The Plight of the Great Forest
The misty powers of magic have settled over the Great Forest lands, twisting, swirling into every nook of the village of Ferrin. Evil spells wisp about like fog, draining courage and trust from the hearts of men. Good magics have vanished, and no longer are there brave warriors who wield weapons of steel against the land’s enemies. The Protectorate Sword is gone!
It began one dreary day now thirty years passed. A young fighter named Gedwyn was riding on his steed through his village square when an old man approached him from the shadows of a side street.
“Young sir,” he cried in a rattling voice. “Please, you must help me. My village, which lies a day’s ride to the west, is being ravaged by the Beast of the Mountains. My family is in danger!”
The Beast. Gedwyn knew, was a fiery dragon that lived amongst the craggy peaks of the mountains in the west. Images of thatched houses aflame and people fleeing in terror passed through his mind as the old man spoke.
“I will gather our best fighting men and ride to this place at once!” Gedwyn poised to spur on his horse.
“’No! no!” returned the wide eyed man, “You must use the Sword! The Sword is the only way to kill the vile creature!”
The Protectorate Sword was forged, it is told, in the fires of the gods. Kept sheathed in the massive stone floor of a temple in the center of Ferrin, the Sword protected the Great Forest from evil for countless years. When wielded against an evil hand, the enemy is surely defeated.
As the old man’s plea reached Gedwyn’s ears, he began to think: I would only have to draw the Sword from the temple and confront this dragon. With the Beast vanquished, my name would pass into the legends of the land.
Thus inspired, he rode to the temple and entered the darkness to reach for the Sword. Finding it, he grabbed the Sword’s jeweled hilt with both hands and slowly drew the blade. Colorful rays of light speared outward, piercing the dusty air as he raised the glowing weapon.
Wrapping the Sword in heavy cloth, he rode back to the spot where he had met the old man. He was gone! Gedwyn rode westward to find the old man’s village and to seek the Beast of the Mountain.
At the base of the mountains, he found not a village but a fortress of towering stone. He was greeted roughly by five guards with piercing green eyes and smokey black armor. These dark warriors led Gedwyn into a great hall, where a war lord sat upon a high throne.
“Give me the Sword!” the black-cloaked figure commanded. “It can do you no good, for its powers are not strong so far away from its home.”
Gedwyn’s suspicions that he was being led into a trap gained strength by the moment. With escape in mind and the enchanted Sword in hand, he lunged forward.
Just at that moment, a blinding light struck Gedwyn’s eyes. Then blackness…
Gedwyn woke to more blackness. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. He still could not see. Had the warlord struck him blind? Yes. He certainly had the power to do it.
A soothing elvin voice reached Gedwyn’s ears. “I see you have decided to join the living!”
The elf explained that he and his followers had discovered Gedwyn, battered and in rags, at the edge of the Great Forest. They themselves had just escaped from the evil grasp of the warlord’s master, a powerful wizard named Umla.
Within the past seven days. Umla had begun a reign of terror over the forest. Hords of evil, lurking creatures under his command were guarding the villages to keep people from fleeing. Rumor had it that the Protectorate Sword had been taken deep into the mountains and hidden, where it could no longer protect the land It now became known as the Sword of Fargoal!
You come from a village miles away from the scorched remains of Gedwyn’s home but still within reach of Umla’s evil grasp. The only way to free the land from Umla’s control is to put the Sword of Fargoal into the hands of Gedwyn, the blind fighter. It is Gedwyn, the man who removed the Sword from its stone in the temple, who can use it against the evil of Umla and destroy him forever. Gedwyn awaits in the temple for the return of the Sword.
You are magically transported into the uppermost level of the dungeon with a few things in your possession to aid in your quest: a short sword and a collection of modest spells & healing potions. Hope spurs you on to reach the place in the depths of the dungeon that conceals the magical Sword and to return with it to the stairs out of the mountain vault!
The Sword of Fargoal is said to have been placed on the twentieth level of the dungeon, reached only by a maze of twisty little passages. If you find it, your quest only becomes more difficult. With the Sword in hand, Umla knows where you are! It would be only a matter of time before he destroys the entire dungeon. For this reason, once you find the goal to your quest, you only have about 33 minutes to escape!
May you fare well as your quest begins!!
