I watched Jack go, a little hurt that he had simply brushed off our help. He had nearly gotten eaten by some large swamp creature. And he had wanted it. I slumped on the ground, unwilling to move anymore. I looked around, Lyra and Zakhon were kneeling a little ways away, holding onto each other, Lyra was sobbing. Zakhon rubbed her back to comfort her, looking off into the marshes. Destran stood looking after Jack, his fists clenched, shaking. Yara stood next to him, muttering something.

I shook my head and stood up, grabbing my axe.

"I'm going after him. We can't get through this without his help. And I want to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Again." I announced. I turned to head after Jack and nearly ran into a man. He was thin, bald and groveling. I stepped back a pace, startled.

"Oh, I beg your forgiveness warrior maiden!" The man simpered, bowing so low his head hovered by his knees. "I didn't mean to startle you!" He didn't straighten up, but craned his neck to look up at me.

"Who are you?" Destran stepped up. The man shuffled towards him, still bowing.

"My Prince!" The man bowed even lower, if that was possible. Destran waved his hand towards the man.

"Stop groveling." The man straightened, mostly. Destran continued, "How do you know who I am? And I repeat, who are you?"

"I am but a simple servant, majesty. I have been looking for you, to warn you of a monster that may turn you from your quest!" The man bowed again.

Destran crossed his arms, shaking his head. "I need a name, a title, something."

"I am Urysus." The man stated simply. Destran drew his sword.

"Traitor!" he snarled. Urysus backed away, hands out.

"No, no sir! I am loyal only to you! I had to go into hiding after that monster was set loose, I only went to your uncle because he would be able to protect me from it!" Destran put his sword at Urysus' throat.

"Why would Sethos protect you, if you weren't loyal to him?"

"B-because I told him that I would serve him. But I was lying sir! I swear it, I am loyal only to you!"

"Destran." Yara stepped forward. "He's a beaten old man, let him tell his story."

Destran stepped back and lowered his sword, but he didn't put it away.

"Alright. Tell us your story, old man."

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Author guidance for This exercise

An Encyclopedia to help you through Fantandein: http://www.protagonize.com/work/fantandein-an-encyclopedia
The Map: http://art4stargazer.deviantart.com/art/Map-of-Fantandein-278000344

Characters:

Name: Destran
Race: Human
Description: Dark hair and bright blue eyes, straight nose. kinda big, but it looks good on him, he's a bit of a stiff, (at least in the beginning) it comes from all those leadership lessons and the fact he's gonna have to rule someday. He usually wears stuff in navy blue and silver. When he was younger he was best friends with Yara, but they've grown apart a bit since then.
Weapon: Trained in all kinds of weapons, prefers swords and knives.
JSimmons

Name: Yara
Race: Sievere
Description: She has waist length silvery blonde hair that falls in waves, and blue eyes which change shade depending on her mood. Her ears are slightly pointed at the tips, and she has pale skin which is unblemished. She is 5"8, seemingly delicate and speaks softly as though her voice were the breaking of waves on pebbles. Her lips are light with a slight coral tinge and she loves the water, although she has always had a desire for the land. She is calm and thoughtful, but when presented with an enemy her eyes turn stormy, her hair becomes more silvery and she attacks with all the strength she has and without mercy. As a little girl she wandered out of the nursery caves and met the Prince, who was playing on the beach. From then on they met to play, then to talk as often as possible.
Weapon: A small ¾ blade with intricate markings from the handle. Silver and studded with blue gems in the hilt.
Stargazer

Name: Lyra
Race: Sievere
Description: Waist length pin straight blonde hair and blue eyes which turn black when she is upset or angry or discontented in any way. She has a long temper and keeps her cool but when enraged people fear her wrath. 5"8 in height, has a warm heart and likes to see the best in everyone even if that means that she is sometimes naive.
Has been very good friends Yara since she was very little and comes from coral reef by castle Hava
Weapon: 3/4 blade which was owned by her mother and her grandmother and her greatgrandmother and has been pasted down from mother to daughter for generations. Engraved on the blade is Lyra's name and on the handle is an intricate design of flowers interwining into each other. This blade is one of a kind and is recognisable as Lyras and she carries it wherever she goes.
Imprinted Heart

Name: Valak Ru'um
Gender: Male
Race: Vaan
Weapon: Double Bladed Spear (http://www.edgeimport.com/images/7348173649659.jpg), Bow
Description: Around 4 foot 10 inches tall, his hair is medium length, black and is all over the place. His eyes are completely black, and his teeth are sharp and yellow. Ruthless in battle, and just plain evil at any other given time. He is respected by his people, regardless of how he doesnt respect them. He wouldn't help anyone who isn't of his kind, unless paid to do so. He doesn't find his race superior, however he doesn't find any of the others any better than his. He can get violent, but most of the time he avoids unnecessary fights. His size and speed make him a hard target to hit in battle, and his ugly appearance can scare even the bravest of warriors. Just as proficient with his bow than he is with his spear. His alliances lie on the side with the most money. Used to be a general in the Vaan army before getting bored and going freelance because the ending of the Great War of Fantandein left him bored, and he wanted to kill. He is from the Lost Marshes.
Mr.Fisherman

Name: Zahkon
Race: Falath'Nakan
Place: Forest of Illumini
Gender: Male
Markings: Blue
He is 6ft tall. He has a well-built body, very strong and fit. He has very high stamina levels.
He has jet black hair, which is shoulder length and is tied in a neat pony tail with Juju veins. His eyes are completely white. This allows him to see at all times with no problems. He has an amazing sense of smell developed from years of living in the forest. no top.
brown soft leather shoes that come up to the top of the calf-make running quietly very easy and also sneaking.
soft leather trousers. mixtures of browns, blues and greens-camouflage
brown leather belt-holds his knife. holds his quiver of arrows.
*he holds his bow when running. if hunting or fighting and he has the bow strung he can just put it over his back to let him to use his hands or his knife.
Weapon of choice: Bow
He is unbeatable with a bow. He only misses if he wants to intimidate and scare off rather than kill. Also carries a small blade in his belt.
He has an ice cold personality due to being abandoned as soon as he was able to fend for himself for fear that he would follow the path of the previous person with blue markings. He is bitterly determined not to turn out like his predecessor. Unaware that he has a gift for magic.
Wolfe

Name: Jack Valenstar
Race: Human
Description: 6 feet tall, dark brown hair and a small scar on the bridge of his straight nose. Blue eyes and a stiff mouth, has his hair combed back but would usually be quite long, long enough to cover his eyes. Bit of a dick to be honest, he antagonizes people for amusement, not a bad guy but is quite selfish and lazy. He is loyal and has a morally correct view of things, not seeing any difference between any of the races. Wouldn't do anything bad but wouldn't go out of his way to do something good, he would rather stay on the sidelines and sarcastically cheer his friends on, but a ferocious and near unbeatable fighter when he is forced into it.
Weapon: Primary is a simple double-bladed sword, secondary is a boomarang (for annoying purposes only)
Maximillius

Name:Brena
Race:Human
Description: Long curly brown hair, green eyes, wears brown pants tucked into black boots, a black corset over a white puffy-sleeved shirt.
Weapon: Hunting bow, and small axe.
Mycayla

Other humans:
King Stephan: Destran's father
Queen Sophia: Destran's mother
Princess Aria: Destran's sister
Sethos: Destran's evil uncle.
Desdemonda: Destran's cousin
Villagers
Other Sievere:
The Sea Lady/Una:Priestess type leader of Sievere. Yara's mother.
Levina: Sievere who drowns humans.

updated Jan 27 by Stargazer