The Coin of Chance
#1 of The Coin of Chance
This is a dark opening story to a possible series. It shows a little of how your outlook on life can make things a curse or a blessing. It also shows how there are people in the world who no matter what you say will continue to follow the wrong path.
Dont leave your life to chance...
Your Bard, the Teller of Tails
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Magic... It is not able to be used by most of us. Yes, I the Teller can Shapeshift but I cannot throw fire, or create something out of mid air merely by speaking words. To make fire I must be a dragon, and to make my clothes or weapons appear I must have them first. I don't even know if my nature is magical at all.
For any one who can use magic, a few kind wizards and deities had made magical items to enhance existing powers or give them to those who have none. But beware... For not all enchantments are good, and some may even curse you for all eternity, but just a few leave every thing to chance...
The Coin of Abeo, or as most would call it just Abeo was a magical silver coin that had on one side a head of a handsome human, and on the other the spiked tail of a dragon. It was said to have it's origin in Pandora's Box, where chaos came to ravish the land, but if you recall, there was also hope in that box, and that is also reflected in the chance you have with the coins use. The coin was taken from the box and was held by a man's greed. The man held onto that coin until the vary point he died and Kharon the ferryman on the river Styx took the silver coin as payment in the crossing to the netherworld. He held onto it for generations, until one day another man filled with greed stole the coin from Kharon and brought it back to the world of the living. The man was hailed as a hero for reclaiming such a treasure from the box. What they didn't know was that when Kharon saw that it had been stolen, he cursed it, so that the user would become a monstrous beast...
But there was hope...
The man one day was running around the city showing off his glorious coin to the townsfolk, and he was basking in their praise foolishly. He at one point threw the coin in the air to show it off to the people... It landed in his hands with the side with the tail facing up.
One throw of the coin...
The die was cast...
The people cheered for the man, and he took it in stride. He stood upon a podium and declared to every one of how he was chosen by the gods to claim the coin. That it was his birth right to have it, and the glory that came with it, and as the crowed cheered for him and as they did he threw it in the air and caught it with heads facing up.
Two throws of the coin...
With the second toss his fate, sealed...
As the man looked at the coin, it glowed with a silver light and in front of the crowed, changed into a beast, half goat, half man...
The man was killed and the coin locked away until the time of the Romans. A woman stole the coin, because she was poor and lived in misery. She hoped she could sell the coin to have enough to buy food and maybe more. She happily threw the coin as she walked through the back street.
One throw of the coin...
The die cast...
And it landed on tails...
As she stood on the roof she looked up at the sky she watched the birds wondering what it would be like to be free like the birds that passed. To be able to leave this city behind. As she pondered this she threw the coin, and it landed on tails.
Two throws of the coin...
Her fate, sealed...
The woman as she looked upon the birds became one herself and she flew away to join the others in the sky.
The coin fell into the hands of beggars and thieves and the coin gained a reputation. It was named The Coin of Abeo... The Coin of Chance...
Those if the coin was thrown, whoever the thrower was touching, or the person that the coin hit when it landed was judged by chance. If the coin landed on heads twice then nothing happens, but if the coin lands on tails twice, you become the first creature you see. If the coin lands once on heads and once on tails, the person would become half human, half of the first beast it saw.
After years of the coin changing hands and being used for gambling it was taken by the city and placed in the royal vault to be used only in times of great need. The town was attacked and the coin was taken. It after years past and the age of dragon's and knights came, Abeo was still changing hands and being used as a means of interrogation and torture, it came into the hands of a man. Someone had thrown the coin at him hoping to get revenge on him for something that was not his fault. He held the coin in his hand with the tails staring him in the eyes and the man recognized it for what it was.
One throw of the coin...
The die is cast...
He knew that if the coin ever left his hand it would turn him into a beast or monster. He had a family. He had a good life! He was not about to loose everything he had built up. No... The man cut off his own hand and placed it in his family's crypt, never to be seen again, and the man lived happily with his family to his dyeing breath.
But some could not let things be as they should. A few years after the man had died, a new man came, once again filled with greed. He broke into the crypt and stole the coin, but this man did not go around throwing the coin or showing it to others for his own glory. No, he only had one thing in mind... Enjoyment...
The sick bastard would watch someone, for days or even weeks, the come out dressed in a black hooded robe and a mask, with the face a demon on one side and an angel on the other. He named himself after the coin, Abeo Sanctus... The Sacred Chance...
There was a man named Duncan Tailor, who worked in the orchards of apples just outside of town. He for the past few days had felt that something was not right. Every so often as he happily went about his work he might here something, but when he looked nothing was there. A few times he could have sworn he saw a man out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned there was only the leaves blowing in the gentle breeze.
He set out working one day and he was trimming the trees when he saw something out of the corner of his eye, but like every time when he looked there was no one there. Dunken tunred back to his work he yelled out in fear and surprise as man in a black robe wearing a mask with the face of both a demon and an angel stood before him and spoke in a voice as dark and grave as death itself.
"Greetings Dunken Tailor. You have been watched and now you will be judged, by chance!" Abeo grabbed Duncan by the neck and tossed the coin and it landed on Tails.
One throw of the coin...
The die is cast...
The man screamed for help as his neck and fate was held in the hands of this monster. Abeo threw the coin into the air and it landed on Tails.
Two throws of the coin...
His fate, sealed...
Abeo dropped the man in the dirt and placed the coin in a pouch on his belt, and watched. Duncan landed on the ground with a thud, and his head started to bleed where it had hit the root of the tree. He opened his eyes and the first thing that filled his vision was a spider. Duncan screamed in pain as all of a sudden it felt like his skin was being ripped apart by one thousand hooks, and his body began to shrink.
He screamed as his skull split into two and a monstrous thing came forth with ten eyes and two fangs. His bones turned themselves upon the skin ripping it and forming together into a hard shell as four more limbs came from his sides.
The masked man laughed at the man's pain and suffering as he became the tiny arachnid. He gave praise to god of fortune that was created in his mind as the madness had consumed him years ago. As the spider tried to stand up on its new legs it found itself in the hands of the one who had done this to him. "You have been judged, and found guilty!" With these words the man crushed the life of Duncan out of the spider in his gloved hand.
For some it is a blessing...
For some it is a curse...
For some it is a game...
The die is cast...
The fate, sealed...
Who will be the next victim of chance...