Parable of the Seven

By DystoJ.

Text-Only

The great artificers Jora and Erena had seven children - four sons and three daughters. They lived together in a small village, nestled in a valley of the high mountains.

It was a place of abundance where flows of Magic crossed, and their people encountered all kinds of natural Treasures. Erena and Jora collected every kind of Treasure they could find, and everyone admired their beauty. Others in the village would write poems and tell stories of how these precious Treasures swayed the emotions of men, or captured the attention of powerful interests across Bridgeworld.

The artificers learned through careful study how Treasures might be used. And, they hoped, how they might be made. Their experiments were thorough and time consuming, but they never wavered from the goal of adding abundance to Bridgeworld–by capturing the power of Magic to be shared and exchanged and wielded. They believed that Treasures could be used to advance all kinds of craft and occupation, and they were right.

But sadly, Erena and Jora were not destined to finish the work that they started. One winter’s day, out exploring the caves for diamonds, they were caught in a great avalanche. Powerful snow from the peaks was stirred by some unusual activity felt throughout the valley. It crashed down onto the very caves where Jora and Erena sought Treasures that day.

The villagers did all they could to dig up and rescue the talented pair, but to no avail. The youngest and most curious of their children, Nis, had gone into the cave with them to learn. By some miracle the boy survived within a small pocket of the cave. But he witnessed helplessly the loss of his parents.

After the tragedy, the six elder children were determined to honor their parents. Each took up a line of study to carry on the legacy. Their great work survives in many of the wonders and works of Bridgeworld, utilizing Treasures through the six core crafts: Alchemy, Arcana, Enchanting, Brewing, Leatherworking, Smithing. They even created new Treasures just as their parents imagined.

The eldest son gave us Alchemy. His master work was the Castle, a Treasure at grand scale which could protect the various stones and valuable gems used in the processes of transmutation.

The eldest daughter gave us Arcana. She was obsessed with time and perception. Her life pursuit was to understand the nature of Grin and see its full beauty. Thus, the Divine Mask with which one sees across the veil into the spirit world.

The next son gave us Smithing, and forged various materials of exchange. His special project was of course the Cap of Invisibility. The middle daughter gave us Enchanting. It is said she created her Bottomless Elixir in the pursuit of a neverending dream.

The second youngest son gave us Leatherworking. Magical Cows were very rare, known only to their village. So he learned to take donkey hide and cure it with Magic as well.

The youngest daughter gave us Brewing. She was a witch as much as an artificer, as her creations show. Unfortunately, her original purpose for the Ancient Relic is lost in time.

Nis, though, had witnessed his parents’ deaths and became consumed by the idea that he could have saved them if he were stronger. While his siblings worked to support the activities and adventures across Bridgeworld, he dedicated to more personal study. Denying the value of materials and tools, he tried instead to recreate the living power of a Genesis Legion.

He worked tirelessly to gather his own research in addition to the artificers’ work. He found obscure notes from the mines and underground saunas that spoke of giving people great power. Nis believed also that if certain animals and crops could live in Magic-rich areas and carry its power, then perhaps other living creatures–or even people–could do the same.

At first, he discovered tattoos, with success. A great breakthrough that would be lost for ages and banned in fear along with his other arts. Greedy for more power, he tried to deeply integrate Magic into the very life force of living beings. First with creatures and then, in desperation, himself. As his work continued, Nis grew reclusive and hateful. He would not speak even to his siblings. The cries of animals could be heard from his cottage at night. Other villagers desperately wished to stop his pursuits, but they grew fearful of his zeal.

Finally, the six other siblings gathered to intervene. With their own powerful Treasures for protection, they went one night to confront Nis in his home. There, they found him no longer living. A victim of his own work, his body lay frail, veins black. Covered in countless symbols and objects bound to his own body. His life force had rejected the onslaught of Magic he attempted to bind with it.

At his funeral pyre, the village Wisdom closed the ceremony with a caution for all, “We are not of Bridgeworld, and shall never be. We are mere stewards. Never forget.”