MarcyKate Connolly - Lost Island

It was a time of heroes and magic, when the comet-blessed shared their talents freely and without reservation. A party of young heroes traveled the three territories, learning all they could about magic and wisdom to bring that knowledge back to their beloved home village.

Their water wisher communed with every lake and river and waterfall in the lands, learning how the shape of the terrain had shifted and molded over the centuries. How mountains had risen and fallen, the valleys had been carved between them, and of a time when the sea had risen so high that it had taken over the whole region.

Their gift giver connected with the magic of every talented person they met on their journey, discovering how each one worked. Some who had obnoxious talents like stench summoners or spider callers, begged her to replace them with more useful magic. She graciously bestowed talents to help them and their communities, leaving a swath of green growers and water wishers in her wake.

Their soul summoner visited graveyards and burial grounds, raising the souls of the wisest people who had ever walked the three territories so he could obtain their lost wisdom. He learned their stories, their histories, a depth of understanding never before held by any one person in all the land.

When the trio of heroes had gained all the knowledge they could hold, they finally began the journey back to their village with the full expectation of a triumphant return. Instead they were greeted by disaster.

While they were abroad, a wicked villainess had descended on their village casting a shadow over the three lands. She was a magic eater set on devouring every talent in her path no matter how powerful or insignificant. When the villagers welcomed her, they merely believed her to be a rich traveler with a glamorous entourage. She charmed every one of them, disarming any suspicions they may have had. The tradespeople adored her, for she spent lavishly on their wares during her visit. The elite of the village wished for her favor and vied for an invitation to her grand estate. She remained in the village for one week, ferreting out every talented person, for there were many.

When the villainess departed, she took every last one of them with her. Whether it was by choice or by force, the few remaining villagers did not know. She had been as charming as ever the evening before, and when they woke, she and two-thirds of their townsfolk had vanished into thin air. Those who gave chase either came back empty-handed or never returned at all.

This was the state of the village when our heroes arrivedmourning for their stolen loved ones. They discovered too late from a neighboring village of the rumors surrounding a fine lady who wished to collect all the magic in the territories and hoard it for herself. When the heroes discovered the remains of their village, they mourned along with the untalented villagers. The water wisher cried bitterly for three nights and three days. Her tears flooded her house, then the village, and soon even the lands beyond it until the entire valley was filled with the waters of a saltwater lake.

Their village was forever buried in a watery grave, and grief and fear drove the survivors to leave it behind. The heroes and their friends were determined that their talents must never fall into the hands of the villainess. They set sail across the ocean into the promise of the unknown and were never heard from again.