imported>Cbeale |
imported>An Adventurer |
| (22 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) |
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| <center><div style="-moz-border-radius: 10px;background-color:#f8f8f8; border:2px solid #e0e0e0;width:80%;padding:5px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:10%;margin-right:10%;-moz-outline-style: outset;-moz-outline-radius: 10px;-moz-outline-color: #e0e0e0;">
| | #redirect [[The Rise of the New Singularity]] |
| '''[[Isparians On Dereth: -15 P.Y. to 10 P.Y.|Previous: Isparians On Dereth: -15 P.Y. to 10 P.Y.]]'''<br>'''[[The Rise of the New Singularity - Monthly Summary|Next Arc: The Rise of the New Singularity]]'''<br>'''[[Story Arcs|All Story Arcs]]'''</div></center>
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Now In This Hush]] - Snowreap, 12 P.Y. (Jan '01) ====
| |
| Like the snows of winter, a hush fell across Dereth.
| |
| | |
| The Hopslayer banished to the Darkness, the Shadows also retreated from the face of the island. Even the powerful generals of the Shadow armies had removed to undisclosed locations. Isin Dule had retreated with his followers, while news of Ler Rhan was nonexistent. Adventurers that dared to return to the lair of Bael'Zharon found only Ferah holding vigil over her lord's remains. Those that fought the general found that Ilservian's remains still remained potent though. Bathing the Sword of Lost Light in the Hopeslayer's blood imbued the weapon with additional power.
| |
| | |
| But, not only those who dared the Sepluchur of Bael'Zharon found new ways to improve their weapons over the course of the month. The bandit MacNiall grew interested in acquiring the eyes of the Mosswarts' Idols. He sent those who would bring him these artifacts to his cousin MacDougal in the north for a reward. The bandit hilt given to adventurers by MacDugal proved to be an innovation popular with swordsmen and dagger fighters alike. The well balanced hilts allowed those skilled with blades to perform double and even triple strikes with ease.
| |
| | |
| It was not just those who used the blade that grew more powerful though. Rumors of a strange presence near Mount Esper was passed on by the Zharalim. The thing lay within a menhir ring and emanated visions of bloodshed to those who dared to approach it; it seemed to be the very essence of strife. Magicians of the school of the arm were attracted by its power and those that paid tribute to it were rewarded with magicks more powerful than any wielded by any Isparian before.
| |
| | |
| While these boons seemed to signal a hope in a new found security for the Isparian refugees on Dereth, observers of Dereth's less hospitable inhabitants noticed a number of unsettling occurences. The Tumeroks seemed to withdraw from the Direlands, while the Lugians pushed more heavily into the area. Likewise, the powerful undead who had once held a strong position in western Dereth were now weakened by heavy losses during the campaign against the Hopeslayer and also seemed to withdraw back towards the swamps. But, again, somewhat disturbingly, the Virindi seemed to fill the void left by the other creatures of Dereth. At one time these creatures primarily occupied the Obsidian Plains or their own underground installations. Now scouting parties of Virindi guarded by their powerful Tusker Guards and Slaves roamed widely across the landscape. A new Virindi installation even appeared within the A'mun Desert itself. The Isparians could only wonder at what these new neighbors' future goals and plans might be.
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Lonely in the World]] - Coldeve, 12 P.Y. (Feb '01) ====
| |
| As heat seeped back into the earth snowlines receded. Patches of slush still dotted the landscape, but hints of green returned to most of the land. All was not well, however.
| |
| | |
| The enigmatic Shadows began to walk Dereth openly, harassing adventurers and making travel through remote areas a dangerous proposition. In addition, floating Crystal Fragments appeared. While originally thought to be pieces of the Gelidites' Great Work, the vast number of Fragments that soon swarmed across Dereth seemed to imply another origin.
| |
| | |
| Fortunately, the most learned mages of the land had taken to heart the dire prognostications of the recovered Gelidite scriptures. The Archmages Celdiseth, Fadsahil al-Tashbi, Nuhmudira, and Shoyanen Kenchu developed Master Mage Robes of fine quality, while they allowed their Apprentice Mage Robes to be sold by the local mages of various towns.
| |
| | |
| Non-mages were not left without fashionable attire, however, as the traditional warrior garb of Ispar began to appear in Dereth. Celdon, Amullian, and Koujia Armor became visible signs of a warrior's prowess.
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Shadows of the Past]] - Coldeve, 11 P.Y. (Feb '00) ====
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Darkness Ascendant]] - Wintersebb, 11 P.Y. (Mar '00) ====
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Thorns of the Hopeslayer]] - Morningthaw, 11 P.Y. (Apr '00) ====
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Heroes' Respite]] - Solclaim, 11 P.Y. (May '00) ====
| |
| | |
| ==== [[The Paths of Destruction]] - Seedsow, 11 P.Y. (Jun '00) ====
| |
| | |
| ==== [[To Raise a Banner of Flame]] - Leafdawning, 11 P.Y. (Jul '00) ====
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Taste of Twilight]] - Verdantine, 11 P.Y. (Aug '00) ====
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Twilight's Gleaming]] - Thistledown, 11 P.Y. (Sep '00) ====
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Hollow Victory]] - Harvestgain, 11 P.Y. (Oct '00) ====
| |
| Despite the destruction in the prior month of three more of the soul stones that held the Hopeslayer in check, a celebratory mood was prevalent in Harvestgain as harvest festivals were held in the Isparian settlements and towns around Dereth. These festivals were celebrated by adventurers masquerading as the monstrous creatures of the island's wilds as well as in masks that represented each of the heritage groups represented in Dereth. Deft citizens carved festive jack-o-lanterns and cooks prepared pumpkin pies and other desserts.
| |
| | |
| With the harvest came the need for scarecrows, but these seemingly benign creations of simple Isparian farmers soon reminded the Isparians of the alienness of Dereth and its other inhabitants. The Virindi, always interested in new ways of manipulating creation to their own ends, soon found a means of imbuing such creations with some semblance of life. These creatures served as new "war servants" for the Virindi and within new fortresses penetrated by eager adventurers were found the Virindi's deadly, new Hollow Minions. Constructed from the anti-magical ore, chorizite, these creatures proved formidiable new opponents for adventurers that dependended heavily upon enchantments in combat.
| |
| | |
| As adventurers confronted the Virindi in their new fortresses and throughout the Obsidian Plain, they reported hearing the Virindi discussing a "Singularity" and a "Directive." In an effort to understand these alien creatures better, a scholar and poet from Zaikhal, Diyas al-Yat, began to decipher the Virindi's language. Also, of note, was a new resident in the town of Ayan Baqur. The Virindi archmage Claude was joined by a collegue, Leopold, who also made efforts to "blend in" to the Isparian settlement by crafting Virindi masks and providing stilted and unnatural coversation. As seems to frequently be the case with the Virindi, the mysterious utterances and behaviors observed by adventurers, the explorations of the new fortresses, and a new understanding of the Virindi's language only served to compound the confusion of the Isparians in dealing with these enigmatic creatures.
| |
| | |
| Other creatures also revealed a greater intensity in organizing as monster training camps appeared throughout the island. Most obvious to Isparian observers was the activities of the banderlings and mosswarts. A society of explorers based in Dryreach solicited aid from many adventurers in a search for some of their missing companions. These adventurers discovered the Journals of Sir Candeth Martine and read of his frightening encounter with competing tribes of banderlings and mosswarts. The discovery of a ceremonial mace of some anthropological interest to the Society, yielded a reward of a well-crafted mace from the Society. Unfortunately, the missing explorers still remain to be found.
| |
| | |
| Another discovery of a larger magnitude was the ruins of an underground Empyrean city called Laeraa in the A'mun desert. Many Gharu'ndim entrepreneurs took advantage of this opportunity to establish a new community that they called Xarabydun in the midst of the desert. While the city above began to thrive with commerce, young, enthusiatic adventurers began to explore the levels beneath the inhabited upper floor. The discovery of thousamds of old Yalaini texts led to an innovative new process of producing reagents in a compressed form. These lighter componants were dubbed "peas" and could be split with a special tool. Many other adventurers exploring the halls beneath Xarabydun discovered egg-like geodes that both hinted at the origins of the strange creatures called the K'nath, but also could be crafted into powerful mana boosting crystals.
| |
| | |
| But, not all of the explorers of the tunnels found such exciting new treasures. At the heart of the underground labyrinth, lay a tunnel that seemed to have been carved by darkness itself. An ancient text described the horrifying features of this monstrous cavern: "The walls are the tortured remains of living beings. They are alive, and hungry."
| |
| | |
| Such works of the Shadow's armies in the ancient past, reminded many of the ongoing atrocities recently committed in Dereth. Citizens of Arwic began rebuilding what they now called "New Arwic" or "New'ic." The dread spires that had destroyed Arwic and the desert town of Tufa only a month before remained present at these sites, but now they no longer hovered above the earth, but began drilling into the earth for some as yet unrevealed reason...
| |
| | |
| ==== [[Should the Stars Fall]] - Leafcull, 11 P.Y. (Nov '00) ====
| |
| With the celebratory festivals of the previous month winding to a close, Derethian adventurers grew restless and exploration of the land they now claimed as a home began in earnest with the discovery of new portals to an archipelago to the south east. On these isles, two settlements of Isparians were found full of people who were not even aware that the olthoi occupation had ended a decade ago. The citizens of Kryst and MacNiall's freehold were as shocked to discover that Dereth was now a free island as the Derethians were to find these refugees of a past they were only beginning to put behind them.
| |
| | |
| The Vesayen Isles, as the citizens of Kryst had dubbed them, while offering a refuge from the olthoi for its citizens were not without their own dangers though. The fauna that also made its home on the isles was familiar, consisting of sharks, mosswarts, wasps, and armordillos seen on the larger island, but these were dangerously strong new breeds. Less familiar predators also stalked the isles, the swamp dwelling moarsmen, the strange tentacled masses called the slithis, and the living idols worshipped by the religiously-oriented mosswarts that called the isles their home.
| |
| | |
| The evidence of this religious practice made the previous month's discoveries of the journals of the missing explorer Sir Candeth Martine seem even more important to understanding these creatures hostile to the Isparians. Martine's journals had hinted both at a stronger organizational hierarchy within the mosswarts than had previously been understood as well as a possible religious war building between the mosswarts and their cousins the banderlings. On these new isles, such a possibility grew more complex as it became apparant that this war may have divided the mosswarts against one another. Some adventurers even reported meeting a possible renegade mosswart called Rumuba who sought the aid of the humans in his study of the animate idols worshipped by his brethern. Other adventurers investigating the mosswart hideouts and strongholds throughout the archipelago also found more evidence of the missing Candeth Martine. His latest journal was a nearly incomprehensible narrative of his latest travails and hinted at dealings between the Mosswarts and the Virindi.
| |
| | |
| These investigations were interrupted by more dire events though. With the discovery of an ancient Empyrean cathedral on the southeasternmost isle of the archipelago (said to have been the home of the "heretical" Adjanite Order), also came the discovery of the center of the undead's defensive operations in their war against Bael'Zharon. Powerful adventurers discovered the general of the undead forces, the Sand King Anadil, and destroyed the creature. The journal they recovered spoke of the location of the remaining soul stone that entrapped the Hope Slayer. It contained information both about gaining access to this Shard of the Herald as well as how the path to the Shard had been corrupted by the Shadows.
| |
| | |
| The path had been altered to only allow access to the stone by the minions of Bael'Zharon himself. This meant that those who wished to reach the crystal could do so only by bowing at the altar of Bael'Zharon, eschewing the protections from their fellows afforded by Asheron. While such a display of obeisance to the Herald may have been distasteful to those who opposed his release, it did offer the very real possibility of defending the shard from those Isparians who would, out of their own dedication to the Hope Slayer or their own ignorance or greed, might seek to destroy the stone.
| |
| | |
| Many monarchs hailing from Thistledown organized just such a defense. The initial success of this defense of the soul stone frustrated the Hope Slayer whose influence on the world while dampened had grown stronger with the destruction of the first five pieces of his prison. Compounding that frustration was the subversion that Bael'Zharon himself had attempted in Coldeve within the ranks of the Isparians themselves. He had tested several monarchs at the time, rewarding them with a shadow stone if they successfully ran a gauntlet of his design. Only two monarchs suceeded, Blackthorn and Vidorian, and were declared Dark Masters, swearing an oath to return a favor to their dark benefactor. With the unexpectedly successful defense of the Thistledown Shard of the Herald, Bael'Zharon desperate to be free, called upon these "errant servants" to break the defense.
| |
| | |
| Attacks led by Nightwolf of Leafcull, Cig of Harvestgain, Crystal Fox of Frostfell, Gusto King of Morningthaw, and Khao of Solclaim finally succeeded and the demonic creature imprisoned for 3,000 years emerged from his prison. The Isparians scrambled to destroy the beast they had released, but the power possessed by this creature was beyond any they had seen before. The Hope Slayer was content to bide his time for the remainder of the month, destroying any adventurer brave or foolhardy enough to venture within his lair. As the bodies of the most powerful Isparians in the land piled up around him, Bael'Zharon feasted on their power and his now unrestrained rage grew.
| |
| | |
| ==== [[The Child of Daralet]] - Frostfell, 11 P.Y. (Dec '00) ====
| |
| | |
| The return of the Hopeslayer could be witnessed in the scarred landscape and blood red waters of the island of Dereth. The skies too bled crimson and the sun was blotted out. Even the fearsome creatures of Dereth were effected by these environmental changes as water golems were tainted by the reddened waters surrounding the island.
| |
| | |
| Within this frightening environment though new arrivals to Dereth were greeted by Mikeal Alayne's Society, which dissemenated information to Isparians first coming to this dangerous new home. In addition, the Society rewarded such new arrivals with useful equipment and weapons in exchange for their help in delivering messages for the Society.
| |
| | |
| Such weaponry would be useful as cities around Dereth were no longer peaceful. The Hopeslayer emerged from his lair early in the month, stalking the land and challenging adventurers to try to best him. Bael'Zharon slew all that challenged him, raining meteoric rocks and even cows from the sky, but those who reacted favorably to the Herald of the Great Master were rewarded with powerful magics not seen before by the Isparian peoples.
| |
| | |
| Bael'Zharon's reign of terror was cut short though by the reappearance of Asheron on Dereth. The reclusive mage visited with monarchs that had refused Bael'Zharon's call to become Dark Masters earlier in the year. Fafrhd of Thistledown and Killean of Morningthaw were told to rally their vassals for a coming confronatation with Bael'Zharon. Elsya Strathelar was also seen by many adventurers. Again, the archer spoke of the need for preparation and of three artifacts--the skull, the heart,and the singularity--that might turn the tide of battle against the seemingly invincible Hopeslayer.
| |
| | |
| Asheron then appeared to stop Bael'Zharon's rampage. The wizard tried to reason with the creature but to no avail and soon the two were locked in a powerful magical duel that raged across Osteth and its outer environs. The duel served to distract the Hopeslayer though and soon a messenger appeared called the Chosen of Asheron with a missive detailing the properties of the artifacts spoken of by Elysa and how they might be combined to sap the strength of Bael'Zharon.
| |
| | |
| Adventurers plunged into new dungeons beneath the sands of the A'mun desert, in the Northern mountains, and in the heart of the Obsidian Plains. These adventurers found that these dungeons required the combined efforts of seasoned veterans and rawer recruits to successfully penetrate them. There they found the artifacts and passed them on to the veteran warriors, magicians, and archers of Dereth to combine.
| |
| | |
| The newly created Sepulchur proved to indeed weaken Bael'Zharon who retreated once more to a lair beneath the earth. There adventurers confronted the weakened but nevertheless still powerful creature. After a number of failures in the twisted living chambers of the Hopeslayer, the heroes of Dereth finally quelled Bael'Zharon's fury, banishing him to the Darkness.
| |
| | |
| The future of Dereth is now uncertain. The Empyrean remain in an unknown hiding place, Isin Dule after aiding Asheron in locating one of the artifacts also removed with his followers to an unknown location, the wizard Asheron returned to his retreat away from Osteth, and now the shadows of the Empyrean legacy that had hung over Dereth for the past year seemed to have been banished. With trepidation, the Isparian refugees bloodied but not defeated waited for the hush that would come as peace seemed to settle across Dereth.
| |
| | |
| [[Category: Lore]]
| |
| [[Category:Stub]]
| |