This is Chapter 1 of a fantasy story based on the lore of the popular MOBA game known as Dota. For a map of locations mentioned in this story, click here.
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‘Is it really true that there used to be two moons in the sky,’ Halsir, a young boy of about four, asked his father.
‘Yes,’ Warrick replied, not really wanting to elaborate on events that had changed his life forever.
A few days before, Warrick and his son had left the Yama Ravskav Jungle, the homelands of the Tribes of the Dezun Order¹, the people into which Warrick had married. As soon as they had reached the coast, they caught a boat to the Isle of Songs and were now on the back of a wagon, trekking across the isle to a town called Port Song. Once they got there, Warrick intended to get himself and his son onto another ship. He didn’t care where the ship would take them, as long as it was as far away from these lands as possible.
Ever since the Mad Moon² had shattered into thousands of pieces and rained down on the world what had become known as Radiant Ore and Direstone, the continent known as Raigoria³, had descended into chaos. Warrick hoped that somewhere on this world existed lands unaffected by the Radiant Ore and Direstone, and if there did, he was going to get his one and only child there, safe from the madness that had befallen Raigoria.
‘Why is there only one left,’ the boy persisted.
‘Because the other one exploded on the same day you were born, remember?’
Halsir suddenly got a stern look on his face, and in the moonlight of the one remaining moon, Warrick couldn’t help but notice.
‘And now, my boy? What’s wrong?’
‘Dad, am I a bad person?’
‘What? Of course not. Why would you think that?’
‘Because when I was born, mommy died and the other moon exploded.’
Warrick never forgave the boy’s maternal grandmother for telling Halsir the truth about his mother’s death. Warrick had intended to do it himself when the boy was older and more mature. But Warrick’s in-laws were from the Dezun Order, and they were well known for their affinity to the world of superstitions. Thus Halsir’s grandmother believed it to be prophetic when the boy’s mother died and the Mad Moon exploded, both on the day of his birth, and she felt it was her duty to tell Halsir the truth.
She filled the boy’s head with all kinds of nonsense about struggles of good and evil and how, one day, one of those forces would prevail within him. Warrick felt it was all hogwash, and anyway, what was a child so young to do with all that knowledge?
‘Halsir, listen to me. Your mother’s passing had nothing to do with you. It wasn’t your fault. Sometimes bad things happen for no reason whatsoever and nobody’s to blame. Your mother would have wanted you to be happy and she will always be by your side. You may not be able to see her but she is right here with us, protecting you. As for the moon exploding, that was because of old, ancient forces out of our control. It had nothing to do with you, your mother, or me.’
‘But grandma said it was a prophecy. She said it was a sign that there are very good and very evil things inside of me, and one day, one of those things will take control me. I don’t want to be a bad person,’ he said, with a large frown on his face.
It baffled Warrick how Halsir, someone who was still just a baby not so long ago, could even comprehend such complicated things as prophecies and the eternal battles of good and evil. When Warrick was Halsir’s age, he was still running around with his finger up his nose and trying not to forget about breathing. But Warrick couldn’t deny it, there was something to the Halsir that set him apart from other children. The boy had an annoying habit of acting as if he was wise beyond his years, continuously concerning himself with things he shouldn’t have.
This, however, did not mean the boy’s grandmother was right. At least, Warrick hoped not because if she was, she would never let him hear the end of it. Dezunian women are well-known for being headstrong, stern individuals, not afraid of speaking their minds. It was one of the biggest reasons Warrick fell in love with one of them and ended up with a boy that was half human, half Dezunian.
‘Don’t you mind your grandmother. Trust me when I tell you that there is nothing but good inside of you.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I just do,’ was the best reply Warrick could give.
Luckily before Halsir could prod anymore, a call had come from the front of the wagon, welcoming them to Port Song . It was a much smaller town than Warrick had expected, but it did not matter. It had a harbour and that was all he cared about.
Once they entered the town, Warrick and Halsir got off the wagon, thanked the driver for the ride, and made their way to the docks. It did not take them long to arrive, and when they did, they found the docks to be dead quiet, save for one man sitting on the ground with his back against a wall.
‘Say, good friend, do you know where we can enquire about getting passage on one of these ships,’ Warrick asked.
The man gave them a solid once-over before replying, ‘You will have to ask one of the captains. But no use trying at this time of night. They are all either fast asleep or getting drunk beyond recognition in one of the taverns. You’ll have to come back in the morning.’
‘Right. Do you know if there’s a safe place nearby where I and my son could get lodgings for the night?’
‘That’s your son? But you are…and he doesn’t seem…’
‘Yeah, never mind what I am and what he doesn’t seem like. Do you know a place or not?’
The man gave the two of them another good look before finally saying, ‘Sure, go up that road and you will find a place called The Wind’s Harmony. It is less popular with drunken sailors and should be less rowdy.’
Warrick thanked the man and led Halsir down the road the man had pointed out. After a few minutes of walking, they managed to find a small two-storey building with a sign outside that read The Wind’s Harmony. It did not look like much, but it had to do. It was not as if they planned to make a home of it anyway. As soon as the sun came up, they would be heading straight to the docks and, hopefully, leaving Raigoria for good.
They entered the building, finding it mostly empty of patrons. Inside, there were about five round tables with three to five chairs each. All the tables were unoccupied, except for one where a bearded man sat, slumped over his table. He was wearing a uniform of what seemed to be the Claddish Navy⁴, and by the look of it, it even seemed to be an admiral’s uniform. Warrick silently hoped the man would still be there the next morning, thinking if anyone could help him get away from Raigoria, it would be someone from the Claddish Navy.
At the bar was a woman that seemed not much older than Halsir’s grandmother. Warrick, with Halsir in tow, walked over to the lady and enquired about a room. After a bit of haggling, Warrick was given a key to a room on the top floor. Once they got to the room, Warrick tried to put Halsir to bed, knowing they would have a long one ahead of them the following day. Halsir, however, was in no mood to sleep.
‘Oh, go to bed, boy. It’s late, and way past your bedtime.’
‘But I‘m not tired. Maybe you could tell me a story?’
‘A story, huh? What story would you like to hear?’
‘Well, I’ve been thinking. You are nothing like mommy, or gran, or anything like mommy’s brothers and sisters or anyone from the Yama Ravskav Jungle. So the jungle wasn’t your real home, was it?’
‘No, I came from a land far away from the jungle.’
‘So tell me the story of why you left and how you met mommy.’
‘Have I never told you?’
‘No, never.’
‘My goodness, I guess I should tell you then. It is a very long story, though. Are you sure you want to hear all of it?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘Ok, then. Well, it all started in a place called the Kingdom of Slom⁵…’
End of Chapter 1.
Footnotes:
The Dezun Order: A faction in the Dota world. Two Dota heroes come from the The Dezun Order, namely Huskar and Dazzle. To read more about the Dezun Order, click here.
The Mad Moon: The entity that held the forces of the Radiant and the Dire imprisoned. For more about the Mad Moon, click here.
Raigoria: Raigor Stonehoof, more popularly known as Earthshaker, is another hero in Dota. He is an ancient being and had a role to play in the formation of the Dota world.
The Claddish Navy: A faction from the Dota world. Kunkka, another Dota hero, is an admiral in the Claddish Navy. For more about this faction, click here.
Slom: A land in the north. Notable Dota heroes from Slom are Beastmaster and Lycan. For more on Slom, click here.
