The Guardians of the Edge

by duck666

Orlix is one of an elite few, the Guardians of the Edge, who dedicate their lives to protecting those poor souls that become lost in the mists of the Edgeland. But, when some unwanted neighbours are discovered, Orlix and the Guardians face a race against time to save not just their own lives, but the lives of thousands throughout the Edge. Set roughly 100 years after Doombringer.

Introduction

Far far away, jutting out into the emptiness and beyond, like the figurehead of a mighty stone ship, is the Edge. At its tip, an endless cascade of water falls down into the depths, its endpoint as yet undiscovered. This water is the Edgewater River. Many souls have undertaken the arduous descent down into the darkness below the Edge cliff, intent on one day discovering just what lies below. These are the descenders, a brave group of academics willing to risk their lives for their studies.

Just west of the Edge cliff lie the cities of Sanctaphrax and Undertown. For many years these settlements were the focal point for much of the land's commerce and activity, before they were both wiped out by a Dark Maelstrom, leaving the area in ruins. However, life has since returned to these once great cities thanks to Eudoxia Prade, the first Governess of Sanctaphrax, who has transformed the rubble into a beacon of hope for all citizens of the Edge.

Further inland, beyond the muddy wetlands of the Mire and the shimmering allure of the Twilight Woods, are the Deepwoods, a huge, sprawling forest home to a plethora of flora and fauna. From the flesh-eating Bloodoak and its tarry vine to the rotsucker, which kills its prey by allowing them to slowly decompose in its own bile, the Deepwoods are fraught with danger and those who become lost in its forests rarely live to tell the tale. But for those who are willing to risk it, there are great rewards to be had.

In the First Age of Flight, buoyant rocks harvested from the Stone Gardens at the Edge's easternmost point were used to keep mighty skyships airborne, allowing sky pirates and leaguesmen to establish trade routes throughout the Deepwoods. But then stone-sickness struck, ushering in a new age whereby tiny skycraft, fashioned from sumpwood bodies and spidersilk sails, ruled the skies. Brave librarian knights and other adventurers mapped and gathered information on the many wonders of the Edge. Then, one such academic managed to harness the power of phrax crystals gathered from great lightning storms, and so the use of phraxpowered skyships soon meant the Third Age of Flight was entered. Now the skies are littered with skytaverns, carrying passengers all over the Edge and linking isolated communities like never before.

Since the beginning of this new age, many settlements have been formed within the Deepwoods, including the two great cities of Hive and Great Glade. Alongside smaller settlements, like the Farrow Ridges and Midwood Decks, these places provide homes for a great range of goblins, trogs and trolls, all attracted to the towns and cities by the lure of riches beyond their wildest dreams. And yet many are instead greeted by poverty and despair, wishing they'd never left their homes in the clans and colonies scattered throughout the woods.

For those who dare to travel beyond the Deepwoods and Nightwoods, the third great city of the Edge beckons: Riverrise. For millennia it was believed to be nothing more than a myth, a place parents described to young 'uns in stories and passed down through the generations. But, after Twig's discovery of Riverrise, many citizens of the Edge have undertaken the perilous journey to reach this legendary part of the Edge, where the Edgewater River itself meets its source. The city has had its fair share of struggles and scandal, but now offers the chance for peace and happiness to all who wish to make it home.

And yet, for all these great cities and settlements that have prospered since the Third Age was beckoned in, there is one area that very few still dare to enter: The Edgelands. A barren, rocky region to the north of the Deepwoods, it is believed to be the home of great evil and folklore often depicts it as a hellish place, littered with phantasms and danger. Yet there are a select few that call this place home, dedicating their lives to protecting those unfortunate souls who do happen to wonder into the Edgelands. They are, the Guardians of the Edge. However, it seems the Guardians are no longer alone in the Edgelands, with the presence of some unwanted neighbours potentially putting the lives of theirs, and indeed every citizen of the Edge, at serious risk.

The Deepwoods. The Mire. The Edgewater River and the Edgelands. Sanctaphrax and Undertown. Great Glade, Hive and Riverrise. Merely names on a map.

Yet behind each name lie a thousand tales – tales recorded in ancient scrolls and passed down the generations by word of mouth – tales which even now are being told.

What follows is but one of those tales.