h ands.
“As the first monarch of the modern Fiore Dynasty, he established the Order of the Crimson Paladin Knights. They swore an allegiance to the Supreme Ruler and to uphold the Carnelian Law under pain of death. They were men of the highest moral principles and held to a far higher standard, so much so that they were often referred to as The Incorrupti bles.”
She glanced up from her book. “Why was the name of Ambrogia changed to Abb adon?”
Cozimo scratched his head. “The name Ambrogia is extremely old—it dates back to the beginnings of our civilization more than five thousand years ago. According to the ancient scriptures, it was where Garon established His holy kingdom on Carnelia, and it was the center of our world in every sense of the word.
“In the beginning, there was an age of peace like nothing else this world has ever known. The Creator of the universe came down to the mountain to commune with man in the holy place. That is, until a certain chief priest in the temple named Aurelio came into p ower.
“Selfish and proud, Aurelio’s lust for power consumed him. He secretly plotted to destroy the temple and assert himself as ruler over all Carnelia. Aurelio managed to deceive a considerable portion of the other priests who joined his cause, and they ultimately turned against Garon. War broke out among the priests, and all of the holy men who could not be forced to turn were killed off one by one.
“When the corrupted priests used their influence to turn the people against Garon, men and women who once worshipped Him stopped following His laws and traditions. In a righteous fury, Garon withdrew himself from Ambrogia, retreating back up into the heavens. He refused to remain in communion with those who had turned their backs on Him. He cursed the city of Ambrogia, its people and their descendants for generations to come until the day when He would at last deign to send His own son, the Defender, into the world as the redeemer and last hope for all man kind.
“The temple of Ambrogia was destroyed right down to its foundations. In its place, a castle of darkness was erected. Conquered by an endless string of selfish, depraved men, that fortress of doom has seen much blood spilled over many years. When Rodolfo first captured it all those years ago, he changed its name to Abbadon, which literally means a place of destruction. The city and castle remain cursed even to this day.”
He paused for a moment, pouring himself a glass of w ater.
As Marisa watched him take a sip from the blue crystal goblet, a chill ran down her spine. She had only spent a couple of days in the dark castle at Abbadon, but, thankfully, she had been unaware of its gruesome history at the time.
Cozimo continued. “When the city returned to the Fiore dynasty with the help of your great-grandfather about one hundred years ago, many believed it was a sign that the coming of the Deliverer was near. One of the most notable prophecies foretold in the ancient writings had predi cted:
When the temperate flower has split the indomitable rock with a single blow, the Defender will appear in the hearts of the true belie vers .
“Indeed, there was a relatively short period of peace in Abbadon during the reign of both your grandfather and your mother. Your aunt Sophie ruled for only a few years and, when she perished, her husband Gregario became the illegitimate r uler.
“From the start of his reign, things reverted back to the way they had been. Vicious, vile men regained control of the city. Many people lost their faith, openly proclaiming that the prophecies of the Deliverer were nothing but a myth.”
“Does anyone still believe in the prophe cies?”
“Unfortunately, my child, many have fallen away from the faith. Men and women go about their daily business, pursuing an empty life with only temporary pleasures to show fo r it.”
She nodded. “Sounds a lot like where I’m from.”
“Thankfully, there are still some
“As the first monarch of the modern Fiore Dynasty, he established the Order of the Crimson Paladin Knights. They swore an allegiance to the Supreme Ruler and to uphold the Carnelian Law under pain of death. They were men of the highest moral principles and held to a far higher standard, so much so that they were often referred to as The Incorrupti bles.”
She glanced up from her book. “Why was the name of Ambrogia changed to Abb adon?”
Cozimo scratched his head. “The name Ambrogia is extremely old—it dates back to the beginnings of our civilization more than five thousand years ago. According to the ancient scriptures, it was where Garon established His holy kingdom on Carnelia, and it was the center of our world in every sense of the word.
“In the beginning, there was an age of peace like nothing else this world has ever known. The Creator of the universe came down to the mountain to commune with man in the holy place. That is, until a certain chief priest in the temple named Aurelio came into p ower.
“Selfish and proud, Aurelio’s lust for power consumed him. He secretly plotted to destroy the temple and assert himself as ruler over all Carnelia. Aurelio managed to deceive a considerable portion of the other priests who joined his cause, and they ultimately turned against Garon. War broke out among the priests, and all of the holy men who could not be forced to turn were killed off one by one.
“When the corrupted priests used their influence to turn the people against Garon, men and women who once worshipped Him stopped following His laws and traditions. In a righteous fury, Garon withdrew himself from Ambrogia, retreating back up into the heavens. He refused to remain in communion with those who had turned their backs on Him. He cursed the city of Ambrogia, its people and their descendants for generations to come until the day when He would at last deign to send His own son, the Defender, into the world as the redeemer and last hope for all man kind.
“The temple of Ambrogia was destroyed right down to its foundations. In its place, a castle of darkness was erected. Conquered by an endless string of selfish, depraved men, that fortress of doom has seen much blood spilled over many years. When Rodolfo first captured it all those years ago, he changed its name to Abbadon, which literally means a place of destruction. The city and castle remain cursed even to this day.”
He paused for a moment, pouring himself a glass of w ater.
As Marisa watched him take a sip from the blue crystal goblet, a chill ran down her spine. She had only spent a couple of days in the dark castle at Abbadon, but, thankfully, she had been unaware of its gruesome history at the time.
Cozimo continued. “When the city returned to the Fiore dynasty with the help of your great-grandfather about one hundred years ago, many believed it was a sign that the coming of the Deliverer was near. One of the most notable prophecies foretold in the ancient writings had predi cted:
When the temperate flower has split the indomitable rock with a single blow, the Defender will appear in the hearts of the true belie vers .
“Indeed, there was a relatively short period of peace in Abbadon during the reign of both your grandfather and your mother. Your aunt Sophie ruled for only a few years and, when she perished, her husband Gregario became the illegitimate r uler.
“From the start of his reign, things reverted back to the way they had been. Vicious, vile men regained control of the city. Many people lost their faith, openly proclaiming that the prophecies of the Deliverer were nothing but a myth.”
“Does anyone still believe in the prophe cies?”
“Unfortunately, my child, many have fallen away from the faith. Men and women go about their daily business, pursuing an empty life with only temporary pleasures to show fo r it.”
She nodded. “Sounds a lot like where I’m from.”
“Thankfully, there are still some
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