1. |
Sworn In Blood
05:05
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Took a knee before the captain
Said a prayer to the Warden
As he dragged his blade across my palms
And then split open, pools of blood
On the stone floor before me
"Rise, Blood Knight," the captain spoke
His broad hand resting on my shoulder
"You've no time to rest on your laurels,
The kingdom is entering dark days
And dark whispers pervade my dreams,"
I look into his worried eyes and he nods
And I rise as the Blood Knight -
"And now then, you must venture north
To the home of The Architect -
He is a strange hermit of a man
But I've heard incredible things about his machines,"
"If you befriend him perhaps he'll be so inclined
To share in his secrets."
I nod in agreement and set forth
Sworn in blood to country and king
My duty may cost me everything -
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2. |
Structure
03:37
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At the Architect's Lab
I find myself feeling unnerved
At the sounds of steam and
Twisting gears
Metal on metal and
Broken stones
I announce my presence
And through the doorway he appears
Stout and strong and carrying a wrench
He shakes my hand -
"A Blood Knight, how unusual,
Guess the King's been feeling a little nervous.
Come then, I'll show you around
Maybe I'll help you if you deserve this."
I thank him and we carry on through his lab
Giant machinations and half constructs
All of his own design
By a scrap heap I notice a beautiful blade
And inquire of its origin
"Don't you already have a sword," he says
"I suppose if you require
I can sate your armament desire -"
And he passes it into my hands.
"If the King and I were not old friends
I'm certain my will would not bend
But you alone might see the end
Of the impending threat to our lands."
"Go now to the chapel and pray,
And ask the Warden for the strength
For all of what is to come you cannot be afraid.
When the time is right to rejoin I'll be at your side
To lend my machines and my might
For tidings of an endless night have crept too close for comfort."
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3. |
Scion's Daybreak
08:55
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The light through the stained glass bounces
Off my sanguine armor
To reflect upon the altar in shades of red
And in a pew I take a knee and pray
For the Warden's protection
I hear a faint voice floating over the rows
And follow the sound to see where it goes -
A Maiden, The Light-of-Dawn,
Cooing her morning's song
My vows would not allow me to hold her in my arms
Nor would her vows allow her to return my charms
But still I interrupt her song -
"Sing with me, knight," she smiles and looks towards the light
I stare into her eyes and I notice
Her smile grows wide
We lift our voice in hymnal
And she lifts my hands to fit hers
In the light of the Warden
We shed our armor
The noon light cascades down
Through the skylight glass
And she returns to her duty
"For what we've done is a crime,
But in the moment quite sublime,
This heresy of you and I."
"At daybreak I'll return to the grove
And you cannot follow
For that I cannot allow
This new desire I must disavow."
She lowers her veil and steps back into her chambers
And I pray the Warden for a favor
To set her free...
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4. |
Grove of the Warden
04:17
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The Light-of-Dawn wends her way through the thickets
And the thistles and the trees
To the grove of the Warden in which her salvation lies
For her crimes her lips would hide
The treacherous tongue that lay inside
How she longs for his touch,
The knight's hands intertwined
With her own as they spin around the fields
And lay in the reeds
But something yet stirs
The Weaver and her entourage
Have made a grand arrival
With torches and flaming arrows
To burn the grove to the ground
"Witch!" the Light-of-Dawn spits,
As the first arrows are loosed
The Light-of-Dawn runs back
Through the thistles and thickets
And rushes and reeds
To escape the smoke and the flame
Of burning deities
"No false gods shall be honored,"
The Weaver announces with a sneer
"There is but one true god,
Which I shall soon make clear -
Winter."
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5. |
The Unanswered Prayer
05:51
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The Light-of-Dawn returns to the chapel and prays
For the Warden to bring its grove the rain
To stop the Weaver
A desperate plea to end she
Who has given her life to black sorcery
But no sign
No change in light
No burst of energy
To flood through her
Juxtaposed
The desire for the Knight
The choice between what is good and right
To divide her
As she forsook her god
Her god forsook her
The revelation shook her to her knees
A begging and a screaming "Please!"
To her god that fell on deaf ears
And as she turned to leave
A voice from the shadows whispered
"Going somewhere?"
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6. |
A Blade's Seduction
03:58
|
|||
|
"Come to me, dear girl,
I've heard so much about you
I promise I won't hurt you - much -
If you'd just do as I say -
They call me the Dagger,
The Weaver's blade
And I've come to make you an offer
It's up to you to make it a trade,"
The Light-of-Dawn flinched at a glimmer of steel from the shadows
And stepped back cautiously,
"I know not who you are but I pray your gods
For serving that blackhearted woman,"
"Hm, wrong choice," the Dagger smiled a vicious smile
And stepped out into the light.
For the first time the Light-of-Dawn saw the Dagger's face,
A beautiful woman with a scar down one cheek,
With a scarlet hood and black tunic
"A woman assassin," the Light-of-Dawn whispered to herself
As the Dagger approached.
"You're coming with me now," she said, her vicious smile
Growing ever more vile
"Not today," said a voice as the chapel doors slammed open,
The Knight entering with blade drawn.
"If you harm a hair upon her head
It will be you who finds herself dead
And no one will weep for the Weaver's lackey."
As quickly as she came, the Dagger vanished into the shadows
But a whisper on the wind chilled the Knight to his bones -
"I will return for you,
And with a blade into your spine
You will fall upon me as mine.
Mine, Knight. Mine."
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7. |
A Fall From Grace
06:01
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"Did she hurt you?" The Knight swept forth
And embraced his Light-of-Dawn
"No, but we mustn't be seen. We are all in danger now,
The Weaver wishes to be queen."
"We must make an escape then," the Knight spoke,
"Follow me and you will be safe.
No matter how the Weaver spreads her plagues
You will be okay."
"She burned the Grove!" The Light-of-Dawn exclaimed,
and all the color ran from the Knight's face.
"She must be contained!" The Knight said emphatically,
"We cannot let her burn our gods and slay our people,
We must condemn her boundless evil."
"But can it be done? The countrymen are buzzing
With intent to follow her lead,
She's promised them riches beyond
All of their wildest dreams -
And they believe. They burn their gods
And worship only she." The knight grimaced
And the Light-of-Dawn's face fell sullen.
A voice rang out from the street below,
"Pray your gods, it's the Weaver!"
And the yell was stifled and the night returned to silence -
The Knight rose - he could not condone the impending violence.
"Renounce your gods and pray only to me!
I am the one truth, in which you should believe.
And in your belief I will set you free,
And no others you shall seek."
The Weaver and the Light-of-Dawn locked eyes
And the Weaver flashed her crooked smile.
"This harlot of the Warden should be expelled,
For she will know no greater hell
Than not giving into me."
"Enough!" The Knight yelled, drawing his blade.
"I serve only country and King, and I've realized your aim -
You wish to be God and Queen, and this I cannot let continue!"
"And who do you think YOU are?" The Weaver laughed
As dark magics played at her fingertips
"Seize him!" She cried as her golems rose from the cobblestone
And lumbered towards the knight.
"Run!" The knight shouted to the Light-of-Dawn,
and she lifted her skirts and fled deeper into the chapel
"You cannot hope to win," the Weaver smirked.
"For your gods have been abandoned and your country
Will soon be mine."
An echo in his ear
Growing ever clear
His soul bound to hers
To be hers
No matter how he hacked and slashed
The Weaver's golems continued to rise
And overcome he retreated and barred the doors
Until with a cackle the threat was no more -
"The next time we meet, Knight, I will not be as kind
I do not forget a slight nor will I forget
That I will take what is rightfully mine
And snuff your beloved Light."
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8. |
The Weaver's Rise
07:24
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As the Knight and Light-of-Dawn traversed tunnels below the chapel
To return to the Architect's lab
The Weaver and her golems rallied the kingdom to their side
One by one, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
A bird brought news of the impending coup
From their worried king
Rallying his knights back to his side
To stop such a wretched thing.
But the Weaver could not be cast aside
As the days passed by the birds started to subside
And fear struck our three heroes' hearts.
Her rise meteoric as the king grew ever more stoic
She called on him for parley
To lure him out, the Knight had no doubt
That she desired only the king's head.
But the King was no dull man,
A man strong like an ox and smart like a raven
He acquiesced to her invitation
For he was no craven
But when the King turned the tables
The Weaver hissed and withdrew
The knights and golems clashed on
What would become killing fields
They warred to a stalemate,
No magic could overcome steel
The summer air hung heavy
And stifled the Weaver's evil -
And in her mind a seed took root
A vile thing, an incantation of old
To bring upon the final winter
And the sun would set one last time
And during that endless night she would rise...
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9. |
Howling Wind
04:39
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The Architect unveiled his latest creation
To the glee of the Light-of-Dawn
And to the bemusement of the Knight
A vehicle in which to ride across the sunset's plains
To aid escape, to carve a way
To recede if need be.
For the winds had as of late begun to howl
And none had heard a whisper of the Weaver
Naturally fear had begun to wander
Into the heads of our three
The Light-of-Dawn looked up into the Knight's eyes
And clasped his hands within her own -
"It will be alright. The Warden provides,
And no Weaver could make that subside."
The Knight said nothing and looked down at her hands
Small and fragile. What would a Dagger want of a maiden so fair?
He did not want to find out.
"Rumors have surfaced that the Weaver intends to invoke
Fimbulvetr -" The Architect rushed in to interrupt,
"If she succeeds the kingdom is doomed,
And nothing within our power will stop her then."
The Knight and Light-of-Dawn stared at the Architect in fear -
What could they hope to do? The winter war
About to be unveiled
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10. |
The Summoning
07:43
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As the three slept a flashbang exploded
And in the Dagger came -
"Give her to me and I'll spare your life, Architect.
You are a fool to dare fight me."
The Architect cowered behind a heap of twisted metal,
And the Dagger pushed him aside.
"Where have you taken the Light-of-Dawn?" she sneered,
Sweeping aside blueprints and pages of plans
Destroying all that the Architect could dream up -
"I will never give in to your demands!" The Architect shouted,
Reaching for a wrench with which to defend -
"Not so fast," the Dagger sneered,
And caught him over the head.
"Dagger again?" The Knight emerged, blade ready in hand.
"You will not take her from me!" He pulled the blade
And at the Dagger he swung -
At nothing, at espers, at shadow.
"Such a shame," the Dagger held a blade to the Knight's throat.
"In your armor I'd have no such weakness to exploit
But to catch you in the evening's pleasurable throes
I could do with you what I will."
"My orders were to take the girl and go,
But if I must your blood will spill.
Resist and you will know a slow death,
And I'll stab and rend until I've had my fill."
"Why do you want her?" The Knight spat in a rage,
And the Dagger simply laughed.
"The invocation calls for the blood of a maiden fair,
And I know of only one up to task
So now stop with your questioning
And give to me everything I ask."
"And if I don't?" The Knight struggled.
"Then you die." The Dagger snickered as she stabbed her blade
Into the chest of the Knight.
"No mortal wound, but now you cannot put up a fight.
Give her to me or you will know pain unimaginable."
"No. I give myself to save him," the Light-of-Dawn emerged.
"You can't!" The Knight yelled, as the Dagger took her quarry.
"I love you, Knight." The Light-of-Dawn softly smiled
And the Dagger bound her and claimed her wicked prize
From the floor the Knight would watch the blood pool
Underneath his smallclothes and onto the stone
And the Dagger fled into the night with what was his alone
Our three in disarray
And the Weaver with the upper hand
As dark clouds gathered at her ritual altar
Her eyes glowing with prismatic light
As the incantations rose over the war drums
And the clouds gathered in a spiral
To invoke Fimbulvetr
As the Light-of-Dawn's blood pooled
Into the wretched vial
And pale she would lay
As the Weaver began to rise
Above the altar and above the plains
To bring upon the endless winter
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11. |
A Maiden's Whisper
09:30
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"Save me,"
She pleads
As the Weaver takes the Light-of-Dawn
And the first light of dawn cracks the sky
The sunlight wakes the Knight and the Architect
Since the Dagger had gone
And left her destruction in her wake
"We've got to get her back,"
The Knight furrows his brow -
"The Weaver must be punished for her crimes."
"But how will we find her, how will we know?"
The Architect mused, scratching his beard.
"It seems like it would all be so simple...
We will find her where the Weaver
Least expects us to search for her..."
"The Grove of the Warden."
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12. |
The Architect's Gambit
04:51
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At the Grove, the Knight and Architect found
The Light-of-Dawn upon the burned altar
"You've come to save her?" The Weaver spoke,
As she stepped from the shadows
"You're foolish to be trying this again,
But I suppose some credit is owed
I ought to thank you for making her capture so easy
And soon, you will all freeze with me..."
"Enough!" The Architect smiled a devious smile -
"Rise!" He yelled, as the ground around them ruptured
And the Architect's greatest machination emerged
In one fell swoop the Architect had the Light-of-Dawn safe and sound
And back into the ground the three receded
Where their progress could not be impeded
By the Weaver -
"She's started the ritual of Fimbulvetr,"
The Light-of-Dawn gasped.
"The only thing that can stop her now
Is the Holy Flame of the Warden,
And she knows this well.
We must make it to the Sanctum of Light
To stop her snowy hell,
But it is guarded tremendously
And it will take our greatest strength
For if we fail we'll lose it all
And die in the never ending winter..."
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13. |
The Holy Flame
12:11
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Preparations were made to capture the Holy Flame
The Light-of-Dawn led the way
The noon sun high in the sky as they infiltrate
The guards in league with the Weaver
The Warden's men dead at their hands
Blood flowing over the marble
The Knight draws his blade
And they decide
To split up
"We might not all come back,
But one of us must lead the attack
And the others must capture the Flame
Light-of-Dawn you must come with me,
Architect, you must make your way
Let your machinations obfuscate
So we can all escape."
And into the Sanctum they went
Evading guards at each turn
The danger was only just beginning
They would soon learn
That the Weaver lay in wait
One step ahead of the game
Her victory all but certain
To capture the Holy Flame
"Knight, you fool, you brought her back to me!"
The Weaver laughed as she stepped closer
With a flick of her wrist she bound the Knight
Inside a crystal web
"Run!" The Knight yelled to the Light-of-Dawn,
And she made her hurried flight
The Knight in his binding could not put up a fight
The Weaver cackled and stepped up to the dais
To end the hope to be saved
And snuffed the Flame
"It's all been too easy," she smiled as she walked away
The Architect arrived too late
But the Light of Dawn in a flurry
She knew she'd better hurry
For the Weaver would have more uses for her
The Light escaped through the rushes and the reeds
And the Knight untied
Hopes to find her
Before the Weaver
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14. |
||||
|
Through the forest she ran
As the sun set and the night began
The flight of the Light-of-Dawn
Hoping to elude her captors
But what good would ever come
What hope is there
For the Winter would soon begin
And the snow would consume them all
So why run at all
As she fell to the ground in despair
Soon the Winter would be here
And then there would be nothing but fear
As the black wind rose
The Weaver close
And the Knight not far behind
But too late to save her
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15. |
Calamity's Clutch
05:34
|
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In her vile lair The Weaver held the Light-of-Dawn as her prisoner
Her Dagger at her side in her thrall
"There remains but one obstacle before we have it all, Dagger,
One small blockade in our way -
The King must fall at last, and we can rise and rule.
Carry out my demands and I will see you justly rewarded."
The realm above in fear at the lack of morning sun
Where the sky was once bright -
Now there was none but black
"I shall not disappoint," the Dagger smiled and slipped away
It would be a few days yet before progress would be made
The Architect and the Knight sought refuge in the lab
While they licked their wounds from yet another setback
The calamity impending, there was no use pretending
That things were going their way at all
What they had gotten into was so much bigger than they were
But they could not stop their fight now
When outside...
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16. |
Snowfall
05:06
|
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|
...the first flakes of the endless winter began to fall
As the Dagger made her journey
Slipping through the city shadows
To infiltrate, to pervade, to eliminate
Her prize the greatest of all
The Weaver awaited the city's flares
To signal such growing despair
And each passing moment that crept by
She grew more impatient
"Foolish Dagger, taking her sweet time
To give me what is rightfully mine..."
While above in the city unrest grew
As the Dagger slew
And wended her way
Into the castle...
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17. |
The Assassination
05:28
|
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The Dagger at the King's throat
With a vicious smile
"I didn't think it'd be this simple,
I never knew it'd be this easy,
But today you shall die."
"Hold!" The King croaked,
The breath ragged in his throat
"What purpose does killing me serve you?
If you let me go now I will give you anything you could dream
And set you free."
"I know who you are and who you serve
And I know that a better life is what you deserve
So take my gold, take my riches,
Take the robes from my back, if those be your wishes
But spare me my life and I will not break this oath
That you will live a safe and protected life no matter where you go."
"Nope." The Dagger said, slitting his throat,
The King falling to the ground in a crumpled heap.
And his blood flowed out onto the marbled floor
As the Dagger slipped away again into the shadows
To shoot off a flare over the ramparts
Signifying the last dam had been broken
And all their ambitions were realized
|
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18. |
||||
|
With a drop of the King's blood,
The Weaver began her incantations
The King now dead and the Dagger back in her clutch
The Crystal Tower could now rise from the dust
Spires of ice and pinnacles of jagged shards
Piercing forth from the barren earth
The Weaver's evil smile gleamed as the frozen keep
Rose from its eternal sleep
"What is rightfully mine..."
She ascended the twisting staircase, cackling madly
To look upon the kingdom below now hers
As no force could dare rise up against
And the howling winds began to pick up their pace
|
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19. |
A Reckoning
08:18
|
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|
"Find him and bring him to me, his little friend too."
The Weaver scowled from her throne,
Flicking her wrist at the Dagger
Her days of being a conqueror had gotten to her head at last
Power crazed and miserable
She sat dazed and uncomfortable
Making ridiculous demands
But today she decided to bring her last threat into her grasp
The Knight would be captured at last
A reckoning for those who defied her
An execution following close behind
The Dagger could not take them alone
So she led a small force to the Knight's home
Where in his smallclothes with his guard down
She captured him without coming to blows
A spear at his throat, she forced him to betray the Architect
And he set his lab ablaze
And barefoot the Dagger forced the Knight
To trudge through the shin-deep snow
To the spire that loomed large over the land below...
|
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20. |
The Trial
12:16
|
|||
|
Bloodied and dragged,
The Knight stood before a kangaroo jury
In a mockery of law, the Weaver reigned
As Judge and Executioner both
"You stand on trial for your crimes against the kingdom,
The assault and burglary of the Warden's Sanctum,
The attempted theft of the Holy Flame,
And the open defiance and conspiracy to kill... me."
The Weaver's cronies all crowed the same song
"Kill him!"
"We shall certainly!" The Weaver cackled,
"But first we must make him suffer!" She shouted as the jury cheered.
"Bring in the Light-of-Dawn! Testify against him,
Or you too will be punished for your crimes!"
And she remained silent too long -
The Dagger placed a blade to her spine to end her silent song
"He forced us to do his bidding,
And forced me into unwanted bedding,
The Knight broke all his vows to the kingdom
The day he swept me into his arms in the chapel,
I broke my own vows but I never repented..."
As she looked out she saw the sad eyes of the Knight,
And mustered her deepest courage -
And for this I have sinned as well
But this I confess in the name of the Warden
That I atone for his sins and mine
For his love was divine! What could I say -"
And the Dagger drew blood as the Light-of-Dawn froze up
As her story changed midway, the Dagger could not be kept at bay
"It's not a mortal wound, but it should be,
How fine and bittersweet it would be
If you watched her die while you remained in chains
But a greater purpose for her yet remains..."
The Dagger took her away...
"Bring in the Architect!" The Weaver laughed, fitfully clapping
From her cold throne
"Let the jury hear of a best friend's betrayal!"
"He burned my lab and scorched my plans,"
The Architect cried, his hands burnt and bandaged
"And all this time I thought we were friends..."
"My hand was forced, my friend,
Or they would bring my life to a bitter end" -
The Knight cried, as a gag was placed around his mouth
"So foolish! Take him away too," the Weaver giggled,
Delusional and vile,
Yet immature and infantile
All the power in the world at her fingertips
And she used it to murder
"Knight, you are sentenced to die at the tolling of the midnight bell,
And until then you will be confined to a pitch black cell
Because I know the darkness will bring you the deepest hell...
But I will leave a small window
So you can hear your Light's screams.
Oh how wonderful it will all soon be..."
|
||||
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