Legend of the Four Brothers

This is the legend about the four brothers, which marks the beginning of the magical world, Adeland. The four brothers set off from their village together into the hills to seek for meaning of life. They searched for three days in the hills looking for a spiritual figure that said to be dwelling in the eastern hills. When they rested at dusk on the third day, the spiritual figure named Life appeared in front of them before the waterfall.

The four brothers fell to their knee with fear. The figure said with a mighty voice, “Don’t be afraid. I am Life, the figure you been looking for. I’ve foreseen each of your desires, and now I’m here to offer each of you a gift. Whatever your heart desire for, I’ll give, so that I may become favour in your eyes.”

The first brother came forth and spoke, “I am the oldest brother and I want to have authority over my people, to have respect from each of them.”

As he wished, the figure gave him a sword, the Sword of Authority. It was like that he became the first kind of Adeland.

The second brother was amazed, so he asked desperately, “I’m the second oldest brother, but I am considered as the stupidest of all among my three brothers. It would be a pleasure for me to have incredible wisdom, to become the wisest of all my three brothers; hence they will never tease me.”

So the figure gave him a cloak, the Cloak of Wisdom. Instantly the second brother felt a power came down from heaven to dwell around him, which made him wise.

The third brother who was impatiently waiting asked, “I will like to have special powers, a power that can be greater than my two elder brothers.”

It was like that the figure gave the third brother a Staff, the Staff of Magic. He became the first wizard.
The humble fourth brother who was the youngest of all said, “I don’t want anything. I have happiness and I’m happy for it. Perhaps the only thing I don’t want is to loss happiness.”

The figure was surprised, “I see. You have chosen a far greater gift than all your other brothers.” The last gift the figure gave was a stone, the Stone of Life.

“What does this stone do?” asked the fourth brother.

“You will see. When you found out the use of this stone, you will find eternal happiness,” the instant that the figure replied to the fourth brother, it disappeared into the thin air leaving the gifts it gave to the four brothers.

When dawn came, the four brothers set off back to the village. With the four gifts that gave them special power they separated and travelled toward different directions with their wives and children leaving their home village empty.

The eldest brother travelled west and settled on a hill next to the river, he named ‘Torrens’. One night when he slept, another figure named Death came into his dream.

Death persuaded him, “I see you have the Sword of Authority, but why aren’t your brothers and their family submitted to you.”

“They left me, and travelled into the far distance to begin their own family.”

“Your brothers have fled from you to prevent you from taken their gifts. They were afraid.”

“Why?”

“I bet you didn’t know that if all the gifts came together under one person, that person may seek far great powers and obtain true authority over his people. Life has deceived you.”

After hearing what Death said, the ambitious brother plotted to kill his second brother who owned the Cloak of Wisdom. The wise brother has foretold that his oldest brother would one day kill him for the Cloak of Wisdom. Therefore he gave the Cloak of Wisdom to his son and created another identical cloak which he wore in replacement of the Cloak of Wisdom to persuade his brother.

Without knowing the eldest brother killed the second brother and stool the fake cloak. The son of the second brother fled North, beyond the hot desert and settled there peacefully in a new environment.

The third brother, who became a wizard, had also foretold that his oldest brother would one day kill him for the Staff of Magic. Therefore he built three towers in the Eastern hills and unbinds the staff into three pieces. He placed each pieces into three different towers and bounded them with a defensive spell.

When the eldest brother came to the third brother, he killed him, but did not manage to find the Staff of Magic. The apprentices of the third brother persuaded the oldest brother to believe that the Grand Wizard Wand was a new form of the Staff of Magic, so that the three towers maybe kept safe.

After succeed killing his second and third brother he went to seek his youngest brother in the South. When he found the fourth brother, he found out he has have learnt the use of the Stone of Life and obtained eternal life.

The eldest brother wasn’t happy. The humble fourth brother promised to his eldest brother that he wouldn’t stop his ambitious plan in ruling the land of Adeland. He promised he would stay deep in the Southern Mountain with his family and his next generation will live there forever and ever. The eldest brother released him into the Southern Mountain and the second generation of the fourth brother became known as the Elves.

The eldest brother returned back to his village and in ten years he established his kingdom and his village became known as the City of Torrens. When his kingdom reached the peak of its prosperity, the figure named Life appeared again before the eldest brother warning him that he had done terrible things. With the account that he took the life of his two brothers, his twelve sons will divided and bring destruction to the kingdom.

When the eldest brother heard what Life said. He fell to his knee. Life left him and Death came to take the eldest brother’s life.
The eldest son of the eldest brother succeeds the throne and the kingdom split. War and destruction came to the City of Torrens and the City was ruined for centuries.

The twelve sons divided. The first son was taken by Death into the dark side. The second son fled to the far-east beyond the Eastern hills and settle next to the yellow river, he named Murray. The third son fled northeast into the plain and became vicious riders. The fourth son fled into the northern deserts and became miners with the dwarves. The fifth son fled south beyond the mountains and built a glorious city of the sea. The sixth son fled beyond the southeast sea and settled in the dragon island, becoming the dragon riders of Dragland. The seventh son fled beyond the western sea became the people beyond the sea. The eighth son fled northwest created another powerful kingdom. The ninth son fled into the Eastern hills became the rangers of the hills. The tenth son stayed in the ruin town of Torrens became the ascendant of the one who restore the throne of Torrens. The eleventh and twelfth son followed their second brother to the far-east and became the ascendants of the rulers of the three kingdoms.

This is how the twelve clans of the magical land, Adeland rise to power.