Into the Woods
You are from Elencia, a small land wedged in between the Great Ocean to the west and the Unknown Woods to the east. There are ancient texts that speak of civilizations that lay beyond the Great Ocean and beyond the Unknown Woods, but none that have ventured to test these ancient stories has ever returned to Elencia to verify them.
The Great Ocean is vast and chaotic. Storms powerful enough to destroy sailing vessels and topple buildings on land are a year around occurrence on the Great Ocean. Ships that have sailed to far away from the mainland have been all been destroyed by the storms that plague the Great Ocean. The storms used to wreak havoc upon the mainland, but for the last 800 years Oppenheimer’s Jewel has kept the storms at bay and allowed life in Elencia to flourish.
The Unknown Woods cut off Elencia from the rest of the main land. The unknown woods are named as such because not much is known of them. The most anyone has ventured into the woods – and returned – is only a few miles. Most of those that enter the woods beyond the perimeter never come back. What is known about the woods is that all manner of creature and mythical beasts live within the woods, as well as monstrous humanoids that have been known to leave the woods and raid and terrorize those that live close to them. Those that know the most about the woods are the Border Guards that protect the citizens of Elencia from the things that lurk in the Unknown Woods.
Things in Elencia have been peaceful for generations. The Ruling Council, made up of the Five Noble Families, has brought peace and prosperity to Elencia for as long as Oppenheimer’s Jewel has kept the storms from the Great Ocean at bay. Except for the occasional creature from the Unknown Woods, life has been good in Elencia. That is, until he came.
Three weeks ago, a man came to Elencia from the Great Ocean. He did not stay long, or speak to anyone. He drove through Elencia like a man on a mission, and that mission was to steal Oppenheimer’s Jewel. Before most even knew that a outsider had come to Elencia, he had stolen Oppenheimer’s Jewel and fled into the Unknown Woods.
Oppenheimer’s Jewel had kept the storms at bay for so long, that when it was stolen not everyone believed that Oppenheimer’s Jewel had actually kept the storms away. Many believed that it was a natural occurrence. However, after the second week of Oppenheimer’s Jewel absence, the storms started to creep closer and closer to the main land again. The movement is slow and none know how long till things return to the havoc that existed before Oppenheimer’s Jewel, but if Oppenheimer’s Jewel is not returned it could be the end of Elencia.
In a last ditch effort to try and save Elencia, three of Elencia’s best have volunteered to a death sentence: to venture into the Unknown Woods in search of this unknown man who stole Oppenheimer’s Jewel. They do not know how long it will take or what they will encounter in the unknown woods, but they do know that if they do not manage to return Oppenheimer’s Jewel that Elencia might not survive.
