Lord Riven, Shadow Stalker – After the Void

            I was trapped; whispers in the Wood told me that I would bring Peace to the Myth Wood by sanctifying the Battle Arena. Instead my soul was thrust into another Plane and my body was taken from me.  It was forced to do the bidding of an extremely power hungry entity. My original goals were always for the advancement of the Myth Wood, even if my methods were questionable.  I see now that I was just a pawn and that the Myth Wood will never be free to do as it wants as long as these Gods are allowed to use us.  During this time beyond the Wood, screaming like a frenzied rabbit trying to escape the wolf that it knows is always following, I had time to reflect. Reflect on what I had tried to do and to plan what would need to be done.

I have seen wretched schemes by these overpowered entities playing games with the souls of the fallen. I fear this has broken my sanity and I will not recover. I may be able to piece things back together, but I will never be the same. Thrust into an unknown place for an indeterminable time, there was suffering, there was pain, and there was misery. Images, true or false, I cannot say, paraded across my vision. My fellow Myth Wood denizens locked into an eternal struggle against one another with no end in sight and no reasoning for it beyond the machinations of the so-called Gods.

The sources of power that allow for the influence of these false idols are physical objects within the Myth Wood.  Anything that can be held can also be destroyed. I do not know if those who cling to these objects of power are aware of the implications of using them, or if they merely chose to go along with the desires that the objects poison them with. Either way, they must be dealt with or contained if we are unable to destroy them.

My return to the Myth Wood was a systemic shock to my soul. Hurdling through the void between worlds and fending off the desperate clawing of the Ordin Samheim, I was able to wrestle control of my body back and gain influence over its faculties once again.   As I returned, I saw the error in my ways from before my departure. I was a fool to strive for meaningless titles, land, or glory. All of this means nothing if we are not free. Has anyone else questioned why we are destined to repeat this cycle in the Myth Wood? Why it is not a place of peace and rest for our souls but rather an endless series of confrontations with one another? I muse that part of this is due to the nature of man and our desire to carve a place for ourselves so that we may understand our surroundings. But that does not reach the heart of our problem. We may all consider ourselves as being on the correct path with either righteous fury or devilish cunning as our guide. But if those guiding forces have their own agenda then we are never free to make the choices for ourselves.

The concepts of Order, Chaos, and the most deviously named Woods are all guises used by the spiritual denizens of other worlds. They mean nothing to the Myth Wood unless we let them have their hold over us. Many will not see the error in their ways and will have to be forced to see the truth. The truth often hurts us more than any blade.

I fear this all stems from the magic that was unleashed onto the Myth Wood and thus the Mages are a key component to either the destruction or ultimate complacency to these other-worldly entities. However, Mages will never willingly give up their powers. They act as though they are neutral parties in our affairs but are always scheming with their own agendas. They seem to have impunity when it comes to the rules that the rest of the Myth Wood has strived so hard to maintain. They can release the Demons onto the Wood, allow the Ordin to gain a foothold, unleash Monsters onto the land, and still they are not considered the source of these troubles. They have used their magic to pull a misty veil over the eyes of the citizens of the Wood and are pulling all of the strings and sharpening every blade for use against the people without ever worrying about being cut themselves.

I share all of this with you in hopes that you may see the light yourselves and will not need coaxing of a more physical nature. I have never been one to shy away from a fight but if we can work together, rather than against one another, we may be able to end the influence of these deities and start working toward our own goals for the Myth Wood.  While we may still be against one another after their control is shattered, at least we would be doing things for ourselves rather than for uncaring beings that use our pain as a measure of their success.

I am in a unique position as I have influence over the Order yet did not ask for this power or responsibility. I will find a way to rid us of these creatures by any means necessary. If that means using their own powers against them then it shall be done. If it means destroying everything we have come to love about the Myth Wood then that is the price we will pay to be able to control our own destiny. If you believe that you are better off under their influence, then we will be at odds. If you believe that you have earned the right to choose for yourself, then find me in the Wood. For I will no longer play their game and will no longer suffer their rule. I denounce their power and their right to dictate us. Together we will either rise above this challenge or I will see it all burn. I would rather fail and perish eternally than to live another life as their puppet. Join me, fight me, ignore me. That is your choice. But know that I will not rest until myself and like-minded people are either freed or eliminated.

This is the oath of Riven Shadow Stalker, Ranger of the Myth Wood.