Isle of Blood
For ten generations the monks of the Monastery of the Bleeding Sky have watched over the people of the Crimson Isle. Throughout the last two hundred years whenever great danger threatens the Isle, the clouds have rained blood upon the Monastery. During the Second Rain of Blood, then Abbot Morcai the Wise entered a trance and was able to interpret the meaning of the rain. These revelations, and more importantly how he came to them, he wrote in his own blood into what is now known as the Crimson Book. He correctly foresaw the assault on Everlight Keep, though his warnings went unheeded at bitter cost.
Morcai's followers took the Crimson Book and were able to use it during the Third Rain of Blood to predict the lizardman migration from the Southern Marsh. Forewarned, the folk of the Isle gathered and defeated the lizardfolk before they could spread across the Isle.
With the accuracy of the predictions confirmed, the people of the Crimson Isle have learned to trust the monks and their wisdom. Whether it was the orc horde of the Fourth Rain, the earthquake that swallowed Wispydale during the Fifth Rain, or the emergence of the Dead Emperor and his undead legions in the Sixth Rain, every time the monks have predicted the calamity in time to ward off the worst of it.
It has been more than twenty years since the last Heroes of the Isle vanquished the Dead Emperor and crushed his phylactery. Word from the mainland has it that the the lich's great-great-granddaughter has finally died and that neither of the Empress' children will step aside and let the other take the throne. Civil war looms, and there will be no Imperial Legions coming to aid the Isle in its time of need. Indeed, as the word of a new Rain of Blood spreads from village to village, speculation runs rampant that it means that the army of one sibling or the other will come calling. No one knows for sure...save the monks.
For most of the last two hundred years, the monks have trained generation after generation of heroes in case the Rain comes. When it does, these Heroes of the Isle are expected to deal be at the vanguard...leading the way against whatever evil or catastrophe looms. Whether that means leading an army in battle, coordinating rescue efforts, or grinding a magical pendant to dust beneath an armored heel, the Heroes are expected to deal with it.
In return for their commitment and sacrifice, the Heroes are rewarded with the best. Magical weapons and armor are passed down from Hero to Hero. Access to the very best training and the most secret of rituals are theirs at need. Military and political leaders of the Isle defer to their judgment. The rewards are great, as are the temptations, and so the monks put prospective Heroes through rigorous trials designed not only to gauge one's skill but one's character. Only those found to be strong enough and dedicated enough to wield power but not abuse it are chosen.
Can you pass muster? Will you be judged strong enough and wise enough to become a Hero of the Isle?The skies darken over the Monastery of the Bleeding Sky. Drops of blood spatter across the brown stained stones of the ancient fortress of learning. The Seventh Rain of Blood has come, and already the monks scramble to interpret what dire threat it augers. For generations, the best and brightest of the Isle have kept themselves ready to answer the call, and now the time has come.
Can you do as your ancestors have done and defend the Isle?
