In the year 4302 YND arguably the greatest prophet of recorded history was born in the Dorian Empire. By 4367 YND, the Dorian Empire had collapsed. Everyone knows about the thirteen prophesies of Xenos, Fabled Prophet of The Great Dragon, that foretold the fall of the Dorian Empire and many subsequent events. Currently, eight of the thirteen have been fulfilled, and it is believed the last prophesy foretells the end of the world.
What is not so well known is that there are in fact rumours that Xenos in fact made not thirteen, but thirty prophesies, and some say that number is in fact forty. Alas, the Xenodorian Church suppresses this view as much as possible. Unfortunately, this leads to the occasional mad man or charlatan claiming to have one of the forbidden prophecies and trying to pawn off a poor fabrication in order to make a buck, or perhaps manipulate foolish people.
The final prophesy of Xenos is widely thought to predict the end of the world, though the circumstances and whether it is avoidable, is subject to open speculation.
The Thirteen Official Prophesies of Xenos
I
Twelve years after the fall of the great emperor whose throne is covered in blood, the false son shall cut apart his father’s inheritance with the stroke of a quill. The false peace shall end in fire, and the parchment shall burn like the sun. Swords will be crossed, and brethren shall turn against brethren. Invaders from the north shall rain blood and fire on the crystal city. Far below, they shall shout the sky is falling.
II
From burning ashes shall be reborn the magnificent imperial phoenix, and as the spear of wind shall fly above the battlefield, so shall the eternal war commence. The earth shall shudder and the children of the mountains shall shout in triumphant victory. The children of the forest shall scatter as leaves from a dying tree.
III
From out of the countryside shall arise a champion of the people, to fight the silver-tongued oppressor. A sign from above shall be the glorious knight’s challenge against the false lord and his tower that reaches the sky. For twenty generations shall the Emperor of Light and the Emperor of Darkness duel. They shall scar the world’s fields and the dead shall serve once and forever more in battle.
IV
A false prophet shall lead the people astray. He will come cloaked in the garb of wealth and power. From his pocket will come bad luck and foolishness. With a serpent tongue he shall betray nations and the masses. From atop the mountain of gold he shall fall, slain by his own foolishness.
V
The man called the dragon shall slay the king of dragons and steal his crown. Though a fierce wind shall blast the world for a time the world will be sheltered from its fury. The dragons shall see no sun on the horizon and search for another. The man of many names shall build a house in the sand and send many away like fish.
VI
The third emperor shall call no god his master. He shall raise an army like none before. The sky will sound with roar of his might, but his own power will be his ultimate undoing and his successors shall bear him no likeness. The worshipers of the law shall ascend to the clouds, and an age of war shall begin.
VII
Amidst a grave indiscretion shall there be a call to arms, and the rumblings of war shall spread to the land of lavender fields. There shall the blood of the sacrificed saint be soaked. Tears from the daughter of angels shall decree the land to be sanctuary. No sword or fire shall touch this land for a time until the daughter of angels is disgraced, and the blasphemy is uttered. Then shall vengeance be sought, and again the call to arms shall see the lords of the darkest realms shall suffer for their crimes.
VIII
A king shall be betrayed by his most trusted. The princess of the fallen king shall seek sanctuary in lavender fields. Over her, the sounds of great armies shall echo. A false king shall use pretenses to declare war, and his allies shall have their boots on his neck. The army of thunder and metal shall claim the world as their own.
IX
A fool’s gambit shall bring great harm to the world. A crack in the sky shall appear as sign to clear sighted, and the gate to unspeakable horror opened for a time. In the wake of legions, war shall call forth madness. Only those chosen by the angels shall resist the onslaught, and for a time the lords of darkness shall spread. The lords shall connive and fight amongst themselves, until divine retribution from the four corners.
X
At the height of their glory shall the greatest empires fall, in the wake of a sign from beyond the bluest sea. The invincible fortress will shatter against the weight of the world. Chaos shall flicker among ruined citadels until the champions of the stars bring order once again. The sky shall fill with fire and metal riding the clouds, until the castle in the sky is found.
XI
From the ashes of the ziggurat shall rise a new banner. An empire of darkness shall cover the land with the sound of clashing swords and the thundering of metal horses. The lord of madness thinks to himself that he shall claim the power of the gods, but instead shall bring their ire. Those that play with the fire that created the world shall be burned by it.
XII
Beware the necromancer and his machinations. Like a thief in the night shall he steal the prodigal daughter, and turn her into darkness. Only the childhood’s end will prevent disaster. A child born with the blood of angels shall make a pact with one with the forbidden wisdom beyond words. Their protector will be untouched by the power of the elements, and shall slay the Lord of the Dragon’s Empire.
XIII
A sign from the heavens shall signal the final act. The four moons shall unite as one in an unholy ritual. The elements that bring life to the world shall be bound to wall between today and tomorrow. The prayer to the deaf God shall be heard, and tear open the very fabric of the elements, and the world shall be unraveled and remade.