Title: To Dust Return

I.

Setting
a. Continent: Aithe, a dying land. Once a continent of magnificence, opulence, and
adventure, a slow decay has taken root.
b. Capital city: Euna, the last large stronghold of the continents populace; even this
city is half in ruin from neglect and the inexplicable diminution of its populace.
i. The Fortress: the inner sanctuary of the city where the rich and noble
have sequestered themselves, turning a blind eye to the struggling
outside.
c. Ruins: Dotting the landscape of Aithe are the ruins of other once-great cities
known for trade, culture, and beauty
d. The Forest of Sidue: A legendary wood far to the west of Euna, with growing
rumors suggesting it may be haunted. The creeping sickness that has spread
throughout the land has its origins in the evil that lies within.

II. Creatures and Races

a. Humans: The most prevalent race on the continent; very concerned with class
and social stature; population is centered around Euna and some outlying farms,
though some are still rumored to live in the wilder areas, eking out a living just
outside of the Forest of Sidue
i. Nobility: Typically vain and self-centered; the descendants of greater kin;
primarily concerned with comfort; the ruling class
ii. Merchants: A growing segment of the population, the only real threat
to the nobility; fall into two categories: the wandering peddlers and the
established town shops; realists full of practicality, a surprising source of
hope, leadership, and bravery for the dwindling populace
iii. Commoners: Farmers, laborers; typically poor but not necessarily
uneducated
iv. Clergy: Spiritual leaders, they claim to be set apart from the rest of the
population but tend to latch on to the nobility or the upper crust of the
merchant class
b. The Fae: A general classification used to describe a variety of creatures that are
able to use magic; tend to fall into two broad factions
i. Dark Fae: The only known inhabitants of the Forest of Sidue, the Dark
Fae are known to attack unwary travelers and are suspected for many
disappearances of those who try to cross the Forest
ii. Light Fae: Uncommon but not entirely unknown, Light Fae live among
humans. They have dwindled as a race more than humans, with only a
few left that are able to perform even rudimentary magic; rumors suggest
the dissipation in magic ability has to do with the decision to dwell among
humans
III. Main Characters

a. Saena: The heroine; half of the story will be written first-person point-of-view
from her perspective; Saena is the youngest daughter of an honorable, well-todo traveling merchant named Silam; the family travels between Euna and the
outskirts of the Forest regularly; Saena has an elder sister named Phana who is
mainly concerned with becoming a member of the Nobility; Saena enjoys the life
of the traveling merchant, but her father impresses upon her the importance of
finding the source of decay in the land and stopping it
b. Aerim: The hero; half of the story will be written first-person point-of-view from
his perspective; a Commoner living outside the Forest, Aerim is human, but he
is also something more, which his secretive father, Thaeri, refuses to explain;
Aerim meets Saena while she is traveling through his land and helps to escort
her fathers caravan through some bandit-infested areas; he learns of their
desire to find the source of the decay and vows to join the quest; in the process,
he learns about his Fae heritage and that he possesses the key to saving the
populace
IV. Themes
a. Finding romance in unlikely places
b. Coming of age and learning how to leave home and family to find a new life
c. Good vs. evil: Discovery that the line is not always clear and how to make the
right decisions despite that fact
V. Challenges
a. Physical: Saena primarily faces the physical challenges; as a traveling
merchants daughter, she has learned to fight; she faces the Dark Fae but suffers
weakness in her mental defenses against their magic; Aerim learns to fight from
Saena and helps her learn to defend herself mentally
b. Magical: Aerim is surprisingly resilient to magic and discovers his growing
powers as he and Saena venture into the Forest to investigate their foe and find
the root to the decay of the land; he must ultimately confront the truth that his
mother was a Dark Fae and was responsible for introducing a sickness to the
human race
VI. Conclusion
a. Aerim and Saena confront Aerims mother and defeat her, but the wheels are set
in motion and they must find a way to stop the coming battle with the Dark Fae to
save the human race.