"The Well of Wonders is smothered in stories. They say it is the place where possibility went to die. They say it is the grave-prison of the First Storyteller. They say that if you can endure the winds, you will learn that which was never known."[1]
The Well of Wonders is a sky-well which contains the being responsible for the events that led to the destruction of Eleutheria.[2]
Descend. I was disturbed, once.
My story was told. Now it shall be spread.
Welcome, Reader[]
Within the Well lies a garden. My garden is a haven, an refuge from the hostility of the False King's realm.[3] Within my garden lies my theater, a magnificent structure of Grecian inspiration. My performers and their captive audience (ha!) wait here.[4]
They've remained here for as long as they were needed. Some were pulled in by the well-wind, others came via the bottom of another well. Others still are here thanks to a contraption of mirrors and glass.[5]
My performers, those who were worthy of telling my story:
- The Lost Girl, who came here to flee her life. She got her wish.
- The Restless Vagabond, who wandered beyond the maps for far too long.
- The Runaway Scion, a prince-in-waiting who fled from an extinct kingdom.
- The Thrice-Dead Bride, the Mistress of my choir.
- The Careless Scholar, who searched for knowledge and found it here.
- The Trespasser Captain, the one chosen for greatness.[6]
Ah, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Prophet Exile, though some may call me the First Storyteller, or perhaps St Solonace.[7][8][9] I was once an exile from a place that was not.[10] Now, I am a living story.[11] I hold control over the Well of Wonders, and I am the one responsible for trapping the actors and their audience.[12] I relinquished them when my story, The Ballad of the Solonacean Conjunction, finally reached its conclusion. Finding someone to fit the lead role took me longer than I expected, but now I languish in ignominy no more.[13]
The Ballad, Abridged[]
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A TRAGEDY OF TREACHERY, INJUSTICE, AND REVOLUTION in ONE ACT, as it is PERFORMED in DEFIANCE of the FALSE KING OF ELEUTHERIA[14]
The trappings of a secondary source are too meager for a story this great. If you, dear reader, wish to experience my story in its full glory, you must hear it in person.
I. A Prologue[]
The Prophet Exile and their venerable Princes of Light travel to the palace of the Twin Kings of Eleutheria. They are turned away by the other Judgements, but still they seek to petition the creation of the Solonacean Conjunction.[15]
II. Forest Of Burning Twilight[]
The Exile and their companions await the arrival of a Messenger, who was sent to request an audience with the Twin Kings. The Exile is warned of the wrath of the Judgements, and the Messenger returns in due time.[16]
III. Palace of the Twin Kings[]
The Prophet presents their arguments to the Twin Kings. While the King Who Wars dismisses the cause almost immediately, the King Who Speaks admits curiosity. The Prophet is dismissed, and the King Who Wars chastises his brother for his interest in breaking the Great Chain.[17]
IV. The Aftermath[]
The Prophet and their companions, fuming at the rejection, vow to send a warning to the world against spurning them. The King Who Speaks secretly visits the Prophet and their companions away from the safety of his throne, and admits that his brother refuses all change. The King admits that the proposition of a new and higher order is truly something worth pursuing.[18]
V. A Night Of Transfiguration[]
The Prophet and Princes welcome their newest recruit, the King Who Speaks himself. The Prophet prompts the star to lower his guard in the name of the revolution, which he does. As soon as he does so, the King is stabbed to death by the Princes of Light, and the message is sent.[19]
VI. The King In Mourning[]
The King who Wars crushes the fledgling Conjunction, condemning them to burn for eternity in the flames of his rage. For the Prophet, however, he has saved a much harsher fate...[20]
VII. Fall of a Prophet[]
The Prophet is bound in chains of misery and sorrow, and a mask, lacking in both eyes and a mouth, is strapped to their face. The Prophet is condemned to the Well of Wonders, never to speak treason again. They shall rot in the Well, where their story will echo and rage, but never be told.[21]
Until now.[22]