I

Introduction
Legends told the tale of a young lad who would one day rise to the throne of Gorgos and rule all of Atlas in tranquility and splendor. He would be accompanied by a maiden with hair that flowed deep fiery red and eyes that blazed like the bluest ocean deeps; by another maiden with lighter-colored hair, whose heart ached in unrequited love; by a thief on the run from the guild he betrayed, whose heart none could fathom, least of all himself; by a prince on the run from the kingdom he hated; by a bow-wielding bard who spoke the language of animals; by a mystical creature unknown to the worlds of men; by a powerful gypsy who sang the moon and whistled the sun (not sure what the legend meant by that one); and by another man, a taller one, who would die assisting the lad to fulfill his destiny.

My name is Lucard. I'm the taller man.

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I come from the town of Toradun, otherwise known as Pig Harbor. This isn't because we specialize in the herding of pigs, or are even within fifty miles of the sea. Rather, in the ancient Year of Town-Naming some centuries ago, King Georthos XVII the Unifier met with our then-mayor to determine a proper title for our then-unnamed town. The story says the meeting went by just fine...until it came down to actually deciding a name. Eventually it was called 'Toradun,' after the mayor's first-born son, due to uncommonly vehement pressure from the mayor's wife, who literally barricaded the door to the mayor's home with her large girth until the frightened king graciously acquiesced. Then, back at his palace, King Georthos made a joke among his courtiers about how our then-mayor could keep such an obnoxious wife, though the words he used became, eventually, the ever-popular nickname for our town.

Forgive my long-windedness. Our party is currently in the Mountain of Colorless Rock, awaiting the next prophecy to dictate our next action, and it is immensely boring. I am merely fulfilling an earlier prophecy that I would be the recorder of the journey, writing tales of our escapade for a future boring day.

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It is raining, conversation is sparse, and what little there is tends toward spectacularly deep and quotable reflections of personal discovery -- most of my fellow travelers are just coming of age. I'm afraid that while I am certainly the most advanced in years, I have less pithy advice to dish out than our thief-friend, Callot.

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List.
- Cordry/Cor. Male. Slightly rash and awkward kid with magical abilities as yet untapped. Looks to become a great strapping hero. Has many moments of budding self-actualization.
- Glimerys. Female. Rambunctious farmhand we rescued from stake-burning. Skilled with blade and dagger; of mysterious descent. Remembers little of the past but at opportune moments reveals bits and pieces that hint of royalty. Totally has a thing for Cor.
- Freiya. Female. Gentle fountain of eloquent wisdom. Fair-haired and probably has a hidden talent. Also totally has a thing for Cor.

Just as I have decided, with my trusty terrible timing, to compile a list of those in our adventuresome clan, I have been told we are about to reembark. I have only had time to transcribe the triad at our core before I was told we must continue our trek through this range of colorless rock.
The rest must wait. Cor is demanding rashly that I lead the way. It's my moment to act the part of the wise and wary world-weary wanderer. Wish me luck.