The Mages of Lorien

Chapter 1

When I was five years old, the Mogadorian army attacked.  They burnt the villages to husks, slaughtered the townspeople, and obliterated the palace of the Elder Mages.

Lorien was one of the last kingdoms to allow magic.  The Elders believed that our magic was a gift, one we could use to protect our kingdom, high in the mountains above Phandelver.  Other kingdoms believed it was dangerous, a weapon we would use to destroy them.  So mages were banned, and forgotten.  For centuries, the Loric Mages lived in peace away from the normal humans.  Everything was perfect.  And then the Mogadorians showed up.

Mogadore was the other kingdom to allow magic.  They too believed it was a weapon, and used it as such, testing its power to its limit.  The result was a ruined kingdom, one that could not function unless given access to purified magic.  So they invaded.

My grandparents hurried me to the town square, where a cart awaited me and eight other children with their guardians.  Mine quickly ran into the plaza, waving his shortsword.  We boarded the wagon, and our driver took off.

To avoid the Mogadorians, we were forced to take a long, secret tunnel through the mountains and into the mines.  The trip took just over two months.  When we arrived in the town, the nine of us split up.  I left for some village I cannot remember, bringing only clothes, provisions, a strange chest I was given, and some Loric gold we could use to buy supplies.

We moved regularly, always changing identities and backstories to stay hidden.  It was relatively easy due to my lack of powers.  Blending in came naturally.

It was not until a few years later that the first of us died.  She was the first into the wagon, and so we called her One.  She died in a village called Malizriya, surrounded by Mogadorians, using her earth elemental power.  Each time one of us dies, our magic gives us a glimpse of their death.

Two died two years later, in Larden.  She had sent a scroll that had thankfully been burned by all of our guardians before another was hurt.  She had no powers.

Three was killed in Nargin, today.  I noticed immediately and took off towards our house, moving at a speed too fast for normal humans.  It was time to leave again.

We burnt the remnants of our life in Flurdos.  Then we climbed into our wagon and took off for the next town.  We are returning to Phandelver, for a reason I do not know.  My new name is John Smith, a name that should not stick out too much.

It's my job to stay alive.  And I will.

I am Number Four.  I am a Mage of Lorien.