Microsoft Zone Archive/Asheron's Lore/A Brief History for Travelers/Lonely in the World
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| Now in this Hush--Snowreap, PY 12 (January, 2001) | Spring's Sorrows--Wintersebb, PY 12 (March, 2001) |
Original Link (now dead) - http://zone.msn.com/asheronscall/ASHEhistoryfeb01.asp
Lonely in the World
by Allan Maki
Turbine Entertainment Software
Dereth: Snowreap PY 12/Earth: January 2001
The powers of magic had been growing ever since the defeat of the Hopeslayer. Magi of the School of the Arm had already gained access to another sphere of influence and now they had uncovered the secrets of an ancient order of Empyrean warrior magi who stood resolute against the darkness during their greatest age. Those who command the sphere of War, able to find and pass the tests placed before them are able to forge Thaumaturgic and Exarch Platemail. This armor is light enough to be worn by mages, yet is endowed with mystical energies that afford its creator the defenses of the heartiest warrior.
As the School of the Arm found the Essence of Strife during the month of Snowreap, so too has the School of the Right Hand found an essence bound to Derethian "enchanting" magic. Sequestered in the wilderness and surrounded by a Menhir, the pulsing Essence of Artifice grants spells of the seventh circle to all who feed it the most powerful item scrolls found on the Obsidian Plains. Armed with these humbling spells magi now harden their armor and further hone the steel of their weapons, making them more fearsome then ever before.
Furthering the resurgence of magic, deep within the Mines of Despair can be found an oblong stone. Adventurers have discovered that this stone, carried by an ancient guardian, can be enhanced within the very heart of the dungeon using a piece of their essence and powerful returned magic. The resultant item hardens the mind and heightens the focus of whoever uses the stone, pulling away their access to Mana at the same time.
But all is not well on Dereth.
Tumeroks have moved onto the desert plains and opened installations there. Deep beneath the sands their vanguard forces prepare what appears to be a staging point. They have sent only an expeditionary force to fortify these bases but there can be no question as to the ill nature of their intent. Those who have entered these fortresses have returned with tales of the denizens within and the items of power they have retrieved.
Deep within the quagmire, scrawled in his own hand, Sir Candeth Martine continues his story for those with the fortitude to follow him. The darkness within him grows and the grim trail he leaves will take its toll on even most stalwart warrior's mind. The changes within the man are growing more obvious with each letter he leaves travelers to find; it is a trail that has become rife with murder and ill tidings. At the hands of the Virindi his awareness has been heightened and he has become something not wholly human. His tale now leads adventurers back to the captors that traded him to the Virindi, the Mosswarts deep within the swamp. Brave parties recount his tale while speaking at taverns or in the company of the smithies shining their newest creations, the naginata.
As new arrivals are met with the friendly gestures of Helpers something wicked brews in the heart and sky of Dereth. The sky itself is filled with an unearthly amethyst hue. The land itself is now bathed in a lavender blanket that reminds the Children of Ispar that all is not well. The Hopeslayer may be gone, but there are other enemies who would take his place and remove the Children of Ispar from this world.