For generations, Virian and his village have lived at the foot of Mount Arados. This was not because of the numerous mysterious resources the mountain provided. No it was because of the power that radiated from the mountain.
At the Peak of Arados, a warm light always glowed, dim, but present. This light drew many entities to the mountain for its power; such as the elemental races and a powerful dragon, always only a black shadow in the sky. It was because of the elemental entities and the power of the Peak those vast magical minerals poured from the mountains, and though Virian’s people did not mine the mountain for fear of the entities itself, the minerals did eventual reach their village, allowing them to advance powerful forms of spells, and enchanted weaponry.
However, as it has been said, the resources weren’t the primary benefit of the mountain. It was protection. The light has always held at bay the hostile denizens of the ruined land around them. It was because of this, a group of what could be called “fanatic” priests, who with, as the priest say, the help of the gods, built a temple that was part of the mountain itself. They remained isolated inside their temple, and communicated only through aspiring priests. The priests said their reasons were only for worship; however others said it was for a more serious purpose… A purpose of guardianship…. Although, as long as the light remained, and the village prospered, the priests business was none of the village’s concern.
Virian was their when it all went to chaos.
The light, in the night’s darkness, or at least what they thought darkness was, suddenly vanished. For a few moments, the village lay in true shadow. Everyone was quiet, followed by a single cry. Then, a sinister purple ray of light shot up from the top of the mountain into the sky, twisting the clouds around it. The earth shook, and then disaster struck.
Flaming meteors fell from the sky, crashing into the village. Fires burned malevolently, eating away at what the meteors themselves hadn’t destroyed. When Virian had been hit by a smaller rock and fell into a state unconsciousness, the last thing he had seen was the village leaders, organizing parties in the chaos to stop the destruction, just as a harsh wind worked to stop their efforts.
Virian awoke to an almost peaceful sensation. He was lying on the dirt and it was silent. Dark clouds lay out in the sky, swirling towards the ray of light that had remained shooting into the sky. Lightning flashed in the clouds, but made no sound. He got up, and surveyed the destruction of his village.
After Virian had made sure that his family was safe, he volunteered, along with two of his friends, to go to the temple at the mountain to get some answers, and then to restore the light if possible. They suited up and headed out. A fact unknown to Virian as he arrived at the temple was that as soon as he pushed open those doors, an adventure would begin; an adventure in which he would find out the true reason for the temple; an adventure where he, in order to restore the protection that has lay over his village for generations, would plunge, headfirst, into the dark shadows of Mount Arados and its mysterious Peak.
