Lions of the Heart

Twas a dark night many years ago when a streak of light, hurtling earthwards, brightened the heavens. Many looked at the light and some made signs to ward of protection knowing not what it was but knowing it was a sign for change. Change for good or ill who could tell. Others in the midst of battle or plundering a corpse noticed it not. For some though, twas an awakening. And so it began, several souls felt drawn to the spot where this heavenly body did meet the earth. The first to arrive was the wood elf druid Caellon Silverwood, servant of Tunare and his friend a human paladin of Enrolsi Marr , Corwyhn; the next was Targuran Pryme, High Elf wizard, and his shieldmate Aalamaf, a stalwart dwarven paladin. The last to arrive was the cleric Bayer Constantine who was accompanied by Caellon's druidic apprentice the wood elf Meridian Ascendant.

Standing on the edge of a smoking crater these this group of adventurers seemed oblivious to each other until a humming sound rife with power broke the silence and the apparent trance each was in. All at once they moved back from each other. The warriors drawing their weapons, the druids summoning Tunare's favour were prepared to run or fight, the cleric saying a prayer to his god and casting a protective benefice upon himself, the wizard readying spells of destructive energy to be unleashed at his command. Each was wary of the strangers before them yet each could not help but glance into the pit, wondering what was making that strange hum.

All at once the six adventurers found themselves in a large circular room spanning over a 100 feet. The walls and domed ceiling were covered with colourful mosaics which when seem out of the corner of the eye seemed to shift and change but when looked at directly seemed still. They forgot one another they each found themselves drawn to examine the intricate mosaics all around them. Bespelled they stood gazing upon the mosaics. Before them was brought to life the entire history of some foreign people. The pictures told the story of an entire world and though the walls and ceiling they were on were of finite size their seemed an unlimited source of pictures. For hours the group of six adventurers gazed upon the images and yet never failed to find some new scene to examine. All was shown, pride and folly, honour and duty, kindness and compassion, anger and jealousy, intolerance and prejudice love and trust. The Light and the Dark of a whole people was set in coloured stones. And though there was much of the Dark it was always shown in the way of a lesson for the Light. Twas shown that Light must oppose Dark and yet must not become that which it sought to defeat. It was then that the silence was broken by a voice.

"Greetings to you who have been chosen as Lions of the Heart." and all looked up to see an old man, dressed in a white robe, standing off to one side of the room. He motioned them to a stone table that none had noticed but a moment before. At the table were four chairs. "Please my Lions, be seated" and he motioned towards the chairs. Each adventurer took a seat without saying a word and turned to the old man. "Lions you have been drawn here to take up a sacred trust. To you is given all that was Light of my world. This Heart Stone which we are even now within dost hold that last of all that was good of my world before Darkness consumed all. Make not the mistake we did. For we did think that to oppose the Dark was to become the Dark and such was our undoing. You must be able to fight for the Light but keep thy heart and honour, compassion and trust. Oppose the Dark but not with the malice and hate that consumes those of the Dark Path. He then paused a moment, "Sometimes swords and sorcery must be taken up in defence of what we love and cherish. So is the struggle of life and tis no shame or dishonour in it. Make not the mistake we made. Fight the Dark wherever you can and aid those children of the Light who cannot defend themselves. You are the first Lions of the Heart. Seek our more like minded indviduals and keep the Dark at bay before your world is consumed as mine was.