Characters

Arthur

King Aldric III convened a meeting with the most prosperous peoples of each region unaffected by the asteroid impact. They decided to send scouts from each kingdom, assembled as a group, to the eastern region to discover what was truly happening there. From the kingdom of Kaspen, a knight named Arthur was chosen. When the king asked his master-at-arms to summon a volunteer from among the knights of Kaspen, the knights who responded scoffed at the task. In truth, they were all afraid of the mission because, during the period the toxic dust cloud lingered in the east, everything that entered that region never returned, and no one had heard from those people again. A young man stepped forward and said, "I will go."

Yala

Yala, well, what can we say about the elf, daughter of master elven healers, a family with ancient knowledge in the art of magic, where in the southern elven city (Juthar) the rarest potions were crafted by Yala's family? She had two siblings, Cezzar and Ingreddi. Cezar, the eldest, followed the family tradition and became a highly regarded maestri (in elven culture, one who blends knowledge of chemical elements with ancient magic). Ingreddi was the middle sister and a captain of the Juthar city guard. Yala, against her parents' wishes, enlisted in the understaffed army of Juthar, which urgently needed a new garrison to defend its city. Yala's parents were disappointed, as they wanted her to follow in her brother Cezzar's footsteps and become a "healer," as was the family tradition. However, Yala had an unparalleled bond and admiration for her sister. From a young age, Yala had always watched her sister wear the elven armor of a guard captain, and upon reaching adulthood, she enlisted in the city's army, much to her parents' dismay.

Grecko

And of all the forges, Grecko's was considered one of the best. At thirty-eight years old, he was young for a dwarf master blacksmith; most took fifty years to achieve such a title. But Grecko had a gift. His hands seemed to know the metal, understand its needs, mold it with a perfection that bordered on the artistic. He plunged the red-hot metal into the tempering waters. Steam hissed, filling the small forge with hot mist. "Grecko Iron-Hammer!"

The voice echoed through the forge. Grecko turned to see a royal guard standing at the entrance, his polished armor gleaming in the light of the flames. "King Gundharr summons your presence. Immediately." King Gundharr sat on his stone throne, a massive figure with waist-length hair, braided with gold and silver rings. His eyes were hard as flint. Grecko knelt. "Your Majesty." "Rise, blacksmith." Gundharr's voice was like stone scraping against stone. "I need you for a task." ...And so begins his journey.