The Haunted Requiem

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Symphony,

[/i] a city named for the beauty and wonder of music, was seeped in the legend of powerful magicians and mystical items. It is recorded that in ancient times four great mages created the city out of their passion for music, as music was a large part of how they were able to practice magic. Through melodies, voices, and instruments the magicians brought up districts and created walls about their city. By the time they were finished they had created four perfect districts which could exist in entirely separate ways. Though their achievements were great, the magicians soon realized that four small districts were not enough for the city they envisioned in their mind, so they all came back together and discussed what might be best for an addition. It isn't known if it was all they created or not, but they all agreed that a school was important so that their citizens might always stay informed and in control of their own destinies.

Sanctuary[/i] was born. Soon there were a grand many people flocking to the great city of Symphony and Sanctuary was full with brilliant young minds. It wasn't long before people were bragging about how perfect Symphony city was or how intelligent their children were getting with the aide of the Sanctuary. With arrogance however there is always a high point and then the resounding dramatic low. For the city of Symphony the low point was when the miasma and the monsters appeared. It appeared as if monsters, horrid creatures who only wished to destroy, exuded a poisonous substance known as the miasma which was fatal in large doses. The peace and perfection that was Symphony was shattered in one swoop. Desperate city-dwellers ran to the four great mages and begged for the solution that would save them all.

The mages regrouped as they did when first creating the city and began the serious duty of finding a way to save their beloved home. It was never accurately recorded how the mages accomplished their goal, but the most popular legend goes thus:

"The mages rallied and began a lilting hymn. It was not a hymn of praise, but a hymn of prayer in which they beseeched the deepest levels of magic locked within their being. This magic was named mana- a life force with tremendous power. Through this most sacred magic they created what was known as the Crystal of Symphony, the most grand and sacred crystal every created. They filled the gem with all of their mana so that it might repel the miasma and the ruinous monsters, but through great power comes great sacrifice. After their valiant act the four mages died."

Soon the city was peaceful again. The citizens worried what would become of them without their mage guilds, but in their death came a new hope. For each mage who died a child was born who would grow into the musical magic of their predecessors. The city lived in harmony under the strength of the four mages of lore for two hundred years after that, but just as the first mages faced a great burden, the mages of two hundred years later would have a horrendous ordeal on their hands. One afternoon during the anniversary celebration of the first mage sacrifice a high-pitched noise began to resound within the walls of the city. Citizens bent over in pain and tried to protect their ears, but moments later it passed.

The real trouble came when a message of terror began to spread from the heart and edges of the cityscape. The crystal that had slumbered and protected the city from within Sanctuary had suddenly shattered into hundreds of pieces and monsters were breaking through the gates. The mages, still in their early years, were not the experienced pillars of strength that their people needed. In a panic the young mages all came together and all those before them did and poured out all the possible ideas they could come up with to bring back peace to their home.

Creating a new crystal was out of the question because none of them knew how to harness their mana, but they began to piece together some of their other musical magic in attempts to stall until they could come up with an ultimate solution. Their stalling technique was a musical spell known and a 'Dimensional Requiem'. The mysterious song brought great warriors from other worlds back from their graves and lured them into their world. During certain Requiems something horrid went wrong however and instead of summoning a hero it would summon a villain. With these newly reborn warriors, the mages realized they would need a place of training so that the warriors might come to understand their new habitat. On the mages' command The Sanctuary was eliminated as a regular academy and made to be the training ground for their new students.

Due to the mages Requiem they gained a new title. The mages were called the magicians of death, though most often they were only known as Elegies. An Elegy was a cryptic term and the four mages grew to hate it, but their duty to their city was much more important than their feelings...[/size][/justify][/blockquote]