In the time before the decay, before the darkness crept into every root and branch, there was a prince, a ruler of the Kingdom of Rotland. He was known as Wadern, a name that rang through the kingdom like the sound of a gentle breeze passing through the trees. Rotland, unlike any other kingdom in the land of Makehsm, was a paradise of lush growth, where colossal mushroom spires towered over the land, and bioluminescent fungus painted the skies with an eerie, otherworldly glow. The kingdom was alive in ways other realms couldn't fathom. It was a perfect balance between life and death, harmony and decay.
The Golden Years
Wadern was a prince during these days of prosperity, the son of King Orthros and Queen Rhena, a family revered for their wisdom and benevolence. They were beloved by their people, who lived in symbiosis with the land and the life that grew within it. The people of Rotland, like the fungal network beneath their feet, were all interconnected in one vast web of existence. Life in the kingdom flowed as naturally as the gentle mists that rolled from the towering mushrooms to the valley floors.
Wadern's father, King Orthros, was a wise and just ruler. His reign was a time of flourishing. He would often speak of the beauty of decay and how life and death were two sides of the same coin. The kingdom itself thrived on this balance, with the endless cycle of renewal carried out by the fungus and mycelium that spread endlessly beneath the soil. The citizens of Rotland knew how to use the land without abusing it, carefully nurturing the wild growths and the living spores that had been part of the kingdom for centuries.
The Prince's Burden
Wadern, even as a young prince, was admired by the people for his gentleness and fairness. He shared his father's vision of a harmonious kingdom, where each being, whether it be a towering mushroom or the smallest, creeping vine, had its place in the grand cycle of life. He was kind-hearted, selfless, and always willing to help those in need. He often ventured deep into the forests and caves beneath Rotland, learning from the fungi and plant-life that thrived there, understanding the delicate balance that allowed them to grow. He sought to understand the web of life that intertwined everything in their world.
But there was one dark seed in Wadern's heart—a curiosity that grew as he got older. He had a burning need to understand not just the balance of life, but the limits of power. He began to wonder what it would be like to have control over the very things he revered. His fascination with power grew as he witnessed his father's rule falter under the weight of age and illness.
The Death of King Orthros
The death of King Orthros marked the beginning of Wadern's descent into darkness. His father, once a mighty king, passed away quietly in the middle of the night. The once majestic forest grew silent as the spores seemed to wither, the bioluminescent glow dimmed, and the fungi began to slow their endless spreading. It was a tragic day in Rotland, as the land itself mourned the loss of the ruler who had guided it so lovingly for centuries.
Wadern, though devastated, understood the natural course of things. The kingdom had to continue. But as the burden of leadership fell on him, something inside him began to shift. It was then that Wadern began to realize that the power he sought had been hidden beneath the roots of his kingdom. His eyes were drawn to the ancient Soul Stones—the sacred gems that kept the delicate balance of power in Makehsm intact. It was the power of the Virid Stone (Plants), the Mycor Stone (Fungi), the Lichstone (Lichens), the Siphon Gem (Parasites), and the Pterid Shard (Pteris) that allowed the kingdom to grow and thrive. These stones held dominion over the elements of life and decay.
As his obsession grew, so did his ambition. His mind became consumed with the idea that the only way to truly control the kingdom was to wield these powers. He began seeking the Mycor Stone and the Lichstone—the two most coveted of the stones, and those that belonged to the Kingdom of Fungus.
The Fall from Grace
It was in the shadows of his father's death that Wadern met the darkness that would consume him. The prince, once kind and just, began to change. He sought out those who would help him in his journey to obtain the stones, forsaking his once-loyal allies and turning to the corrupt factions of Makehsm. He delved into the darkest caverns, seeking the guidance of forbidden beings—old creatures who lived beneath the soil, feeding on the dead and decaying. He forged alliances with those who had no interest in balance, only in dominion.
Wadern's transformation was swift. His once golden heart began to rot, much like the fungus he had once admired. He took the Mycor Stone from the underground caverns, tapping into its power, and began to corrupt the land. The forests of Rotland, once vibrant and full of life, began to rot. The fungi spread uncontrollably, consuming everything in its path, while the Lichstone granted him dominion over the lichens, making them thrive in the decaying soil.
The balance of life was broken. The once beautiful and harmonious kingdom of Rotland had been transformed into a twisted version of itself—a place where the soil was thick with rotting vegetation, where the trees wept black sap, and where the once-vibrant fungus now festered in twisted forms, feeding on the land's decay. Wadern was no longer the prince who had sought to understand the world's delicate balance; he was now Vrathkul, the King of Rotland, a monarch who sought only to control the power of life and death.
The Search for the Remaining Stones
With the Mycor Stone and the Lichstone in his possession, Vrathkul's hunger for power did not end. His ambition grew unchecked, and he set his sights on the remaining three stones—the Virid Stone, the Siphon Gem, and the Pterid Shard. The once-vibrant world of Makehsm was now under the thrall of his corrupted rule. He used the power of the stones to twist the land, spreading fungus and lichens across the entire realm, turning it into a rotting, decaying reflection of his own soul.
His quest for domination is not just a journey for more power—it is a war against the natural balance of the world. The five kingdoms of Makehsm—Floria, Rotwald, Crysthorn, Vireblood, and Verdraeth—are now in a state of constant decay, as Vrathkul's fungus spreads across the land, consuming everything in its path. His reign is one of corruption, and his pursuit of the remaining stones may just be the end of all life in Makehsm.
The Sister's Flight
In his madness, Vrathkul's sister, Elysia, fled the kingdom. She could not bear to see her once-beautiful homeland rot under her brother's rule. Fearing for her own life, and for the lives of the remaining innocents in the kingdom, Elysia escaped into the human realm. There, she hides, hoping to one day stop her brother's madness and restore balance to the world. But Vrathkul, now the king of decay, has never stopped searching for her. He believes that with his sister's blood, he can gain the final key to unlocking the power of the stones and complete his dominion over all realms.
The Fall and the Soul Stones
As Vrathkul, formerly known as Wadern, descended into madness, his thirst for power led him down an increasingly dark path. The death of his beloved father, King Orthros, had already shattered his sense of balance, and now he was consumed by an insatiable hunger for dominance over the very forces that once defined the harmony of his kingdom. His obsession with the Soul Stones—the powerful gems that held sway over the natural elements of Makehsm—was the key to his fall.
The Mycor Stone: The Stone of Fungi
The first of the two stones Vrathkul coveted was the Mycor Stone, the Stone of Fungi. It had been a long-guarded relic of Rotland, hidden deep within the ancient Fungal Caves, far beneath the kingdom's surface. These caverns were known to few, shrouded in darkness, the air thick with the spores of ancient fungi, and the ground slick with bioluminescent moss. The caves themselves were a living entity, their walls shifting and pulsating like the veins of a vast, fungal organism.
In the time before his descent into darkness, Wadern had always revered the Mycor Stone, seeing it as a symbol of life's renewal. The fungi in Rotland were revered for their role in the natural cycle—decaying organic matter, nourishing the soil, and creating new life. But in his search for power, Wadern found himself drawn deeper into the caverns of Rotland's heart, into the very depths of the kingdom's decay.
It was there, in the deepest part of the cave, where the Mycor Stone pulsed with dark energy. The stone was surrounded by an eerie aura, and the ground was covered with twisted, sentient mushrooms that seemed to whisper secrets in the air. Wadern, now fully embracing his darker desires, reached out and claimed the stone, feeling its power surge into him. As he touched it, the fungi around him writhed, the walls pulsating like a heart, and he could feel the stone's intoxicating power flood his veins.
In that moment, he understood the full potential of the Mycor Stone. It was not just a stone of growth, but of decay—a force that could corrupt and transform everything it touched. The power to twist life, to spread rot and fungus across the land, was his. The stone granted him dominion over all fungi, enabling him to manipulate the living organisms of his kingdom and beyond, turning them into monstrous, writhing entities under his control.
From that moment on, the once-beautiful kingdom of Rotland began to change. The mushroom spires that once towered majestically over the land began to wither, their shapes becoming twisted and malformed. The fungus that was once a source of life now became a tool of destruction, spreading rapidly and consuming everything in its path. The once peaceful land was now a festering swamp of decay and disease. The Mycor Stone had given Vrathkul the power to reshape his kingdom, but at a cost—he began to lose his humanity, replaced instead by the unrelenting hunger of the fungus.
The Lichstone: The Stone of Lichens
With the power of the Mycor Stone now in his grasp, Vrathkul sought to claim the Lichstone, the second of the coveted Soul Stones. The Lichstone was even more elusive than the Mycor Stone, and it was rumored to reside deep within the Crysthorn Cliffs, in the region of Lichens. The cliffs were a barren, jagged landscape—towering, sharp rocks, and desolate windswept peaks. The air was cold, and the ground was littered with fossilized remnants of ancient life. The Lichstone was said to be the key to dominion over the lichens, the strange, moss-like organisms that could survive in the harshest conditions.
Vrathkul journeyed to the cliffs, driven by his newfound obsession. The journey was treacherous, but his will was unwavering. When he finally reached the heart of the cliffs, he found the Lichstone embedded in a vast, ancient lichen-covered rock face. The stone pulsed with an eerie glow, surrounded by the thick, creeping vines of lichens that had grown over the stone like a shroud.
But the Lichstone was not easily claimed. The lichens themselves were sentient, and they guarded the stone fiercely. As Vrathkul approached, the lichens stirred, and the air was filled with a haunting, low hum—a warning of what was to come. The lichens began to crawl toward him, their tendrils seeking to entangle him, to suffocate him with their thick, mossy limbs.
But Vrathkul, having already been corrupted by the Mycor Stone, was no longer the same prince who once cared for his kingdom's balance. He raised his hand, and with a surge of power from the Mycor Stone, the lichens parted before him, allowing him to claim the Lichstone. As his fingers closed around the stone, the lichens fell back into a lifeless stillness, as if their very essence had been drained.
With the Lichstone in his possession, Vrathkul's power grew even stronger. The Lichstone granted him dominion over the lichens—mosses, molds, and fungi that could thrive in the harshest environments. It gave him the ability to control the decay of life, to preserve the dead in a twisted mockery of life, and to bind the souls of the deceased to his will. As he embraced the stone's power, he could feel the darkness within him growing stronger, twisting him into something unrecognizable.
The Turning Point
By the time Vrathkul possessed both the Mycor Stone and the Lichstone, he had fully embraced his new identity. The kingdom of Rotland was no longer the thriving, lush paradise it had once been. The land had been transformed into a decaying wasteland, where fungus and lichens ruled, and the very soil was tainted by the power of the Soul Stones. What was once a symbol of life now served as a source of corruption.
But Vrathkul's ambitions did not end there. With the Mycor Stone and the Lichstone in his possession, he sought the remaining three stones—the Virid Stone, the Siphon Gem, and the Pterid Shard—to complete his dominion over the entire world of Makehsm. He sought to claim the stones not just for their power, but to ensure that no force, no realm, could ever challenge his rule again.
But for now, the fungus and lichens were his servants, and his transformation was complete. Vrathkul was no longer just a king—he was a god of decay, a master of the rotting kingdom he had once loved. His ambition had consumed him, and now there was nothing left but the endless hunger for more power.
End of the Lore of Vrathkul.