The Truth about Adamo Victus Venustas

Deep within a great forest, hidden away from the planets inhabitants is the fountain of life. It is known by the Nymph that Love, Life and Beauty are all kept at the earth's core by the Great Spirit of the Earth known as Tantus Spiritus Terra. From there it flows out upon the water of an underground spring. The spring feeds the fountain of life. It is from the mist of this fountain that the first butterflies are born. Life, love and beauty are carried into this world on their fragile wings and spread over the planet. Without these gentle, precious creatures love and beauty would not thrive and the world would be predominantly dark, ugly and evil. To maintain the balance and to keep the fountain safe the Great Spirit of the Earth charged the tribe of wood nymph that lived in the forest with its protection. It was he who gave these little folk the wings of the butterfly and their own nymph magic. These wise and crafty folk have spent generations keeping the fountain safe and secret.
However, where there is light there is also darkness. Where there is beauty there too, is ugliness. Where there is life, there is always death. There is a force that would deny the world of life, love and beauty. This dark force is borne on the wings of the Great Spirit of the Wind known as Tantus Ventosis Concido who takes his power from the storms and the floods and the earthquake and volcano. He is evil and dark and tries to destroy all the love and beauty from the planet. It was this Tantus Ventosis Concido who first whispered in the ear of the King of the Nymph. He seduced the King with promises of power and treasure and all the things that propose to be good and are not. The Queen, however, would not be turned by the Great Spirits temptations and remained loyal to the Spirit of the Earth. A great battle ensued and the King and his followers were banished from the Valley of the Fountain. The King retreated, wounded and scarred to the top of Mount Procella, the Mountain of Wind, where he remained in hiding for many centuries. The Great Spirit of the Wind bestowed a change of power upon the King and re-named him King Horonet. They were no longer wood nymph but now were kin to the wasp and hornet and they called their new race Satyr. Their bodies were transformed into something wicked. They grew wings that were long and narrow, milky in color with red veins running through them. They bore the head and shoulders of a nymph but their skin was a dark red. They had two nymph arms and below those they had two long insect legs on each side which they used to stand semi-erect. Instead of legs they had the bulbous abdomen and stinger of the wasp. They were more powerful and much faster than the nymph. But the nymph are clever and fierce. It was in these times that a great prophecy was born and revealed to the King and the Queen. It was prophesied that a final battle would be fought on the eve of the next generation when a new King and a new Queen were ready to take their rightful places on the thrones of their bloodlines. The outcome of this final, great battle would not be decided by a Nymph or a Satyr but would rest in the fate of an outsider. It was revealed in this prophecy that this outsider, a male human, possessed a power that could influence the outcome of the final battle. Many more battles have been waged since the first with heavy losses on both sides. The King and the Queen are grown old and weary. Soon, the next generation would take the throne of both tribes, The Queens daughter, Princess Jo Dee Mulier Jean Militus and The Satyr Prince, Rufus Mors.
The Princess watched as her mother transferred the knowledge to Bishop. She had heard the prophesy many times as a child. She knew the peoples history well, as the future Queen should. She knew there would be an outsider and she felt that Bishop was the "One" as she knew her mother did. What she did not know or expect was that she would fall in love with him. Princess Jo Dee Mulier Jean Militus was a disciplined warrior, as were all Nymph. She was always in complete control of her emotions. This was something she was unprepared for. She knew she would have to keep her feelings hidden. She would have to suppress her love for this outsider and concentrate on the struggles that his presence foretold. She was contemplating these thoughts when the alarm was raised. A high pitched hum rang throughout the city. Hundreds of wings were being rubbed together to create the alarm. The princess quickly rose, drew her sword and moved away from the Queen. The instant the alarm sounded the ten Royal Guards surrounded the Queen with their swords pointed out in a circle. She knew her mother would be safe. The Royal Guard were the most highly trained and powerful of all the Nymph warriors beside herself and her squad of chosen fighters.
Several Nymph flew into the Throne room from above. The first to arrive spoke. "My Lady, there is an attack on the Fountain! The Fountain Guard had little warning. I have sent re-enforcements."
"Excellent! You have done well. Stay here until the Queen is ready, then escort our guest to my ready room. He will be safe there. Stay at the door and guard him well."
The warrior looked hurt. She was called Fidelis and had been with the Princess since they were born. She was the Princess' personal bodyguard and friend. "Princess, I will escort the man to the ready room but I beg you let me post a guard. I would fight by your side this day as always!"
The Princess smiled at her and put her hand on her shoulder. "This is a great task that I ask of you, my friend, Fidelis. I trust only you for this service. Will you do this thing for me?"
"Of course, Your Majesty." Fidelis had been passed an unspoken message from the princess when she touched her. Her heart swelled with happiness. "You can count on me." she said with a smile. The princess and her squad flew towards the upper chamber. They had brought her armor and she donned it as they went. Fidelis watched them go, barely able to suppress her disappointment of not going directly into battle with her friend. She spun and knelt when the Queen spoke.
"Fidelis, you have your orders, my dear?" Fidelis said she did. "And you understand their importance?" Fidelis assured her that she did. The Queen then spoke to Bishop, who was just coming around. "Go with this warrior. Her name is Fidelis and she will ensure your safety." Bishop looked around confused. "What is happening?"
"There is no time to explain. Just go now quickly." The Queen and her escort hurried behind the thrones and out a passage hidden behind the drapery but before she went she took Bishops hand in hers and giving him a warm, confident smile, she said, "Do not worry. You are in good hands. Everything will be fine. Now go."
The Princess' ready room was down deep in the underground city. The room was triangular with two doors on either end on the long wall on the same side of the room. There was a long wooden table with 20 seats around it. On the walls were maps and detailed layouts of a mountain. Battle plans had been drawn up and marked on in different colors showing opposing opinions of attack. Bishop had asked his guard repeatedly on the way down here where they were going and what was going on. The only question she answered was her name. The rest of the time she just smiled at him and kept gently nudging him onward. Now she stood at the doorway watching the hall as if expecting something to happen.
"Look, Fidelis." He began as he sat on a seat closest to the door. "I know you must not like me very much, but I'm entitled to know what is going on. Is the Princess in danger? Is this the final battle the Queen was trying to show me? You know, I'm tired of being in the dark here." Fidelis turned on him suddenly. "Now you look!" she said, sounding more harsh than she had meant to. She calmed her voice. "I understand that a lot has happened to you lately and I know this is a lot for you to digest but you have to understand my position as well. It is not my place to answer any of your questions. The Princess will address them when she has time. Right now, she is busy defending the Fountain, which is where I should be. I do not dislike you. In fact, I think you are kind of cute, considering you don't have wings. But if you do not shut up, I am going to tie you up and put a rag in your mouth." With that said she turned her attention to the corridor again. They remained in silence for a while and he was about to ask her about herself and the Princess again when she suddenly drew her sword. "Someone is coming." she said and stepped out into the corridor. He stood and took a step but she lifted her hand and stopped him. "Do you bring news of the battle?" she asked someone in the hall where he could not see.
"Yes, the battle goes well. I was sent to relieve you. The Princess wants you to join her." Fidelis smiled and put her sword into its sheath. She had it half way in and stopped. The smile was gone. She looked into the room at Bishop and then back at the Nymph in the hall. "What are you hiding from me? Why do you block your thoughts?"
"Nothing," came the reply, "I speak the truth." Fidelis stared at whoever was in the hall intently for a moment. She looked back at Bishop. Her eyes suddenly widened as she sensed danger and the trap that had been set behind her. She wrenched her sword out of the sheath and spun around in the opposite direction in the hall but she reacted too late. A long red spike like object penetrated her chest coming out of her back. With tremendous force it lifted her and smashed her into the corridor wall. She crumpled to the floor. Bishop stared in horror as a huge wasp-like creature entered the chamber with him. It walked semi upright on four long, spiked insect legs one of which was stained with the blood of Fidelis. In its two human hands it held a large net. Its face was nymph-like and insect at the same time. The features pronounced. Its chin elongated and jutted like the toe of a boot. Its eyes were larger than normal and sinister-like under a protruded forehead, eyes that were filled with hate. It spoke in a coarse, raspy voice. "Don't move, human" Then it threw the heavy, mesh net through the air.