Crimsonheart Castle/Story
Story
Note: The Crimsonheart Castle storyline was removed as of the Post-NEXT / Stargazer Update.
A Call for Help
A traveler was contacted by Grendel the Really Old, who asked if they were interested in learning more about the world of Tynerum. They decided to meet him in Ellinia, where he told them about the Grand Athenaeum, a library which contained all the knowledge in the universe. He explained that much like the Akashic Records of old, the Grand Athenaeum was a place where magicians who surpassed time and space could gather in order to share their knowledge. He told them that some of the library's books even had personalities of their own, and that one particular book had kept following him around until he had opened it. Inside, he had found that it was written in a strange language, which he had translated and discovered to be a distress call from a magician named Ridley, who had written that Tynerum was on the verge of collapse, as chaos ruled and law was gone, with the pride of the demons fallen to the ground. He then requested for anyone receiving his message to send help immediately.
Grendel told the traveler that according to ancient records, Tynerum was the distant world of the demons, located far from Maple World. With little knowledge of Tynerum, and with the demons reappearing in Maple World after centuries, Grendel believed that the distress call warranted investigation. Using the library book as a medium, Grendel created a portal that allowed the traveler to enter Crimsonheart Castle in Tynerum. Inside the castle, the traveler discovered that several pure-blood demon children had been imprisoned within. The traveler spoke with their leader, a girl named Pepper, who was surprised that an outsider had come to help them, as none of them had sent out a distress call. Pepper explained that all the children had been captured from a nearby town, to which the traveler asked her whether there was anyone who would come to their rescue. Pepper told the traveler that they must not know the situation in Tynerum as an outsider, explaining that due to the ongoing great war, their nation had all but collapsed, with only a few small villages remaining. She revealed that a group of unknown, violent assailants had kidnapped them as they had struggled to survive, and that she had overheard that they were planning to conduct some sort of ritual sacrifice. The traveler then asked Pepper whether there was a magician named Ridley amongst them, to which Pepper replied that she had never heard of anyone with such a name before.
Escaping the Fortress
Just then, a statue called the traveler over and explained that he was Ridley, the one who had sent the distress call. Ridley welcomed the traveler to Crimsonheart Castle and explained that it had once been a majestic and impregnable fortress until it had fallen in the great war hundreds of years ago, leaving it a desolate state. He also that during the fall of Crimsonheart Castle, he had been turned to stone from a curse, leaving him frozen for centuries. Because of this, he had been unable to tell the captured demon children about several secret passageways that could help them escape from the castle, which was why he had sent a call for help through an enchanted book in the Grand Athenaeum. At Ridley's request, the traveler informed Pepper about the secret passageways, though Pepper explained that the passageways were heavily guarded, making it impossible to escape through them. Just then, Grendel telepathically contacted the traveler and asked what they had found out. After hearing about the situation, Grendel realized that the state of Tynerum was indeed grim, though he asked the traveler to continue investigating by helping the demon children. In order to clear a path for the children to escape, the traveler fought and defeated the monsters and soldiers patrolling outside the area. With the traveler's help, Pepper and the other demons were successfully able to flee the castle and thanked the traveler profusely for their help.
The traveler then spoke with Ridley, who revealed that the monsters outside the castle had once been the proud knights of Crimsonheart Castle until they had been corrupted by an evil force during the great war. The traveler asked Ridley why they had been corrupted, to which he explained that it remained unknown, as the origins of the great war remained shrouded in mystery. As he had been frozen in place for centuries, Ridley regretfully admitted that he had no knowledge of what had been transpiring in the outside world. After speaking with Ridley, the traveler contacted Grendel and informed him about everything that they had learned. Grendel was surprised to know that not even the demons were aware about the cause of their great war, and so he asked the traveler to leave Crimsonheart Castle and investigate the outside world. However, the traveler found the path to the exit blocked by a powerful warrior named Master Red Nirg. Though the traveler was able to defeat him, they noted that despite being a demon, he had been exuding a strange aura.
The traveler then discovered that a powerful barrier was preventing them from exiting the castle. They reported back to Grendel, who realized that their investigation couldn't continue, as the barrier had been designed to keep outsiders out. However, he noted that there was indeed more to Tynerum than what met the eye and added that they would get a chance to continue learning more, as the barrier wouldn't last forever. He then thanked the traveler for their help in learning more about Tynerum, explaining that he couldn't help but be curious about it as a member of Maple World, a member of the Alliance, but most importantly, as a scholar.[1]
References
- ↑ At the end of the Crimsonheart Castle storyline, the Demon gets some exclusive dialogue. He tells Mastema that this was his first time coming to Tynerum in-person, as he had only ever heard stories about it. Mastema notes that it's a much livelier place than she had thought, as she had also only ever heard stories about it. The Demon then reflects back on how he had been brought up in a community of half-blood demons who had crossed over to Maple World some time ago. He recalls how it hadn't been easy growing up in Maple World as a half-blood demon, for while he had been fortunate enough to have earned respect by being born with demon powers, Damien had been born weak and sickly, for which he had been forced to become even stronger in order to keep his family safe from harm. He then tells Mastema that from the stories that he had heard about Tynerum from the high-ranking demons of his community, he had learned that Tynerum had fallen into chaos in the absence of a strong ruler, which was why he had believed in the Black Mage's ideals to conquer Maple World and become a Commander, though he lamented that he had lost everything as a result. After a pause, he tells Mastema that he never wants to lose anyone like that again, adding that he wouldn't make that mistake again if he got the chance to do it over. He explains that it would be better if he were to pick up his sword simply to protect what he loved, rather for any sort of grand ideal, noting that Damien would agree.