User:Entropy/story

=Book 1: The Flameseeker Prophecies=

Prologue: Waking to the Nightmare
The last day dawns for Ascalon.

A picturesue town wakes to the sun rising early in the morning. Old Mac and Bill are out for a stroll, while Lady Althea practices a new play at her Performer's Stage. Prince Rurik, standing proudly on the battle ramparts, gazes out to the horizon. The faintest shapes of caravans in the distance can be seen, but they won't arrive till midday at best. "Another boring day," mused the Prince. "Where are the Charr when you need some action?"

On the other side of town, King Adelbern watches as the Ascalon Militia battles some Grawl below. Suddenly, arrows fly out of nowhere and strike down the Grawl. A group of Charr storm in, overwhelming the soldiers at first. They rally, and the Charr are pushed to a standstill. Vatlaaw Doomtooth himself gets pinned down by the might of Warmaster Tydus' blade. Adelbern turns to the Royal Herald at his side. "Go out, and find me Ascalon's strongest, finest, most able Warriors!"

Later that day, in Lakeside County just outside the city gates, Gwen skipped merrily along, playing her flute. She picked a Red Iris Flower and sat on a cliffside, watching the sky. "How beautiful Ascalon is in the summer!", she said to herself. Just a second later, she spotted something large and shiny streaking across the sky...towards Ascalon.

The Searing had begun.

Chapter 1: Pale Flower of Darkness
- Dunames Dark Witch

Dunames Dark Witch awoke in pain. Again. Ascalon was in ruins and affordable housing was hard to find; she'd gotten used to sleeping on hard rocks and charred ground. But it was not just the bleak scene that greeted her day after day which tormented Dumanes. It was the specter of Grenth which hung all over Ascalon. "Death is a lover," Olias had told Dunames when they had met in the Ascalon Academy scrimmage match; now she was not so sure.

Dunames was a Necromancer. Ever since she was young she had displayed incredible talents in the manipulation of the body and soul...not the way a Monk would, but to distort, destroy, warp, mutate. It was a gift that Dunames was cursed with. Ostracized by the other young girls her age like Cynn, Dunames spent a lonely childhood with few friends. Her spare time was spend raising miniature Bone Fiends from dead Aloe Seeds and experimenting with Hexes on unsuspecting Skale. As a result, Dunames grew up as an independent person, relying only on herself for aid and companionship.

Dunames never grew to love her Profession, unlike most other young adults enrolled in the Academy. Unlike Eve, who truly had a passion for the art, Dunames simply accepted her powers as a tool to be used. It was not to be abused lightly. When she was just a pupil, Dunames had taken a lesson on raising Minions from Verata; she vowed from that day onwards never to fall into such fanaticism. Now even fellow Necromancers began to view her with suspicion, wondering if she was truly worthy of belonging in the Order.

By the time The Searing occurred, Dunames had little left in the way of recourse. Her childhood friends were alienated by her strange powers, her fellow Necromancers shunned her lack of faith, and now many of the remaining people she had cared about were dead or in a mental asylum. Dunames carried the "Dark Mark" of Necromancy, but sincerely in her heart wished she had neither her powers nor her formidable status as a member of the Ascalon Vanguard. She wished for little more than acceptance. Over time, this yearning for a life that could never be had developed into a certain coldness: an icy shell around Dunames that couldn't be penetrated by emotional outbursts or impassioned actions. People began to view her as a cold person, devoid of emotions. As a final, humiliating irony, Dunames acquired a new nickname among her comrades: Pale Flower of Darkness.

Chapter 2: Strength and Honor
The Warrior's Tale - Lana Irving

Chapter 3: Call of the Wild
The Ranger's Tale - Elena Gracewood

Chapter 4: Practice Makes Perfect
The Elementalist's Tale - Rayne Brunel

Chapter 5: Turn the Other Cheek, Brother
The Monk's Tale - Astos the Wanderer

Chapter 6: Fools, Reprobates, and other Detritus
The Mesmer's Tale - Rogue Doll

=Book 2: Empire of the Dragon=

Chapter 7: To Kill a Mockingbird
The Assassin's Tale - Mila Kitsune

Chapter 8: Echoes of the Past
The Ritualist's Tale - Vaya Shiis

=Book 3: To Challenge a God=

Capter 9: Truth, Hope, and Despair
The Dervish's Tale - Crusader Karah

Chapter 10: The Dishonorable General
The Paragon's Tale - Ki Aza

Epilogue: Lost and Found
The Mule's Tale - Mule Was Entropy

=Book 4: The Beginning of the End=