Origin Systems and Richard Garriot own the characters within this work. I uphold no claim to them, except for the character Alexander Blackhall, who is solely my creation. I hope that this does not offend anyone, but if it does, please be courteous and respectful when giving a review. Thank you.

Chapter One: Prologue

Dawn came to Buccaneer's Den like so many before it; a serene call of the meadowlark and morning dove, the faint echo of the distant crash of waves against cliffs, and the smell of fresh bread and bacon floating upon the salty sea breeze. The morning was off to a good start. The only place in Britannia that did not have any ties to the virtues, Buc's Den, as the locals knew it, was termed a cesspool or worse by outsiders. Alexander Blackhall called it home.

Alexander, Alex to his friends, lived with his mother Raven in a meager home. They were not poor, but did not wish to advertise the fact that they had gold. Raven had also wanted to raise her son away from any of the Cities of Virtue, lest he begin to think that any one virtue was to be held higher than another. She had taught him about all of them from the time that he was able to walk and talk. He was a quick learner too, a gift from his father's lineage. For, you see, Raven had not told her son everything about his heritage. She saw the signs becoming evident, however, that something was fast approaching that would have dire consequences for the world. She knew then that she would soon need to tell her son the truth; that he was the son of the Avatar, Britannia's greatest hero.

Allow me to shed some light on history. For those of you that have never visited this fair land, Britannia is a land brimming with magic, and as such is very different from your Earth. Yes, I know your thoughts, "But how would you know? This is only a story, right?"

In some ways, you are right. In others, you are far from even seeing the target. You see, Britannia is a world much like Earth, but it is much wilder. Wolves, giant rats, huge spiders, and many more exotic and fantastical creatures such as dragons roam freely. The inhabitants have learned to live with nature rather than try to invite it back into the looming cities. None of the cities are technological, relying more on magic than science. Of course, they have some rather 'modern' medical facilities, so that the sick are not at the mercy of disease while they try to recover. However, for the most part the level of technology is about equal to Earth's renaissance era.

At one time, nearly sixty years ago, there were eight major cities spread across the land. It was then that a powerful evil force known as the Guardian attacked Britannia, and destroyed the city of Skara Brae, changing the face of Britannia in the process. The major cities numbered eight because of the eight virtues: Compassion, Honesty, Valor, Justice, Sacrifice, Honor, Spirituality, and Humility. Britain was dedicated to the virtue of Compassion, and is the home of Lord British, the kind ruler of Britannia. It houses the Cathedral of Love, the new bastion to Love, built when Empath Abbey was destroyed in the Guardian's assault. Next was Moonglow, the city of mages, dedicated to the virtue of Honesty. It is also where the Lyceum, the bastion of Truth, can be found. The city dedicated to Valor was once Jhelom, and it housed Serpent's Hold, the bastion of Courage, and the training grounds for Britannia's greatest fighters. The Guardian destroyed both Jhelom and the bastion of Serpent's Hold as well in his attempt to conquer Britannia. The survivors of the attack moved to the remnants of the nearby mountain, now a volcano, and founded Valoria. The bastion of Serpent's Hold, sadly, has never been rebuilt.

The city of Justice, named Yew because of the abundance of yew trees in the area, is located in the far northwest of the main continent, just north of the ancient trail that once led to Skara Brae. The Druids here act as roaming judges, dispensing Justice across the land as need be. The Great Court is here as well, and hears any case that is brought to it, regardless of the circumstances. Minoc, a mining community dedicated to Sacrifice, was once located only a few miles from Yew, on the northeastern curve of the continent. Alas, the Guardian's attack that so badly shook the planet caused a colossal earthquake that split the town and mines from the continent, forming the Dagger Isle. The residents, however, have taken the catastrophe in stride, and still produce many of the world's most beautiful works of mechanical art. Trinsic suffered much the same fate of Minoc. The city of Honor was ripped from the mainland, and many parts sunk into the sea. However, the city has survived, and is still the home to many of Britannia's paladins. Skara Brae, as I said, was destroyed in the Guardian's assault. It had once been the city of Spirituality, and is still the only place where you can enter the Ethereal Void physically. Lastly, New Magincia, city of Humility, lies just west of Buccaneer's Den, and is surrounded by sheer cliffs. The only way to visit the island is to use a moongate; a magical portal influenced by the moons Trammel and Felucca. New Magincia was built on the ruins of the City of Magincia, a city that was all but dedicated to Pride. Legend has it that an army of daemons; foul, evil creatures that enjoy tormenting mortals; appeared and laid waste to the city. When the dust settled, the city had been destroyed. The only survivors were the humble shepherds in the fields. That covers the Cities of Virtue. Others like Cove, Buccaneer's Den, and Paws are not dedicated to any virtue, but are still hubs of civilization. Now that you know about the cities and the virtues that they stand for, let us resume our story.

Alex awoke as the dawn light peeked through his window. He stretched and sat up, yawning. He stood and, wearing only his small clothes, walked to the washbasin near the window. He took some clean water and splashed his face, and run his hands through his shoulder length ebon hair. He stretched once more, and then moved to his small closet to dress. He chose a pair of dark brown pants made of sailcloth that was slightly threadbare, so as not to be rough against his legs. He put on a beige shirt of coarse but soft linen, and laced up a pair of black leather knee-high boots that, at his and his mother's request, had been fitted with a steel shield over the forward half of each foot and a flexible mesh of chain sandwiched into the tack hide that comprised the soles. It afforded him greater protection from sharp objects on the ground that may pierce the boot sole, and allowed him to inflict a good amount of damage with a well-placed kick. As he walked downstairs, he adjusted the small daggers that were an integral part of the boots. Two daggers per boot, they were not much, but they afforded him a secret, final advantage against being weaponless against a foe. His mother was setting the fresh bread, bacon, butter, cheese, and milk on the table. There were two plates made from bone, along with metal utensils.

"Good morning, Alex. You sleep well?" Raven asked as she finished setting the small table.

"Fine, Mom. I feel like I might actually stand a chance against Keller in the training ring today. He said if I beat him, he'd teach me a few of his moves." Alex said with a grin as he sat down at the table.

Raven could only shake her head. She worried for her son, but still she knew that he could take care of himself. She had made sure of that. Many of the darker forces still lurking in the world would not hesitate to destroy him if they knew his true heritage. She smiled as they both bowed their heads.

"The Virtues bless us and lead us, show us their path and keep us from the darkness. May they bless the food that we now eat. Amen." Alex said reverently, his voice deep and calm, like a peaceful harbor in the middle of a maelstrom.

They both looked back up, and started to eat. Raven looked at her son with a mix of anguish and elation. On one hand, he would finally know his true heritage and why the Virtues held such meaning for him. On the other, after she told him, his innocence would end. He would need to be ready to fight the forces of darkness, as his father had those many years ago. Alex looked up from his plate and saw his mother deep in contemplation. Quirking a brow, he spoke.

"Mother, what troubles you?"

"Oh, just a ghost from the past. It's nothing dear." Raven said, berating herself mentally for the lie.

Alex shrugged and finished his breakfast. He sat and made pleasant conversation while Raven finished her meal. When she had finished, he helped her with the dishes, and then kissed her good-bye.

"I'll be at the docks if you need me Mom." He called as he left the house, grabbing a leather cloak, and pulling on a pair of leather gloves. He jogged down the plank walkways. When he arrived at the fighting ring, Keller walked up to him.

"So, ya ready youngin?" he snarled in a thick accent.

"Yeah, Keller, I'm ready. And today, I'm not going to lose." Alex said confidently.

"We'll see, youngin. We will see. You know the rules. Lose any weapons you might have."

Alex took off his cloak and laid it before him. He took all four daggers from his boots silently and they dropped unseen into the cloak. He folded the cloak neatly, placed it under a nearby ringside chair, and entered the ring. A man came up and closed the entrance, ringing a nearby bell as he did. Keller and Alex circled a few times, searching for an easy opening. Not finding one, Keller laughed lightly.

"Well kid, looks like ya learned yer last lesson. Now, we fight fer real." Keller growled as he charged with a vicious uppercut.

Alex dodged to the side and spun, moving into position behind Keller. He unleashed a ferocious sidekick that caught the unsuspecting Keller in the middle of his back while he was still following through with the uppercut. Keller sprawled forward with a slight yelp of surprise and pain, rolled, and came up facing Alex.

"Good shot, Alex. Looks like my coaching and training ya weren't a waste of mah time." Keller said with a smirk.

Suddenly an arrow blossomed from Keller's left shoulder, and he fell to the mat with a startled yelp of pain. Alex spun around and looked up, searching for the assailant. He saw the man standing on an outcropping almost at mid-ring, about twenty feet above the ring. The man was wearing strange chain mail armor, with what seemed to be a dragon's head emblazoned on the chest piece, and some kind of ornamentation over both shoulders. The helm looked as if it had horns, but did nothing to enhance the features of its wearer. The man was as pale as a corpse, and held his bow in a hand that was almost skeletal in appearance. Anger boiled within Alex but an unknown presence, one that Alex had never felt before, tempered it quickly. He prepared for a fight, scanning for an available weapon. The armored man above cackled with glee.

"So, the mighty young brat wishes to fight me hand to hand? I think you'll make a fine pincushion, lad. Just hold still a minute." The man said in a nasal tone.

As the man readied an arrow and pulled the bowstring, Alex bolted toward his cloak. He jumped the ropes around the ring, tucking his legs and somersaulting through the air. He landed on his feet with a thud and immediately crouched, retrieving one of the daggers. As he turned he heard the man cackle again.

"You should have kept going, young hero. Die, Virtue-boy!" the man hissed.

Alex wasted no time in aiming, simply trusted his instinct, and hurled the dagger with all his might. It flipped slowly end over end once, the blade aimed at the man's head. It flew true, and struck with a sound akin to an axe splitting an overripe melon. The man's eyes opened wide as the blade entered through his forehead, inserting itself fully up to the hilt. The man teetered for a long moment, and then toppled forward, flipping and rolling down the cliff face until he hit the walkway near the ring. Alex looked at the man whose life he had just ended, and felt more than just a little ill. Keller broke Alex's thoughts with a groan. Alex rushed over to his friend and teacher, kneeling beside him to tend to the wound. Keller looked at Alex, and slowly his eyes were drawn to something else beyond Alex. Keller's jaw dropped, and Alex turned to see what had his friend's attention. That is when he noticed thick black smoke coming from the direction of his home. Alex felt his blood turn to ice, and barely heard Keller's yell to get home. He raced back home, running faster than he ever had before. He did not bother with stairs, simply leaping from platform to platform. He was home in less than two minutes; just in time to see two more of the strange armored men banging at the front door. He let out a fierce cry, and sailed into the man in front of the door with a vicious flying kick, shattering the door and knocking the man unconscious. Alex tucked and rolled, coming up to face the open doorway. The other armored man stepped into the doorway, his sword drawn. Alex looked at the blade, and smiled. He ran headlong at the man, as if to tackle him to the ground. The man readied his blade to slice Alex in two, widening his stance to absorb more of the expected blow. At the last moment, Alex fell backwards, sliding between the man's legs. As he slid, Alex shifted his weight, pounded the ground with his arms, and pushed upward with every ounce of strength he could muster as he lifted his feet to do an upward kick. The man shouted in shock as his quarry preformed an unexpected maneuver, and started to turn. He never saw the attack. Alex's kick sailed through the air and connected, the steel toe making an eerie echoing thud against the man's helm and skull. The man fell forward as Alex preformed a handstand to absorb the momentum of the attack, and then stood. As he readied himself again, another armored man fell on top of the others and Raven walked out of the kitchen area holding a large frying pan like a dangerous club.

"Alex! Thank the Virtues you're alright!" she said as she dropped the frying pan and embraced him. Their reunion was cut short as she let him go and ran into the kitchen, dousing the small fire that had been knocked out of its protective hearth by the unwelcome guests. She turned to Alex again, and sighed.

"They said that they had killed you, and that I was next." Raven said as tears started to fall. "I am so thankful that you are alive."

"I'm alright, mom. What about you? Are you okay?" Alex said with concern lacing his voice.

"Yes, dear. One broke into your room, and charged down the stairs. I knocked him out with that frying pan, and then hid for the others that were at the door. When the one fell, though, he knocked the fire out of the hearth. I was going to douse it when you came flying through the door, and you startled me into forgetting about it." Raven explained as she pulled a chair and sat down.

Alex walked over and, grabbing a length of small rigging line, tied all three of the men hand and foot, laying them in a corner where they could easily be watched. He wanted to know just who had sent them, and why.

"Mom, do you have any idea why these men would be after either you or me?"

"Come here, my son. It is time you knew the whole truth about your heritage." Raven said, her tears drying.

"But, what haven't you told me?"

"Do you remember the stories I told you of the Avatar?"

"Of course. They have always been my favorites."

"All of them, my dear Alex, are true. But there is one fact that I have always neglected to tell you."

"They're all true? I thought that they were only legends! And what could you possibly have not told me?" Alex said surprise evident in his voice.

"They are all true, my son, because the Avatar truly existed. And, my dear Alex . . ." Raven said, her voice trailing to nothingness.

"What mom?"

"Alex, you're father was that Hero. He was . . . . The Avatar." Raven said, the last words conveying her pride in her son, and her love for his father.