Heroes, Magic and Monsters

Merchant caravan was approaching capitol of Ashgrin kingdom. Ashgrin was eastern human kingdom. Its eastern border was near uninhabited lands - vast planes filled with monsters and unknown dangers. According to the stories legendary elemental city was located in its middle. Kings off Ashgrin slowly populated the uninhabited lands sending there peasants to make their kingdom bigger and richer. Kings and queens ruled Ashgrin from their capitol, the town that was called a jewel among Ashgrin towns.

Biggest town in the kingdom capitol was surrounded by three dungeons. Brave adventures regularly visited these dungeons and brought back magic stones. Most of the strongest adventurers of Ashgrin lived in the capitol and they were legends admired by rich and poor, young and old. Every year people from surrounding lands came to capitol to register in Adventurers guild and became one of such legends.

Magic stones that adventures brought to capitol where used by alchemists to create many artifacts that enriched lives of the Ashgrin people. Among them were lanterns that could illuminate the whole capitol even during darkest nights. They could provide heat during winter and cool air during hot summer. Create cold that could preserve their food, and create water to drink and fire to cook. Such was abundance of those artifacts, that rulers of Ashgrin build three fountains inside the capitol, to make their home town more beautiful.

Bigger magic stones were sold to skilled blacksmiths. In the blacksmiths' quarter weaponsmiths with magic skills worked day and night creating magic weapons, that rivaled the artifacts from the dungeons.

Steady supply of such artifacts were sold to neighboring kingdoms and gold filled the chests of kingdom nobles and kings treasury.

Rich people of capitol had low tolerance for beggars, and guards that patrolled the streets would immediately arrest them and put to public work, to cure them from such unsightly behavior. After all such people had no place in jewel of Ashgrin. The town that was famous for having the only academies in kingdom.

Most famous of them was Magic academy. More than a thousand people every year tried to become students of Magic academy, but only one hundred of them were accepted. Those who were accepted could learn magic related skill, and became powerful mages that could destroy whole pack of monsters with a single spell.

Second in size was Knight academy. Only people of noble blood could enter Knight academy where they learned warrior skills and later became swords that protected the kingdom from monsters and outside enemies. All generals that served the kingdom where graduates of Knight academy and no one doubted the strength and bravery of the noble students.

The rival of Knight academy was Adventurers academy. Unlike the academy for noble people of Ashgrin, Adventurers academy accepted people of all backgrounds and races. But strict were teachers from Adventurers academy, and only people who proved their dedication were allowed to join the student ranks of Adventurers academy. Before joining the ranks of their seniors, people needed to register in Adventurers guild and become an E rank adventurers. Only then they were allowed to join the other students of Adventurers academy. Unlike the Knight academy, their rival taught past and future adventurers all kind off skills. Starting with most important warrior skills and also Trap detection, Tracking, Hunting, Scouting and other skills that adventurers may need in their line of work. Academies were surrounded by high walls and were the size of small villages. People that passed them by, admired them and jealously watched proud students.

But those wasn't only things that made capitol famous. Capitol was also famous with its cobbled streets and buildings made only from stone. The tallest building in the capitol that dwarfed even kings palace was Mage guild tower. People feared mages. Behind closed doors they told stories about mages who could use legendary fifth level spells. Nothing was impossible for such mages. With a single spell they could heal the sick, walk on water or even fly. Such mages could destroy small armies using only their magic, and travel the distances of hundreds of kilometers in a single moment. But people not only feared the mages, but also loved them. After all mages were the shield that protected the kingdom from its enemies and most powerful monster that inhabited the lands of Ashgrin.

Mages never discriminated and their doors were always open to anyone who wanted to learn spells that would make their life easier. No matter old or young, human or beastmen, male or female, everyone was welcomed in Mage guild, were they could learn spells and buy spellbooks.

Every legendary adventurer and even hero party had a mage among their ranks, who could change an outcome of a battle with a single spell. Every boy in the capitol dreamed of becoming such a hero and hundreds of them saved every single copper coin, so they could someday buy a magic book and become legendary heroes.

Capitol was located in the middle of the kingdom, and people that lived in there always said, that all roads led to the capitol. All kind of riches were brought to the capitol using those roads.

Merchants travelled all year long to the capitol and from it. And huge markets sold any imaginable goods that could be found in the kingdom.

One such group of merchants approached capitols gates. They were guarded by adventurers party. Among the adventures was a warrior, carrying sword and a shield, protected by an armor. Mage with a magic staff. Catgirl scout and even elven archer. Long journey was behind them, but finally they reached the capitol, place where they dreams could come true.

Merchants entered the capitol and signed request forms that proved that another adventurers party successfully completed their job, by guarding the lives of Ashgrin people. Now adventurers could receive their payment in Adventurers guild and continue serving the people that lived in the capitol, protecting them and their homes.