STORY STARTER
Submitted by A.E. Cephas
Write a short story utilising a character with a magic satchel containing five items. What items does your character pull from the magic satchel?
Try to surprise your reader with the five items! Choose carefully!
Satchel Of Stolen Secrets
Among the hill peoples of Danemere, so their spoken folktales told, was a hidden trove of ancient treasures kept from sight, deep within a mountain cave. Many a hero and as many a treasure hunter came to the Primean Hills to find the trove only to be misled, misguided or miserable. For the legend and all it’s rumors neglected to describe that, not only was the treasure trove of hidden, but it was guarded by an envious entity: the Katamaul. The creature was half ghost half demon, seeming to be more of a phantasm than mortal flesh. Somehow it was perhaps both.
For those who sought the treasure, it would prove to be the nightmare withholding access to their dream.
Ajis was a different sort of adventuring. He did not seek treasure for its own sake or wish for thrills. His goal was not to be rich or famous, but to uncover hidden truths and explore places unknown. However, this time he was summoned by the king and commanded to seek out the hidden treasure of the Hills for a greater purpose.
The King’s only child, his beautiful daughter, Eloenne, had fallen ill from a curse put upon her by a jealous faer and it was said that only the Mythic Stone of Arosea could cure her. It was rumored to be amongst the greatest treasures hidden in the Primean caves and coveted by the mysterious and lethal Katamaul.
Ajis set off for the Hills with a few close allies, mostly mercenaries whom he paid, but also the Mage Coren, whom he trusted more than anyone. The king’s most venerable knight, Lukas the Tempered, and his faithful conjurer, Diandana, were also sent with Ajis to help secure the Mythic Stone and its promise of healing.
What all but Coren did not know was that Ajis had obtained a stolen treasure of his own from his latest adventure to the Troll Kingdom. It was likely a prize that had been stolen many times before. It was a “satchel of secrets” that held all the greatest magical weapons from the five realms. From ancient Danemere the magic satchel held the iron Helm of Awe - able to hide its wearer, as if invisible. From Chalcidea, the vast land of rivers and marshes, the magical weapon known as the Hellespeare Sword was hidden in the shadows of the satchel’s unknown depths. From the dark and misty northern kingdom of Sythera, the summoning mirror was said to be hidden in Ajis’s stolen satchel, as too, from Kindrega, the desert realm, the cloak of visions was said to be found. And it was told a fifth weapon dwelled there, as well; dormant and broken but powerful beyond reckoning. Mystics called it the Stygian Stone. It was part of a once greater weapon whose power had not been tested in over a thousand years, since the Great Schism.
Surely Ajis and his allies would need some or all of these hidden, stolen, secret weapons to retrieve the Mythic Stone and overcome the protective wrath of the Katamaul. Ajis was determined to discover the secrets of the sought after Stone and make the most of his stolen satchel. But the Primean Hills were far and on their chosen path Coren could sense there were others hoping to pursue the king’s wishes on their own and others still who would compete to take the treasure for themselves.
Super interesting! If you made this into a book I would definitely read it!