Prologue
The Legacy of the Seekers
Long ago, in the vast Middle Lands, there lived a curious sort,
Unique not just in their way of life, but also their way of sport:
Known simply as “the Seekers,” they found their greatest pleasure
In traveling their forest home to search for hidden treasure.
They lived amid the lakes and valleys, tending them with love;
They called their home “the Heartland” in acknowledgement thereof.
For years they held tradition, sowing seeds and reaping fruits,
And scattering gems across the land in honor of their roots.
But over time, on winds of change, the Others interfered,
And, as they cleared the wood, the Seekers slowly disappeared:
The wheels of progress ground their way across the Middle Lands;
The forests fell to satisfy insatiable demands.
Some say their spirit lives in the soil, some say they're in the trees;
Listen closely, you might hear their whisper on the breeze;
Search with care and share the love, and on the trail you'll find
The legacy of kindness that the Seekers left behind.
Alas, of all their many treasures, only three remain,
Lost to time on nameless lands and spread across the plain;
But there is hope! We speak of them in hushed and reverent tones:
Legend tells of a “Chosen Few” to seek the sacred stones.
The path is long and arduous, but Seekers don't back down;
They search until the game is won, until the sought is found.
The hunt is afoot, so listen well, and hear me, one and all:
It's time to seek out your adventure! Will you heed the call?
Clue #1
A Message from the Past
Clue #2
The Ballad of Dusk & Dawn
Beneath the trees at forest's edge, on the bank of a gentle stream,
In a peaceful prairie paradise, like something from a dream,
There met a pair whose days and nights have long since come and gone;
Hearken to the topsy-turvy tale of Dusk and Dawn.
One was pulled toward darkness and the other drawn by light—
Dawn would rise to greet the sun, while Dusk embraced the night.
Dawn would dance with butterflies and songbirds in the thickets;
Dusk saw symbols of their love in fireflies, owls, and crickets.
But together, each night, they'd play a lovely, lilting lullaby;
Dusk would sing the lower notes and Dawn would sing the high;
A strange duet—so magical, their twilight serenade,
The whole world turned to marvel at the harmonies they made.
Wintering and summering between the falls and springs,
Dusk and Dawn had found the perfect place to spread their wings,
Basking in the morning sun and bathing in the moon;
Alas, the shadows shifted and their peace was gone too soon.
The Others staked their claims along the Seekers' ancient trails,
To grind their harvest into dust and cart it off on rails;
They blocked the stream and, to a steely spire of barbs and spines,
Piped the power through a stretch of twisted, tangled tines.
Knowing that they couldn't halt the Others' ceaseless march,
Dusk and Dawn made their escape across an angel's arch
To set out on a journey that would shape the stars above—
From first to last they sang their song: the melody of love.
Clue #3
A Piece of History
Clue #4
The Western Road
Clue #5
The Sunday Tribune
Clue #6
The Colossus of the Valley
Dusk and Dawn descended on the edge of the plateau—
A corner of the Heartland where the warming waters flow;
In a sparkling string of shining stones, like diamonds in the rough,
The star-crossed pair would carve a home into the sandy bluff.
Looking out on their little slice of the twisting river dell,
Once again they'd found themselves a gorgeous place to dwell.
Things were as they should be; life was calm and sweet—
'Til the Others came to take the very earth beneath their feet.
They rode on engines belching smoke to carve away the sand,
To detonate their quarry and hew away the land;
They paved their way across the valley, grading the terrain,
Unfurling roads and giving rise to titans on the plain.
The giants' reach was far and wide, their aim was true and square—
One chipped away a massive slab and slung it through the air;
It arced across the heavens, up into the great unknown;
The Seekers summoned all their hope—and turned the beasts to stone!
But as the victors celebrated their triumphant stand,
The rock of the colossus cast a shadow on the land.
It smashed into the shoreline; the Seekers were in trouble—
Their river valley home had been reduced to rocky rubble.
So, scoring symbols into stone, Dusk and Dawn took flight,
And once again their mournful ballad echoed through the night—
The two left nothing else, except a crimson, crystal shard,
Beneath the gaze of skyline sentries, ever standing guard.
Clue #7
Landscape of Memory
Clue #8
When Worlds Collide
Clue #9
Annihilation
Clue #10
The Keepers of the Flame
In the great northwestern forest, where the trees grow broad and high,
Near a place of shallow waters on an island in the sky,
Where the air is fresh, the people true, the river clear and bright—
Dusk and Dawn would rise and fall, embracing every night.
They built a palace in the pines along the sylvan shore,
Planting jewels and spreading seeds across the forest floor.
At last they'd found their sanctuary, far from the madding crowds,
To dip and swing their paddles, sending ripples through the clouds.
And every night toward the sky the Seekers turned their gaze,
Where to the north their neighbors kept the sacred fires ablaze;
The glowing of the embers set the firmament aflare,
And beams and swirls of wondrous hues would dance upon the air.
But then the future came to pass—and with their greedy claws,
The Others came to fell the trees with axes, chains, and saws;
They made a solemn promise to the Keepers of the Flame—
Then pushed them off their holy lands and robbed them of their name.
Dusk and Dawn, the Seekers, stood their ground—prepared to fight;
With no one left to tend the fire, it burned into the night,
Blacking out the sun and moon with a rolling crash of thunder;
The Others tried to fight the flames, but split the sky asunder.
The Seekers took each other's hand; their odds were slim to none—
The look upon their faces said they knew what must be done—
They took one final loving stare into each other's eyes,
Then rose into the heavens, soaring up, across the skies.
Sailing off against the wind, and tacking into the storm,
They wrapped their wings around the forest in celestial form—
To quell the smoke and paint the clouds, and leave the land enchanted;
They left no earthly trace behind—save the gems they planted.
Now Dusk arrives on edge of darkness, harbinger of night,
And every morning Dawn returns, appearing with first light—
They chase the flames across the sky and heal the fiery scars,
To keep the Heartland safe and sound beneath a blanket of stars.
And together, each night, they play a lovely lilting lullaby;
Their symphony of golden tones descends across the sky—
Dusk and Dawn will sing their song until their final breaths,
Sworn to live a million lives and die a million deaths.
Clue #11
Fragments of Time
Clue #12
The Way Home
Epilogue
The Bootlegger's Daughter
