Sydys, the Land of Heroes, was once a great place. Hundreds—perhaps thousands—of years ago, heroes slew mighty beasts, geniuses received grand revelations from beyond the stars, and kings build glorious empires. It was the Age of Legend and even in the modern day, the legends persist. These once-great beings seemed larger than life, and though many are decrepit and twisted forms of their former-selves, they still are...
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As the shallow marsh water sloshes under your father's toughest boots you try to calm yourself. The spongy peat and shifting reeds make the swamp almost sound calm, but you know that is a facade.
"Calm down, ${name}," you remind to yourself quietly. "They say fear makes it find you faster."
You trudge quietly through the Marsh of Chaorden. In the Age of Legend, the healer that is the swamp's namesake was said to have found a Panacea; a cure for any disease. After this she retreated to a hut deep in the swamp and those who entered did not return.
With your father injured from farm work, it falls on you to find this Panacea, a desperate hope-beyond-hope for your sister and her wasting illness. You clutch your great-grandfather's spear tip in your hand. Inherited from his great-grandfather, the dark teak is still pungent, though the shaft was broken over a hundred years ago. The light metal is polished perfectly despite its age and the edge hard enough to cut through steel. But most importantly, the spear tip's ornament is emblazoned with the sigil of King Rek, Chaorden's Lord in the Age of Heroes. You hope Chaorden will honor her vows…
You cross a threshold of sorts and the reeds part, giving you a view of a large hut in the distance. This must be it! As hope floods your heart, it is soon dashed as you see a creature approach, dark eyes filled with rage. You present the sigil, but she does not slow. Chaorden's form is huge and twisted; too large to be human anymore by any measure. She draws back a rancid, gnarled claw to strike at you.
You know