((And the story begins! This is for flavor - post is coming up shortly!))<br/><br/><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Prologue, continued....</span></span></span><br/><br/>Espen needs a hero.<br/><br/>Fate.<br/><br/>Fate works in mysterious ways. The single arrow that finds the heart of a general in war. The rock that causes a landslide. The peasant whom rises up to become a hero. The hero that falls into darkness, and is swept away in a tide of evil deeds.<br/><br/>The intricate tapestry that fate weaves is difficult to decipher. The most skilled mages, the most devout clerics, the most studious scholars...so many have tried to follow the webs of destiny to see not only where they have been...but where they will lead.<br/><br/>Is destiny real? Is there a preset course that every man, woman, and child will follow in their lifetime? Or, is everyone truely free to choose how their end will come? Will they die being a hero? Or will they live as one?<br/><br/>Fate works in mysterious ways. The threads of the tapestry have already begun to weave themselves together. Now, though...the tapestry has seven new strands to add. Seven strands that all converge in Espen, what had once been the city of dreams.<br/><br/><br/><<span style="font-weight: bold">Lilium</span>><br/><br/>The devout sorceress, Lilium, and her companion, Rak, only recently have arrived in Espen. Their flight from Falteen, the chase to the very edges of the Falteen forest, left them weary and unsure of their direction. However, as luck would have it, Lilium had gained information - information about a strange magical device, recently uncovered near the city of Espen. A device that was said to grant growth to animals. Eager for knowledge and power, Lilium and Rak made their way to Espen, eager to stay in a comfortable room before setting out to find this supposedly powerful artifact from ages-gone. Yet, is traveling alone wise?<br/><br/>Little does Lilium know,  the closer she gets to her goal, the further away from her desires she really is.<br/><br/><<span style="font-weight: bold">Undol</span>><br/><br/>The last of Manahome, the haven of the Lilliputians. All he had ever known was destroyed in one fell swoop by the very one who'd sworn to protect him. His trust shattered and broken, he struggled for days through the dangerous Falteen forest, desperate for life. His salvation came in a girl - Mirana. The eighteen year old Nekojin had taken him in, given him shelter and a home. Whilst the urge to devour the bite-sized man has tempted her more than once (Indeed, he's seen the interior of her mouth many times), the trust placed in her has been very well-placed. He's found a friend. Found a home.<br/><br/>However, he is not the only one with eyes on Mirana. The one-eyed man sees more than Undol will ever know.<br/><br/><<span style="font-weight: bold">Ureck</span>><br/><br/>Broken by the loss of his love, Maria, and the continued near-forced service to the Granger pact, the Collie's future looks bleak. Day by day he risks his neck, searching for the single opportunity to topple the shadowy conspiracy that hangs like a veil over Espen. That opportunity looks like it will never come - and by the day, those he works for grow more and more suspicious of his activities. There is little doubt that, before he is given a chance, they will strike. He will lose his life, just like Maria...unless, he can find allies in the gods-forsaken town that he has lived in his entire life. Time is running short.<br/><br/>The members of the Granger pact have discovered him. Even now, their claws reach far...<br/><br/><<span style="font-weight: bold">Calia</span>><br/><br/>The half-giantess, who'd lived her entire life as a slave. Only recently was her freedom found. The peace-lover would be content to simply make her living as a tailor, her skilled hands making finery that, during more peaceful days, would have been coveted. Yet, never does she get to rest. Those eager to get their champion back have the hooks in her dug deep, and by the day they try to reel her back to them. The mercenaries have followed her every step, her every attempt to hide and live her life how she sees fit. Even now, they close in on her, the paid-for information placing her in Espen.<br/><br/>Unfortunantly for her, now, what had once been an old friend is hot on her trail, her blade sharpened with anticipation.<br/><br/><<span style="font-weight: bold">Sherani</span>><br/><br/>The shifter has lived her life in the Falteen forest. She knows of it's dangers, it's beauties. The way her people control it and the surrounding contryside, protecting those whom follow their way of life and live in harmony with nature - and swiftly dealing with those who do not. However, no amount of time in the pristine, untouched beauty of the deep-forest could prepare her for what Espen has to offer. The famine. The huddled masses. The theft. Murder. This is nothing like her home. Yet, as her father said - there were three types of people. Good, bad, and those who simply don't care. Perhaps, in this city, she will find out which one she really is.<br/><br/>If she can ever overcome her biggest obstacle - the distrust of her kind.<br/><br/><<span style="font-weight: bold">Spike</span>><br/><br/>Appearing like a beacon of light, then dissappearing like a star winking out at night, the humble orc monk has spread his legend far and wide. The selfless hero whom appears in the time of greatest need, dispells the evil, then dissappears without so much as a trace. Now, it is Espen that needs his assistance. It is Espen that requires his aid more than anywhere else in the world. It is Espen that shall prove to be his biggest challenge yet - a challenge that, alone, he may never overcome. Once his time in the sun is gone, perhaps he will dissappear back into the shadows until he is needed once more.<br/><br/>Yet, for all his elusiveness, one does follow him. A age-old rival whom seeks his blood. Should he be found, the shining light might wink out forever.<br/><br/><br/>The Tapestry is woven, thread by thread...