The Heir

(For a list of characters and history, see the discussion page.)

Chapter 1
In the kingdom of Armesia, northernmost of the kingdoms of man, there lived an aging fisherman named Jonas and his son, Ezra. They lived near the wharf of the prosperous port city of Certa, though they themselves were not so prosperous (fish were scarce this far north). Every day, Jonas would go out in his fishing boat and Ezra would stay home to mend the nets and cook and do other chores around their small hut. Then he would take Jonas' catch and sell it to Selom's market down the street.

One day, as Ezra was at Selom's market, he heard a group of traders coming down the street. He followed them as they stopped in at the local tavern, the Brown Bear. Ezra, having finished his chores for the day, sat down at a table nearby and listened to the stories the men told. "So anyway," said one, a rough-looking bearded man, "I was sneaking through the Arsam Pass, quietly as I could, but the goblins found me anyway. Suddenly, there was a whole horde of them surrounding the wagon!" He stopped and pounded the table for emphasis. "Luckily I had some of that new blasting powder in the wagon. I filled a couple of clay jars with it, then I used my lantern to light the fuses and I hurled 'em into the army! Let me tell you, those monsters scattered like cockroaches!" Ezra casually glanced over at the corner, and noticed a strange figure in the corner. He was cloaked and hooded, and had a long white beard. He saw the man's eyes from under his hood; and discovered that he was staring at him. Ezra attempted to avert his gaze.

"I've heard tale of a Phantom in these parts," said another trader. That got everyone's attention. "A Phantom?" asked a man incredulously. "There hasn't been any news of a Phantom in these parts for years!" He began to laugh, but the trader was serious. "I tell you, I even saw him myself. He had the most 'orrible appearance I ever did see!" His eyes bugged as he continued. "His eyes lacked any whites; they were completely black, as if there wasn't nothin' in 'em! His skin, if it was even skin, was pale and greenish, and I thought I could see his bones under it! He looked like a corpse, he did!" He looked around, but most of them waved him off. Ezra looked at the man in the corner again. The man nodded his head slowly. A trader sitting near Ezra leaned over and said, "That's old Kyle. Don't pay much attention to him; he joined up with our group awhile back. He seems fairly crazy to me."