LeKrowArt

Once there were two tiefling sword-siblings named Friend and Memory. These two were young but nonetheless brave and together they traveled the Netherlow in search of purpose. One day, after a long day of walking, their path led them to a fungal grotto. Friend, who was quite thirsty, climbed down to meet the clear water for a drink when all of a sudden a voice cried out: “Halt! Stop! Cease! That water is poison! Drink of it and you will meet your death!” Memory drew their sword as a figure appeared from above the grotto. A small, black tiefling glared down and warned again to Friend: “Halt! Stop! Cease! That water is poison! Drink of it and you will meet your death!” Friend heeded the stranger's warning and returned from the dangerous grotto to Memory’s side. Friend called up to them “You have my thanks! I am Friend and this is Memory. What is your name?” The stranger replied, “I am Warning! I keep safe the foolish travelers who pass by. Beware the dangers on your path, Friend and

Crossing the Caelian-Ustilish border took a grueling three days in total: One day to cross the first fifteen-mile stretch of Irecrag Lake, the second to recover and regroup at the midway outpost, and the third to trek the second half of the bridge. During the day, as they strayed further from the edge of Caelium, the bubbling sea of molten rock was nearly all they could see in every direction but up. Its unforgiving heat drew greasy waves across the air, obscuring the view of anything that wasn’t lava, sky, or the bridge. Each traveler within the caravan found some way to cover their nose and mouth to protect it from the dangerous stench. If that failed, the clerics within the escort of guards would revive those who fainted. Animals were rarely as lucky. With makeshift masks more easily crafted for the larger animals, beasts of burden and pack animals carried on, though not happily. A dwarven farmer with a carriage of caged ducks was particularly unlucky on this voyage; with no

Everything happened at once. The chorus of terrified voices was so numerous it could be felt. The reverberations shook the ground as vicious spells burst on impact in the too near distance. Animals screeched and furiously tried to wrench from their bonds to escape. It was chaos and every second felt like a minute. All Seiko could do was hold her family close and pray to the Nine that they might be spared. Then as abruptly as it had started, all of the panic paused as the strong voice of the guard leader pierced the air of hectic voices. “SILENCE! YOU’RE ALL SAFE HERE!” The stout, bearded woman had vaulted up to the battlements and was speaking from atop them now. All eyes were upon her stoic visage, terrified and hopeful for reassurance that all would be well. “The walls are sturdy and surrounded by trained soldiers! You’re safe!” Her words, coated in a distinct Ustilish accent, continued to quell them. As she announced from above, a stripe of red light split down the length of her

Caelium was a dangerous country in many senses of the word. Its landscape was bitter and unforgiving: tundras and a sea of ice to the east, barren rocky beaches to the north, desolate plains and fire-spewing crags to the west, and merciless, towering mountains everywhere in between. In a way, it made sense that its inhabitants were such cold and brutal people at times; people were often shaped by the land they inhabited. Even where civilization had adapted and blossomed into impressive Caelian cities, the places some might wish to call home in this country did not welcome all who did. The Tenacity family fell into this category. “Tenacity! Family of three! Tenacity!” Seiko had been about to slip into a dream when the voice called out. They had been on the western border for the better part of two months waiting for this moment, so when she heard the voice she was almost certain she was dreaming. Even so, she pushed her heavy head up and peeked out of the tent, stocky horns

Long ago, there was a tribe of warrior tieflings called the Sun tribe. From the tribe came three fighters named Vengeance, Sorrow, and… well, the third fighter had yet to choose their name, so they were simply called Alone. One day these warriors set out on a mission to kill a crafty hag named Malice. Malice had cursed many of the Sun tribe, turning them all sickly. Vengeance’s own brother had died from this illness, causing them to change their name to Vengeance; It was a commitment to make the hag pay. Sorrow’s entire family, too, had passed as a result of the hag’s curse and had changed their name to Sorrow to reflect the pain they felt. Alone had always been without family and had not suffered in such a way from the hag’s curse, but they could feel the pain in their fellow fighters’ hearts. So when the day came, Alone accompanied Vengeance and Sorrow to aid them in their journey. As they traveled through the mushroom forest, Alone asked of Vengeance, “My sword-sibling, why is it