Plot Myth II: Soulblighter

it sixty years since great war, when connacht, hero saved world myrkridia 1 thousand years previously, returned in guise of balor, , lieutenants, fallen lords, attempted destroy humanity. alric, surviving avatara, king of province, ruling madrigal. age of peace , prosperity, dark existing in stories, although fate of soulblighter, balor s chief lieutenant, remains unknown. game opens alric experiencing nightmare remembering carnage of war. awakens find crow red eyes @ window, watching him.

the game cuts cluster of villages near forest heart. first game, story told through journal entries of soldier in legion, led crüniac, soldiers think more interested in politics military matters, , spends time on men perceive trivial errands. latest assignment has them investigate reports of grave robbing, however, shocked find village of willow creek besieged undead ghasts. clear village, , learn grave robbing leads keep of baron kildaer. head keep , see hundreds of thrall moving towards tallow. crüniac sends runner warn villagers, while legion attack keep. crüniac proves more skilled military tactician men believed, masterminding attack results in kildaer s death. thereafter, runner returns news every village in vicinity has been destroyed, , undead army amassing nearby. crüniac sets fire keep, , legion flee clouspine mountains.

however, rearguard attacked, , crüniac mortally wounded. dying words, reveals undead led soulblighter. rest of legion make world knot , teleport madrigal, inform alric of soulblighter s return. alric fears trying find summoner , who, foretold, resurrect myrkridia. news arrives soulblighter has sacked several cities moves towards madrigal, , shiver, fallen lord killed during great war, has been resurrected. alric forced abandon madrigal, fighting way through myrkridian assault led shiver.

the legion head tandem, alric plans hold fortress @ white falls, on river meander, preventing shiver moving north. meanwhile, decides find deceiver, fallen lord openly antagonistic towards others during great war. thought killed, actual fate remains unknown. alric sends small detachment deceiver s last known location, , learn trapped in dramas river when froze solid around him, forcing him use little sorcery had left keep himself alive, unable break free. detachment locate , release him, , advises them head north enlist aid of trow, allies of in ancient times. legion so, , trow agree join fight against soulblighter.

the detachment, deceiver , trow head south , meet rest of legion, learning tandem has fallen. however, alric has ordered legion recapture muirthemne, formerly llancarfan, capital of cath bruig empire. plan find ibis crown in city s haunted catacombs, , reclaim title of emperor, rallying humanity behind him. small group of volunteers enter crypts of city , find crown, alric declared new emperor, , journeymen resuming position emperor s royal guard; heron guard.

meanwhile, deceiver , detachment travel forest heart locate fragment of tain, in alric believes summoner hiding. find fragment, enter tain, , kill summoner, cutting off soulblighter myrkridia. acting on own authority, deceiver attacks soulblighter s camp, , men captured. however, phelot, shade in charge of prison, in service of deceiver, , frees them. deceiver attacks soulblighter, turns murder of crows escape. succeeds, deceiver kills 1 of crows, preventing him fleeing in manner again. detachment meet scouting party near silvermines; alric , legion moving attack soulblighter, have been pinned down shiver, whom deceiver heads confront. hunts down, , phelot destroys army. deceiver kills her, death triggers magical energy backlash kills him.

with shiver dead, soulblighter forced against cloudspine. army defeated, flees volcano tharsis, plans shatter cloudspine itself, causing widespread devastation. alric , legion pursue him, , alric breaks rock on stands, plunging him death in molten lava. soulblighter s death, narrator learns of leveler , immortal evil spirit. forces of light , dark rule world successively in thousand-year cycles, each age of light climaxing arrival of leveler, ushers in age of darkness. leveler inhabits body of hero defeated him in previous cycle — hero saves civilization destined destroy it; connacht returned balor. however, soulblighter not leveler; tried force cycle, , result may have broken it. whether case not known on 9 hundred years, when comes alric s time assume mantle of leveler.

myth ii: chimera

when alric restored cath bruig empire , reformed heron guard, 4 bear silent oak chose remain journeyman, electing lead life of scholarship. now, ten years later, plagued visions of mysterious woman, , foreboding sense of evil. convinced must act, seeks out old ally, legendary warrior fenris, has isolated himself in fir bolg forest of ruewood. fenris agrees join 4 bear, , decide elicit aid of ne ric, celebrated fir bolg. however, learn banded wasps of ruewood, peaceful race of giant wasps, have become aggressive.

fending off attack banded wasps, , accompanied fir bolg, band of human warriors, , several dwarves, head tomb of former ally, kyrand mage, fenris plans take possession of kyrand s amulet. there, encounter woman 4 bear s visions; sorceress named kyrilla, plans retrieve amulet. orders army of thrall prevent 4 bear, fenris , men entering, defeat army. kyrilla disappears, , enter tomb, retrieve amulet, , resume search ne ric, fighting banded wasps elsewhere in ruewood. search, again encounter kyrilla, reveals behind banded wasps attack. find ne ric, , force wasps retreat.

fenris receives letter baron geoffrey volsung begging him help, believes kyrilla has put in motion plot assassinate him. fenris, 4 bear, ne ric , men head meet volsung on beachhead @ cavanaugh. however, upon arriving, volsung accuses them of betraying him. fenris able convince him incorrect, narrowly avoiding clash between volsung s army , own men. men repel attack army of undead. kyrilla appears, revealing had hoped volsung , fenris kill 1 another. awaiting attack in castle, summons power of lord , begging him give strength avenge father s death.

the heroes , army attack castle, defeating kyrilla s undead legions. confronts them, revealing herself kyrand s daughter. 4 bear gives kyrand s amulet, in stored memories, , realizes lord , demon cartuke, 1 killed kyrand, sacrificed own life wound cartuke , save lives of fenris, 4 bear , ne ric. cartuke had been manipulating kyrilla in effort regain power, sees truth, , joins others. head lair, finding him inside energy sphere. killing of men, leaves fenris, 4 bear, ne ric , kyrilla. in effort distract him, fenris , kyrilla attack, , turns them stone, ne ric fires magical arrow kills him. 4 bear laments once again, has failed save lives of friends, , ne ric take consolation in knowledge cartuke has been defeated.