They say that our great land was created by a huge mythical beast called a World Dragon. With its powerful claws it shaped the ground. With its breath it created clouds that brought the weather and with its tears filled the oceans. Finally, as its days drew to their end it gave one last almighty roar that shook the entire world and using the last of its life force created the first creatures, along with an egg that gave birth to Terenity. A new World Dragon that was to act as the guardian for all that had been created.
This done the dragon lay down it’s mighty head and vanished into the very earth it had created and some say that the gems that are mined today are the crystalized blood of the great beast.
Some of the new creatures that the dragon had created found that they were imbued with a small portion of the creature's power and it was they who led their new peoples during this time of peace and discovery.
Over the years the magical creatures we now call mythical’s disagreed about the use of their abilities. Some such as the fun loving and friendly Tanuki shared their magic with any who asked and said that such gifts should be shared while others like the sly and powerful Kitsune decided that they and other magical creatures alone deserved such power.
It was this arrogance that eventually split the largest Kitsune clan in two. One faction with a young but already powerful nine tailed male named Tenebrous as their leader took the name KitsuneKage and became feared as powerful and deadly mages, who shunned and looked down upon those they deemed lesser than themselves eventually withdrawing to a location wreathed in mystery and secrecy. The second and somewhat smaller faction took the name KitsuneYuki and led by the wise Kasumi vanished into the snowy wilds of the Gelunix Mountains where they became known as gentle yet legendary healers who it was said could be bring a soul back from the beyond...
As the world evolved and time moved on it seemed a tenuous peace persisted with the KitsuneKage fading more and more into shadows and hushed whispers, bedtime stories to frighten naughty children.
However, while all seemed quiet Tenebrous was not content to remain idle and fade into obscurity. He wanted power and as such he began to research the Worlds history in search of way to gain more...
He soon found what he was looking for, a dusty old tome in his ancestral home detailing Terenity and the creation of the World itself. Here was the power he sought if he could control such a beast who would be able to stop him? Yet how was he to do so? While he was a powerful creature in his own right, he did doubt his ability to possess and control what amounted to a deity.
His answer came in the form of a River Otter named Aspen who had created quite a name for himself and his mining company. If rumors were to be believed, one of Aspen’s miners had discovered bright blue crystals that seemed to absorb natural energy and somehow magnify it exponentially creating a power source unlike anything before. Tenebrous has to see if there was any truth to these claims and is so seek a way to harness it for himself. Taking on the guise of a normal fox Tenebrous visited one of Aspens mining sites with the pretense of becoming a potential buyer for the crystals.
Introducing himself to the Otter as Victor, his charming demeanor and careful flattery soon found him as one of Aspens closest friends and confidants. Tenebrous had secured himself a supply of crystals easily enough but now how to use and harness their power? He began to experiment and soon discovered that the crystals did not maintain the natural energies they absorbed indefinitely. After a while the energy was used up and the crystals returned to their original state.
Frustrated, Tenebrous started a new line of experimentation trying to find a way to make the energy from the stones last longer and amplify it...Without success.
It was during one of his visits to a mine that an accident occurred, resulting in the death of one of the workers. As Tenebrous, Aspen and the other workers watched on in amazement a nearby crystal cluster began to glow a bright blue. Seizing on this new opportunity Tenebrous promptly brought the crystal.
What he found would be the beginning of his downfall. It seemed that the crystal had absorbed the departing life energy of the fallen miner and in doing so was even more powerful that a crystal that had absorbed a natural energy like fire.
Yet even this new “spirit crystal” as Tenebrous dubbed it did not retain its power for long. The fox reasoned that if the crystals were more powerful with life energies, then he needed to find a way to make it last indefinitely and generate enough power for him contest Terenity.
Knowing he needed a place closer to a constant supply of the crystals and access to “test subjects” Tenebrous used his manipulative hold over Aspen to secure a job as Overseer of the Silver Fields Mine.
Perfectly positioned to take advantage of the crystals and the teeming population of the nearby growing town of Summervale Tenebrous set to work.
After only a few months the whispers and rumors began as animals began to vanish. Waifs and strays that would not be missed along with the occasionally miner who stepped out of line or got too close to the truth... Tenebrous even managed to persuade the wardens of Wolvar prison to send him prisoners who would “work” their sentences instead of being incarcerated.
In reality they became victims of the fox’s research as he sought a way to maintain a crystals power with life energy. During this period Tenebrous found an interesting side effect of absorbing a living creatures life force into a crystal. The creature remained alive in an almost zombie life state and became completely and mindlessly obedient to every order he gave.
Tenebrous named these creatures “Wraiths” and more than one ghost story arose from a frightened miner who spotted the eerie figures, stories that the fox encouraged to hide what was truly going on.
As careful as he had assumed himself to be when it came to the true nature of what he was doing there were some who recognized Tenebrous for what he was... Two Tanuki named Kenta and Lyric. Who were workers at the mine had instantly recognized the fox as a Kitsune. And while they did not know the extent of what was happening, they knew that somehow the Fox was hiding something.
Deciding they had to know the truth the pair awaited their opportunity and after a few weeks and more disappearances they finally got their chance.
Victor had left on a business trip to discuss certain things with the head warden at Wolvar and had left the mines operations in the hands of his second in command another Tanuki by the name Zurui. Who was well acquainted with both Lyric and Kenta.
Turning a blind eye Zurui allowed the pair to enter Tenebrous’s office. At first nothing seemed unusual... That is until they discovered the trapdoor meticulously hidden with Kitsune magic. While Lyric was young, he was regarded as a powerful creature himself though he hated the notion. Yet he was able to break the seal on the door and allow himself and Kenta to descend into the shaft they found behind it.
After dropping into a narrow passage and traversing along it some distance the pair emerged into a wide chamber. At the center was a pillar of rock with what appeared to be the largest crystal Lyric had ever seen. Mesmerized by the incredible sight he was brought back to reality when Kenta discovered what else the chamber held...
Around the roughly circular walls were creatures...Shackled in place and with a thick cable connecting each of them to one another. On a small pedestal in front of each of their feet rested a smaller crystal... These were also connected to the animals via a smaller cable that vanished into each beast's arm or leg.
Finally in one recessed wall Kenta and Lyric found a strange machine where the thick cable terminated running into it from the top, a set of more wires ran from the bottom of this machine and connected like a set of leeches around the base of the room's central crystal.
The whole place reeked of despair and death, and while the pair stood in horrified disbelief, they heard shuffling footsteps. Turning they discovered several creatures had entered the chamber including a few faces they knew...friends that had vanished.... However, they were not the same... With glazed eyes they approached the pair faces twisting into snarls of rage and Kenta realized they were holding weapons.
Confused, wanting to help and yet knowing they were outnumbered the pair fled back to the shaft. They had to escape and find help! It wasn't exactly clear to Lyric what the fox was attempting but whatever it was he vowed he was going to stop it. Reaching the ladder that had led them here the pair ascended and once back in the fox’s office Lyric resealed the trapdoor in an attempt to cover their entry. This done the pair left not even noticing the absence of Zurui.....
Over the next few months Lyric and Kenta travelled the continent telling all that would listen their story about what was truly happening and finding a great deal of support from many creatures.
The fox for his own part was not idle either, once he had been informed his work had been discovered he redoubled his efforts to perfect it and also began a campaign against the Tanuki and Lyric himself making them out to be untrustworthy tricksters.
Despite his best efforts and even after sending a few assassins after Lyric in an attempt to silence him for good a resistance began to grow led by the infuriating Tanuki. With all sorts of creatures banding under Lyrics cause including Raccoons, many other Tanuki and even the KitsuneYuki Victor frantically began to gather his own forces.
A showdown was approaching and it would come to a head in a battle that would go down in history as the “Battle of the Silver Fields.”
With his own supporters, comprised of Kitsune of his own clan, unsavory mercenaries and his Wraiths Victor seemed at an advantage and yet as the fight raged in seemed Lyric’s forces while fewer in number would prevail,
Finally Kitsune and Tanuki met face to face...
As they fought Tenebrous found that while he had assumed Lyric to be weak and passive the Tanuki was anything but and he attacked with such strength it made the fox understand why his hired killers had failed.
The pair found themselves evenly matched and Victor even felt a thrill of something he had never felt before in his life...fear...
How could he prevail? A sudden thought occurred to him and a wicked smile creased his features. Gathering his energy, he created a blast of elemental fox fire and launched the attack not at Lyric but at a young Tanuki nearby...
Lyric reacted just the way the Kitsune had hoped throwing himself in the way of the blast... Afterward many stories recounted seeing Lyric dive in front of the fox and his attack and as the blast of energy erupted around the pair kicking up a wave of dust and debris the fox vanished seemingly destroyed by his own power...
Then the unthinkable happened...
Lyric stood and turned on his comrades....
With a snarl of laughter, he began attacking those closest to him wiping them out with huge blasts of energy that destroyed everything in its path and tore the landscape asunder.
In horrified disbelief his former friends tried to stop him to little avail... As more fell to Lyrics betrayal creatures turned and began to flee only to fall to the wraiths and others previously under Tenebrous’s command. Lyrics mate Harmony and a few others banded together and managed to create an illusion that allowed them to flee but as the flimsy illusion shattered, they were pursued....
It seemed that hope was lost, the fox seemingly defeated and yet in his place something worse had risen...
As another particularly violent blast of magic from Lyric wiped out a band of snow Kitsune she appeared...
Terenity the World Dragon.
With a snarl Lyric turned to face her and was caught in a blast of silver wind, along with many of the Kitsune from Victors clan and his mercenaries. The few survivors watched on in astonishment as their former friend and the others seemed to freeze as their bodies began to become as stone...
Suddenly Lyric moved snarling in violent anger he managed to unleash a huge final blast of energy straight at Terenity... The world seemed to freeze in time as it struck the great beast.
Then her spell finished and Lyric was frozen... A stone statue one arm outstretched after his final spell and a look of violent anger on his once passive face...
Kenta one of the few survivors saw the great dragon gesture with one clawed hand and the field of statues that had once been creatures vanished...With a roar of pain Terenity herself began to glow a bright golden hue and Kenta dust covered and injured limped forward ready to aid as much as he was able too.. Opening his mouth he slowly addressed the pained serpent...
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“BOOOOORING!” A small voice squeaked.
“Yeah, this is boring! Tell us and adventure story.” Another voice cut in.
In mock annoyance the storyteller snapped the book shut and glanced up at their audience. A group of young creatures seated on a myriad of rugs and poofy stools. Outside the warm hut the wind let out a mournful groan as if agreeing to the children's statements.
“An adventure story?” The reader gestured at the book. “This is the history of our world and you’d prefer a pretend story?”
“Uh yeah, something with pirates!” A little fox piped up.
“No! Something with a big castle!” A tan furred rabbit chimed in.
Smiling the storyteller rose and trotted to a nearby shelf. They paused for a moment regarding one of the books thoughtfully before reaching for it and returning to their seat.
“I think that this one will be sufficient.”
“What’s it called?” Another child piped up excitedly.
The storyteller’s smile widened.
“This story is called Tanuki Tales...”
