Post by .Aydan on Jun 21, 2010 0:08:08 GMT -5
{
tl;dr? ( click here )
}Here is a summarized version of the plot:
- Long ago, wolves gained special abilities that helped them survive among humans, including the ability to look like humans themselves.
- There are now nine distinct species, with the Silvers ruling over the other eight who are at constant odds with each other.
- A rebel group called the Vindicators - made up of mostly Shades and (later on) Riverkeepers and led by a powerfully persuasive Shade - stormed the Silvers' castle during a ball open to all the kingdom. They attacked, and kidnapped the princess.
- The Vindicators became a frightening presence throughout the kingdom for three years, claiming the Silvers' harsh yet distant rule as their motivation. Many battles ensued.
- The Vindicators' leader was killed in one such battle, and the Riverkeeper leader stepped up as the new leader of the rebels.
- The Riverkeeper leader decided to return the Princess on the condition that her pack would be shown mercy from the Silvers' wrath.
- With the Princess' return, a ball was held in celebration, during which she was crowned Queen.
- Several years have passed since then, and the Kingdom of Ilisthmira has returned to some semblance of peace... or has it?
It was many and many a year ago...
Long long ago, there were two species of wolves: the gray wolves and the silver wolves. The Silvers had certain powers, making them better suited for survival than the normal gray wolves. After generations of cross-breeding, other species started to appear; the first of these were the Colorcoats, making them the closest living relatives to the gray wolf, but it wasn't long until other more fantastic forms appeared. As time went on, these new species acquired the power to change into a human form, allowing them to blend in with people - the gray wolves, however, remained powerless, and humans soon hunted them into extinction.
It is now the year 1350, and the world is not as it should be. Humans died out long ago, and to take their place as keepers of the earth are the shifters; in the land of Ilisthmira, nine species of wolves have taken over.
The wolves of Ilisthmira all have their own unique characteristics, and all have the power to shift into human beings. Each species belongs to a single pack. Once, they lived in harmony - but no more. The Nine live in eternal discord as each pack believes itself the best and fights to prove it. The most powerful of them all, however, is the Silver race; as such, they govern the other species*. But their rule is faint as they, over time, grew isolated and indifferent. Now there is little control over the chaos that erupts from pride and arrogance on the part of every pack.
The castle in which reside the Silvers and Morphlings lies to the East. To the North and Northwest live the Cloudhoppers, Celces, and Colorcoats; to the South and Southwest, the Riverkeepers, Farens, and Terrians. The Northern packs believe in the moon god, Yuei, while the Southern packs pray to the sun god, Deia, and the Eastern packs believe the sky god Serai rules over them. Shades wander the unclaimed lands and believe in no god. This feud brings to the packs even more enmity as each believes their own god to be the greatest.
With such deeply rooted hatred, what is to become of the Nine?⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡
The seed of hatred had stayed underground for too long, just below the surface of society. Only a few showers of rebellion made it crack its shell, pushing through the dirt to bask in this new sunlight. One man, a mysterious Shade that seemed to have materialized out of the very shadows that enveloped him, nurtured the plant. All the while, signs of an uprising blossomed throughout the kingdom. A border dispute here and there, a violent explosion in the marketplace. The time was just right.
Notes scattered across the land hinted to this new dawn. A call to all those that wanted the same change the Shade did. They came to him, his puppets, and he spun tales of a brighter place, where the Silvers didn’t control them all. So isolated up in their castle that they forced their slaves to enforce their own laws. It wasn’t right, it had to be changed! The wolves of Ilisthmira ate from his hands and he took them under his wing. He was a chess master, and they were all his pawns. All they had to do now was wait for the perfect time to strike.
St. Lover’s Day came quick, and with it, an invitation from the Silvers. They were throwing a ball to promote peace amongst the Nine - unaware that a population of their subjects was plotting a dark revolution in an underground city, carved out beneath the old ruins of human dwellings. There was tension throughout the night, the drama rising with each tick of the clock, until an explosion shook the castle - the rebels, who went under the name of Vindicators, pouring in. Their goal was simple: to kidnap the Princess so they could use her for leverage against the King and Queen. They tore through the ballroom, wrecking the once beautiful hall. Then they disappeared, retreating to their hidden city.
The battle is on, the war waged. Those aligned with the Silvers are taking their stand, the Vindicators on the other side of the line. In the end, who will win?.........................................................................................................
Time passed, seasons changed, but still no sign of the Princess. The Royal Court convened and with it the leaders of the other species, a gathering not seen for many a forgotten year. Even the Riverkeepers, with rumors flying of their betrayal, had answered the call. Together they plotted an assassination to end it all. The plot was set, but the clock kept ticking, and all felt it could be too little, too late.
Fanned were the flames of the rebels as they waged war against the kingdom. The King grew mad, his servants grew weary, and the promises of the Vindicators grew ever more appealing. The lowest of the kingdom's slaves, the females of the Morphlings, were drawn in by the tales spun by the Vindicators, of a glorious day without the chains of bondage, and some tried their own hand at escape. But even weakened so, the Silvers struck down their feeble attempts. Now, all knew that the lies and ideals of the Vindicators had no power - it was but the first sign of their coming downfall.
No territory was safe from the rage of battle, not even the frozen tundra of the Celces, declared a neutral zone by their leader. This was the site of the fiercest fighting, but with it came the death of the Vindicators' leader. Struck to the core, the Vindicators retreated. Could this be the end of the rebellion? The Vindicators gathered in their hidden city, their future uncertain. One stood out amongst the rest, unfazed by the fall of their leader, for she had come to replace him - the leader of the Riverkeepers. Her words were of revival, of prophecy. Could you live with yourself, cursing fate for your fortune, when you could have taken the chance to change it all? Yet enthusiasm dwindled as now twice their ideals had been crushed. The sands of time ran on, and the only power left to them was the stolen Princess, locked away in secrecy, awaiting salvation.
As the Vindicators' new chess master consulted her bounty hunter, her motives became clear at last - she aimed to protect the Royal Heir. Neither the Silvers nor the Vindicators, but the Riverkeepers were whom she fought for, and this was their way to deliverance for their crimes. A trade: her life for clemency. This she planned with her assassin, and he swore to make safe the path for her on her journey to the castle..........................................................................................................
With the Royal Heir returned and the Vindicators vanquished, it was time for a celebration! The King held another ball in the castle, reminiscent of St. Lover's Day all those years ago. Only this time, instead of a falling chandelier, the ball ended with the King stepping down and with the crowning of the Royal Heir as the new Queen. The coronation was meant as a symbol of hope for a new era, hope for happier times up ahead. But how long will such peace last? Only the gods could know.
...quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
*Most notably, the Silvers have complete rule over the Morphlings. As the myth goes, the Morphlings of long ago made a deal with the Silvers - longevity in turn for their freedom. That is why they live so much longer than the other species, and that is why they serve the Silvers.