The Road To Grandeur

The story starts with Jayde, a 14-year-old girl sprinting rooftop to rooftop in the middle of the night with three guys trying to kill her and she has no idea why.

But... am I going to tell you what happens next? Nah! I'll tell you what happened 1000 years earlier. Buckle up, chumps, it's a crazy ride.

1000 years ago, the four Great countries were at war. Death, darkness, destruction, and all that. People on all sides suffered with no solution in sight. Eventually, the leaders of the four countries met at a peace summit to try to end this war. Each side had tried to win, but all sides now simply wanted to end it, but none saw a solution. After several long discussions, they decided to try something different.

They decided to cast a spell. The spell would find five individuals. Each individual would be chosen from one of the four countries, and a fifth one as a tie-breaker. The spell would choose individuals based on merit and integrity, essentially trying to just find good people. Secondly, the spell would find individuals with strong magical abilities. The leaders called on their strongest spell-casters, wizards, and witches from all the nations, and they cast the spell... and they waited.

Eventually, the five individuals came together. The leaders explained that they were the Chosen. The leaders gave them complete power, even above themselves, saying that anything they desired would be law and obeyed. Since the spell chose them to be good, honorable, empathetic, and highly magical individuals, they should hopefully be able to help solve the horrible war that had ravaged the land.

The five Chosen looked at each other, and, as they were good, honorable people, they collectively said: "Uh, sure, I mean, I guess? What the hell, we'll give it a go."

So the newly minted Chosen ventured off into one of the countries.

They set up new rules here, peace accords there, and helped everywhere they went. Then, over time, they managed to slowly but surely fizzle out the enormous, miserable war that had taken over the land.

This occurred 1000 years before the story starts. And from this point on the Chosen would be a small group of individuals who would always be known for helping anyone they could.

Eventually, one of the Chosen would die. However, the Spell was still in effect, and whenever a Chosen died, the spell would pick a new Chosen from

Fast forward 800 years (or, 200 years before our story starts)

King Zolf, the ruler of Zantia invaded the Tenland, the country to his north. This skirmish became a battle and eventually became a war. The Chosen, of course, responded. The land had had a golden age for the last 800 years, but this war had blossomed out of control. So, the Chosen confronted Zolf, saying that they normally stayed in the background, but this crap has gotten out of control, and he had to stop. RIGHT NOW. Since they were the Chosen, everyone was supposed to do what they said. After all, everyone always obeyed the Chosen.

Zolf told the Chosen to get lost and kicked them out, continuing his war.

"Well, that's new," the Chosen said collectively. This was the first time the Chosen had been so directly ignored and disobeyed.

So, the Chosen went to the leaders of all the other countries. They explained that it had been a great 800-year golden age, but this Zolf character was nuts, and he was attacking the other countries, and everyone had to work together to stop him. But then, in response, all the other leaders collectively said: "War? We can't go to war. It's peacetime, everything's been great. Sorry Chosen, we're not helping."

So, for the second time the Chosen were essentially ignored. To which, the Chosen collectively said "What the crap!?"

So, the Chosen, being ethically good and caring people, but ALSO magically gifted people, decided to take it upon themselves to convince Zolf to do what is right. They marched back to Zolf. They confronted Zolf. They demanded he stop what he was doing.

Zolf killed them all.

So, King Zolf, being an intelligent but ethically gray individual, went to a soothsayer, a diviner, and had his fortune told. She told him that his desires, his plans, his nefarious scheme... no one could stop him. Well, no one, unless the Chosen got back together. Because, even though he had killed them all, the spell was still in effect, and out there somewhere were five Chosen that could get back together. And, IF they got back together, they would again be the new Chosen and they could stop him.

Zolf heard this and came up with an idea. He made an army. An army of assassins. These individuals lived in all the countries in the background, not making noise. But, if they came across individuals with a bit too much potential, or possibly too much Talent, they made those people disappear. This was all 200 years before the story starts.

Now. Back to the start of the story.

Zolf, 200 years later, is still alive and well and no one knows how he has been around so long.

The war he started has exploded to epic proportions, and none have a clue how to stop him from rampaging across the land.

The Chosen are all but myth and legend because no one has seen or heard from a Chosen in over 200 years.

And, our story starts with a 14-year-old girl sprinting rooftop to rooftop with three guys trying to kill her, and she just. does. not. know. why.