Story Branch
		
																							I
																								do
																								not
																								often
																								speak
																								of
																								that
																								time,
																								for
																								dark
																								are
																								the
																								memories
																								and
																								vivid
																								is
																								the
																								pain
																								of
																								their
																								recalling.
																								Nevertheless,
																								I
																								am
																								compelled
																								to
																								commit
																								them
																								to
																								parchment,
																								for
																								much
																								suffering
																								could
																								have
																								been
																								saved
																								if
																								those
																								in
																								control
																								had
																								behaved
																								differently
																								and
																								it
																								is
																								my
																								sincere
																								hope
																								that
																								the
																								learnings
																								from
																								these
																								stories
																								could
																								one
																								day
																								avert
																								disaster
																								when
																								the
																								seasons
																								turn
																								again
																								as
																								they
																								inevitably
																								will.
																								
			[p]
																								It
																								began
																								in
																								the
																								early
																								days
																								of
																								the
																								Crimson
																								Year,
																								when
																								the
																								skies
																								took
																								on
																								a
																								hue
																								of
																								foreboding
																								and
																								the
																								winds
																								carried
																								whispers
																								of