1 The Lonely Village Prologue

Imagine a world now.

Where water is so scarce that in some places, wells with depths of over hundreds of miles are needed to gather any.

Where trees grow slow and live long. Rising as tall as mountains and stretching above the skies, and the roots down beneath the ground.

A world where humans and other sentient beings build settlements around the few water holes and make a life from there.

Where monsters and beasts threaten the very existence of this life everyday in a constant battle for water.

A boy lived in one such watering hole.

He sat upon one of the rigid branches that hung overhead the city. Long finding the peace and comfort amongst the tree branches to be of a considerable need.

His name was Alucius C Penngrant. Son of the deceased Marian and Josef. His parents were travelers and adventurers. Venturing between the cities to assist and explore. And in doing so, spreading word of the cities with the other cities.

Adventurers in a time and age such as this was perhaps expected from the gods. There were of course ranchers and innkeepers, but just as important were the noble adventurers and mercenaries for hire. And even the steadfast guards of the cities whom are charged with the protection of its citizens.

Maybe that is why with great prestiege, comes great danger.

Marian and Josef died trying to suppress a siege of beasts in a city to the north west, notably known as Isingarde. All of the adventurers in that battle suffered, and the city was overrun. But it was thanks to those warriors, both the fallen and the battered, that lives were saved.

Alucius got to his feet, running to large tree whose trunk stretched out a mile or so round and started climbing up. In the months past, he had feared rising above the lowermost branches.

But that changed today.

Because today was the day that he was told that his parents wouldn't be coming home.

Because today was the day that he knew they had left him here.

Tears dripped from his cheek as he pushed himself, climbing until his muscles screamed with effort. His cheeks and nose red with emotion.

He would climb.

And climb.

And keep climbing.

Climbing until he could not climb higher, and then go back down.

He did this for days on end. Weeks without rest. Months without pause.

And soon, this boy grew to being a young man, and without thought to the warnings of his fellow townspeople, left the city with only a pack of his needs and wants.

With direction and resolve he gained from that one day, he set off.