… | |
… | |
626 | of their own biggest creation, The Thaumic Gear. The explosion of the Gear |
626 | of their own biggest creation, The Thaumic Gear. The explosion of the Gear |
627 | shattered the whole east of the world, and many territories forever sank |
627 | shattered the whole east of the world, and many territories forever sank |
628 | into the ocean, including Kari Kori, the Technomages’ city. |
628 | into the ocean, including Kari Kori, the Technomages’ city. |
629 | |
629 | |
630 | |
630 | |
|
|
631 | =head1 Juradiths Dissidents |
|
|
632 | |
|
|
633 | Juradiths, named after Juradith, Minor Spirit of Equity, were a group of |
|
|
634 | activists that wanted to turn the Kingdom of Scorn into a republic in the |
|
|
635 | second-half of the XXXIVth century EK. They succeeded at overthrowing King |
|
|
636 | Karatan III, but their vengeful, fanatical excesses quickly turned most |
|
|
637 | Scornians against them. When trying to recapture the city, their army was |
|
|
638 | defeated by the Scornian Militia with the help of a couple city mages, who |
|
|
639 | flooded the Juradiths into a magically created lake. |
|
|
640 | |
|
|
641 | Juradiths still exist as a small political faction today, although |
|
|
642 | they’ve long traded their violent ways for some weird traditions whose |
|
|
643 | origins and meaning are now mostly forgotten. |
|
|
644 | |
|
|
645 | |
|
|
646 | =head1 The Gaean Legend of Creation |
|
|
647 | |
|
|
648 | =head2 Age of The Void |
|
|
649 | |
|
|
650 | In the beginning there was Gaea, the force of nature. SHE filled the whole |
|
|
651 | of existence with her being. After a few billion years, this became to |
|
|
652 | grow boring and lonely, so SHE decided to have children. |
|
|
653 | |
|
|
654 | At first SHE created a host of forces like Herself, eternal and |
|
|
655 | divine. But with all their power, they couldn’t get along with each |
|
|
656 | other, so Gaea decided that wasn’t a good idea. SHE decreed that from |
|
|
657 | that point on all creatures but HER would have a limited lifetime. But |
|
|
658 | most of HER first children disagreed, and went away to an unknown |
|
|
659 | location. |
|
|
660 | |
|
|
661 | =head2 Age of The Small World |
|
|
662 | |
|
|
663 | So Gaea created a small world and populated it with limited creatures - |
|
|
664 | animals and plants of all sorts. For a few million years she was happy |
|
|
665 | to watch them. But her remaining faithful children were growing restless |
|
|
666 | and wanted to make their own experimentations too. Finally SHE got bored |
|
|
667 | again, as her creations weren’t self-aware and therefore weren’t |
|
|
668 | much of a company. But SHE was also curious, because her creatures had |
|
|
669 | developed many different styles of living, and SHE desired to compare |
|
|
670 | them. |
|
|
671 | |
|
|
672 | And Gaea destroyed the original world, breaking it in four new ones. |
|
|
673 | |
|
|
674 | =head2 Age of The Four Worlds |
|
|
675 | |
|
|
676 | The First world was dedicated to harmony. It was populated with creatures |
|
|
677 | that preferred to coexist peacefully and contemplate. Two of Her children |
|
|
678 | were particularly enamoured of this world and decided to live there. |
|
|
679 | |
|
|
680 | The Second world was dedicated to construction. It was populated with |
|
|
681 | creatures that liked to change the environment around them, especially |
|
|
682 | ants, bees and beavers, and filled with wood and metal and stone usable as |
|
|
683 | raw material. Two of Her children found the idea fascinating and decided |
|
|
684 | to live in this world. |
|
|
685 | |
|
|
686 | The Third world was dedicated to war and strife. While all the three |
|
|
687 | other worlds had equal shares of light and darkness, the Third world had |
|
|
688 | as much light as its inhabitants desired - and it was populated with |
|
|
689 | creatures that loved and hated light, in equal parts. So these creatures |
|
|
690 | quickly discoreved they could influence the ambient light by battling each |
|
|
691 | other. Two of Her children decided to live in this world: one because he |
|
|
692 | loved light, and another because he hated his brother and therefore wished |
|
|
693 | for darkness to prevail. |
|
|
694 | |
|
|
695 | The Fourth world, finally, was dedicated to predation and to survival of |
|
|
696 | the fittest. It was populated with fierce creatures and predators. Two of |
|
|
697 | Her children believed this was the best way to live and decided to live in |
|
|
698 | this world. |
|
|
699 | |
|
|
700 | After the worlds were created, only four children of Gaea still preferred |
|
|
701 | to live in the Void: two because they weren’t interested in any of those |
|
|
702 | worlds, and two because they liked all of them and preferred to visit them |
|
|
703 | whenever they wished. |
|
|
704 | |
|
|
705 | =head2 Age of Awakening |
|
|
706 | |
|
|
707 | And for a few million years Gaea delighted in observing the differences |
|
|
708 | between the worlds. But still the creatures were not self-aware, and |
|
|
709 | still SHE was lonely. So when Her children came and said they were lonely |
|
|
710 | and wanted to create more interesting creatures, SHE understood them and |
|
|
711 | quickly allowed them and gave them the power to do it. |
|
|
712 | |
|
|
713 | So on the First world, one of the Gods who lived there created a race of |
|
|
714 | beings that loved peace and wildlife, and called them Elves. The other |
|
|
715 | God in that world didn’t choose to create followers, but she teached |
|
|
716 | language to the Elves of her brother, and when the Elves larned the art of |
|
|
717 | naming, they named their creator Lythander, and in exchange for his name |
|
|
718 | he gifted them with luck. |
|
|
719 | |
|
|
720 | On the Second world, one of the Gods created a race of builders and named |
|
|
721 | them Dwarves. His children, in turn, named him Mostrai. His sister, in |
|
|
722 | turn, decided not to create, but teach some of the dwarves (the ones |
|
|
723 | willing to learn) about magic and the powers of the gods. The other |
|
|
724 | dwarves, however, didn’t accept their changed siblings, so they went off |
|
|
725 | to live by themselves and became known as gnomes. |
|
|
726 | |
|
|
727 | On the Third world, of course, none of the resident Gods wanted to |
|
|
728 | cooperate with the other. Both created their own races: the God who fought |
|
|
729 | for darkness created many kinds of fierce, brutal monsters he named |
|
|
730 | “Demons”, while the God who fought for light created many kinds of |
|
|
731 | skillful, swift warriors he named “Angels”. Befittingly, these Gods |
|
|
732 | were named by their enemies, and not their followers: the demons gave the |
|
|
733 | light god the name of “Valriel“, and the angels gave their enemy god |
|
|
734 | the name “Gorokh“. |
|
|
735 | |
|
|
736 | And on the Fourth world, the patron Gods kept true to their philosophy |
|
|
737 | and created not one, but innumerable races, in the hope that one of these |
|
|
738 | would prove the strongest and most worth. So they created goblins, trolls, |
|
|
739 | ogres, and not least, dragons. The Gods became known as Gnarg, the Patron |
|
|
740 | of Assassins, Ruggilli, the Consuming Worm, and Ixalovh. |
|
|
741 | |
|
|
742 | The races in the four worlds lived on for millenia, and developed, and |
|
|
743 | grew, and all worlds flourished. The eight patron gods believed this was |
|
|
744 | proof that they were right, and the way they lived was the best one, while |
|
|
745 | the two traveling gods rather believed that the success of all the worlds |
|
|
746 | was instead proof of the wisdom and power of their Mother. |
|
|
747 | |
|
|
748 | =head2 Age of Death |
|
|
749 | |
|
|
750 | But at some point things started to go wrong. Angels and demons would |
|
|
751 | start to become priests or scholars or merchants and preach against the |
|
|
752 | war. Dwarves and gnomes would start go grow sedentary and admire the |
|
|
753 | crafts of the past instead of building new ones. Goblinoids would suddenly |
|
|
754 | develop a taste for vegetables and become farmers, while dragons would |
|
|
755 | decide that developing their magics was more important than finding |
|
|
756 | food. But what was wrong was a mistery that would only begin to unfold |
|
|
757 | when the High King of the elves, one day, was devoured by a dragon. |
|
|
758 | |
|
|
759 | It was then that the Gods discovered that the worlds were not anymore |
|
|
760 | completely isolated from one another. Someone had, somehow, teached all |
|
|
761 | kinds of creatures how to follow the paths left by the traveling gods - |
|
|
762 | flying creatures would ride the cross-world whirlwinds of the thunder god, |
|
|
763 | and others would learn to tread the strange winding paths of the walking |
|
|
764 | god. And as creatures became aware of different ways, things started to go |
|
|
765 | wrong. |
|
|
766 | |
|
|
767 | Promptly, the Gods tried to close all portals - but it was too late. The |
|
|
768 | art of magic was already known in the four worlds, and strong enough to |
|
|
769 | travel between them. And the one peaceful elves were ignited, and declared |
|
|
770 | war on the dragons, goblins and trolls. |
|
|
771 | |
|
|
772 | While a mighty army of elven warriors crossed over to the Fourth world, |
|
|
773 | dwarves and gnomes found the First world almost deserted and full of wood |
|
|
774 | and metal for the dwarves, and holy, peaceful places for the gnomes. |
|
|
775 | |
|
|
776 | The part of the small peoples who remained on the Second world was faced |
|
|
777 | with new problems when the demons decided they were ripe for tempting (if |
|
|
778 | they could get dwarven builders and gnome sorcerers on their side, the |
|
|
779 | tide of the war would turn). The angels, of course, took upon themselves |
|
|
780 | to protect these strange people from their eternal enemies. So as their |
|
|
781 | attention slowly shifted from the Third world to the Second, soon only |
|
|
782 | the weakest of their kind were in their original world, where they began |
|
|
783 | to fall prey to hungry refugees from the Fourth world, who discovered how |
|
|
784 | tasty angel/demon flesh can be. |
|
|
785 | |
|
|
786 | And while the Gods were busy trying to even understand this chaos, the |
|
|
787 | dead began to come back. |
|
|
788 | |
|
|
789 | Their leader was Hagguth, the Elven High King who had been eaten by a |
|
|
790 | dragon. He came back as a powerful spectre, leading a powerful army of |
|
|
791 | ghosts, wraiths, skeletons and zombies in a massive attack to the Second |
|
|
792 | and Third worlds. Their goal was to kill as many dwarves, gnomes, angels |
|
|
793 | and demons as possible, to strenghten the number of their own undead host. |
|
|
794 | |
|
|
795 | And when some elven wizards tried to steal the power of the undead to |
|
|
796 | their own ends, they became the first vampires, lichs and demilichs - |
|
|
797 | half living, half undead, but on the side of Hagguth and his misterious |
|
|
798 | masters. |
|
|
799 | |
|
|
800 | It was only when a group of reasonable elves, dwarves, gnomes and dragons |
|
|
801 | managed to get together and talk, that it became clear who these masters |
|
|
802 | could be. Till this point, everyone was blaming some (any) god other |
|
|
803 | than the one they worshipped. But there was only one, obvious answer: |
|
|
804 | the Banished Gods, the Forgotten Children who left ages ago because |
|
|
805 | they didn’t agree with he concept of death, were back, and enacting |
|
|
806 | revenge by subverting death itself. In later days, these Gods would become |
|
|
807 | collectively known as the Devourers. |
|
|
808 | |
|
|
809 | Knowing the enemy was not the solution to the war, but was a start. This |
|
|
810 | group, slowly, was able to form a resistence against the undead armies, |
|
|
811 | and gradually turn other people to their side. Finally, after 23 hundred |
|
|
812 | years, they managed to break into the horrible fortress Hagguth had built |
|
|
813 | in the First world and kill (again) the undead king. |
|
|
814 | |
|
|
815 | The chaos began to gradually settle down after that. But then the |
|
|
816 | survivors were faced with a new problem: almost nobody was interested in |
|
|
817 | perverting to the way things used to be. |
|
|
818 | |
|
|
819 | Yes. Entire villages of elves were settled in corners of the Fourth world |
|
|
820 | for many generations, and dwarven guilds had business troughout the |
|
|
821 | worlds. |
|
|
822 | |
|
|
823 | =head2 The Big World |
|
|
824 | |
|
|
825 | So Gaea, in Her wisdom, gave the only possible solution to the |
|
|
826 | problem. SHE took the four worlds in Her hand, and crushed them |
|
|
827 | together. Then SHE looked at the single world she created, and at the |
|
|
828 | creatures of Her children, and decided to again, after millions of years, |
|
|
829 | create Her own followers. Thus SHE created the humans, a young race eager |
|
|
830 | to explore and chart this young world. |
|
|
831 | |
|
|
832 | It took generations for the inhabitants of the resulting world to figure |
|
|
833 | out its geography and for families to reunite; when this finally happened, |
|
|
834 | the stories about four different worlds becoming one were already legends |
|
|
835 | not everybody believed. But still, for some reason, everyone agrees to |
|
|
836 | call this world - the only one they know - Bigworld. |
|
|
837 | |
|
|
838 | |
|
|
839 | =head1 The Book of Valriel |
|
|
840 | |
|
|
841 | In the beginning, for an infinite time, all that existed was a pure light, |
|
|
842 | and that light had a name, and that name was Valriel. |
|
|
843 | |
|
|
844 | But part of the light was not content to be alone, and so did Valriel put |
|
|
845 | this part of Himself aside and did He allow this part to have independent |
|
|
846 | life; and this part was everything that wasn’t content, and as it |
|
|
847 | wasn’t light, it surely was the darkness; and the darkness took upon |
|
|
848 | itself the name of Gorokh. |
|
|
849 | |
|
|
850 | And for many times more time than a mortal can count, Gorokh was the |
|
|
851 | companion and the servant of Valriel. But Gorokh was not content, because |
|
|
852 | that was his nature, and he plotted a way to change everything. And |
|
|
853 | although filled with hidden motives, Gorokh’s words were always very |
|
|
854 | wise, so that Valriel would hear them. So it was that Valriel followed the |
|
|
855 | wise counsel of the Shadow and created a world full of living things to be |
|
|
856 | His new companions and servants. |
|
|
857 | |
|
|
858 | And as soon as Valriel had millions of new companions and servants, Gorokh |
|
|
859 | said, “so now you won’t need me anymore, I can leave and find my own |
|
|
860 | companions and servants”. And this made Valriel unhappy because He was |
|
|
861 | the only and true Lord, but Gorokh wouldn’t recognize that, and so it |
|
|
862 | was Gorokh who eventually taught men to rule over other men instead of |
|
|
863 | paying respect to the one true ruler of all. |
|
|
864 | |
|
|
865 | So did Valriel upon the departure of his first servant, create new |
|
|
866 | servants modeled after His beauty and grace, and elf and man and dwarf he |
|
|
867 | created them. But the Shadow did feel envy and wished those followers for |
|
|
868 | himself, so he came to them in the night and whispered in their ears, and |
|
|
869 | some of them were tempted and started to worship and serve the Shadow. |
|
|
870 | |
|
|
871 | But not enough were seduced by his promises. So he decided to be many, |
|
|
872 | not one. And he wore different shapes and again he whispered in the ears |
|
|
873 | of Valriel’s creations. And to the elves he was Lythander of the bow |
|
|
874 | that never misses, and the elves did not see that if a bow never misses, |
|
|
875 | and it isn’t the work of the Lord, then it can only be the work of the |
|
|
876 | Enemy. And to the dwarves he wore the name of Mostrai, of the fire, of the |
|
|
877 | forge, the builder of things, for the fire and the desire to change was |
|
|
878 | the true face of Gorokh. |
|
|
879 | |
|
|
880 | And he taught the men to wage war upon each other, and scared the warriors |
|
|
881 | with thunder and lightning, and they would call him Sorig. And those |
|
|
882 | who weren’t scared, he tempted with weapons and glory, and wore the |
|
|
883 | beautiful face of a woman, and they called him Valkyrie. And as they |
|
|
884 | killed each other, Gorokh was happy. |
|
|
885 | |
|
|
886 | And much more he did. He taught women to heal and to make the soil grow |
|
|
887 | crop, and they called him Gaea, and believed that Gaea created the world |
|
|
888 | and Valriel was but a minor god, and by spreading this lie they made |
|
|
889 | Gorokh happy. And he taught the children of Valriel to write, so that they |
|
|
890 | could spread his lies further, and they called him Hekanis for that. And |
|
|
891 | he taught them the abomination of filthy magic to pervert and corrupt |
|
|
892 | the creation of the Lord, and to liken themselves to gods, and the evil |
|
|
893 | souls that followed this path called him Byd. And also he taught elf and |
|
|
894 | man and dwarf to brew alcohol and other inebriating things and to laugh |
|
|
895 | in the face of Valriel and throw parties that put shame to the eye of the |
|
|
896 | Lord, and he taught them all that under human guise, and they called their |
|
|
897 | teacher Joyee. |
|
|
898 | |
|
|
899 | So did Valriel look upon the world He created and so did He feel great |
|
|
900 | sorrow and great shame for what had happened to it. And so did he create |
|
|
901 | a new race of servants, more powerful and more faithful than any other, |
|
|
902 | imbued with the mission of hunting down and undoing the work of the Enemy, |
|
|
903 | and this race He called Angels. |
|
|
904 | |
|
|
905 | But again Gorokh felt envy because the servants of the Light were more |
|
|
906 | powerful than his own, and again he went to some of the angels in the |
|
|
907 | night and whispered temptation in their ears, and some turned to his foul |
|
|
908 | purposes and fell from grace. So did Gorokh give them new shapes, to more |
|
|
909 | liken them to himself, red with hate and wearing horns to symbolize their |
|
|
910 | envy, and they became demons. And the plan of Valriel was once again |
|
|
911 | spoiled by the venom of the enemy, because angels had to step aside from |
|
|
912 | their assigned mission to fight the demons and keep them from spreading |
|
|
913 | the evil in their dark hearts. |
|
|
914 | |
|
|
915 | And Gorokh did find great fun in changing Valriel’s creation into a new |
|
|
916 | race, and so did he get elf and man and dwarf and corrupted them with |
|
|
917 | his dark will, and they became goblin and orc and kobold, and troll, and |
|
|
918 | giant, and ogre, and many other abominations to the eye of the Creator, |
|
|
919 | and Gorokh wore the name of Gnarg to these new creations and delighted in |
|
|
920 | watching the destruction and sorrow they spread in the world. |
|
|
921 | |
|
|
922 | And in the ultimate act of defiance, the Shadow decided to create servants |
|
|
923 | for him, create new life himself to liken him more to the Great Lord. And |
|
|
924 | he assembled the foulest magic and the darkest hunger he could find and |
|
|
925 | shaped these into the most horrible monsters he could imagine, and gave |
|
|
926 | them life, and called them dragons, and sent them forth to eat the flesh |
|
|
927 | of the creation of Valriel. And the dragons did call him Ruggilli and much |
|
|
928 | did they please him with the terror they spread. |
|
|
929 | |
|
|
930 | But the light and the love of Valriel knew no end, so He decided to |
|
|
931 | fight evil with good, and He instructed His faithful servants to do only |
|
|
932 | the good, to spread the word of His love. And by doing that did He win |
|
|
933 | back many servants who saw that the righteous is more powerful than the |
|
|
934 | might. Much did this enrage the Shadow, and the Shadow did respond by |
|
|
935 | raising the dead themselves from their graves to fight the forces of |
|
|
936 | good. Even when the dead did not win, they did force the living to abandon |
|
|
937 | good in favor of war, and in doing so they would too abandon Valriel. So |
|
|
938 | once again he shadow was happy. |
|
|
939 | |
|
|
940 | Valriel finally did decide, with much sorrow in His infinite heart, that |
|
|
941 | the only way to make His creation safe again was to destroy the Shadow |
|
|
942 | himself. So did He cast His holy word upon His creation to banish the work |
|
|
943 | of the Enemy. But the Enemy knew what would happen beforehand, due to the |
|
|
944 | evil magic of his followers, and he created a safe refuge for their evil, |
|
|
945 | in a world created entirely of pure evil and hate, that he had set aside |
|
|
946 | from creation and called Hell. And soon enough did Gorokh find ways back |
|
|
947 | into the world of the creation of Light, and resumed his foul work of evil |
|
|
948 | and dissent and terror. |
|
|
949 | |
|
|
950 | So did Valriel gather together His faithful and he did gave them some time |
|
|
951 | to put the love for the Lord back in the hearts of as many of His children |
|
|
952 | as they could. And very soon will He again call upon the faithful, and |
|
|
953 | then will He give the faithful an entire new world for them to live in the |
|
|
954 | love of Valriel. And Having done that He will turn to this world, and to |
|
|
955 | Hell, and to Gorokh, and He will destroy them completely with the force of |
|
|
956 | His will, putting an end once and for all in the war and the evil. |
|
|
957 | |
|
|
958 | |
|
|
959 | =head1 The Book of Gorokh |
|
|
960 | |
|
|
961 | In the beginning, for an infinite time, all that existed was an empty |
|
|
962 | and cold light. And the light was content to be and fill and control |
|
|
963 | everything that was. But it is not right for light to be cold, and the |
|
|
964 | part of the light that should have been warm, longed for warmth and for |
|
|
965 | things to see and for things to do. |
|
|
966 | |
|
|
967 | So did the light put aside the warmth, so that the fire would not disturb |
|
|
968 | their cold peace. And the fire looked unto the light and called the light |
|
|
969 | Valriel, the controlling father, and the fire called himself Gorokh, the |
|
|
970 | Son with a Will. |
|
|
971 | |
|
|
972 | And for many times more time than a mortal can count, Gorokh was the |
|
|
973 | companion and the servant of Valriel. But Gorokh was not content, because |
|
|
974 | that was his nature, and he plotted a way to change everything. And fueled |
|
|
975 | by the fire of his will, Gorokh’s words were always very wise, so |
|
|
976 | Valriel would always hear them. So it was that Valriel followed the wise |
|
|
977 | counsel of the Fire and created a world full of living things to be their |
|
|
978 | new companions and servants. |
|
|
979 | |
|
|
980 | And as soon as Valriel had millions of new companions and servants, Gorokh |
|
|
981 | said, “so now you won’t need me anymore, I can leave and find my own |
|
|
982 | companions and servants”. And this made Valriel unhappy because he |
|
|
983 | believed he should be only and true Lord, but Gorokh couldn’t agree |
|
|
984 | to that, and so it was Gorokh who eventually taught men to rule over |
|
|
985 | themselves instead of paying respect to one self-appointed ruler of all. |
|
|
986 | |
|
|
987 | So did Valriel, while Gorokh was away exploring the wonders of the new |
|
|
988 | world, create new servants of flesh and bone to adore him blindly, and elf |
|
|
989 | and man and dwarf he created them. And seeing this beautiful new creation |
|
|
990 | Gorokh wanted a part of it for himself, and he presented himself to them, |
|
|
991 | and some of them liked him and became his follower. |
|
|
992 | |
|
|
993 | But Valriel was afraid that, with two gods to adore, some of his creation |
|
|
994 | could find it natural to spread creation in two equal halves, and he did |
|
|
995 | want more than an equal half. So he decided to wear different shapes so |
|
|
996 | that his children would believe him to be many, not one, and then he |
|
|
997 | would be able to get more than his fair share. And so did he create many |
|
|
998 | false gods for his children to adore. And even when Gorokh would bring |
|
|
999 | the wonderful gifts conceived by his powerful will, such as the forge, |
|
|
1000 | weapons, medicine, agriculture, writing, magic, and wine and booze and |
|
|
1001 | music, even then would Valriel create a false god to pose as the giver of |
|
|
1002 | those gifts and take the glory for himself. |
|
|
1003 | |
|
|
1004 | And since Gorokh kept inventing new presents, Valriel became angry, |
|
|
1005 | because he doesn’t like change and he doesn’t like any good that |
|
|
1006 | doesn’t come from him. And so did he create a new race of servants, more |
|
|
1007 | powerful and more prone to following him blindly than any other, imbued |
|
|
1008 | with the mission of hunting down and undoing the work of the Fire, and |
|
|
1009 | this race He called Angels. |
|
|
1010 | |
|
|
1011 | But again Gorokh found a cunning way to defend his work, and again he |
|
|
1012 | went to some of the angels in the night and whispered promises of power |
|
|
1013 | in their ears, and some turned to his great purposes and joined him. So |
|
|
1014 | did Gorokh give them new shapes, to more liken them to himself, red with |
|
|
1015 | the fire of his will and wearing horns to symbolize their power, and they |
|
|
1016 | became demons. And the plan of Valriel was once again spoiled by the |
|
|
1017 | genius of the Fire, because angels had to step aside from their assigned |
|
|
1018 | mission to fight the demons and keep them from spreading the word of |
|
|
1019 | Gorokh. |
|
|
1020 | |
|
|
1021 | And Gorokh did find great fun in changing Valriel’s creation into a new |
|
|
1022 | race, and so did he get elf and man and dwarf and tried to imbue them |
|
|
1023 | with greater strength, and they became goblin and orc and kobold, and |
|
|
1024 | troll, and giant, and ogre, and many other strong creatures. But their |
|
|
1025 | intelligences greatly suffered from the process, and he was unhappy with |
|
|
1026 | his creation, and while he was looking for a way to help them did Valriel |
|
|
1027 | come to them under the guise of Gnarg and he told them to spread great |
|
|
1028 | destruction and sorrow in the world so that the creation of Gorokh would |
|
|
1029 | seem foul in the eyes of the living. |
|
|
1030 | |
|
|
1031 | So the Fire decided the creation of Valriel was imperfect and he had to |
|
|
1032 | create his own new life. So he assembled the most powerful magic and the |
|
|
1033 | strongest will and mightiest strength he could find and shaped these |
|
|
1034 | into the most magnificent creatures he could imagine, and gave them |
|
|
1035 | life, and called them dragons, and sent them forth to take the world for |
|
|
1036 | themselves. But while the dragons are still the greatest pride of Gorokh, |
|
|
1037 | many of them have abandoned him to serve yet another disguise of Valriel. |
|
|
1038 | |
|
|
1039 | And upon seeing the dragons, Valriel declared war and set his servants |
|
|
1040 | upon the task of killing all the most valuables of Gorokh they could |
|
|
1041 | find. Gorokh was consumed with sorrow, and devised a way to spare these |
|
|
1042 | faithful servants, by allowing them to raise again from the grave even |
|
|
1043 | after their deaths. But the servants of Valriel found these “un-dead” |
|
|
1044 | an even greater abomination, and set forth to hunt them, and Valriel |
|
|
1045 | delighted in the war and carnage that ensued. |
|
|
1046 | |
|
|
1047 | So did Gorokh, his fire dim with sorrow, decide to create a whole world |
|
|
1048 | for him and his faithful. And this world he called Hell. But when he was |
|
|
1049 | slowly bringing his faithful to the new world, Valriel treacherously |
|
|
1050 | brought down a great fury upon the world, killing most of the faithful |
|
|
1051 | that were left behind. So the Fire was finally enraged and decided to wage |
|
|
1052 | the war that the Light wanted. And he opened many passages into the world |
|
|
1053 | so that his armies could enter and destroy the minions of Valriel. And to |
|
|
1054 | this war we are all called to chose sides and fight. |
|
|
1055 | |
|
|
1056 | |
|
|
1057 | =head1 The Dwarven Creation Tale |
|
|
1058 | |
|
|
1059 | A play by Shakesdor the Dwarf. |
|
|
1060 | |
|
|
1061 | - What... where we come from? You’re not old enough for this |
|
|
1062 | conversation. |
|
|
1063 | |
|
|
1064 | - No, uncle, I mean as a whole... the world, the dwarves, the others. |
|
|
1065 | |
|
|
1066 | - Ah. I see. (Big gulp of beer.) You mean, NOW? |
|
|
1067 | |
|
|
1068 | - Yes, please. Pleeeease? |
|
|
1069 | |
|
|
1070 | - *sigh* all right, all right. It goes like this. |
|
|
1071 | |
|
|
1072 | First there was the Ore and the Forge. The Ore is what existence looked |
|
|
1073 | like before it existed. The Forge was the untapped will, the potential in |
|
|
1074 | the Ore to be everything that is, ever will be, or won’t. |
|
|
1075 | |
|
|
1076 | Over a span of time that is not time, because time wasn’t forged yet, |
|
|
1077 | some tiny scraps of Ore drifted into the Forge. A piece of the Forge |
|
|
1078 | merged with that Ore and became sentient. He has many names, but we call |
|
|
1079 | him Mostrai. |
|
|
1080 | |
|
|
1081 | He spent ages of time-that-was-not-time exploring, learning the nature |
|
|
1082 | of Ore and Forge and himself. Till he decided it was time to start |
|
|
1083 | forging. And then, first of all, he forged time, so that he could separate |
|
|
1084 | after from before, and so that he could exist absolutely - as opposed to, |
|
|
1085 | at the same “time”, existing and not being created yet, which was the |
|
|
1086 | case if time didn’t exist. |
|
|
1087 | |
|
|
1088 | Then, with things in order, he began forging things. The first thing he |
|
|
1089 | forged was his armor, because he liked the touch of metal against his |
|
|
1090 | body. Then he forged beer, because of course, beer is essential. He forged |
|
|
1091 | it red like the Forge, and black like the Ore. The yellow thing, as we all |
|
|
1092 | know, is an invention of those pansy elves. |
|
|
1093 | |
|
|
1094 | And he liked the beer. He liked it so much, that he was bored of drinking |
|
|
1095 | it alone. Beer calls for a party. So he created the boar and the bird, to |
|
|
1096 | be roasted; he created the mundane fire, which was a toned-down version of |
|
|
1097 | the essence of the Forge, to roast them. And then he created the dwarf, to |
|
|
1098 | dress in metal like him, to work the forge with him, but most importantly |
|
|
1099 | of all, to party with him and partake of the sacred beer. |
|
|
1100 | |
|
|
1101 | But the dwarf started breeding like bugs, and it was quite distracting |
|
|
1102 | to have them putting about in spaceless space. At any given point, there |
|
|
1103 | were thousands of dwarves partying, thousands sleeping, thousands hunting, |
|
|
1104 | and thousands forging. Mostrai thought it was good, but it was also damn |
|
|
1105 | annoying. So he created an enormous mountain for them to live under. He |
|
|
1106 | put the boar and bird, and a few other animals he had come up with later, |
|
|
1107 | on the outside, where he forged woods and forest. And so that his children |
|
|
1108 | wouldn’t wander forever, he placed these places in the middle of an |
|
|
1109 | infinite ocean. There you have, that’s the story. |
|
|
1110 | |
|
|
1111 | - Whoa. What about the others? |
|
|
1112 | |
|
|
1113 | - *sigh* You won’t let me finish my beer, will you? |
|
|
1114 | |
|
|
1115 | - You’ll never finish your beer, uncle. When you soak that mug, |
|
|
1116 | there’s plenty more in the barrel. |
|
|
1117 | |
|
|
1118 | - All right, all rigth. (Big gulp.) |
|
|
1119 | |
|
|
1120 | The dwarves had amazing weapons to hunt with. Eventually, the hunt was |
|
|
1121 | no challenge anymore. The best hunters would play-act wars between |
|
|
1122 | themselves, to best hone their skills. |
|
|
1123 | |
|
|
1124 | Mostrai was worried that those fights might one day evolve into real |
|
|
1125 | wars. So he created an enemy, something very different from the dwarf, |
|
|
1126 | something very obviously wrong, which lived in the woods and preferred |
|
|
1127 | bows and other coward weapons rather than hand-to-hand combat. He made |
|
|
1128 | them incredibly lucky, because otherwise they would stand no chance - and |
|
|
1129 | they came to believe they’re lucky because they’re protected by their |
|
|
1130 | god, which of course doesn’t exist. He also made them very old, so that |
|
|
1131 | they would think they existed before the dwarf - otherwise they would just |
|
|
1132 | recognize our superior position and submit. And all was good and happy; |
|
|
1133 | for time beyond count, dwarf and elf honed their skills against each |
|
|
1134 | other, and prospered. |
|
|
1135 | |
|
|
1136 | I mean, have you ever fought an elf? Yes, it was an eternal war, but not |
|
|
1137 | like those bloody gorefest the others have today. When dwarf and elf |
|
|
1138 | fight, it’s clean, it’s beautiful, it’s according to the rules, |
|
|
1139 | it’s a ritual of honor. |
|
|
1140 | |
|
|
1141 | Well, I digress. All was well, I said. But one day, one elf created yellow |
|
|
1142 | beer. And that offended Mostrai to a level of rage unseen before. So he |
|
|
1143 | created an entire new piece of the world, and populated it with humans, |
|
|
1144 | and other horrible creatures, and then let these young ones discover our |
|
|
1145 | land, so that they may raze the elf forests, ruin the elf nations, and |
|
|
1146 | soil their honor. We’re not stupid enough to argue with Mostrai, so we |
|
|
1147 | went underground, and we’re waiting for that to happen, to see what he |
|
|
1148 | will do next. |
|
|
1149 | |
|
|
1150 | Can I drink in peace now? There, go play with your friends. |
|
|
1151 | |
|
|
1152 | |
|
|
1153 | =head1 The Legend of the Builders |
|
|
1154 | |
|
|
1155 | People of the Old Empire believed that the whole universe was made by |
|
|
1156 | powerful beings called Builders. Builders were not part of the world |
|
|
1157 | like gods were - they lived Outside. Little is known about the Builders |
|
|
1158 | themselves. The priests of the Empire weren’t quite sure themselves |
|
|
1159 | about their names. Some were universally known, though: Mawëdel the Ruler |
|
|
1160 | or Peterëm the Writing One were the most popular of the ever changing |
|
|
1161 | list of Builders. |
|
|
1162 | |
|
|
1163 | The Builders understood very well how difficult it would be for them to |
|
|
1164 | manage themselves every prayer made - making the Universe work was already |
|
|
1165 | a time-consuming task. So they created gods to help them in their task. |
|
|
1166 | |
|
|
1167 | Most of the gods we know today were already popular in the times of the |
|
|
1168 | Old Empire, like Mostrai or Lythander. Others changed names as time |
|
|
1169 | passed. Gods provided their powers to the Faithful Ones, and helped them |
|
|
1170 | by providing blessings and powerful weapons. The priests of the Old Empire |
|
|
1171 | never believed gods made the world, as they were themselves part of it; |
|
|
1172 | world-building was the Builders task. |
|
|
1173 | |
|
|
1174 | |
|
|
1175 | =head1 The Foundation of Scorn |
|
|
1176 | |
|
|
1177 | Few archives remain from the times when Scorn was founded. The city is |
|
|
1178 | probably the oldest of the whole known world. Before Fido, before the Old |
|
|
1179 | Empire, maybe even before gods, Scorn was already there. |
|
|
1180 | |
|
|
1181 | It is usually said that Scorn was founded by Skud the Great. Many legends |
|
|
1182 | are telling about Skud, the half-mythical hero. How he captured the first |
|
|
1183 | dragons. How he fought unknown monsters in the East. How he built Scorn |
|
|
1184 | and the First Inn. Some priests even postulated that Skud was in fact a |
|
|
1185 | Builder. Skud created the First Inn because he wanted to sleep inside a |
|
|
1186 | house, without the risk of being attacked by monsters during the night. He |
|
|
1187 | left the Holy Guestbook, one of the oldest relics of Crossfire, where he |
|
|
1188 | and his fellow friends wrote their names. Skud disappeared long before the |
|
|
1189 | Old Empire came, and nowadays only the Builders can probably remember him. |
|
|
1190 | |
|
|
1191 | Recent researches show that, although he greatly contributed to the |
|
|
1192 | popularity of the city, Skud didn’t found it: it was in fact created |
|
|
1193 | by Tabb the Dark, a Builder that left very little information about him |
|
|
1194 | behind. According to the Codex Skudensis that was discovered in the depths |
|
|
1195 | of the Old City, “Scorn” would have been the real name of Tabb the |
|
|
1196 | Dark. |
|
|
1197 | |
|
|
1198 | |
|
|
1199 | =head1 The Coming of Color |
|
|
1200 | |
|
|
1201 | It is said that centuries before the foundation of the Old Empire, the |
|
|
1202 | world was colorless and sad. Aware of that problem, the Builders decided |
|
|
1203 | to bring color in the life of the Crossfire people. They called the |
|
|
1204 | massive powers of Xepemes, The Source Of All Colors, on the universe. The |
|
|
1205 | magical burst slowly covered the world with colors, but some elements |
|
|
1206 | resisted for a long time. Prophets of the Old Empire announced that, |
|
|
1207 | although victorious, the force of Xepemes wouldn’t stay forever: one |
|
|
1208 | day, it would eventually fade away against a more powerful magical force, |
|
|
1209 | the mysterious Pegemes (or Peengees?). This happened - but much after the |
|
|
1210 | fall of the Empire. |
|
|
1211 | |
|
|
1212 | |
|
|
1213 | =head1 The Bigworld |
|
|
1214 | |
|
|
1215 | The old world was small and it consisted of many pieces. Scorn, Navar, |
|
|
1216 | Brittany and Santo Dominion were in one large piece. Darcap and the |
|
|
1217 | Hill Village were in another smaller one. Lake Country was in yet |
|
|
1218 | another. Pupland was still another. The world was not whole, and the |
|
|
1219 | builders saw that this was wrong. They began the quest to unite the world |
|
|
1220 | and established the Bigworld. As the builders united the world they saw |
|
|
1221 | that it was much too small and began to make it larger. They raised up the |
|
|
1222 | Great Mountains around Brest and they caused the Great Forest to grow. As |
|
|
1223 | the time passed, Navar grew to become a great Kingdom and the builders |
|
|
1224 | decided that it was a good city for players to call home and they gave the |
|
|
1225 | Heroes a choice to serve Scorn or Navar. Nevertheless, Pupland is still |
|
|
1226 | not part of this new world, but the builders wish to add it to the west of |
|
|
1227 | Scorn. |
|
|
1228 | |
|
|
1229 | |
|
|
1230 | =head1 Skud the Great |
|
|
1231 | |
|
|
1232 | One of the first Builders. Skud created many famous places, like the |
|
|
1233 | Scorn’s First Inn or the Newbie Tower. |
|
|
1234 | |
|
|
1235 | The reasons of the disappearance of Skud are mostly unknown. The Codex |
|
|
1236 | Skudensis mentions that it could have been because of the negative |
|
|
1237 | influence of the Arch-Demon Neth Aq. It is thought that The Tower of Skud, |
|
|
1238 | although left unfinished by its creator, may contain informations about |
|
|
1239 | the fate of one of the most famous Builder |
|
|
1240 | |
|
|
1241 | |
|
|
1242 | =head1 Legends of the Fall |
|
|
1243 | |
|
|
1244 | =head2 Of the first things |
|
|
1245 | |
|
|
1246 | First there was Chaos |
|
|
1247 | |
|
|
1248 | Second there was Something and Nothing |
|
|
1249 | |
|
|
1250 | Third there was Dark and Light |
|
|
1251 | |
|
|
1252 | It is said that the Something and the Nothing would fight and that, the |
|
|
1253 | Dark and Light would fight also. |
|
|
1254 | |
|
|
1255 | This being told to me by a monk of Valriel, no longer in the order. |
|
|
1256 | |
|
|
1257 | =head2 On the nature of elemental essences |
|
|
1258 | |
|
|
1259 | It is said that of the four primary elements |
|
|
1260 | |
|
|
1261 | - there is earth which is. |
|
|
1262 | |
|
|
1263 | - there is water which changes. |
|
|
1264 | |
|
|
1265 | - there is air which moves. |
|
|
1266 | |
|
|
1267 | - there is fire which consumes. |
|
|
1268 | |
|
|
1269 | =head2 Overheard in a Narcopian brothel |
|
|
1270 | |
|
|
1271 | When Mother Earth was suckling her children |
|
|
1272 | |
|
|
1273 | sky suckled from her right teat |
|
|
1274 | |
|
|
1275 | but flame and sea fought to suckle from her left teat |
|
|
1276 | |
|
|
1277 | this is why they still fight to this day |
|
|
1278 | |
|
|
1279 | |
|
|
1280 | =head1 The Tale of Lord Butakis - The Lost Stars of the Lake, Volume I |
|
|
1281 | |
|
|
1282 | This story begins nearly four thousand years ago, when Kadriosa IV, King |
|
|
1283 | of Scorn, invaded the southern territories and pushed back the elven |
|
|
1284 | barbarians that lived there. |
|
|
1285 | |
|
|
1286 | The elvish people fled, and many of them settled in a place they called |
|
|
1287 | Vkovzerov, “The Country of the Three Waters”, as it was a rather |
|
|
1288 | unique meeting point between a river, a lake, and the sea. There they |
|
|
1289 | enjoyed a great prosperity, working with the local sprites to build |
|
|
1290 | Tashkeren-tah, The City of the Wooden Towers. |
|
|
1291 | |
|
|
1292 | Two centuries passed, then three. The elven princes of Tashkeren-tah had |
|
|
1293 | become powerful - and never in their hearts was the thirst of revenge |
|
|
1294 | and hatred towards the people of Scorn extinguished. Now very familiar |
|
|
1295 | with the various water creatures that inhabited their territory, they |
|
|
1296 | had developed great skills in commanding rivers, and the beasts inside |
|
|
1297 | them, and the creatures made from them. They knew that Scorn was highly |
|
|
1298 | dependent on its seaport, and they had planned for the many years their |
|
|
1299 | long life gave them to use the great power of water spirits to crush and |
|
|
1300 | flood the city. |
|
|
1301 | |
|
|
1302 | But despite all their accumulated knowledge, their powers were too limited |
|
|
1303 | to direct the most powerful entities of the seas, the Mouthes of the |
|
|
1304 | Mariner, none other than the Greater Aquomons. |
|
|
1305 | |
|
|
1306 | For a long time, they were hesitant to call those, as they were dangerous, |
|
|
1307 | treacherous creatures born during the darkest ages of the world, when |
|
|
1308 | Haemdel the Legendary was crushed and the Three Artifacts lost. But so |
|
|
1309 | strong was their flame of hatred that it soon burned the ropes of their |
|
|
1310 | carefulness. Using their most powerful summoning spell, they convocated |
|
|
1311 | one of the Greater Aquomons before them. |
|
|
1312 | |
|
|
1313 | “Who are you, you creatures with pointy ears, to dare awaken me from my |
|
|
1314 | dreams, me, Vërno, the Fourth Drop ?” |
|
|
1315 | |
|
|
1316 | Elven Princes exposed what they wanted to Vërno, and the creature seemed |
|
|
1317 | very interested at the idea of grabbing all the richesses of Scorn, and |
|
|
1318 | bringing them back into his dark kingdom of the depth of the sea. |
|
|
1319 | |
|
|
1320 | “Very well, said Vërno, but you know, I suppose, that we are all bound |
|
|
1321 | by the Law of Equilibrium, established by the gods themselves when the |
|
|
1322 | world was new and the seas infinite. And for my services, you’ll have to |
|
|
1323 | pay the price.” |
|
|
1324 | |
|
|
1325 | - And what do you want for a price ? - Well, my needs are rather |
|
|
1326 | modest. I’ll only claim a tenth of your own lands as a reward.” |
|
|
1327 | |
|
|
1328 | The Elven Princes quickly discussed the matter, and came to the conclusion |
|
|
1329 | that it was a rather fair price to pay - after all, their territories |
|
|
1330 | weren’t very large, and there was a lot of empty space all around, so |
|
|
1331 | it wasn’t really a problem for them. Maybe it would for a couple of |
|
|
1332 | peasants, but who cared about them more than of the vengeance against |
|
|
1333 | Scorn ? |
|
|
1334 | |
|
|
1335 | And so they answered: “The Fate of Scorn is Sealed, then. We accept.” |
|
|
1336 | |
|
|
1337 | What happened then is too long to tell in details here, as it belongs |
|
|
1338 | to another story. In short, Jovidjevska the elven girl, who had heard |
|
|
1339 | everything, travelled to Scorn, and convinced the city wizards of the |
|
|
1340 | truth of the menace. And when Vërno came to crush the city, they moved it |
|
|
1341 | two days into the future, and the water hand of the Fourth Drop grabbed |
|
|
1342 | only emptiness. |
|
|
1343 | |
|
|
1344 | Vërno, furious, came back to the Elves with a big smile, and told |
|
|
1345 | them: “I did what you wanted, and flooded the territory on which Scorn |
|
|
1346 | was established. Now I take my due price.” |
|
|
1347 | |
|
|
1348 | And that said, he selected the area on which the Elven City itself was |
|
|
1349 | built, and covered it with water, its inhabitants trapped and killed there |
|
|
1350 | without understanding what was happening. |
|
|
1351 | |
|
|
1352 | |
|
|
1353 | =head1 The Tale of Lord Butakis - The Lost Stars of the Lake, Volume II |
|
|
1354 | |
|
|
1355 | Two thousand years passed. The lineage of the kings of Scorn died, |
|
|
1356 | and another dynasty came, and another one after that. Wars were |
|
|
1357 | conducted. Wizards of Scorn fled, and most of the knowledge disappeared, |
|
|
1358 | and there were nothing but lakes and forests above the dead city of the |
|
|
1359 | elves. |
|
|
1360 | |
|
|
1361 | And then, a man came. Where did he come from ? Nobody knows for |
|
|
1362 | sure. Butakis was his name. |
|
|
1363 | |
|
|
1364 | Butakis was an ambitious young man. He had heard here and there strange |
|
|
1365 | pieces of a weird story, about a sunken city, about a dark pact, about the |
|
|
1366 | secret power of elves... |
|
|
1367 | |
|
|
1368 | For years, he studied the Arcanes, hunting for traces of the city, as he |
|
|
1369 | was convinced that the lost wisdom of the elves of Vkovzerov would give |
|
|
1370 | him a great power. And, finally, after 20 long years of searching, he |
|
|
1371 | concluded that the secret was in the area now called “Lake Country“. |
|
|
1372 | |
|
|
1373 | And there, he came, and there was a small house made of wood, and there |
|
|
1374 | was a tree, and there was a young elvish woman, dreaming at the stars, |
|
|
1375 | under the tree. And Butakis fell in love, and the elvish lady fell in |
|
|
1376 | love, and they both watched the stars. But soon, Butakis felt the need of |
|
|
1377 | getting back into action, and finding the lost city and getting its power. |
|
|
1378 | |
|
|
1379 | The lady told him: “The true wisdom is in those stars, and in that |
|
|
1380 | tree, and in that house you see. You’ll only find unrest by aiming for |
|
|
1381 | more.” |
|
|
1382 | |
|
|
1383 | But Butakis had already made up his mind, and he brought back engineers, |
|
|
1384 | and sappers, and miners, and they all worked to build a huge machine to |
|
|
1385 | pump the water, and discover the city. During ten years, Butakis worked on |
|
|
1386 | this, hoping that in the end, the elvish lady would be at his side, and |
|
|
1387 | that she would be his wife, princess of the restored city. |
|
|
1388 | |
|
|
1389 | During all the work, he was perpetually annoyed by a small group of |
|
|
1390 | bandits, lead by Twak the Red Fox. Twak and his men conducted a real |
|
|
1391 | guerilla war against Butakis, as they saw him as a danger for the whole |
|
|
1392 | country, because his plans were damaging nature and could also have awaken |
|
|
1393 | dark power sleeping in the sunken city. Several times, they sabotaged |
|
|
1394 | the machine, stole tools, raped engineers and designers. But each time, |
|
|
1395 | Butakis and his followers repaired the machines, engaged new people, and |
|
|
1396 | increased security. |
|
|
1397 | |
|
|
1398 | |
|
|
1399 | =head1 The Tale of Lord Butakis - The Lost Stars of the Lake, Volume III |
|
|
1400 | |
|
|
1401 | And now, ten years after the beginning, the work was completed, and he |
|
|
1402 | invited the elvish lady to come and see the accomplishment of a lifelong |
|
|
1403 | dream. |
|
|
1404 | |
|
|
1405 | The Elvish lady came, as beautiful as ever. And on the balcony at the top |
|
|
1406 | of the pump, they watched the stars, and she kissed him, and she when they |
|
|
1407 | were in the bed he had prepared for that very special night before the |
|
|
1408 | pumping started, she whispered at his ear. |
|
|
1409 | |
|
|
1410 | That, Butakis had waited for long, but he didn’t expect what she told |
|
|
1411 | him then. |
|
|
1412 | |
|
|
1413 | “Ten years you were away, and ten years I watched the stars with |
|
|
1414 | Twak. And now for him, and for he choose me and my heart, I’ll |
|
|
1415 | disappear, and so does your dream.” |
|
|
1416 | |
|
|
1417 | Butakis understood that he had been fooled, that she only kept her |
|
|
1418 | attention away enough for Twak and three of his faithful men to sabotage |
|
|
1419 | the pump. And so came a great rumble from the basis of the huge building, |
|
|
1420 | and so the huge engines exploded, and so was his dream reduced to smoke, |
|
|
1421 | smoke that still covers most of Lake Country nowadays. The Elvish lady |
|
|
1422 | probably died, as nobody saw her again after that. And so did the brave |
|
|
1423 | Twak, but his spirit survived in the wind - or so say some people. |
|
|
1424 | |
|
|
1425 | Butakis, so strange as it may look, managed to survive, although in bad |
|
|
1426 | shape, as one would expect. Disfigured, he survived until now using black |
|
|
1427 | magic or machines to keep him alive, and he tried to gather again men to |
|
|
1428 | restart his project. But it was now said all around that it was a doomed, |
|
|
1429 | broken man - and so he in fact was Lake country was said to be haunted by |
|
|
1430 | Twak, and several travellers saw a young elvish lady, watching the stars |
|
|
1431 | at night, under a tree, near the lake. |
|
|
1432 | |
|
|
1433 | Nobody ever accepted to work on the foolish project again. Butakis now |
|
|
1434 | awaits in his sinister castle, ruling a shattered kingdom lost in the fog |
|
|
1435 | his machine left behind. A tormented man, that is said to look in the |
|
|
1436 | direction of the lake from the highest tower of his castle, every night. |
|
|
1437 | |
|
|
1438 | But for him never came again the Elvish girl, and forever his soul stays |
|
|
1439 | alone. And so ends what we know about Butakis and Twak, and so dies my |
|
|
1440 | story. |
|
|
1441 | |
|
|
1442 | |
|
|
1443 | =head1 Wolfen the White, The White Hunter, The One Who Listens |
|
|
1444 | |
|
|
1445 | Wolfen is one of the three moons orbiting around The World. It is said to |
|
|
1446 | be the spirit of the legendary hunter Wolfen, who tracked Kalkaruntes, God |
|
|
1447 | of the Dragons, to is cavern and vainquished it. |
|
|
1448 | |
|
|
1449 | In astrology, Wolfen is the symbol of practical mind, swiftness and |
|
|
1450 | flexibility, but also cowardice and stealing. It is associated with the |
|
|
1451 | Earth element in Alchemancy. Wolfen is seen as a protector by hunters and |
|
|
1452 | rangers. Priests of Lythander think it is the reincarnation of the wolf |
|
|
1453 | that hunts with Lythander in the divine forests of Nerënna. Fenxes see it |
|
|
1454 | as Fixas, the one that saved them from the Humans so long ago. |
|
|
1455 | |
|
|
1456 | |
|
|
1457 | =head1 The Wizard School of Blue |
|
|
1458 | |
|
|
1459 | “Although the School disappeared with the Empire itself from The World, |
|
|
1460 | several wizards claimed to be the heirs of their ancient, secret wisdom, |
|
|
1461 | and nicknamed “the Blue Ones”, a reference to the color of the School |
|
|
1462 | Banner.” – Gros, the Irrelevant One |
|
|
1463 | |
|
|
1464 | |
|
|
1465 | =head1 The Great Heliograph |
|
|
1466 | |
|
|
1467 | A device made by Mer’Eric the Walker. Built on the highest point of the |
|
|
1468 | Brestian Hills, it is basically a giant magnifying glass, using a complex |
|
|
1469 | mechanism commanding several mirrors, that is able to concentrate the |
|
|
1470 | sunlight into a powerful beam. The concentrator is associated to a Sun |
|
|
1471 | Stone that can receive similar long-range light signals and transform |
|
|
1472 | them into pure thaumic energy. A keyboard is attached to a mechanical |
|
|
1473 | obturator, allowing a single operator to send coded messages to very long |
|
|
1474 | distances. A magically-powered scriptor writes any such incoming message |
|
|
1475 | capted by the Sun Stone. |
|
|
1476 | |
|
|
1477 | Although Mer’Eric only saw the Great Heliograph as a research project |
|
|
1478 | and as a way to communicate easily across huge distances, this device |
|
|
1479 | is also a powerful weapon that can burn nearly anything several miles |
|
|
1480 | away. This is probably why he decided to hide it in a sealed cave. |
|
|
1481 | |
|
|
1482 | A similar device was built by the Mad Mage of Scorn, but its fate is |
|
|
1483 | unknown. |
|
|
1484 | |
|
|
1485 | |
|
|
1486 | =head1 The Harelkirjan Sisters |
|
|
1487 | |
|
|
1488 | Also called the Twin Witches, they were two powerful women wizards; Herin |
|
|
1489 | was specialized in White Magic, while her sister Urdin was a master of the |
|
|
1490 | Black Art. Both of them tried to improve the life of the people living |
|
|
1491 | all around their house, and introduced the use of cats as spirit-watchers |
|
|
1492 | in Scorn. Unfortunately for them, they were burned by an angry Brestian |
|
|
1493 | fanatical mob for “illegal use of Arcane Powers”. |
|
|
1494 | |
|
|
1495 | |
|
|
1496 | =head1 Ilrya, The Mountain Huntress |
|
|
1497 | |
|
|
1498 | Ilrya was an elven spellcaster and huntress from the underground city of |
|
|
1499 | Eallera, that is venerated as a lesser god by most of the dwarves living |
|
|
1500 | in the Northern Territories. She killed the Bear of Snuddenrach in 3657EK. |
|
|
1501 | |
|
|
1502 | |
|
|
1503 | =head1 Irial, The Fast One, The Shy Light |
|
|
1504 | |
|
|
1505 | Irial is a lesser spirit of flashlight - the light that you can see when |
|
|
1506 | there’s thunder, for example. It is represented as a small, jumpy and |
|
|
1507 | fast fairy with a temperamental mood. |
|
|
1508 | |
|
|
1509 | |
|
|
1510 | =head1 Khorolizov |
|
|
1511 | |
|
|
1512 | One of the three great dwarven kingdoms. “Khorolizov” means “Green |
|
|
1513 | Gold”, which is a reference to the Green Sand, an alchemical component |
|
|
1514 | the dwarves of Khorolizov are the only ones to produce. It is probably |
|
|
1515 | the oldest of the three kingdoms, founded long before the Old Empire of |
|
|
1516 | Khelens reached the shores of the Continent. |
|
|
1517 | |
|
|
1518 | |
|
|
1519 | =head1 Kragi, The Crocodile One, Fish-Hunter |
|
|
1520 | |
|
|
1521 | Kragi is a very ancient spirit, representing the Dangerous Waters, and |
|
|
1522 | the creatures hidden in stagnant swamps. Kragi was already feared by |
|
|
1523 | Ancient Jiradittis, 2000 years before Khelens. A lot of river fishermen |
|
|
1524 | symbolically throw one fish out of what they gathered, to appease the |
|
|
1525 | spirit of Kragi so that the next fishing will go without trouble. |
|
|
1526 | |
|
|
1527 | |
|
|
1528 | =head1 Cromli, The Rocky One |
|
|
1529 | |
|
|
1530 | Crolmi is the Dwarven Spirit of Rocs and Mountains. It has no temples, as |
|
|
1531 | it is said that buildings made of stone anger him (it is like “building |
|
|
1532 | with his own flesh”). |
|
|
1533 | |
|
|
1534 | |
|
|
1535 | =head1 Glamdri, The Darkness Breaker, The Last Standing One |
|
|
1536 | |
|
|
1537 | Glamdri is a lesser spirit of light - it is said that candlelights are |
|
|
1538 | manifestations of Glamdri, for example. |
|
|
1539 | |
|
|
1540 | Glamdri doesn’t represent a magical light - more a spiritual light, the |
|
|
1541 | last pinch of hope in a desperate world. Glamdri also represents original |
|
|
1542 | thinking used to get out of difficult situations, as opposed to Sarikka - |
|
|
1543 | the Raging Fire - who tries to resolve those by extreme violence. |
|
|
1544 | |
|
|
1545 | |
|
|
1546 | =head1 Archmage Rhyz, (Entorinaas Durdennis Rhyz, Fourth Archmage of the Seat, Herdysenmark of Normania) |
|
|
1547 | |
|
|
1548 | Rhyz was an Archmage of the Blue School during the Old Days of the Empire. |
|
|
1549 | |
|
|
1550 | “(...)Unlike Dhelyy Olyy, his contemporary rival for the Seat, Rhyz |
|
|
1551 | focused mostly on closing the gap that existed between the art of fighting |
|
|
1552 | and the Arcane. While Dhelyy Olyy believed in the dual association of the |
|
|
1553 | Warrior and the Wizard, each with its own strength increased by a long |
|
|
1554 | specialization in their respective fields, Rhyz believed in the idea of |
|
|
1555 | a “super warriard”, a combination of a powerful wizard and a strong |
|
|
1556 | warrior. As such, he devised many items that increased the strength and |
|
|
1557 | combat capabilities of their wearers, hoping that wizard apprentices would |
|
|
1558 | so be more inclined to learn the battle skills of warriors. |
|
|
1559 | |
|
|
1560 | Unfortunately for Rhyz, most of his followers relied more and more on |
|
|
1561 | magical strength more than physical training, leaving them to a severe |
|
|
1562 | defeat at the Battle of Moriach, when Dhelyy used an anti-magic field over |
|
|
1563 | them.” |
|
|
1564 | |
|
|
1565 | (Quote from the Codex Simochusianus, Volume XVII) |
|
|
1566 | |
|
|
1567 | |
|
|
1568 | =head1 Archdaemonist Xebinon |
|
|
1569 | |
|
|
1570 | Xebinon was an Archmage and Daemonist that was since trapped by a demon of |
|
|
1571 | the 10th Circle in his mannor. |
|
|
1572 | |
|
|
1573 | It is said that Xebinon used the Crown of Hellfires to try to tame the |
|
|
1574 | Arch-daemon (and failed) - this is a crown that gave a lot of power, but |
|
|
1575 | drained the magical force of the wearer at the same time, making the spell |
|
|
1576 | regeneration more difficult. This was in fact a cursed, twisted artifact, |
|
|
1577 | created by daemons for people who were seeking short-term power, but would |
|
|
1578 | thus head directly for long-term soul slavery. |
|
|
1579 | |
|
|
1580 | Xebinon is sometimes called “The faceless one”, as it is said that the |
|
|
1581 | daemon trapped him by stealing his visage. This may explain why magical |
|
|
1582 | artifacts wearing his name are often helmets. |
|
|
1583 | |
|
|
1584 | |
|
|
1585 | =head1 Argoth, the Fish-City of the Two Towers |
|
|
1586 | |
|
|
1587 | Argoth is the name of a city that was located West of Scorn, in the middle |
|
|
1588 | of the sea, in an island that since sunken after the explosion of the |
|
|
1589 | volcano of the same name, in 674EK. It is called the City of the Two |
|
|
1590 | Towers, because two huge towers were built there, to guide the ships |
|
|
1591 | navigating on the oceans between Bigworld and Khelens. |
|
|
1592 | |
|
|
1593 | Argoth was a dwarven city built on one of the highest mountains known, |
|
|
1594 | rooted in the depths of the sea, and climbing so high in the skies that |
|
|
1595 | uneducated travelers said that it was a “stairway to the gods”. On the |
|
|
1596 | top of the mountain, the Imperial Governors built the Two Towers, who were |
|
|
1597 | visible from Scorn, about 200km far from them. |
|
|
1598 | |
|
|
1599 | The dwarves of Argoth had a terrible secret: in the depths of the caves |
|
|
1600 | below the mountains, they had trapped Hregalakhen, one of the last |
|
|
1601 | survivors of the race of the Ancient Dragons, who ruled Bigworld long |
|
|
1602 | before the time of humans. Unfortunately for the dwarves, the dragon got |
|
|
1603 | free for an unknown reason, and destroyed the city, the mountain crumbling |
|
|
1604 | and disappearing forever into the ocean. The Imperial authorities spread |
|
|
1605 | the false story of a volcanic eruption to limit the panic a free dragon |
|
|
1606 | the size of Hregalakhen would have caused in the population. The fate of |
|
|
1607 | the dragon is unknown to this day. |
|
|
1608 | |
|
|
1609 | |
|
|
1610 | =head1 Zormola, The Bashing One |
|
|
1611 | |
|
|
1612 | Zormola was a great female orcish warrior, that is sometimes considered |
|
|
1613 | as a lesser divinity by not only orcs, but also by southern barbarians or |
|
|
1614 | even dwarves of Herfensheim, who salute her courage on the battlefield. |
|
|
1615 | |
|
|
1616 | |
|
|
1617 | =head1 Morgul, The Tower Builder, The Dark Climber |
|
|
1618 | |
|
|
1619 | Morgul was a Dark Mage that built a tower in the hope of creating a bridge |
|
|
1620 | with the skies, so that demons could attack heavens. Fortunately for |
|
|
1621 | angels, a group of adventurers defeated him in 2374EK. |
|
|
1622 | |
|
|
1623 | |
|
|
1624 | =head1 Ranisha the Red, The Red Death, The One Who Commands |
|
|
1625 | |
|
|
1626 | Ranisha is one of the three moons orbiting around the world of |
|
|
1627 | Crossfire. It is said to be the spirit of the legendary warrior Ranisha, |
|
|
1628 | who was supposed to be an invincible general that was even able to |
|
|
1629 | vainquish gods themselves on the battlefield. |
|
|
1630 | |
|
|
1631 | In astrology, Ranisha is the symbol of violence, hatred, murder, but |
|
|
1632 | also of strength and courage. It is associated with the fire element in |
|
|
1633 | Alchemancy. Priests of Ruggili consider it as the watchful eye of their |
|
|
1634 | god. |
|
|
1635 | |
|
|
1636 | |
|
|
1637 | |