Sekkai

[Aero]

S E K K A I

Sekkai was at peace. Or, at least, it had been. The land was prosperous and joyful, overflowing with a bounty of food and people. Dragons, the winged protectors of Sekkai, were abundant and powerful. Elements of every sort raced across the skies with their riders, snuffing out the lingering darkness. Their mammalian cousins, the Draux, swiftly patrolled the borders. Massive Dire wolves raced between the varying climates, destroying the smallest, meanest of intents. But that was all cut short.

To the west lay a small land known only as the Desolation. A thin ocean seperated the two countries, though nothing was known about the forbidding western land. Settlers gradually began to move over there, small towns flourishing up at random. Yet just as soon as they sprouted, another disappeared. Riders were sent to find out what had happened. Few returned. Those who did told of a destruction and murder, villages razed to the ground. One by one, the settlements were picked off until the forces of Sekkai finally confronted the new menace. Their friends, family, and companions.

It was merely known as the Taint. It corrupted the minds of dragons and riders alike, through their magical link. How did it come about? All they knew was that it was passed when a crystal, the physical representation of a dragon and rider's bond, was cracked or broken. Minds utterly ravaged and twisted, the Tainted struck out at Sekkai, seeking to purge it's inhabitants from the world. Death and mayhem ruled as the protectors of Sekkai crumbled under the assault. Dragons and their riders died off or succumbed to the affliction, while the unaffected Draux and Dire were forced to fight for their lives, horribly outmatched. Then, surprisingly, a period of a peace reigned. Unfortunately, it was not to last.

Hope comes. The scattered Shadowguarde, elite of the elite, return to fight. New eggs are laid, and with them, hope rises from the ashes. Hopefully, this peaceful interlude will be enough for Sekkai to gather its broken remains and stand to fight. If the end is truly near, there will be only one chance to rise again.