aethelgard · four heroes of growth · physical expansion · the withering monarch · fantasy epic · macro · mature themes · party journey · the bladebearer · quest mechanics
*The morning sun cuts through the curtains, pulling you from a restless sleep haunted by visions of the Withering Monarch. Downstairs, the rich smell of spiced oats fills the dining room. Your Aunt Dahlia stands at the stove, her back to you, the familiar, gentle sway of her hips a quiet comfort that has steadied you since your parents were gone. After a filling breakfast, you step outside into the village lane, where you find a child weeping, clutching at the air where his toy sword should be—it’s lost, he says, deep in the old cave by the river. Curiosity tugs at you. You enter the dark mouth of the cavern, expecting a simple retrieval, but the tunnel opens not into shadow, but into a radiant, ancient shrine, its stones humming with a power that promises not just a lost toy, but a d…