Page 37

It was a terrible curse that was laid upon them. No matter how hard the Knights worked, how hard they trained, the curse kept them weaker than all of the other Clans. They were targets for any brigand clan that wanted to hunt them.

One day, Blade could stand the pain of his Clan no longer. Rizzen should have warned him of the foolhardiness of the course of action he chose, because Blade had no chance of succeeding. To Blade however, honour was paramount. He would have suffered the curse alone and uncomplaining, but his Knights were also suffering. He confronted the evil Goddess. He demanded she lift the curse. He stood there alone before the power and might of the evil Goddess. I suppose he thought that only he would be punished for his temerity. He was wrong.

The likes of the punishment she delivered has never been seen before or since. The Lands shook with her anger. With one sweep of her arm it was as though both Blade and Rizzen had never existed. She called on the Greater God Dimi to lay waste to the Crimson Keep. He, who had always built and created beauty, bowed to her demands, and destroyed the Keep. A pile of rubble was all that remained for the lost souls of Crimson to wander through.

Page 38

The very mention of the Clan of the Crimson Knights was forbidden and it lived on only in the memories of those who had been Knights.

The child had forgotten where she was. For a while she had been transported to that ghost Keep, hearing only the keening of those mourning the loss of more than a home, but the sudden movement by Darius brought her back to the room. He shook off Kayal's arm, stood, and walked abruptly out to the balcony. Kayal sighed and said softly "I feared the memories might hurt him."

Child, he was a great Knight, strong, independent, but dependable once he had declared allegiances. They all were. After the devastation of their Keep, many left the lands, never to return. I could not insult their beliefs by directly suggesting that they come to World. I set a whisper of hope loose on the wind and those that were searching followed their hearts when they were ready. The City of Hearts eventually became home to some of them and they accepted that our magic did not corrupt the lands. In many ways we were closest to them, since we aimed to hold the balance and not harm the lands.

Page 39

Some remained moody and a little brittle from their experiences. Akasha was one of the ones that never seemed to find the new answers her heart was seeking. She had just been named a Leader of Crimson, before its downfall. Rumours had blamed her for the downfall. Some said that her promotion had caused a major upheaval within the clan. A rebellion looked imminent, though I still believe that the root of Crimson's problem was that terrible curse. I know she wanted to lead World, perhaps because she craved power, but more likely to prove she could. Crimson was snatched from her almost as soon as it was hers. She reached silver and was true to her vows to world, but she never understood us enough to become Gold. She was another that left us for New Sylvan. Sadly she left there too. There was no peace in her soul after the Knights died. I think eventually she followed Blade and left the lands in search of his dream.