Marcus, Ariana, and Nika paused near the southern drawbridge. For Marcus Freedon was a bleak looking place, with a great stonewall that encircled the city. There were no pennants or banners, and instead the only thing on the parapets were guards in full armor.

The drawbridge was guarded by a pair of men on each end, who stood directly in the path of oncoming carriages without care. No driver was dumb enough to risk colliding with them and paused, giving the guards a chance to investigate if the carriage contained something unwanted.

Nika looked up at the grey wall with a grin on her face, a look that only worried Marcus. If she decided to fight the guards of Freedon in some vain attempt at defeating the city, he had no interest in helping.

Marcus glanced to his other side, where Ariana stood with a displeased expression. Her forehead was dotted with sweat, and if not for the constant pauses in their trek Marcus doubted she would’ve managed to make it.

He’d noticed that the young lady was not suited for an adventure, and so he’d reined in the overeager Nika time and again. In the end he’d found that it was best to distract her, which was easy enough due to the ever present goblins.

“I rather hope Colbert isn’t upset with me,” Ariana said as she wrung her hands.

Marcus pulled a light cloth from his inventory and offered it to her. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you,” he told her, “use this to wipe off your face. Do you need water?”

Ariana gave him a grateful smile as she accepted the cloth, and dabbed gently at her face with it. “I’m fine, though thank you ever so much.”

Nika wandered off ahead of the two, a fact that irked Marcus but wasn’t all too surprising. “Shall we head on into town then, my lady?” Marcus asked, as he offered his arm to her.

Ariana lifted one hand up to wave aside his arm. “I apologize, but it would be ill mannered for me to arrive in front of my fiance with a stranger on my arm.”

Marcus did his best to hide his disappointment, as he cleared his throat and turned to the drawbridge. Nika had already crossed it, and they were now watching the pair who hadn’t. Marcus strode after her, though he made certain to match Ariana’s pace.

When the pair reached the guards at the bridge one of them lifted up one hand. “Halt,” the guard called out, “identify yourselves.”

Ariana visibly bristled at the curt manner of the guard, and she started to take one step forward. Marcus reached out with one arm to bar her way, and glared at the guard. “I am Marcus Frost,” he said, and then he motioned at Ariana with his already extended hand, “and this is Baroness Ariana of Faeriver.”

The first few words from his mouth grew only a look of distaste from the guards, but his next caused the guards to retreat a few steps. They glanced nervously at each other, and then knelt down with their heads bowed to Ariana.

“We are here to serve, what might you need, my lady?” the first guard asked.

It was a reaction that made Ariana smile. “Send a runner to inform Colbert I have arrived.”

“Colbert? But that’s…” the guard started to say in protest, but when he looked up and saw Ariana’s frown he swallowed deeply, “as you wish.”

The guard hastily stood up and barked a few commands at one of the guards on the other side of the bridge. The one yelled at turned and started to run, and though he wore heavy armor there was no sign it weighed him down. Instead the messenger darted out of sight quicker than seemed humanly possible.

Nika had wandered back after the slight commotion caused by Ariana’s arrival, her interest piqued. “So she’s actually a big shot?” Nika inquired once she got close to them.

“Of course,” Marcus said, rubbing his eyes, “do you think you could try to be a bit more respectful though?”

Nika shrugged. “Not like respect is going to put food in my belly.”

Ariana giggled at the comment. “My dear, respect can open doors as readily as it can change opinions,” the baroness told her, “so I second the recommendation of your friend.”

“Sure. I can probably give it a shot. I mean, I might get a special quest or something right?”

A young looking boy ran up to the group and stopped next to them, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. “Requested at fountain,” the boy said between breaths.

“You have my thanks, young child,” Ariana told the boy before she stepped past him and the guards. Nika and Marcus followed after her, and once across the bridge passed through the southern gate without interruption.

Their passage through the streets of Freedon were smooth, and they progressed in a straight line that ran to the center of the city. Unlike Faeriver which had a bit more of a cluttered style in the roads, Freedon was built in a circular pattern. Every few houses another circle ran, each one smaller than the previous.

The streets consisted of cobblestone, and alongside each were fruit trees that were actively plucked from. Some of the fruit wasn’t yet ripe, but the apples and pears seemed a constant source of food for the citizens and players.

“This seems like a nice place,” Marcus said.

“I know, isn’t it wonderful?” Ariana replied with a smile, “Colbert’s done a great job helping his dad.”

At the mention of Colbert a few of the nearby players turned to stare at Ariana. There was no hostility in their looks, and instead they wore their curiosity on their sleeves. When they noticed Marcus’ glare most turned away and found something else to look at.

Their arrival at the central plaza caused Marcus to whistle in appreciation, as he stared at the centerpiece of the place. A large fountain with an angelic statue sit in the middle, and the entire fountain was ringed by players who were all kneeling.

The statue was smooth and made of marble, and seemed to exude a light glow that bathed the players. Every so often one of the players would stand up and walk away, only to be replaced by another.

“What’s going on there?” Nika asked.

“That’s the Divine Fountain,” Ariana explained, “it’s supposed to grant strength to those who pray.”

Offset from the fountain was a small group of soldiers, each one so heavily armored that nobody dared to go near them. The imposing men slowly marched over to where the trio were, their metal feet clanging loudly with every step.

It was a movement that brought a lot of attention from the other players, and soon the background buzzed with whispers. Marcus threw a worried glance to Ariana, but her confident smile helped to negate his concerns.

Once the group of soldiers reached them they came to a stop, and then the two in the front stepped aside. A man was revealed to have been standing in the middle of their group. As he emerged from the protective cocoon of guards gasps of surprise came from people nearby.

His outfit was clean and streamlined, with pants that were just loose enough to not reveal much about his legs or waist. His shoes shone in the midday sun, glistening as though prideful of the care put into caring for them. The belt he wore was made from a type of leather, while the golden buckle had a vine engraved into the metal.

The dress shirt the man wore was dark purple, with the top button of it undone. He wore a necklace, one made of gold, and a single amber sphere hung from the chain. He had, even to Marcus, a handsome face. His jawline looked strong without a hint of facial hair and sharp looking teeth flashed at the trio as he smiled.

There were two things that stood out most, though, and the first were the golden eyes. Marcus had a feeling as though he’d seen those kinds of eyes before, but he couldn’t quite place where.

The other noticeable thing was the crown on his head. It was not a large crown, but amongst the black hair of the man nobody would ever look past it. The gold crown, inlaid with a couple of rubies, marked this man as royalty.

Marcus hurriedly bowed to the man, in the hope that he hadn’t upset the prince or king. If he wanted to be a knight in this game it would be best to stay friendly with the nobles.

“Colbert!” Ariana cried out in joy, as she nearly leapt into his arms.

The man accepted her with a chuckle, and even went so far as to pick her up in a tight hug. “Ariana, I’ve missed you,” Colbert said, “what kept you so long?”

“Oh, Colbert, you won’t believe it. I was enjoying a ride in my carriage and some nasty goblins showed up, and then mean adventurers appeared.” Ariana dramatically put the back of her hand to her forehead. “I was hopeful they’d save me, but instead they threw me out of my own carriage and forced Rodger to drive back to Faeriver without me!”

Colbert frowned, and gave a pointed look at one of the nearby guards. The man needed no words, and instead walked off to the south. “What about these two?” Colbert asked.

“Oh they’re lovely, you won’t believe how kind they were,” Ariana said as she motioned at Marcus, “and that gentleman was kind enough to even climb a tree for me. Some dastardly squirrel had absconded with my hat.”

Colbert studied the pair in front of him, and then gave the smallest of nods. “Adventurers, from the looks of it, and perhaps still new to the journeying?”

“That is correct,” Marcus said, but then paused as he wasn’t certain what formal address to use, “and I apologize but neither I nor Nika know who you are.”

Colbert laughed, and put Ariana back down. “Well that’s a treat. I can’t recall the last time nobody knew me. I am Prince Colbert of Faran, and soon-to-be husband to Baroness Ariana.”

Any further hope for discussion, though, was disrupted by a sudden shout from the distant guards. Soon the town was a flurry of activity as soldiers ran about, and the ground beneath their feet began to quiver. Somewhere nearby a great cracking noise caused everyone to cover their ears.

Colbert stepped in close to Ariana, and put one hand on her shoulder. His personal guards all moved in to flank the pair. There were no words as they encircled the nobles and prepared for the worse.

“What’s going on?” Nika asked, her face paled considerably, but her swords pulled in case they were needed.

Marcus turned away from the prince and instead looked off to the south-east. He made certain his shield was battle ready, and then pulled out a mace from his inventory. “I have no idea.”

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

For Wulfram the meeting chamber within the cathedral was at best drab. When he’d had the artisans work on it he’d wanted something bright, perhaps to reflect the divinity of Holygrande. Instead they’d laden the chamber with almost no lighting, and it left the silver and gold dull.

The only highpoint of the room was the circular table in the center of it. With a bright red tablecloth, and a single platinum candelabra, it was the focal point. Wulfram walked over to the table, unbuckling his scabbard, and took his seat to the right of the largest chair. The sword he’d removed was placed on the table in front of him, the pommel pointed at the center.

The one who jumped into the well cushioned and larger chair was none other than Sylvia. It was such a mismatch of sizes that she could barely see over the top of the table. Yet nobody present was about to laugh at her, though a few did smile at the sight.

Lizzi had already taken her seat at the table, along with two other members of Serenity. Wulfram glanced at the empty seat across from him, and then at Lizzi.

“Priscilla can’t join us, she’s busy in Ghandahar right now,” Lizzi said, “I believe she might have found that Klein fellow.”

“That’d be great,” Wulfram said, and then looked at the other two, “what’s happening at the gateway, Gorn?”

Gorn was a bald, muscular man who never bothered to wear a shirt. He’d managed to pick up the pugilist class, and one of the requirements he claimed was that torso equipment couldn’t be worn.

“I took some of the tougher kids through the acid fields, and when we hit the gate they all started shaking like babies,” Gorn growled out, his voice deep and gravely, “but they did pretty well against the griffs.”

The thin elf who sat next to him spoke up, “What Gorn is forgetting to mention is that we managed to set up a temporary base past the gateway, and we’ve been in talks with the miracle workers to get a warp gem.”

The elf was lithe, much like any other elf tended to be, and had high cheekbones along with long hair. It was an overall look that made him look effeminate, and in turn caused many in Serenity to wonder if he was male or female.

Wulfram knew Patricia pretty well, so their gender wasn’t a mystery to him.“Trix, do you need more money for that?”

Trix shook his head. “We are still within budget. The workers want us to meet up with them at their tower, though, so I’ll be borrowing some members to help escort it to the gateway.”

“I’m definitely going too,” Gorn said, “I’ve gotten pretty good at reading the sprays.”

“That sounds alright to me,” Wulfram said.

Next to him Sylvia yawned, and leaned back into her chair. “Why’d I have to come?”

Trix laughed at her, though Gorn’s response was a glare. “That’s a good question,” the bald man asked, “it’s not like you ever help us.”

Sylvia looked unimpressed with the glare, and even stuck her tongue out at him. “I help all the time, you’re just too dumb to notice it.”

When Gorn rose from his seat, as though ready to leap over the table at the girl, Wulfram held up one hand. “Sit back down,” he ordered the man, “besides it’s not like you could do anything to her anyways.”

“How was the Deathgrasp Swamp?” Trix asked, as though in an attempt to break the mounting tension.

Wulfram made a mental note to buy Patricia some cake later. “Hot, sticky, smelly, but easy enough. The dungeon was clearly intended for new players, so we only had a couple of deaths.”

“Perhaps we could use it as a training ground for new recruits then,” Trix mused, “was it a rare boss?”

Wulfram nodded his head. “It should respawn eventually, I left Jolton to see when it pops.”

Sylvia suddenly jumped in her seat, and then smacked Wulfram lightly on the side. “Hey!”

“What?” Wulfram asked, hoping she wasn’t going to ask for a piggyback ride.

Sylvia pointed at one of the walls of the room. “You need to go now, take as many people as you can!”

Wulfram stood up, though he didn’t move to leave the chamber. “Why? What’s happening?”

Global Event

The Serpent’s Fangs

Hundreds of years ago the Cult of the Serpent worshipped the dreaded Wyrmfang. It was thanks to the fairies that their deity was sealed away, and the city of Freedon was built on top of it.

With the rebirth of the fairy race the cult has renewed their activities, with the belief that the blood of a fairy will break the seal.

The Cult of the Serpent has started an attack on the city of Freedon. If enough damage is done the seal will be broken. All players are allowed to join this event by heading to Freedon. Warp gems are free to use for the remainder of this event.

The closest city to Freedon with a warp gem is Orlian.

Help Files

Crime

Crime is possible and will happen inside the game. All players are allowed total freedom of choice, in that they can opt to follow the laws of the world or not.

The players who decide to become criminals will find that the characters of the world discourage this. Some non-player characters will actively hunt criminals, and others will refuse service to them.

There are also non-player characters that are criminals themselves, and it is not recommended to trust them.

Players can steal and kill anytime they want, though must expect logical responses. Forced incarceration of players and rape are not allowed by the game. Any attempts to bypass the system in this regard may result in a ban.