Golden Freedom (Enerret Epilogue)

Embrawk

Newbie
San Francisco Staff
In a dream, you are greeted by the image of a tavern hall. Though warm and comfortable, the scene is as grey as ash – over all things a haze dims and muffles. Merrymaking is hushed to a whisper, until only the crackling of the hearth fire remains. Next to this hearth is familiar face.

A stark slash of scarlet and gold in this place, Petronia comes forward, and speaks.

“Adventurers, friends, companions and acquaintances – I am reaching out to you with urgent news, and a dire plea for help.

As many of you know, when you first met me and brought me into our collective life of adventuring, I was a prisoner. Trapped from the start of all memory on the Island of Bastille in Sylvarus, I knew nothing of the world beyond its shores. All I had was a necklace, a seal that led me to my cousin Pluvianella and my chosen family in the crew of the Adventure Club. From that moment on, we followed what little clues and fragments of memory I had, thus uncovering a horrible story of a bitter birthright, betrayal, and a genocide committed, all but forgotten under a facade of lies.

That whole story is too long for this place, but I will tell you what you must know. Fifteen-hundred years ago in Lerellus, the Biata lands of the Dominion of Caius, there were four Houses, not the three that exist today. Within the fourth, the House of the Golden Talon, it is said a terrible plague arose. Spread through Earth circles and carried in the blood, the plague was supposedly incurable, always leading to greater infection and permanent death. The House of the Ever-Burning Phoenix, then the smallest of the four houses, took it upon themselves to cleanse those lands and those who carried the disease. The Golden Talon House was exterminated, and its lands have been sealed in quarantine to this very day.

But we believe that this is a lie, that there is, and was, no plague. With the extermination of the Golden Talon, the House of the Ever-Burning Phoenix has risen to great power, fat off their money from their trade in blood and slaves. What was once the smallest house is now the largest – and the cruelest.

What they do not know is that resistance lives. Against all odds, I, Lucet Vindicta Petronia, the last survivor of the House of the Golden Talon, exist. As does my cousin, Pluvianella Charbonneau, daughter of an honorable line that joined Golden Talon blood with that of our sister house, Stymphalian. We hold the last legitimate claim to those lands, and in so claiming could change the course of history, stymie the rise of a cruel empire, and find justice for a terrible wrong that has too long been left in silence.

And now, all of this I have told you — the reason I live, the very reason I was born is at risk. There is war on the horizon. The Ever-Burning Phoenix seeks to solidify their power, to claim the quarantined lands and conquer all of Lerellus – and perhaps beyond. If we have success in sealing away the Tenebrous, we believe they will seize this chance. The peace talks have almost certainly come too late. Within these sealed places they have claimed hostages, crucial members of the Resistance against both the Ever-Burning Phoenix’s genocidal power grab, and their terrible regime of slavery. At the same time, they would seek to destroy a Homestone, and with it the collective memories of our slain people, the evidence needed to bring their killers to justice, and the proof I need to stand tall in the eyes of Nations.

We intend to make a simultaneous strike to reclaim both these hostages and the Homestone at great risk. If we make one wrong move in one direction, we lose all opportunity in the other. And if we lose either, we have failed. We cannot do this alone. If you have the courage and the will to help me, my cousin, and all of those who put their hope in us— the enslaved, the vulnerable, and the dead who cannot seek their own justice— we move in two weeks’ time.”



Only once Petronia stops speaking do you notice that her cousin is standing nearby, beside and behind the taller Biata. In the colorless dream, Plue emits a soft golden glow, as though lit by fire. She stands straight, but twists her hands together, nervous. “There is still a lot we don’t know. This is going to be dangerous, maybe even deadly. But.” She pauses and continues. “This is about more than justice for me. The prisoners they have taken…my mother is one of them. She disappeared when I was just a child, looking into what happened to the Golden Talons, it seems. That was a century ago. This whole time…” Her voice breaks, and she takes a moment to collect herself. “Please, if you are able to help…It would mean a great deal to me. We have been planning, in bits and pieces, since last year. Now that we know when our opportunity will be, we can start to ready ourselves in earnest. If you would help us, please come speak to us next time we gather. We can give more details then, and work together to shape our plan.” A deep breath. “Thank you all for listening.”


And with those words echoing in the collective consciousness of the player's, who will answer the call for Justice of a people long passed, for the freedom of those whom are critical to the ending of Caius cruel slave practices?

And which Team will you join?

Team Gold with Petronia?

Or Team Libertas with Plue?

To liberate and unite a Family or To seek Justice for the dead and the foundation for a new Caius order?

The choice is yours at the next Enerret Event.

Golden Freedom, an Enerret Epilogue.
 
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