Jayde is a 14 year old thief who was just trying to scrape by without the city of Haynis crushing her dreams. She would love to learn more about the world of magic, but Haynis is a city filled with miscreants, cut-purses, and thugs, not Talented individuals. That is, until late one night three men start chasing her with crossbows, and Jayde learns sometimes a little knowledge can be deadly.
1,000 years ago, the four great countries warred continuously. Countless lives had been lost. The leaders at the time knew something had to be done to end the cycle of barbaric conflict. Ultimately, the four countries met and decided to cast a spell. The spell would pick five individuals, one from each of the four countries, and a fifth to lead them. These five individuals would be called “The Chosen.”
The Chosen would be granted power above all others. The spell ensured that the Chosen had both fantastic magical Talents as well as ethical and moral purity. The best, most Talented from all the countries combined their efforts and cast their spell.
And, much to their surprise, the spell worked. The five Chosen roamed the lands, putting out fires, settling disputes, and squelching problems as they arose. Over time, the wars ended and the four great countries entered a time of peace, thanks mainly to the Chosen.
This was all 1,000 years ago, and centuries passed. The Chosen became celebrities of a sort, being hailed as heroes wherever they went. Whenever one of the Chosen died, the other four would be able to feel a pull towards the next individual (or creature) that would join them. Only as five did they have any power, but it was rare for the Chosen to lack a member for more than just a few weeks.
200 years ago, a king by the name of Zolf Heller waged war against the neighboring country of Tenland to the north. The countries had lived in peace for many years, and such actions were unheard of. Naturally, the Chosen responded.
The king met with them briefly and threw them all out. The Chosen had always been respected. Their word was supposed to be above the word of kings or queens. For the first time, someone deliberately disobeyed them. The five Chosen realized this king’s war was serious trouble.
The Chosen spoke with all of the other leaders. King Heller’s actions had to be met with force, yet after living in peace for so long, going to war seemed ludicrous. Again the Chosen were defied by leaders, this time, refusing to go to war to stop the king.
The Chosen, being magically gifted themselves, returned to King Heller and demanded he cease his war a once.
He killed them all.
The king then sought out the most Talented Diviner in the land. She cast a spell and predicted the future. He would remain invulnerable unless the Chosen stopped him.
Even though the king had killed all five member, a new five would be chosen by the spell. But, they would have no true power unless all member could unite once again. Thus, the king created an army of assassins. The sole purpose of this army was to search out any individual with even a whiff of potential to become a Chosen and kill them before they even had a chance.
Our story begins 200 years after this encounter. Few people even remember the Chosen exist. And in the scummy city of Haynis, a girl of fourteen runs for her life across rooftops in the middle of the night, and she has no idea why.