Elendale on fire.
Elendale is a kingdom located on the northern seas, its harbor is often storm ridden. This kingdom is ruled by King Tybalt and his wife, Queen Emily.
A strange Fisherman shows up in your Kingdom and upon talking to him, he tells you stories of his cherished homeland, Elendale. And then, without explanation, he stopped sharing. The joy faded from his eyes and the fisherman bowed his head, saying only "But that was long ago." Intrigued, you decide to voyage across the stormy northern seas to Elendale. Upon arrival, it appears to be a dead kingdom, ravaged by what must have been a horrible war. The lands are scorched and few buildings remain upright, while the Keep of Elendale smolders still. The villagers tell tale of their King that bore destruction upon all and rumor of an evil sword by his side. You find a lone locket among the ashy ruins of the Keep. Inside, is a portrait of a beautiful woman and a man that bears a remarkable resemblance to the Fisherman...
When you return from your voyage and confront the Fisherman with the locket, he speaks as though not himself and with an almost violent tone. "Emily... Wh-why have you brought this to me?! The past is the past! A fisherman is all that I am now! Only that!!" Who is Emily? Could it be the same woman that had sailed to your Kingdom only last winter? There had been an Emily, but she lies within the cemetery now. She passed about a month ago... is she the woman in the locket?
After buying a sturdy shovel from the local Blacksmith, you head towards the Cemetery. This is one story that you must have the answers to. The cemetery's residents seemed displeased as you placed the shovel within the dirt, beginning the unveilng. It was unlikely the corpse would prove recognizable to the locket's portrait, but luck was on your side. There was a wedding ring upon her finger. You apologize to Emily as you take the ring and lay her back within the ground, covering her once again in its dark blanket.
Once more, you set forth to the docks in search of the odd fisherman and answers to this even odder tale. Seeing the ring, tears exploded from the fisherman as his breath became great, choking sobs. "I thought she was safe!" he wailed. "She's my wife. I told her to escape before..." The man dropped to his hands and knees, shuddering, and in a low tone began a tale that you were not prepared for. It was by the fisherman's own hand that his homeland was destroyed. Woman, children, soldiers, friends -- all slain by him... their King! By Animus. It was no ordinary sword, it consumes those that wield it and leaves destruction in it's wake.
It all made sense. The murderer, the ancient sword currently being sought after by every Bounty Hunter and even the dreaded Jacob's Sword of Yacothia. "Since then," the frail former king Tybalt continued, "I have barely managed to curb the sword's lust for slaughter... but at the cost of my own life. It eats away at me, punishes me." Tybalt reached to the hilt at his side. His instinct was to pull the blade from its sheath and hand it pommel first, but that would have given Animus a new victim. He instead unstrapped the sheath from his waist and handed it to you, saying "Thank you." The moment the exchange occured, Tybalt smiled and softly fell dead to the ground. As you peer down, a darkness radiates from the blade's edge and chills the air about it.
Notes[]
- Kingdom named in quest Animuslaver! - Fear to Leverage
- The tale is almost identical to how it is told in the quest, once all the pieces are gathered. I felt it needed to be told in story form as it's such a unique and interesting story. The names may vary.
Gallery[]
