Queniv

The kingdom of Lugadia is beautiful. No one can deny that. The sight of the setting sun hitting the crashing waves is said to be perhaps the most beautiful sight in Sornieth. Lugadia, to add to its beauty, was surrounded by magic and wonders that many in the world would call a fairy tale. With the sun always hitting the glass towers rising up towards the sky, casting the kingdom in an ethereal glow, it’s beauty can take away anyone’s breath. The blue-green sea with it’s opalescent sea life and the smell of sea salt on the breeze can calm anyone. It seems as if Lugadia is the most peaceful, calm place in all of the world.

That’s a joke that each and every one of them share and laugh over. “Them”, as in the dragons inhabiting the ships that were created to plunder. That’s right; within the kingdom of Lugadia hides a group of pirates right off the outskirts of the kingdom. They like to call themselves the Noires of the Ceux Noirs clan. They are mostly hiding in plain sight, most acting like they are law-abiding citizens of the king. In actuality, the fact that they are a pirate clan is a facade itself as well. The clan is actually a rebellion against the current king of Lugadia; King Royal.

Now, why would they rebel against the king? What had the honest, merciful, kind king done to warrant such hate? Not many know. At least, none who aren’t being hunted down by the Royal Guard for having committed crimes, some of which were crafted by the lies of those with power. The ‘pirates’ know, though. They know that the king is a liar, a fake, an imposter. They know that the real prince and heir to the throne was banished by the false king long ago, threats of death should he ever return again. They know he’s named Lucio, son of the former king WhiteLight. They know he’s clever, fearless, impatient, empathetic, strong, weak, loving, hating. They know, because the one that leads them and pushes them through the fear of execution is Lucio himself.

How did Lucio rise to power within the clan? The story should start at the beginning, of course. The day that everything started. The day that Lucio was banished from his own home.

No one really knew Royal. He was, as his name implied, a royal; or, well, a nobleman. He wasn’t well-known for anything. Sometimes, his name would make it into gossip and conversation over something he did, but really, that was the only thing that happened involving him, and that wasn’t even noteworthy. So, the entire kingdom of Lugadia was abuzz with chatter when, out of the blue, Royal claimed that he was the true heir to the throne and that Prince Lucio was a fake. At first, they laughed at him, believing it just to be a setup for him to gain popularity, no matter whether it was positive or negative. What no one expected, though, was for Royal to prove his claim.

The birthmark that only descendants of the royal lineage would have. Many mages and witches tried to crack the code on how Royal had created a fake birthmark, and yet none of their spells and concoctions seemed to make it fade away. When it seemed to start to get serious, all eyes turned on the royal family. All in Lugadia demanded that Lucio prove that he was a legitimate heir. So, he intended to show his birthmark on the very edge of his wing in the shape of a star…

Only to find that it was gone. Normal civilians who were once too timid to even look in the general direction of royalty were suddenly screeching at them, claiming them all to be fakes and deceivers. Hurriedly, powerful magic users from all across Sornieth attempted to see if Lucio’s birthmark proving he was royalty had been swapped to Royal’s wing, but it seemed to not be the case. It seemed as if Lucio was no longer--was never a royal at all. In every painting, image and even written description of him, anything about his birthmark in the shape of a star was missing. Gone. Erased. At that time, Lucio was so close to becoming the king of Lugadia. The former king had recently died, and as the next in line for the throne, he was also the one with the most power within the kingdom.

Until the case with Royal. Now that it seemed apparent Lucio was no longer a part of royalty, the one with the most power in the kingdom would be the new heir, Royal. And, with the jurisdiction of being the most powerful dragon in the kingdom, no one could stop him when he ordered the banishment of Lucio.

So, the former prince, banished from his own kingdom, was forced to roam. No one believed him when he tried to say he was a prince. Eventually, he found himself in a seaport town on the very edges of the kingdom. It was so far away that word was incredibly slow and hardly ever reached it. They hadn’t even heard of the king’s death yet, much less the former-prince’s banishment. The town was humble and quaint, a perfect place for Lucio to hide out.

A few dragons approached Lucio the day he arrived. Seeing as how the town was so far from the kingdom and generally isolated, it wasn’t strange that not many new the king’s face, much less the prince’s. The ones that did recognize him were mostly ones that had lived in other sections of the kingdom until they recently moved and knew what had happened involving the royalty. Surprisingly, they believed the former prince when he said that Royal was the one that was tricking them. It appeared that they didn’t even like the new “heir” very much either way, since he was talking about cutting off the town from it’s main fishing spot.

Within a bit of time, Lucio managed to round up a group of dragons that were all against Royal being the king for their own reasons, whether it be reasons that are social, economical or just because they don’t trust the new king. He’d pick up dragons off the streets, or they would come directly to him. Sometimes, Lucio was willing to even break into facilities allied with the king to rescue those that wanted to join his “army”. Well, he doesn’t like to call it an army; he sees it more as… A group of warriors by his side that just want what they want.

Early into the start of the uprising and the creation of the Ceux Noirs, King Royal took notice of the strange congregation of so many dragons in one spot. He sent a dragon to visit and see what was going on, and a few days later he returned. Unbeknownst to Royal, the dragon he had sent became a spy for the rebellion after some… Persuasion that happened in the town of the Noires. The spy reported back to the king that nothing was happening in the small seaport town on the very edge of Lugadia. Everything was fine.

So, the Ceux Noirs grew and grew, and Lucio continued to lead them throughout all that. Lucio slowly infiltrated the false king’s kingdom, slowly taking back what was rightfully his. He has hundreds lying in wait for the right time to strike and start the war that would indefinitely impact the kingdom of Lugadia.

And that is the story of the beginning of the Ceux Noirs. As of now, it is just another obscure clan on the farthest reaches of the kingdom. No one really pays attention to it, not really. Only the inhabitants of that unnamed seaport town and the clan’s members itself know of it, of course. Their cover as plunderers on the high seas have earned themselves a name in… Other places, yet the king hasn’t seemed to have noticed. The clan has many allies, so perhaps that is why it has lasted so long? Oracles that foretell impending doom, soldiers that willingly fight for the cause, spies that give information on the next moves of the kingdom… The survival of the Noires depends solely on their cooperation and collaboration.

Now, the world does not solely focus on the Ceux Noirs clan. It doesn’t even focus on the kingdom of Lugadia. There is an incredibly large world out there, filled with mystic wonders and danger that you can only see out of the corner of your eye. Magic exists, and perhaps it is the only truly pure force in the world. Even dark magic has a sense of purity and cleanliness to it. About half of the population has magic flowing through their veins, though why the other half does not is something that many ponder over day by day. Strength of magic varies, as well. Some have the ability to summon ancient beings who could destroy the laws of physics within the blink of an eye; some can barely spur a gust of wind from their claws.

For those not lucky enough to be able to speak arcane words and see the effect of them, there are items enchanted by those who are. Like natural magic, these items have magical strength that varies item to item, all unique in their own way. A silver blade enchanted by a dragon with the ability to harness light may be able to cast away creatures of the night, while there could be something as simple as a self-writing quill enchanted by a dragon with the ability to bring ink to life. Magic is volatile and it never seems to be exactly the same among various subjects.

Magic is not as simple as card tricks and crystal ball readings. It is as old as time, perhaps even older. Every spell, no matter how impactful or insignificant it may be, comes from that very source. That infinite well of power. To become a powerful mage is to be respected by even the greatest and most legendary fighters in every land. To surrender and allow the power to overtake you, however, it considered the most shameful act one can commit, and those lost to the allure of infinite power are seen as less than dirt. Magic is such a fickle thing, both in itself and for the users.

To control that ever-lurking danger of succumbing to magic, many are gifted with a familiar. A rare few are lucky enough to know them ever since the day of their birth, and those who are usually get along well with their familiars. The other percentage of magic users, though, find their familiars after they first dabble in the art of magic. Whether it be casting their first spell, completing their first potion, summoning their first entity, whatever it is, a familiar is bound to follow after. The familiar acts as a magical sponge; it soaks up a portion of the magical energy residue that follows after any sort of act involving the elements. They help to keep a dragon from going mad with power and are sometimes even mentors while the dragon protects the familiar and acts as a companion.

Perhaps the only ones who could reach into that well of power as deep as they can go without fear of death are the eleven deities. Long ago, they managed to tap into a hidden well of magical energy making them the strongest in their own respective elemental category. With their bodies practically filled to the brim with magic, they were treated as gods and called upon for assistance and power. Prayed to, even. Each of them even have their own loyal following that believe them to truly be immortal gods. Each of the deities are patrons of their respective kingdoms, though oftentimes kingdoms will collaborate or ally with others even if the element they represent are polar opposites. Sometimes, there are even dragons affiliated with two or more deities at once, though this is very rare.

We shouldn’t focus on the entire world, though. Right now, our eyes should be on the kingdom of Lugadia, for something is stirring that will leave a mark on the fragile glass of history.

By Neraida