10/03/2024
We bring you "A Tale of Two Paths" Enjoy and happy reading!
Jonathan’s Destiny
The Rise of an Arcane Prodigy
A young half-elf named Jonathan practiced his arcane abilities religiously in the Kandale forest. His father Maxwell told him years ago that he must tune his special gift, for the realm will need him to protect them from a tremendous ancient evil. This message stuck with the boy, so he trained daily while the other children played. Refusing to take time to sleep or even eat some days as he tuned his skills. While many laughed at him for his devotion and impure blood, he pressed on training. He was always alone and barely even spoke with his parents. He was either casting arcane spells deep in the forest, gathering spell ingredients, or reading magic books. Years went by while Jonathan grew, and his arcane power grew immensely.
He joined the Enlightened at 16, becoming its youngest member and surpassing all newcomers in magical ability. Maxwell, a high-ranking member of the Enlightened, was very proud of his son, even though he did not show him any favor once he joined the ancient organization. Once formally initiated, Jonathan went to fight on the front lines like any other new soldier. Being prominent in the arcane arts did not mean he was also talented in combat. Jonathan's lack of melee combat proved dangerous for Jonathan and any soldier who fought alongside the Half-elf child. Therefore, they assigned him to Fort Uhorous as a utility mage. He was angered by the decision and trained to use his magical abilities in combat. It did not take him long to hone his skills for combat. Soon, Jonathan was allowed to go on the battlefield, where he excelled. Battle after battle, his powerful spells took down the illithid while protecting his comrades. His platoon never suffered a loss.
After two decades of constant fighting, Maxwell pulled Jonathan from the front line as a hero to Enlightened and the realm. Jonathan devoted his life to protecting the realm against the illithid. In secret, he was assigned a new task by his father. His task is to protect his newborn sister and train her to use magic. At first, this upset Jonathan, but Maxwell informed him that her future would be equally important in this war. They were both descended from a powerful magical bloodline, which gave them essential roles in protecting this realm.
Birelinda was born a full elf and pronounced dead at birth. She was not dead but stowed away by Jonathan in Pillar Rock and raised as Anastriana, or Ana, by Jonathan and his mother, Ellen. Due to Birelinda's importance, her existence had to be kept a secret.
For the next few decades, she lived in Pillar Rock, the capital of Granway, the kingdom where the use of magic was forbidden. King Ellis Sayward II prohibited using magic to keep the land safe. The mind-flayers of Thoon hunted down anyone with arcane abilities. The mind flyers led them to the northeast end of Atlas, where the bridge between this realm and the distant realm was built. The magic user was then sacrificed at the bridge to strengthen the connection between the realms. The stronger the connection, the more corrupt the land will be. A dark cloud covers the corrupted land, casting down flammable blue ash that looks like snow. When the entire planet becomes corrupt, Thoon can cross over from the far realm into the material plane. The outlaw of magic kept the illithid's interest elsewhere, making it the perfect spot for Maxwell to hide Birelinda.
Jonathan and Birelinda needed to find a cave system that contained Blood Gems to train. These stones were helpful in many different ways. They could awaken any dormant magic capabilities within someone who picks one up. The gems could also mask the presence of arcane energy. Lucky for them, a cave system littered with these gems was only a few miles south of Pillar Rock. In this cave, they trained for years, and Jonathan felt love for another life for the first time. His sister was the only person who treated him as more than a tool or an outcast. Jonathan never felt any connection to another life, not even his own. He had a duty to protect this realm and its people, and he was nothing more than a weapon to fulfill this task. During the years he spent with Ana away from combat, she showed him he had value beyond his magical strength; she valued him for who he was rather than what he could do. His once-cold outlook faded as he finally understood why he protected humanity.
