quickly!”
“Inside? I thought we had to leave? But I can’t leave my family and my home!”
Thomas comforted me, “We have to go, boy. Your parents would want you to be safe. And this is a great mission you are about to embark on.” He smiled. “We will leave by going inside. Come along and you’ll see.” We went in and he explained, “There is great power protecting this house, but even so, to protect the Book we have to prepare to teleport far away. In fact, we will prepare a spell to travel to another land. One where no other men of Brittania have yet gone. A mirror image of this world, but unknown to men. But since the Book has chosen you, I should tell you more about it, while the others prepare to leave.”
While the other Elysians packed the Book and some other belongings in backbacks, Thomas told me a little about the Book. “Some say the Book came from this other land ages ago. While the Book can talk, it often speaks in cryptic phrases that take careful study to understand. And even though the title can be read by all, we cannot yet translate the writing inside. And the Book can’t, or won’t, tell us what’s written inside. It’s believed to be a language from before all known history. Or even a language from some unknown land. We had hoped to search this alternate world for scrolls of translation that the Book tells us exist somewhere. I suppose that now we’ll get the chance to do just that. Come, it looks like we are ready.”
We sat in a circle and the men began chanting a spell unlike any I had ever heard. Then as they chanted, a stranger stepped into the circle. “I am Thornewood” he said, “I have come for the Book of Destiny! I can not let you leave!”
The Elysians looked up in fear, but they didn’t stop their chant. The one called Thornewood reached behind his head and pulled a strange wand from his pack. He held it high and also began to chant. The competing words of power rose to a crescendo just as I was covering my ears in pain and fear, Thomas pushed me back out of the circle. At that moment, it seemed there was a powerful explosion! I don’t remember much more after that.
The next thing I remember was wandering in the woods far from home. For months I struggled just to survive alone in the wilds, with occasional help from rangers and lumberjacks. I befriended a young wolf cub who’s mother was killed by hunters. As I grew, men began to call me Wolf, just like my constant companion. Eventually, I was able to find my way back to Paws. Or at least, where Paws once stood. And I found the remains of the Elysians house. There was little left of it. And certainly no sign of Thomas or the Book. But somehow I knew that the Book had not been destroyed, and vowed I would devote my life to finding it again.
And now the Book of Destiny has been found. After being gone for months, my daughter Nova returned with the Book. Then she disappeared again. I don’t know where she found the Book, or where she has gone, I can only hope she is safe and will return to us someday soon. Nova told us she was pursued by great danger and that we should keep the Book safe.
The Knights of Sosaria will devote ourselves to protecting the Book, and to understanding its revelations. And we will now search for the translation, for I hope that it may be found somewhere in Trammel. But even without it, the Book can tell us many things. Soon, when all safe precautions can be taken, we hope to make the Book of Destiny accessible to all the people of Sosaria. This is a great moment in history. And perhaps our own destiny will be revealed.