Prehistory
Thus it was scribed in the CHRONICLES OF TIME:
“…In the times immemorial, in the Age of Magic, the Earth was ruled by the ancient
race of Gods, and the mightiest among their Clans was the Nordic Clan. The Nordics
possessed many formidable magical artifacts, but the most potent of all was the Bracelet
of Lordship. This ancient bracelet, forged ages before from the Dragon Stone in the holy
hour of Myriad Stars, crafted for the Highest Rider of the Clan and often used to direct
the flying army of Drakes into furious attack on the southern kingdoms, gave its owner
full control over the conscience of mortals, be they mere humans, black creepers or noble
dragons. The Bracelet of Lordship was obtained by the Gods from the Forbearers themselves,
and lent its new masters full control over the conscience of mortals. The Gods gave their
mighty artifacts great names, for each and every one of them possessed its own ego and
could shape the mind and soul of its master. Hence, should an inept owner of such a
double-edged magical weapon command no strong spirit, from arrogant master he could become
its humble slave instead.”
During the days of the Gods’ decline, the
Nordics, hoping for the future revival of their Clan, concealed the bracelet of Lordship
deep in unmapped marshes, in lands where eons later would settle mortal tribes of Slavs.
The Gods also left one of their Dragons to
guard their dreadful treasure, and ordained that the half-mortal demi-God Orr should be
the eternal keeper of the bracelet, and provided him with an amulet by which one could
control and command the Dragon.
Many millennia later the Nordics’ eternal
enemy, the Yellow Dogs, creatures of Chaos and Destruction, found Orr and his warriors in
a small encampment. Their forces of Evil heavily outnumbered Orr’s band of mere mortals.
Bloody battle raged for three long hours, until Orr beheld that only ten of his men were
yet standing and no chance remained for escape. Then Orr, in no way ready to let the enemy
lay hands on the Dragon Amulet, in great sorrow broke it into three pieces and sent his
loyal hawks to take those parts to his old and trustworthy friends and comrades-in-arms.
The first of Orr's hawks flew to the oldest
and truest friend of its master, a Byzantine named Konstantin. The second hawk Orr sent to
the Northern lands, to a mortal Viking Sigurd. The third hawk took wing for the camp of a
Slavic hero, Vseslav.
The first hawk was fated to never reach the
camp Vseslav. The bird fell from the sky killed by an arrow belonging to Wolf, a
mysterious person dwelling in the woods near the marshes, lying in wait for the one who
would come for the bracelet of Lordship. Wolf was the last to survive of a small Clan and
hoped with the power of the Gods’ bracelet to revive his Clan and build a mighty kingdom
in the Slavic lands…”
The second part of the Amulet reached
Sigurd’s hands, but the good-natured Viking soon lost the treasure and his life along
with it. In the dead of night Eric ruthlessly killed his recent friend to get his hands on
the piece of the Amulet. The next morning Eric was already among these who set sail in the
glorious war against Slavic tribes.
A sense of foreboding overcame Konstantin when
he received his part of the Amulet. Realising that something sad and horrible had happened
to Orr, Konstantin understood that on him alone depended then the fate of the famed
bracelet of Lordship. Signing on as a guard with a trade caravan, he soon was on his way
to the Northern Lands.
Two month later the ways and fates of these
three descendants of the ancient Gods crossed in these fateful lands… |
