Arganan And The Sorceress

Arganan and the Sorceress

1

It was here on this island that I first met that beautiful sorceress.
My search for a way end to end the war ravaging this land led me to the Rite of Celestial Summoning. This rite enables its user to call a great force from beyond the sky, and make its tremendous power their own. And it is said that only the Sorceress has ever succeeded in mastering this rite.
The Sorceress was once an ordinary human being who lived in a remote, nameless village. After being accused of heresy, she resolved to leave her home behind to protect her fellow villagers from those who might seek to persecute her.
In the wake of these events, the Sorceress made her way to the still unspoiled Lazulis Island to live a life of seclusion, away from the people of the world.
It was here that I approached her and proposed to use the Rite of Celestial Summoning to bring an end to the conflict.
That moment was the start of all that was to come

2

In the end, we were able to use the great power called by the Rite of Celestial Summoning – The Outsider – to bring and end to the conflict.
We harnessed the Outsider’s near-boundless power using our own magical talents and various magical artifacts, and made use of it in every way possible – both as a simple energy source, and as a weapon. And so we came to possess a terrible power, greater than anything created by man.
I wished to use this power as a deterrent to bring peace. I knew in my heart that peace brought about by fear could hardly be called peace at all, but I felt that it was necessary to rein in the fires of war before they turned our entire world to ash. I could seek a more permanent solution once the current crisis was over.
I succeed in my goal. All who bore witness to the Power of the Outsider laid down their arms and heeded my pleas. All of the warring factions were weary from the conflict, and had lost the energy to continue. The Empire itself, too, was in a precarious position, and so gladly acceded to negotiating treaties of peace with all involved parties.
However, it was not long before a new problem surfaced.
Trees withered, springs dried up, and the once beautiful plains were transformed into mountains of dust. The land was gradually dying. At first we had no idea what the cause could be. Was it the effects of the war, or had a new threat befallen the land?

The Sorceress and I searched for the cause in desperation. And when we uncovered the reason, I was left speechless with disbelief.

3

The new blight that had befallen the land was caused by the very power that had finally brought us peace – the Outsider. Never had I known such a cruel irony.
The Sorceress and I tried all we could to halt the decay that ailed the land, but each attempt was met with naught but failure. Until after several years of trying in vain, she told me of a new method.
She proposed that we split the Outsider in two, suppressing its power and halting the draining effects it was exerting on the land. Naturally, I approved, and we worked together to carry out this new plan. However, I had no way of knowing what the result of our efforts would be.
The Sorceress disappeared. For a price had to be paid for splitting the Outsider in two – the soul of the one who had summoned it to this world. I knew nothing of this until it was too late.
One half of the Outsider was sealed on Lazulis Island. The other half was sealed on a continent far across the ocean. The decay ravaging the land did not come to an end, but its rate of progression had slowed to a significant extent.
My next obligation was to find a way of bringing the gradual demise of our world to a total halt.
I believed that this was the only way I could pay tribute to my love, who had risked everything for my proposal and eventually paid the ultimate sacrifice.

4

I do not have much time left in this world. I can only hope that future generations are able to forgive me for my powerlessness, and the dark legacy I must leave them.
As I write this record, my final days draw near. I know not how much time has elapsed since the passing of my beloved. The days all merge together into a single colorless blur. I have grown old, weaker with every day, just like the world around me. I have no strength left for conflict or for magic. I am in no doubt that this will be my final message to the world.
After all these years, I have devised a method of returning the Outsider to beyond the sky. Yet it is too late to carry it out. This rite requires the presence of both myself and my beloved. Alone, I cannot fulfill my duty. My only choice is to entrust this task to the generations yet to come.
The Outsider’s summoning has left an enduring mark upon the blood of the House of Arganan, and also upon the blood of all those descended from my love.
It was not my wish that our subsequent generations should pay for my failure. It pains me to burden our children with such a legacy.
I can only pray that one day, two who bear these bloodlines shall meet once more. Though the possibility of this may be very slight, I firmly believe that the day will come when the Outsider can be returned to its rightful place, beyond the sky.