☀️ Arselia and Akonia

Once upon a time, a group of mighty heroes gathered in a tavern and decided to embark on a quest. They were all paragons of virtue and great strength. They responded to the call of an employer – a government official – who told them: "There is a mansion on our land that belonged to the King, while he was still alive. Evil forces have taken over it, and we need to drive them out to honor his memory. I can't even sleep, I'm so worried about the King!" He offered a good reward, and it was a righteous cause, so the heroes agreed. They arrived at the mansion and entered, only to find that it was enchanted and had trapped many brave souls within. They wandered around, witnessing terrible horrors, and one of them even went mad. The official joined them, but he suddenly changed, baring his teeth and threatening them. "If I don't get out of here, I'll have you all thrown in a bottle," he said. "You're just dirt under our nails. Now get out of here and sing!" The heroes were disheartened, but they had no choice. They continued on. It turned out that the king was a necromancer; he had killed all his servants, enchanted the mansion, and then died, leaving behind untold treasures. The heroes entered the central hall, and the door slammed shut behind them, cutting off their escape. The king was a bit of a trickster; he loved to play mind games and create puzzles for future guests, all of which were deadly and required sacrifices. The heroes despaired, and their righteous flame dimmed. No one wanted to draw straws, as they didn't want to die of hunger and thirst. Some of them even started to fight each other. One of them couldn't stand it anymore and decided to take a risk. He tried to solve the puzzle, but he failed and died. The servant laughed, "That's where he belongs," he said. "What are you all standing around for?" The heroes looked at each other – they had no choice. They grabbed the madman and tore him apart, and they swore never to tell anyone about it. Finally, the monstrous puzzle yielded, and a passage opened into the interior of the mansion. They ventured inside and encountered all sorts of horrors – ferocious monsters, abominations from the Abyss, undead creatures, and tormented souls. They put them all to rest, but they also suffered losses. Each new corridor, each room, took its toll on their numbers. They saw a threat in every dark corner, but they had no choice but to keep going, gritting their teeth. Not all of them managed to maintain their sanity. Some were driven mad and attacked their loyal comrades, and they had to be killed, forever staining their souls with blood. Others slit their own wrists. In the end, they reached the heart of the evil and, with a combined effort, destroyed it. Only about a quarter of them survived. The curse on the mansion was lifted, and to their surprise, the heroes found a beautiful princess in the last room, imprisoned by the king. It was an unexpected reward for all their hardships. They freed her and left the mansion. The servant, the scoundrel, paid them the meager sum he had promised and sent them on their way. This is where the story could have ended, but there was one final twist: the princess turned out to be a witch, and she was the one who had incited the king to commit these atrocities. The king was already not a very good person, but now he had completely lost his mind. The princess returned to the kingdom and sowed chaos, destruction, and death. The official, however, stole all the treasures, advanced in his career, and lived a life of luxury. And the heroes' modest reward was devalued due to inflation and the crisis. The moral of the story is, perhaps, this: don't try to treat a plague with poultices; kill the patient outright. And as a bonus: a bureaucrat is not a human being.