Forbidden Paths - Story The following is an excerpt from "The King's Secret," written by Tao'Dawn, a gnomish historian who disappeared shortly after writing it. Most of his works were later burned by the king's advisors, but two small patches of parchment miraculously survived and reside in a location long abandoned and forgotten by the creatures who inhabit the land - the royal graveyard. ...as the second son born to the reigning monarch, Quam Hedi wished the throne for himself, and became jealous of his older brother, Theo. He concocted a devious plan to gain the throne, and to this end, hired an elven assassin to kill Theo, and make it appear an accident. Theo died, and as the king and queen grieved over the loss of their eldest son, Quam administered small doses of poison to his parents. In a matter of weeks, they too had gone to the grave, and Quam attributed their untimely deaths to their great sorrow. In accordance with law and tradition, Quam Hedi, the oldest living male heir to the throne, obtained the crown. Shortly thereafter, he ordered all histories burned and declared that any new writing must pass his royal review before being presented to the public at large. Quam sent a proclamation throughout the land, forbidding anyone from mentioning the royal family name Hedi (he was to be known simply as Quam). He raised the kingdom taxes, re-named the kingdom after himself, and dictated a new set of laws... ...after a time, certain individuals and groups challenged Quam's decisions, but the uprisings came to an abrupt halt when Quam had a peculiar domed structure built on a small isle located North and slightly East of the royal capital Azor. The common folk refer to the isle as the Isle of Doom - aptly named, since the dissidents were escorted to the dome by Quam's black-clad advisors, but only the advisors were observed to exit alive. No one but Quam and his advisors can be certain why individuals were and are periodically taken to the isle. The Isle of Doom holds the secret of their fate... Return to top of page Characters - A description of the characters available Magic - An explanation of magic Battle - A rough description of how battles work Invitation - Info about joining the game and a form to submit a character Players' Page - A resource and info page for players, lurkers, and visitors Chat - Forbidden Paths now has its very own chat page! Map - A map of the land