Days Gone by

The light touched the ground and resolved into Ezma, haloed in witch light. Quickly and efficiently she took charge of the situation, shepherding Lily and Shiro inside the a hollow of a nearby tree, taking stock of the situation. Upon seeing the hand print on Lily's arm a brief look of concern was quickly followed by a look of someone remembering something that makes a strange happening make sense.
Bedrolls were unfolded from somewhere and then Ezma set herself up by the opening to play a gentle tune.

In times long gone
in a time where nations there were none
The peoples fought and tore
locked forever in war

Then the mightiest of creatures
The giants of old power
came to conclude that none should die

They gathered the strongest of the young ones
To teach, to train, in magics and strengths dire
To move mountains with thought
To bend light by strength
To call beast as weapon
To shape and shift the form
And powers hidden in the dark

To these chosen war was given
to war and fight and rend
that only they would have to die
With grateful hearts these strong ones returned to their tribes in joy
Who clashed first none recall,
But all know that when the champions clashed their new magics wrought the unexpected

For the magic is from the earth,
and the earth is from the people,
and the people is from the magic,

When the champions sought to unmake they were overwhelmed
by the screams of the earth and magic and people.

Now wisdom was added to strength
The champions sought now peace

Together they drew the lines of their people's needs
seeking balance and trust that war may not descend again.

As the Giants taught them
So they taught their people
The connection of all:
of earth to sky,
Sky to stars
and stars to earth
of heart to land
of spirit to friend
and peace to health

It was hard to tell what time he woke but from the smells of the gentle fire Ezma had going outside of their shelter it was time to eat. Lily was already awake and applying a salve from Ezma to her arm.

Lily looks aghast at the comment "no it, I mean I am not, I cannot' she stammers, then whispers almost inaudibly to herself 'was my sin truly so severe?" Shiro walks over to her and wraps a comforting arm around her as she murmurs prayers. Ezma watches the scene with interest before asking "What do you want to do sir hero?" not mocking, not reverent, just asking and curious. After a moment's thought he asks "What was that song about? who were the people the giants taught?"

Ezma leans back "I presume you have heard the god of the saint created this world?' Shiro nods in affirmation 'the truth is that we do not know who or what created this world. We know that each tribe says that their ancestors were created this world and then created the giants, and even the most staunch among the nations know this to be false but enjoy the drama. We do know for sure that the giants were first, then dwarves and dragons. We know that the race warred against each other till, as the song stated, the giants taught magic and other secrets to those who fought granting each tribe a champion meant to settle all disputes with overwhelming might, supposedly to keep causalities down to just one or two people. For some reason even the most aggressive Champions after their first fight opted to preserve combat as a last option."

Shiro grunts "I mean that bit seemed a bit obvious, but this does not seem to be a tale you just happened to want to sing about. You have a reason to want me to hear it." He says accusingly.

Ezma nods unperturbed "You are right, and we are getting there.' she continues the story 'well each champion became a leader of their people and negotiated many treaties that last to this day, before they died the selected new champions from among their people as the giants had selected them, thusly it ran till a few hundred years ago." She pauses for a bit of drink "I cannot speak to the creation of the Holy Kingdom, I just know that before the coming of the saint it had many names that each translated to 'gold from the sea.' When the Saint came his teaching swept the nation like wild fire and had some concerning implications.
So when he had accumulated enough power in the kingdom to approach the current Champions as an equal he invited the seven closest to the Kingdom to a feast that all assumed was meant to address the concerns about the spreading doctrine."

Shiro shifts nervously at the appearance of the number seven, starting  to have an idea of where the story was going.

"Only those who were at the meal know what was discussed, as not even servants had been allowed on the grounds that night. Whatever it was, the diners went home without signs of trouble. Mere weeks later the Champions were sealed in a dramatic surge of magic and the Holy Kingdom launched into its first war of expansion, taking many miles of land. Over the centuries the Holy kingdom has gone back and forth with its neighbors, sometimes gaining land other times loosing it. As time went on the Champions literally became demonized by the clergy of the Holy Kingdom. Leaving us in the conundrum we have now: 

There are more than Seven champions, but the ones whose lands do not abut the Holy Kingdom can afford to give into caution and fear as their peoples are not threatened directly, as well as the fact that no one knows how the seals were cast over that many locations with the caster supposedly not being anywhere close."

"When I was in the capital' Shiro says 'I was told that there were' he chooses his words carefully 'followers of the Champions who have been working on dispelling the seals. How much weight should we give that in our calculations?"

Ezma shrugs "Now we are passing out of the realm of legends widely known due to the status quo being the same for several centuries and into state secrets. What has been commonly accepted is that the reason, say the elves, cannot unseal their champion is due to only someone who is as powerful as a champion could even have a hope to do so. Or maybe so defector mage of the Holy Kingdom. You also have to remember that the Champions also act as the head of state for their peoples, and even if a new one was selected by said people, they would not have the secret teachings that set them apart from a normal member of their race."

Shiro really wanted to ask Lily to help him verify some parts of the story he had just hear. He knew of course that Lily would likely stick to what the Holy Kingdom had been telling him this whole time, but hearing again where the stories diverge might help him piece the big picture together. Given how she was rocking in his arms and muttering increasingly incoherent prayers she was not likely to be up for a conversation. Leaving Shiro to try and muddle his way through the situation himself.

Something occurred to him and he looks at Ezma "Regardless of how this information changes the big picture' he says 'we are still stuck here and need to pick a direction." Ezma nods in agreement before reaching into her pack and pulling out a compass "This should help us get out of here, and I am willing to help, we just need to know which direction to go. If you want to keep being a major player in this story we should head southwest to reach Championhold, because, regardless of which side you decide to help, that is where the next major development will happen. If you want to disappear and try to live a quiet life, well any direction other than southwest will work for that.

What do you want Mr. Hero?"