Ethria- the Pioneer
Page 57
“Well, that settles it then. On the sage advice of one fairy, who thinks your armor is most shiny, you are now part of the team.” I pronounced with the utmost solemnity.
“Speaking of which,” Ailsa said landing on Tol’geth’s back and looking at the two of us. “Shouldn’t our team have a name? And shouldn’t we form a proper party? Not just a travelers party?”
“Sure, do you have any suggestions?” I asked her and looked to each member of the group as we strode onto the pier.
“How about the Warriors of Light?” Traser asked. We looked at each other, even Tol’geth, and all burst out laughing. After a few seconds even Traser joined in the mirth. We were still laughing as the skiff pulled away from the dock, and we began our trek south.
[THE END]
Epilogue 1: The Creature
“Success is the sole earthly judge of what is right and wrong” - Adolf Hitler
The Dark Valley, a few days after the demise of the necromancer.
The Creature sat next to the throne, its bulbous snail-like body jostling at random intervals and for seemingly incomprehensible reasons. Its lower, smaller, weaker arms gripped nothing, but its larger arms held to a box filled with scrolls, messages from the court's minions all across Ethria.
“Creature, come forth and report.” The Creatures Master, now restored to his throne after centuries of death, ordered. The Creature complied, its legs and front arms levering its great bulk into motion. It stopped in front of the throne and handed the Herald the box of written missives.
The Herald pulled from the box, that he handed to a slave, a seemingly random piece of parchment, read it, and then retrieved another. There were hundreds of them, but the court was expected to stay, to hear each one. They were the outcomes of their minion's actions across all of Ethria.
For some in the Court, it was a game they played for their lords favor, for others it was the best entertainment available. For most, however, it was a nail-biting experience where their actions and the actions of their subordinates would be judged openly.
Some of the scrolls had contained messages for the court from these lesser lords and minions, the best of them merely hedge knights of the dark court, praising the return of their dread lord. Most stopped there, but a few asked a boon or provided a gift of some kind. Usually measly and pathetic, but each was added to the treasury and accounted for nonetheless.
After each scroll was read aloud, The Creatures Master would either nod at the news and motion for The Herald to move on, pronounce judgment upon a minion of some note, usually a punishment for begging aid or for lackluster performance, but at times a boon for greater service than expected. In either case, dark agents of the court, usually succubi or incubi, were sent forth to deal out punishment or reward.
Only three of the scrolls contained news of truly negative outcomes. Of out and out failures on the part of the court's minions. The Herald read the first, and least damning of these three, and some members of the court laughed, even their Dreadlord chuckled slightly at the absurdity.
A lich lord who had been in deep hibernation waiting for the Return, awoke when the signal was sent, only to find that his once stronghold in the deep dark of the Iron Coast mountain range, had been turned into a temple to the honored dead of a, particularly pious dwarf clan.
The clan's priests had swiftly beat the litch to death with holy and light aligned weapons before it was able to summon aid from its nearby buried minions. “Nothing could have been done there, if the lich returns, which seems unlikely from the missive, help him find new accommodations.” The Master proclaimed fighting laughter as he did so.
Eventually, after several more positive reports, the second such scroll was read. This time the court didn’t laugh, and the Master fumed. The work of the Dark Courts minions to infiltrate the clergy and courts of Tor, the powerful human kingdom to the far south, had been frustrated when the Arch-Bishop and the Cardinalic Council discovered an old divine spell that would uncover a person's true heritage.
When done as a curiosity to members of his personal staff, the Arch-Bishop discovered that one person had been related to a long-gone abyssal lord. When the churches investigators discovered that that man had been a member of a hidden cult to Tesh, things had changed. Tragically, nearly the entire cult of Tesh in Tor’s capital had been caught in the wide net of suspicion that the prolific use of such a spell cast.
The Arch-Bishop, in a fear-filled and agitating speech to the Cardinalic Council, had explained that he had discovered nearly five such high placed brothers in the clergy. Of course only two of them had been actual cultists, but the clergy never let a little thing like ‘truth’ get in the way of them making the most of a real crisis to remove political enemies.
The Arch-Bishop, taking advantage of the youth of the prince, as the boy's father the king was on his deathbed, and the inability of the child's royal steward to interfere in religious affairs, proclaimed what he promised would be a passive, “peaceful” purge of the entire kingdom. It was sold as an effort to purify the kingdom of infiltrators, and to the consternation of the Dark Court, it was working.
The good news was that the ensuing chaos that this ‘purification’ was causing could potentially create many opportunities for new agents to arise. Though recruiting, no matter the era or location was always troublesome.
After some discussion by the court of ways to best take advantage of the situation, and who might be put in charge of recruiting for the area, The Herald continued reading the scrolls. There was one that pleased nearly everyone, involving the Glass Islands and the slave trade there.
Apparently one of the slave markets had had mass executions after an attempted slave revolt and the local cult to Tesh had successfully infiltrated the slavers guild as the executioners, turning each death into a blood sacrifice. They had successfully filled nearly a thousand mana crystals and were looking for a way to transport them to the Dark Valley.
In the air of that jubilant atmosphere, the creature winced as the last of the three bad news scrolled was chosen and read next. “The necromancer of the ruins of the Dow’del among the Shield Mountain range has been slain, and the swamp goblin tribes she had dominated have been routed. The twins are free from siege, and the elves of Lo’sar have secured the region, your grace.” The Herald said as he handed the king the scroll he had just read aloud, as he had all the other ones before.
The Master of the Dark Valley took the scroll, read it again, and then tossed it into the fire braiser he had next to him for just such a purpose. “It is a small matter, the region north of Tor is sparsely populated, and the elf colony there is weak and filled with pacifists.” The court collectively, and silently, sighed in relief.
“The necromancer was one of our weakest servants in that area in eras past, I only vaguely remember him, no her, that's right it was a female? Remarkable only because of her sex really, so few women choose that path.” The Master seemed more contemplative then upset, and The Creature internally relaxed. “The area will be conquered by whoever we send to undermine the larger southern region. Continue with the reading of the reports.”
Epilogue 2: The Gods
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Think of it-always.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
Location unknown, a few days after the demise of the necromancer.
Kiertoss watched high above the world, as her people made their way closer to the land that she was considering naming as her domain. Her lover, Korvus, was among them, now older and wiser and she admitted to herself, more handsome, then he had been only months before. He guarded the roads north, working with caravan guards, elected captains, and the few nobles who had been removed from power and exiled by Dominus’s priesthood.
Kiertoss, on the other hand, had begun her work more subtly, moving among the handful of clergy who ha
d been exiled, and whose souls had not been blackened by, other, powers. She watched as her new High-Priest worked to organize them from their gathering point at Winters Rest, the name of the settlement that the wizard they had summoned had founded for their safe haven.
The work was not finished, it had only just begun, but she felt in herself, a growth. Where the last few thousand years she had only diminished in strength, wisdom, beauty, and authority, now her domain was growing, her influence spreading. Even if it was to only a few small groups of followers who had converted away from the sun god, it was a beginning.
Humans, even those with Pervolin bloodlines, were far different, shorter-lived creatures than their original charges. And so much of her and Korvus’s moral philosophy and code had to adapt to those differences. Her clergy where hard at work helping her do just that.
Her attention shifted then, away from the hardworking clergy who prayed for guidance as they scribbled furiously writing down her moral codes even as she formulated them. Her attention ended on Dominus, the God was fighting she could see, wrestling with the contradictions that his clergy had introduced into his domain. Kiertoss had no idea what would come of the internal turmoil of her once friend, but she desperately hoped it would be a positive change.
Perhaps I should seek guidance? She thought as she looked away from Ethria, and towards distant stars and cosmoses that swirled far away, where she knew there lived a being she could seek it from. That one has offered aid before when we summoned the wizard. Perhaps they would do so again?
No, that being was far too powerful to be concerned with what even she, a God, if a lesser one, was doing. That being formed the cosmoses, spun them on their axis, and had dictated the very nature of natural law at the first founding of the first creation cycles and cycles ago. That being would have no time for her and Korvus, and their little problem, adjusting to serving humans of all creatures.
But who knew? That one had thought it worth their time to ensure the rights of the summoned wizard. Perhaps, just perhaps, they would find an interest in her?
Character Sheet: Danial “Rayid” Tear
Physical Description
Race: Human.
Hair: Brown.
Height: 6’1.
Skin Color: White.
Immaterial Description
Age: 26.
Religion: Unknown (LDS/Mormon).
Alignment: Unknown (Lawful, Moral). Class: None Chosen.
Heritage: Unknown (Earth, Western, Pioneer).
Profession: None Chosen.
Level: 10.
Current Reputation: 506, Known “Are you sure that’s them?”
Material Characteristics
GENERAL
13
1.5
Strength
13
1.5
Dexterity
12
1
Constitution
16
3
Physical Attraction
11
0.5
Immaterial Characteristics
GENERAL
17.6
3.8
Intelligence
23
6.5
Emotional Stability
23
6.5
Sensitivity
15
2.5
Perception
14
2
Luck
13
1.5
Combat Statistics
Combat Statistics
Defense Bonus
2.5
Health Points
130
Melee (ST+Dex+Perc+Luck)
Ranged (Dex, Gen Im, Perc, Luck)
General Attack Bonus
6
8.3
Traits
Human Adaptability: Humans are by far one of the most adaptable species on all Ethria. As such, every level they gain 3 characteristic points until 10th lvl. Upon taking a class at 10th level they gain 1 free characteristic point, and 2 characteristic points in the primary class characteristic of their chosen class, and 1 point distributed randomly.
Unlucky / Lucky (Agent of Change): Your life is filled with moments of extremes. You are both very unlucky, and very lucky in that strange and usually bad things tend to happen to you, but they usually work out in the end. Random events generated at +1.5x. Other effects to be discovered.
Eldritch Knowledge: Having come from another plane of existence, and having been considered highly educated among your people, you have been blessed by the celestial being (s) of that foreign realm with the ability to perfectly recall any information you had learned on your old world. Be careful, however, as those who have any trait or affiliation that ties them strongly to this plane of existence will not take kindly to outsiders such as yourself. Your knowledge is power, hide it well. Other effects to be discovered.
Gift of Tongues: You have been blessed by the cosmic being (s) of your home plane to be able to speak or read any language that you might encounter at the level of Proficient as if you were a native speaker with no accent. For this ability to activate you must first encounter the language twice. Other effects to be discovered.
Mysterious Stranger: As you are from another place, certain aspects of yourself are permanently hidden from denizens of this new realm you now call home unless you personally reveal it to them. These aspects are listed as Unknown on your character sheet and will be seen by others as such until you learn more about yourself and claim a new place in the world. You will always have the hidden labels from your past home, but the new labels will be revealed to all that see. Find a new home, forge a new heritage for yourself, and claim Ethria as your own. In addition, this means that you have a natural resistance to mental manipulation, as your experiences and thought patterns are alien. 15%+current level chance of mental manipulation failure, magical/non-magical. Other effects to be discovered.
Mysterious Stranger Aspect “Past Oaths”: In your past world, the oaths you took were relatively easy to keep, and as such had little hold on your soul. Most of these were stripped away when you went through the veil. However, you can reclaim these oaths as part of the Mysterious Stranger gift, granting you both guiding principles by which to live your life, and certain restrictions and boons based upon these oaths.
Oaths Reclaimed:
The Sanctity of Life: In your past life you swore to uphold the sanctity of the lives of other humans. You have interpreted this as to apply to the sanctity of all sapient life, a rare sentiment indeed on Ethria. While further growth and knowledge may change your specific understanding and application of the principles of this oath, you are bound to it. Oath Type: Rare. Oath Restrictions: May not willfully or knowingly take the life of a sapient being without just cause. Doing so will have severe negative effects either temporary, or permanent depending upon the severity of the breach. Oath Boons: +1 automatic relationship status upgrade to all sapient beings upon their learning of this Oath. Oath Status: Newly Reclaimed, Loyal 1
Unlimited Potential: Ethria itself has given your race this boon, you will be able to learn every type of magic native to Ethria. This boon synergizes with each of your cosmic gifts. Known Synergies: None.
Special Abilities
Analyze: Using more than your still to view and read a situation, you extend your life force over an object, creature, or person to gather more information.
Magical Attributes
Mana Regen: Minute / Second
253
4.2
Mana Pool: Max / Current
104642
N/A
Skills
Skills
Skill Points
Skill Scores
Read/Write (English)
17.5
35.0
Research
5.0
5.0
Statistical Analysis
4.0
4.0
Deceive (any format)
8.0
12.0
Basic House Cleaning / Maintenance
2.0
2.0
Basic Cooking
0.0
0.0
Singing
5.0
5.0
Use Weapon: Sword
6.0
6.0
Armor: Light
4.0
4.0
Shield: Light
6.0
9.0
Survey
4.0
4.0
Analyze
2.0
2.0
Mana Manipulation
8.0
12.0
Force Magic
10.0
15.0
Fire Magic
13.0
26.0
Light Magic
8.0
8.0
Average Magic Skill
10.3
16.3
Enchantment
1.0
1.0
Healing
3.0
3.0
Spell List
Spells Known
School/Type
Cost
Casting Time / Duration
Cool Down
Cure Light Wounds
Type: Light, School: Biomancy.
5 Mana
1 second / Instant