Eleven years past, in the early summer of YK 5387, a mighty red dragon appeared atop the Cap of Jivana. In the weeks that followed, the red dragon, known as Ketzikcon, rained fiery terror upon the independent island-state of Jivana. Towns and cities were leveled and thousands died. Ketzikcon then extended its reach of destruction by attacking the small settlements on Sunak, the sister island to Jivana and home of Lord Desmond Ortemier VII, Ruler of Jivana. Fields were burnt, citizens were killed, and Ortemier Manor was badly damaged. Lord Ortemier VII and most of his family, at the time living within Ortemier Manor, were never heard or seen from again. Witnesses said they just disappeared.
Back on the island of Jivana, Baron Desmond Ortemier VIII, eldest son of Lord Ortemier VII, was able to come to a compromise with Ketzikcon: 10,000 gold crons and 10 infants were to be brought to the red dragon's lair high atop the Cap of Jivana every year. Ketzikcon was appeased, and Jivana, under the rule of the new Lord Ortemier VIII, prospered. There was, however, a mystery that had yet to be solved: What had happened to Lord Ortemier VII and his family at Ortemier Manor? Lord Ortemier VIII, determined to find out, dispatched a small force of armed men to Sunak Island to search for and, if possible, return his family. The dispatch of men were never heard from.
Over the past ten years, Lord Ortemier VIII has sent several groups of men to Sunak Island in hopes of finding some clue that would explain what had happened to his family. Each and every time, the groups sent by Lord Ortemier VIII would vanish without a trace. A call then went out to wandering adventurers, asking for assistance. Many agreed to explore Sunak Island and the old Ortemier Manor, but none ever returned.
And so the mystery, and the curse, have yet to be solved. Some say that the Ortemier family was feasted upon by Ketzikcon himself, despite the fact that witnesses say the mighty red dragon never actually set foot upon Sunak Island. Others believe that the late Lord Ortemier VII and his family were magically transported away by the help of Beltran, a powerful mage in the service of the Ortemier family. This explanation, however, has also been disputed by several Arch-Mages from Oesch-Onarga and their investigations into the use of arcane powers on and around Sunak Island.
The third and last explanation as to what happened to Lord Ortemier VII and his family is believed by most, but spoken of by very, very few. It is rumored that the late Lord Ortemier VII, with the help of the magician Beltran, had found an icon of powerful and dark magic and had somehow tapped into this power. By doing so, they brought a death curse upon the Ortemier family, not to mention the release of the red dragon, Ketzikcon, thought to be imprisoned in an endless slumber.
Therein lies the mystery: What did happen to the Ortemier family? Was it the red dragon, magical teleportation, or the curse of Ortemier Manor . . .
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