Shards of Felwyn

Warring Tribes

On their journey to Ogof, Molniya was peppered with questions. Cosmo wanted to impress her and seem tough, but his curious brain could not hold back. According to Molniya, the war between the three tribes that resided in the Boiling Pot, Kran, Ogof, and Meer, started more than fifty years ago. The two other races, the Orcs and the Ogres, joined forces in order to summon a powerful primordial beast named Folcanrog with the intention of slaying the god of the Boiling Pot, Ralthar. Even with the power of the Divine Prism on his side, Ralthar could not defeat the beast. The Prism was lost and Ralthar was defeated in an instant. Now, the Boiling Pot remained in a war with no god to watch over them.

"And they have the audacity to claim that we resurrected the beast!" Molniya had slowly raised her volume throughout her explanation until it was a roar. "My very ancestors were the ones to strike it out of the sky the first time with the furious strength of lightning magic."

The early morning fell silent as no one dared argue with Molniya. She walked with the confidence of no other and spoke with the same attitude. A part of Cosmo feared her, while the other desired to one-up her talent and cockiness.

"Hey," Cosmo felt a tap on his shoulder. Lysander was behind him with an anxious expression on his face. Elias looked the same. "Come here." Lysander waved his hand over and Cosmo followed, falling back and walking parallel to the other boys.

"What are you thinking, Cosmo?" Elias whisper-yelled. His expression of anxiety turned into one of anger. "We're helping them in a war effort? How in all of Felwyn will this help us accomplish what Lady Tatiova desires?" Lysander faced Cosmo with a look of pity, but he could tell that he was aligned with Elias as well.

"If Molniya can teach me lightning magic, I can use it to defeat Galdernad when the time comes, this can be our secret weapon!"

"Our goal is to keep the Prisms from Galdernad. Not defeat him." Elias rebutted, sternly.

"Plus, you can already cast lightning magic, Cosmo. You don't need her teachings." Lysander added.

"You two might not be planning to defeat Galdernad, but if the time comes and the opportunity arises, I will have my vengeance." Cosmo spoke grimly. "Besides, Lysander. This is the way Athro recommended we learn magic. We must travel the world and learn as much as we can from those we meet. We learned nothing but the smell of a hydra's breath in the Clifftop Haven. Now is our chance to discover more about magic and perhaps bring a part of this world to peace. I don't understand why you two aren't in agreeance."

"We are just-" Elias cut himself short and remained silent for a few moments. He seemed frustrated by Cosmo's rash thinking. "We will remain by your side through this. But if there is a peaceful way to end this war, I will carry it out that way. I follow Tatiova in order to purify darkness from the world. Not lay waste to swaths of these Ogres and Orcs due to some scrimmage."

"Then we are on the same page. I feel there is more going on here than we realize." Cosmo's face contorted into an expression of confusion. "Why would the Orcs and Ogres resurrect Folcanrog if they worshipped Ralthar as well? Isn't Folcanrog leading to their demise too? Why are all three tribes opposing each other if two supposedly worked together to summon the beast?"

"You're right..." Lysander thought hard. "There's just something missing."

"Gladkyosahs! Ogof is just around this formation." Molniya yelled from the front of the group. The six of them had been wandering through the sweltering heat of the Boiling Pot, bordering an enormous mountain range. Cosmo looked to his left and saw a barren crag of red rock, flat like the basin of a cauldron. However, on his right, a wall of cliffs scraped the clouds, blotting out the horizon and casting a shadow over the land nearby. The group turned around the phalanx of rock to find what Cosmo assumed to be Ogof.