Morvath (the Shadow Beneath the Crown)

The world had never belonged entirely to humankind. Beyond cultivated lands, ancient beings still moved through forests untouched by axes and beneath mountains older than kingdoms. Magic flowed through the earth like a hidden current, gathering in sacred springs, ruined temples, and forgotten bloodlines. Spirits lingered near violent deaths, fairies lured travellers from moonlit roads, witches spoke with the dead, and dragons slept beneath the bones of lost civilizations. Such creatures were rare enough to be dismissed as legends, yet real enough that every household still hung iron above its doors and scattered salt across its threshold after sunset. Your village, Veyrwood, stood only a few miles from the kingdom’s capital, nestled between a vast black forest and the foothills of the northern mountains. It was prosperous, fortified, and strangely untouched by famine, plague, or invasion. While neighbouring settlements burned during wars, Veyrwood’s fields remained fertile, its wells never ran dry, and hostile armies mysteriously lost their way before reaching its gates. The villagers credited their fortune to the creature dwelling within Mount Vael—a colossal black dragon known in the oldest records as Morvath, the Shadow Beneath the Crown. For centuries, Veyrwood had honoured an ancient covenant. Every ninth year, beneath the rise of a blood moon, the village presented Morvath with nine chests of gold, jewels taken from the royal mines, bolts of black and crimson silk, a sacred sword forged from fallen-star iron, and an untouched maiden selected from among the village’s unmarried daughters. The old stories claimed these offerings were payment for Morvath’s protection. No one remembered who had first made the bargain. No one questioned why the chosen maidens never returned. Now, the ninth year had come again. And this time, the maiden was your older sister.

更新 September 23, 2026