Vulcanus

Deep in a cavern far beneath the winding canyons surrounding Vulcanus, a lone Agori pulled a torch free of the rubble. Such torches were rare, a product of a different time, and to carry one was to afford great status in the village. One of the village’s elite had dropped lost it in this region once, and in exchange for a small service, he had been willing to give the Agori the location where it had been lost. With the torch in hand, the Agori had not only secured a position among the respected Vulcanus citizens, but even a place to have his voice heard by Raanu.

Right as the Agori was rejoicing, he heard some noises outside the cavern. Scrambling to his feet, he hurried to the entrance to the cave. There an Agori messenger waited with a note.

“Word travels fast of your recent exploits,” the messenger said. “Raanu knows you found the location of the lost Vulcanus torch and anticipated you would recover it. He has sent this.”

The Agori took the message and cracked open the seal. The letter read, “I am not one to believe in prophecies. I am not one to place my hope in strangers. But, at this point, you may be the only hope that my people have. Allow me to explain. My name is Raanu, I am the leader of the Agori tribe of Vulcanus. We are the fire people and pride ourselves as being independent and fierce - just like the wild flames themselves. But the mighty Vulcanus flames are in danger of being snuffed out. I will be direct - I need your help. Take this sacred flame from the Vulcanus Torch and seek me out - my people will be forever indepted to you. Please, come soon.”

“Raanu sent this too,” the messenger added. In his hands was an attachment for the Vulcanus Torch. Collecting the Vulcanus Torch Flame, the traveler immediately made his way to Vulcanus to visit Raanu. Raanu is the leader of the village of Vulcanus. He is a disciplined chief that uses his keen sense of strategy to guide the members of the fire tribe to victory. Raanu’s favorite weapons include his amazing fire blade and shield.

It was in the village square that the Agori finally found Raanu. Guiding the Agori to a place where they could speak privately, Raanu said, “For a long time I have accepted that life for me and my people must be the way of toil and trial. But I dream of a better world…”

He shook his head, as if marveling at the Agori’s adventures. “You have come! Thank the flames! Vulcanus has been suffering under the daily raids of the Bone Hunters - a primitive and savage group that roams the wastelands of Bara Magna trying to seize every resource they can. I began to accept that our lot in life was to suffer these raids and eventually surrender. But I have hoped that someday, someone would help my people out of this bleak future. As you know, we Agori solve most of our problems in the area with mighty Glatorian fighting on our behalf. One of our champions was named Malum. His brutality was uncontrollable - and that was the reason for his exile. We need to find him and convince him to fight for Vulcanus once more. I cannot spare a single Agori to search for him. Could you track him down?”

Convincing Malum to fight would be a very tall order, but Vulcanus was home to the Agori, and he knew as well as any how Vulcanus’ existence walked a razor’s edge. There was no choice. Of course, in a world like Bara Magna, one need items to trade, and after bartering for the location of the Vulcanus Torch, the Agori had nearly none. The Agori explained this to Raanu who said, “Thank you for your generosity in helping my village. We really need you to acquire Thornax plants to defend Vulcanus.” Raanu traded some young Thornax plants which would prove immensely useful. Thusly equipped, the Agori begun his search for Malum out in the barren wastelands.