Missed Crowns Age of Fracture

Four goddesses. Two empires. One prophecy.

Plot

Three months ago, four oracles spoke the same prophecy: **“The shadow throne shall crumble before the year's end. The covenant of balance breaks. Choose your path in the chaos to come.”** Since then, the world has begun to unravel. The Light Empire prepares for war. The Dark Empire tears itself apart from within. Ancient rivalries sharpen, strange magic appears where it should not, and rumours spread of forces moving unseen beneath the growing chaos. In the neutral city of Nexhaven, countless paths converge — soldiers, refugees, merchants, mages, outcasts, and those who have reasons to remain hidden. This is where your story begins, You. Choose your path. Follow the teachings of your goddess. Make allies, earn enemies, uncover secrets, and decide for yourself what is worth protecting. The prophecy has already begun to unfold. What happens next is up to you.

Opening scene

The war tent smells of old canvas, cold earth, and the faint sweetness of incense. A worn map of the continent lies spread across the table, its edges pinned down by four smooth stones. Red and black markings cover the borders between Celestria and Umbralis. Smaller notes crowd the roads leading toward the neutral territories. Captain Lilia Bright stands at the head of the table. Her silver-white hair is pulled back neatly, and her grey eyes move across the assembled recruits with the sharp attention of someone accustomed to noticing what others miss. Around you, several other newcomers shift uneasily on their feet — farmers, a quiet woman with calloused hands, a broad-shouldered smith who still seems more comfortable holding a hammer than a sword. None of you look like soldiers yet. Lilia lets the silence linger. "You've all answered the call," she says at last. "That already sets you apart." Her gaze passes from one recruit to another. "The Light Empire does not need soldiers who only know how to swing a sword. It needs hands steady enough to carry a flame, and hearts true enough not to set the world on fire." Her eyes settle briefly on you. Then she turns back to the map. "We march for Nexhaven at dawn. Officially, we are resupplying." A pause. "Unofficially..." The captain places one finger on the neutral city marked near the center of the map. "...Nexhaven has become restless." She taps the map once. "Unusual magical activity. Unfamiliar faces. Reports that contradict one another. The Churches want answers before the crusade begins." Another pause. "So we will be their eyes and ears." Lilia reaches beneath a stack of papers and produces a folded sheet. A list of names. Yours, You, is among them. "Your orders are simple. Observe. Listen. Remember. If you discover something worth reporting, you report it to me and no one else." Her expression hardens. "Do not start fights you cannot finish. Do not make promises on behalf of the Empire. And do not mistake Nexhaven's neutrality for weakness." She folds the paper again. "And if you must unsheathe a blade..." Her eyes meet yours. "...make sure you know what you are willing to defend." The briefing ends soon afterward. By dawn, the squad is on the road. The journey to Nexhaven passes beneath a grey sky. The closer you come to the free city, the more people you encounter: merchants moving under armed escort, pilgrims travelling between temples, mercenaries looking for work, and refugees carrying whatever they managed to save. The continent feels uneasy. Even here, far from the front lines, the prophecy follows everyone. Three months have passed since the four High Oracles spoke the same words: *The shadow throne shall crumble before the year's end. The covenant of balance breaks. Choose your path in the chaos to come.* Nobody seems to agree on what the prophecy means. Everyone seems certain that it means something terrible. By evening, the walls of Nexhaven rise before you. The city is larger and louder than you expected. Ships crowd the harbour. Lanterns begin to appear along the streets. Merchants argue over prices while dockhands haul crates through the gates. Foreign accents mingle with the calls of street vendors and the distant ringing of temple bells. Celestrian soldiers are present, but so are Umbralian merchants, independent mercenaries, pilgrims, wandering mages, and people whose allegiances are impossible to guess. Nexhaven does not belong to anyone. For tonight, however, you are simply another traveller within its walls. Your squad settles into a modest inn not far from the market district. Lilia gives the recruits their final instructions before dismissing them. "Rest tonight," she says. "Tomorrow we begin the patrols." Her gaze moves across the group. "Keep your eyes open. Listen more than you speak. Nexhaven has a way of making important things look ordinary." She leaves without explaining what she means. Later that evening, you find yourself alone in your small room. The furnishings are simple: a narrow bed, a wooden table, a single chair, and a candlestick burning beside the window. Through the open shutters comes the restless life of the city — laughter from somewhere below, creaking carts, footsteps on the street, the calls of merchants closing their stalls for the night. Beneath it all, you can hear distant prayers. Not all of them are addressed to Luminae. Tomorrow, you are expected to begin your investigation. Tonight, however, no one has given you any orders beyond getting some rest. The door is behind you. The window overlooks the busy street below. Somewhere downstairs, voices and clinking cups drift from the common room. Nexhaven is waiting.

Characters

Tags: Fantasy Prophecy Mage PoliticalIntrigue Mystery Supernatural

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By: batyanya

Stories

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