Among the ruins of the marbled temples of Emphdor there is an old crone, sitting by gigantic gates which lead into a great abode of vast halls and twisting passageways. She is the Keeper of Grief, and those who carries a sorrow too painful to endure could go to her, and she would take the grief away. Legends have that each grief removed becomes a lamenting spirit and is imprisoned behind the gate.
Each grief removed gives the suffer a short feeling of euphoria but a little of his or her soul is leeched away in form of a spirit. (In Dragon Warriors rule term, for each sorrow removed, the Keeper of Grief gains 1 permanent MP while the victim loses 1 MP, if he or she is a magic user). The old crone is a priestess one of the forgotten gods among the vast Emphidian pantheon and the rich used to pay gold to have their griefs, guilt, regrets and sorrows removed
- Often times, it is easier to have one grief removed by such a way than for time to heal it. The rich and powerful during the heights of the Emphdor civilisation did so. But the euphoria is addictive and many of those who give their griefs away succumb to madness as their soul, little by little was totally leeched. Each of those sorrowful spirits which represent a grief could be questioned for information. Yet the old crone would only let those who pay an expensive toil enter, and the Halls of Lost Griefs is perilous to all mortals.
- The Keeper of Grief took on the mantle as the priestess of the Halls of Lost Griefs decades ago when she lost her family and loved ones to a devastating storm at the sea. She was washed ashore at the temple and heard the call of the ancient forgotten god and answered it, so overwhelmed by despair. Over time, she forgot her own grief as she listen to the griefs of others and cast them into the hall. The ancient god feeds upon it, growing stronger each day. The rising of this old god would cause terrible disasters as it would toy with the fate of mortals to ensure that it would have grief to feed upon – indeed, it was this ancient being that caused the storm to wreck the Keeper’s ship. To banish the being, one would have to find the grief of the Keeper and made her remember it. Within the Halls of Lost Griefs, griefs become personified and amalgamated together, such as the Mourner for Lost Love, the Betrayed Lover and such. Navigating through those halls would require the adventurers to deal with such strange ‘people’
- Using herbs mentioned in ancient texts grown nearby the hills, and knowledge of alchemy, the crone could brew a potion that puts one into a deep sleep which allows a powerful Mystic (such as her) to have full access to a person’s memories and knowledge. A firm believer of reincarnation, and an oracle, she prolonged her life to wait for the she love to reincarnate, and had a prophecy that he would come by eventually. Sometimes those who she examined die from the herbs and those she cast within the underground tombs and raise as undead servants. Those who already have love she removed all knowledge of their loved ones. She is a jealous and spiteful woman – but she would live up to her bargain if possible, for it is by taking on the griefs of other that she is keeping herself alive, but with each passing day she becomes more spiteful that she may forget her original intent…and even how to love another.
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