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Chapter 1 - Enter the Void

Your group decided to join up with Frederick's. You packed up rations for a two-week trip, hoping that you would be able to restock before your supplies ran out.

You traveled for a couple of days until you reached the Void. The journey there was largely uneventful, as the road was all in Kingdom territory. All the while, you could see the Void dome, slowly appearing to grow larger as you approached. Eventually, you reached its edge. At this point, the Void towered above you, and looked like a wall stretching infinitely in all directions. It was growing very slowly, at about an ant's pace. While a pure opaque black, the Void did seem to have a liquidy surface that reflected some sunlight.

Frederick grabbed a nearby branch and stuck it halfway into the surface of the Void. It went in without any resistance. However, Frederick, even with all his strength, could not manage to pull it back out. "As expected," he said. "You can enter the Void easily, but it seems no force in Farondar could push you out. This is your last chance to retreat. I won't be forcing any of you to follow me. There is a very real possibility that you will never come back out."

A booming voice was heard next to you. "And forfeit our pay?" It was Gordin, a muscular, shirtless warrior carrying a massive hammer the size of Frederick. "Ain't nobody here who would bother comin' all the way here just ta chicken out at da last second. Right?" He looked around at the group. "Or do I need ta clobber some courage into some of y'all?"

"Now, now, Gordy, sweetheart, not everyone hear is as strong as you." Elina, Gordin's wife and a beautiful, yet feared, warlock, attempted to calm him down. "Let's just go a bit easy on them. After all, if anyone tries to run I can summon some lightning to strike them down. Much more efficient, right darling?" Gordin broke into a big toothy grin and gave a slow chuckle. Any urge to abandon the quest suddenly left you. Looking back at Frederick, you caught a brief glimpse of stern disappointment before his normal glowing grin returned to his face.

"Well, now that we've got that settled, I suppose we should head in." He drew his weapon and stepped toward the Void. "Be careful. We have no idea what's on the other side. Could be hostile." He walked into the Void, and you could see the surface ripple as it was disturbed.

In case of an immediate attack, the group chose to go in with a scattered formation, to make it more difficult for them to be picked off. As you came in contact with the Void's surface, you felt strange. The Void itself didn't feel alien or hostile--in fact, it felt quite familiar. Darkness enveloped you for a moment, and then you were through. And what you saw was quite surprising.

There was no sunlight here, aside from a faint purple spot in the sky which you assumed was where the sun was trying to penetrate the Void's surface. In front of you was a massive field of azure grass, populated by blue fireflies traveling in small swarms. You could see the occasional tree as well, with some kind of strange green glowing fruits hanging from them. In fact, there seemed to be a lot of glowing spots in the distance that you couldn't distinguish. Some were moving, and were likely living creatures. The biggest eyecatcher, however, was the giant glowing pillar of light in far the distance.

"That's the Capitol, I think," said Frederick. "The dragon's probably there, maintaining the Void."

"I always love it when me target's obvious," said Gordin.

"Honestly, this place doesn't seem that bad," said Morris, a deadeye archer standing next to you. "A little hard to see, but you could probably get used to it."

"I've been here before," continued Frederick. "These trees are in the same spots, but they've grown and mutated quite a bit. Same thing with these fireflies. They're a common species here, but they're generally not this big, or blue, for that matter." You decided to get a closer look at one of the fireflies. It was the size of your hand. "If the Void can mutate living things, then watch yourself and keep me posted if you feel sick at all." Frederick moved towards one of the trees, and picked one of the fruits. It continued to glow in his hand, and, surprisingly, the tree instantly started growing another fruit to replace it. "These look edible. You could probably just peel off the skin, like an orange or a grapefruit."

"It could be poisonous," remarked Elina.

"It looks very yummy though. Gordin wanna try some." Gordin snatched the fruit from Frederick and peeled it, then broke off a piece and threw it in his mouth. "UMM! Best fruit I've ever had! Hey you, you want some?"

PROLOGUE
The continent of Farondar consists of three kingdoms: The Kingdom of Gamikor to the northwest, the Norlock Coalition to the southwest, and the Trinic Empire to the east. The Empire has maintained control over the other two kingdoms for two centuries, and the land has been at peace. Glamikor does not oppose their rulers, and while the Coalition has always desired independence, the Empire's army has always kept them in check. However, peace does not ensure unity, and even the Empire's massive army was unprepared for what happened on that fateful day.

The sky opened up. A vortex that could be seen from nearly any point on the entire continent appeared in the heavens, and out of it flew a creature of legend--a massive blue dragon. It made its way towards Brinestrom, the Empire's port-city-capitol. It circled above the city, before landing on the palace.

Unfortunately, no one knows for sure what exactly happened next, as no survivors of the event managed to flee. All that was recorded to this point were given from eyewitnesses that were able to see what happened, but still far enough to escape. However, the aftermath can still be seen to this day. A massive dome, made of opaque dark energy, surrounded the capitol, then started to grow until it covered nearly half the continent. It then stopped, but it is believed that it could begin to grow again and devour the rest of Farondar at any moment.

That was two months ago.

The king of Gamikor has wanted to march his army into the dome, which has been called the Void, as he believes the dragon is still alive inside of it, and killing it will destroy the Void. However, the Coalition has seen this as its chance to build up its army and invade Gamikor. Too many innocent lives will be lost in such an invasion. Unfortunately, the army must be stationed at the border to prevent this from happening. Not all hope is lost, however. The king has invited the best mercenaries from across the land to form a group to invade the Void and kill the dragon. If they succeed they will be well compensated. You are one of these mercenaries.

The mercenaries decide to split into two groups. One will approach the void from the north, and the other from the south. You attend a meeting to determine which group you will go with.

"All right, well, welcome to my humble abode." Frederick Norton, the leader of the north group, greeted you. Despite his claim, his grand manor was anything but humble, filled with trophies from past bounties and awards given to him by grateful lords. Frederick was the most famous mercenary on the continent, having slain countless beasts threatening villages to bandits harassing merchants, and had even once foiled an assassination on the king. His long, wavy, blond hair complemented his perfectly polished white plate armor with blue accents. "Please make yourself comfortable. I'll have my servers bring out the food soon. You'll want to eat up, as I doubt you'll get a good meal once we're in the Void."

"Oh, please, cut the trash. We're not here for a fancy dinner." Everyone looked over at the speaker, leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the room. It was the leader of the south group, Jacques Martin. A middle-aged man with a fancy goatee, mustache, and crossbow, Jacques was almost as much of a legend as Frederick. He had worked as a general for the Empire for years, before eventually stepping down to pursue mercenary work for personal reasons. "Just brief the buggers so we can pack up and get moving. That Void's not going to destroy itself."

"Impatient as always, I see." Frederick raised an eyebrow. "Well, you all know why you're here. We'll be splitting into two groups to tackle the Void. Since we have no idea what it's like in there, we're going to have to be cautious. Splitting up makes it more difficult for dragon to take us all out simultaneously, and gives us a better chance of sneaking up it.

"My group is taking the north side. We'll be going through the northern Empire, which was mostly flat plains and farmland, and least before the Void hit. There's a lot more towns on the north side, which means more opportunities to restock on supplies.

"The south side, on the other hand, is heavily forested. There are also a couple of mountains, and a few forts. It's certainly a more difficult path that is more conducive to those with an aptitude for stealth.

"After dinner, meet up with either me or Jacques."