Black Desert Online Episode 1: The Plague

I was originally from the south of Calpheon, in Kamasylvia. My mother is from Kamasylvia and my father is from Calpheon. My father is a trader at Calpheon and I am left with my mother mostly on my childhood at Kamasylvia.

However as I grew older, a terrible news from another trader reached us, my father is infected by the plague that spread on Calpheon. Mother is an elf that dedicated to pray and connect with the nature for the well-being of our land, she is not someone who can leave for months or even years from our hometown. I buckled up and started my journey to assist and try to find a solution for my fathers plague, so I head to Calpheon at his house. It took me some weeks to reach the area taking a stop and asking directions because I am not someone who goes on exploration a lot.

He is not in a very good condition anymore when I saw him, his skin is slowly detaching from his rotting body. I knew it was his last moments. I held his hand and he smiled at me. We talked for awhile but he is having a hard time talking or moving. I tried not to cry, this is not the father I imagine or image in my mind. He is one strong man who can carry four barrels all at once. But now he cannot even lift his own finger. Whenever he visits us with me and my mother at Kamaslyvia, he always brings a lot of chicken meat and fabrics for mother. 

He once gave me a really nice dagger, he said it costs a lot at Calpheon and it is from a monster named Nouver. I didn’t find the joy receiving that gift from him that time because I am not even into fighting or dreaming to be a warrior of sort. I want to be like my mother, praying for the goodness of this world. However, now that I went to Calpheon, I appreciate what this dagger can do and how precious it is.

 Calpheon is one big city and it is bustling with so many creatures coming from every corner of the world. There are a variety of traders and buildings all around. It is too colorful and shiny in my eyes. It is not something I am used to, too far from the little home me and my mother have in Kamaslyvia which is always serene and peaceful.

It struck me how people are protesting almost everyday and I cannot even blame them because their government treats them like rats somehow. It triggered me how me and my father are forced to evacuate from my fathers own house away from the city by Calpheon soldiers. It is a new policy issued to the residents that are plagued and sick people should stay outside and go to the refugee camp outside the city.

The condition of the refugee camp is even worse, I carried my father using his wagon together with his left goods and some clothes to the camp. Tons of citizens are there, all in bad condition. The stench is lingering around the camp, Elion priests together with their own knights started to preach to us about how we are suffering from this plague because we do not pray hard enough to Elion. 

They did made it worst for me and others to be honest. This suffering of holding a love one waiting for his death and all we get is being judged  how Elionism is the key to all of this. I respect others beliefs but this is too insensitive from them.

I stayed for two nights at the camp, the third night father passed away. We ate nothing but boiled potatoes for two days while hearing how miserable and bad we are from Elion priests. I did grieve while burying his remains, even though I only have little chances of being with my father from time to time because of his work and trading. When he goes back to our home for a whole week, we spend it wisely and all the memories with him is only of happy memories. 

I buried him at the south of Calpheon near the river alone. I wish mother is with me but it is something I should just do myself. I burned his other belongings exept for pictures he have on a storage and some valuable items on a big sack he told me to bring with me back to Kamaslyvia.

I was about to go home with his wagon when I was passing the refugee camp, I cannot go on without taking a glimpse of how worse and how ugly the government and Elionism is there. I pretty much know some Elion priests and some are quite okay or confused if they should join Elionism but the one who is preaching at the refugee camp is the worst encounter I had with an Elion priest. 

So I stepped down for a bit with the sack at my back and went to the refugee camp just to check if I can help anyone or probably give the last potato batch I had when suddenly I overheard the Elion priest ordered the knights to kill all the people at the west side of the refugee camp for good since they have been dying anyway and does not believe Elionism.

I cannot believe how this priest can order a massive murder. I cannot imagine myself getting killed together with my father while sleeping or trying to make things better. How can they do this to their own citizens? I was at my limits already this time, yes, I was never as calm as my mother. I believe on goodness and truth but I cannot let this bloodshed happen without doing anything. 

Due to my temper and heightened emotions I stabbed the Elion priest from behind with the dagger father gave me. It was all anxiety after that, I keep telling myself if I just killed a man. I run as fast as I can while the knights just learned the priest is bleeding. No one saw me, I hopped at the wagon the drive my way to Kamasylvia with a heavy heart.

Back in Kamaslyvia I broke the news to my mother, she said she talked to my father through prayers and she knows he is already at peace when he saw me on his final moments. It was a long hearty conversation with mother, recalling how happy and funny father was when he comes home with us. I knew she is making me see that we can still go on with life even though I know how she love my father and probably how heartbroken she is. I unpacked father’s belongings at our house and saw a couple of books, bottled liquids, weapons and fabrics. The one that caught my attention is the long staff that glitters by itself. It sure holds some magical power and aura just by looking at it.

I cannot sleep that night, although I am still in grief from the loss of my father, I am thinking how I just killed a man. I never even killed a chicken for food. I am contemplating to tell it or not to my mother, I feel guilt and disgrace. This is all an embarrassment from the lessons she thought me about kindness to all creatures. I stayed outside our house thinking how I will resolve this issue and I am also thinking if the priest is already dead, he probably survived, but who knows? I do not even know if I will step on Calpheon’s capital again.

I suddenly looked at our house and somehow saw how bright the staff glow is now. I know staffs are used by wizards and witches but I do not really know anyone personally who teaches the skills. I became curious as the glow changes its colors, I went inside the house the picked up the staff. I swung it a little bit higher than me and the colors swung together like an ethereal beauty. I was amazed and somehow I felt something inside me which I cannot explain. 

Something eerie yet beautiful, I swung the staff again and felt control or maybe the staff is controlling me, I do not know that time. I went outside with the staff and feels like my body is moving by itself, into the woods alone until the Black Spirit appeared, a spirit where I am the one who can only talk and see him, there my journey as a witch started.