Prodigies of Vinador

THE PRODIGIES OF VINADOR

A long time ago, in a world now forgotten, lived creatures of all sorts. These creatures, kept alive in grand tales and paintings, once roamed the earth. Beasts that could breathe fire or touch the clouds with their mighty wings, lived in peace and coexisted with humans. Mankind was accepting of the life around them, they worshipped and adored creatures of the sea and sky. Man had no fear of magic or the creatures who controlled it, for this was the time of the mage.

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Issac Dawnidas, a famed wizard and prophet, had served kings and queens to which their kingdoms flourished under his guidance. Dawnidas understood the ways of man, their underlying lust for power and how it always led to destruction. Yet he often showed kindness to all, even to those who wished ill upon him.

One day, just before winter had come, he had a vision of a new world. This dark premonition he saw was filled with chaos and war, the rise of a new mankind. Dawnidas saw creatures fleeing into the depths of the sea, never to see the surface again, with others being hunted; their skin and bones used as trophies. He saw mages and witches hung, their bodies burned in celebration with man declaring all magic to be unnatural. He saw nothing but fire, darkness and ruin with humans becoming the most feared creatures of all. The sound of a hushed voice rung in his ears, a bleak incantation of what was to come.

The time of the mage is at an end
The time of man is emergingDeath, death, and doom
All creatures lost and burning
The time of the mage is at an endPower to man so undeserving
Death, death and doom
All magic lost and burning

The kingdom of Dorthclyde, ruled by King Fernomin was powerful and well-known to those across all the discovered lands. The King, he was peaceful but foolish. The Queen, she was elegant but deceitful. The King surrounded himself with wise men who had helped him rule the land harmoniously, but Dawnidas was his most trusted and loyal friend. He had turned to him many times when in need. However when Dawnidas advised and warned the King of his dark vision, he was turned away. The Queen, a cunning woman, over time had twisted her husband's mind in favour of man over magic. She talked of a forthcoming new world and how powerless the Kingdom would become if it fought its future by favouring those who were gifted with magic.

Dawnidas, unable to change the King's mind, retreated to his chambers and mourned for he knew his friend was lost. In the middle of the winter, many moons since Dawnidas had talked to the King, a young family with three sons and one daughter arrived in Dorthclyde. The father Vard Vinador, the son of a notable mage named Alder Vinador, had brought his wife Ida and their four children before the King. He was brought before King Fernomin and he asked for access to the guarded passageways within the nearby mountains. When Dawnidas heard of this request he asked Vinador and his wife why they would seek such a journey. Wary at first, they then told him of a vision they saw; they too had seen the new world and greatly feared it.

With their four children, they sought out the help of four creatures whom they would ask to transfer their powers to the trustworthy bloodline of mages. Their eldest son Osmond, a wilful and sensible boy, would claim the powers of the Griffin. Their second eldest son Orvin, a brave yet brutish boy, would take the powers of the Dragon. Their only daughter Odette, a shrewd and well-spoken girl, would be gifted with the powers of the Siren. The youngest child Olin, a lively and kind young boy, would have the powers of the Phoenix. Vinador and his wife trusted these four creatures and so did Dawnidas. It was the king he no longer trusted and so he told the young family to withhold the true purpose of their quest. He offered the family his guidance and protection while on the journey, promising to use his skills in the magical arts to assist them with their tasks. They agreed and so, with the approval of the King, they traveled toward the mountain in search of a white feathered Griffin called Niveus.

Dawnidas and the family of Vinador began to succeed in their quests while the new world they had feared dawned around them. Once all four of the children had received their powers and trained with each creature, five years had gone by. Vinador and his wife Ida longed to return to Dorthclyde, to see what had become of the kingdom. Their naivety and trust in mankind had not faltered throughout the years, despite the grim tales they had heard about man along their journey. They believed that man could not be as unpleasant as other wizards and mages described them to be. For when they thought of man, they thought of their old and trusted human friends from long ago. Dawnidas pleaded with them to not return for he had heard of what Dorthclyde had become; a kingdom of war and fear. But he knew how they longed for change, how Vinador wished to see his children have families of their own one day. They could not live around the mountains or on boats across the sea forever.

They resided in a small house near the mountains of Strathalo, far from Dorthclyde or any neighbouring kingdoms. Outside the small house Dawnidas had planted a willow tree, he had read many books on how to bewitch nature and had been practising over the years. After many nights of hearing both husband and wife yearn to see the human world, Dawnidas cast a spell on the now grown tree for it to become a hidden passage way for Vinador and Ida. He knew of the willow trees that were planted on the outskirts of Dorthclyde, and so made a crossing between the two. Late one night, the two of them entered the willow tree and began their journey to Dorthclyde.

Both Dawnidas and the children watched the willow tree for many days, yet Vinador and his wife did not return. Osmond volunteered first, demanding he travel to the kingdom in search for his mother and father. Orvin was confident that he would find them without the help of his older brother, and insisted that he should go instead. Odette began creating a plan that would be the most suitable for their circumstances while also carefully going through the possible problems they might encounter on their journey. Dawnidas told them all to wait a few more days, but at midnight he journeyed on his own in search for the children's parents. It was dark that night when he made his way towards Dorthclyde. He entered the Kingdom unobserved for he still remembered each concealed entrance that the guards must have forgotten over time. He walked throughout the castle of King Fernomin, heading towards the once empty dungeons that were now filled with prisoners; there were children, women and men. They did not make a sound, they simply reached their weak and sore arms out to Dawnidas, their bodies pressed against the cold bars that confined them. He quietly called out for Vinador and Ida yet heard no response. He turned around and began walking away from that horrible place until he heard a raspy voice. He walked towards it and saw a young boy, his face bruised and his lips dry. He told Dawnidas to find the Moonless hall, there he would find the couple he searched for. As he crept throughout the castle, hiding within the shadows, he saw a large room that was once used for dancing. Looking around the candle-lit room, he then saw them. Two burnt bodies, holding onto each other, encased in glass that was decorated with gold. "The last of the Vinador mages" was engraved along the edge of the case. No longer able to look at what lay in front of him, he left the castle without a word and without shedding a single tear.

When he traveled back towards the children, he knew what had to be done. He gave the children very particular and peculiar instructions in a language that only them and other mages would understand. 

Opat Ohmat mortik caeda
mundol Hominol furora uok uak visdauok
uok uak sanguon potens
Heresuok Heresuak protegol
vivumol

Mother and Father are dead
The world of man will try to steal your power
Your bloodlines are gifted
Your heirs must be protected
You must survive

Little is known of what became of the four children and of Isaac Dawnidas. The prodigy world today celebrates the mages Vinador and Dawnidas for ensuring magic would not be lost. Sculptures and plaques decorate all formal and governmental offices of the prodigy world, as these two prominent figures are credited for the acclaimed inception of all solis, caeli, ignis and vox prodigies.