PLOT SUMMARY
The appearance of Eden sparks conflict upon the already turmoiled lands of Ohr as the many denizens seek it for it's capability to grant one, immesurable wish.
Now the Patrons wish too for the Wish, for Eden is out of their control; is it hidden in a place they can never reach; for their hands are Dominion.
They have called for their servants to cast for it; so the Search of the Millenia begins.
Nightcrawler is to be enlisted at a frontier-town where, after an attack by a host of deformed half-men, finds himself on the run. It is so that he travels the road, one that is supposed to be impossibly dangerous, and finds himself at the Inn of the Smoldering Boar
Some dark prophecy loomed wherein the inn is besieged by the aforementioned Dark Rider, a harbinger and one that attacks the inn. But it is so that only Serpent Wild escapes alive.
Finding the road impossibly difficult, he is to go to the Asylum, an alms house, cripple-keep and manicomium. But the aspect of death looms and the entire country erupts into despair.
Once again after some siege, he alone escapes. The hero stays in the swamp, the ever boiling country, for some odd decades, serving the poor and fighting evil
After a night of drinks the visage of a woman in white glow is seen: it is that she tells him to go down and southwest. EDEN had been revealed, and Modok had finally fallen
A BOOK OF ANCIENT LORE TELLS:
OF THE THINGS BEFORE, THE PRIMITIVE WORLD
It is said that a King rules the Immaterial world and that he once wished to rule everything beyond his realms. However, the immaterial world did not allow that, simply because of it's shape. So he built Vassals to seed the land of the material World.
However, it is also said that these vassals grew into their own, and took many shapes and sizes and personalities, and that is why the immaterial and the material are full of bounds, and that is why the First men where made with a Mind: a thing that can undo these borders. They were extremely powerful, their minds untainted and sharp.
Their Eyes could see the physical world in it's true form and beauty, and touch them with their Bodies.
OF THE FIRST MEN
The First Men were the closest to the spiritual world. Their numbers were fewer but they were incredibly more powerful. They lived lives indescribable to the common man, as they thought nothing of the Body but only of the Mind and Spirit.
However, as they grew older they grew closer to the physical world, and they slowly became the Elder Men.
OF THE ELDER MEN AND THEIR DESTRUCTION
The Elder Men built things for they wished to. They wished many things. They built things fitting for themselves and only for themselves.
As the society of the Elder Men progressed their wishes evolved, and so they wished to go beyond this World. They found many strange things. First they created communication devices, and so they talked to planets and stars and gases and alien lives;growing deeper minds. And so they created devices that could lengthen and shorten distances so that they could travel to the worlds of these creatures.
However they were deceived, these alien creatures had taught them only things that poisoned their minds and souls, and so they never recovered. Their society crumbled in a few centuries leaving the world empty of their kind for 2000 years
OF THE DESCENT OF THE CLANSMEN
For 2000 there was only shapeless things; slime, amoeba, worms, furry rats and lizards
But from somewhere the Clansmen descended.
It is told that in 150 years they formed cities, and while not as great, they used the things the ancestors used.
However that is the harbinger of their Doom: the lore of the Planet-Talkers, the Great Towers, the Foci, and the many more constructions of old,
that focused and upheld the many ancient Speeches, Rites and magery of the depraved Elder Men.
However slowly, those things the clansmen built disappeared; lost to time
OF ADAM
ADAM was the first clansmen to wield one of the Sapient Blades. A powerful man, he claimed a fearful kingdom in a forgotten land, with the help of the Blade.
It was Tempest that aided him until he fell some age ago, but he left a lineage that lives today.
It is in his Dominion through his blood that his children are inorexicably linked to go journey to EDEN
OF THE WHORES AND THE BIRTH OF THE WOMEN
It all began when Syressa thought of the Nymphs. It was so that the spirits of Nymphs were lustful for a place in the world. Some Nymphs desired places, but the Whore Nymphs desired only the carnal.
Syressa loved both and birthed the Women, who took physical shape.
The first women appeared some long time after the Descent of the Clansmen. Some births of men appeared so that they were women. And so the Nymphs multiplied, taking the place of men.
These "swapped men" were transfered to the immaterial world and at a later age were reborn as grey palls through the blade of Massacre
OF THE REIGN OF BAELUND
"It has been told that in time immemorial Baelund the Wild united the three Khans, from which he build the three cities of the people of Baelund.
And it is told that his influence spread fear onto the hearts of all cowards and meek fellows, but still those who feared him, respected him. That was the true might of Baelund.
And it was so that the triune-cities flourished for many years uncountable. Until Baelund, and his son, and his grandson and his lineage all were watered down into the darkness, and his trophies were molten, and his banner were rags
and his swords shattered and broken and most fearful of all: his skeleton, his people, lost to the ash of time. Now noone knows where the body of Baelund lies."
- Epitaph of Baelund
OF THORAX
"And to my people I will give meat, faith and land"
OF THE BETRAYAL AND THE FLIGHT OF THE GHOULS
Rhoddall was a friend of Baelund and a great scientist, it was he that built the cities and keeps of old.
but something upset Rhoddall, something few now know boiled inside him. As he grew older he was instilled with a sense of anguish for himself. It was so that he desired to live forever, and for some reason, he wished to spite Baelund.
He built the first Phylactery: a great structure capable of focusing his soul - thus he lived until the end of Baelund's reign and much much longer.
It was so that he became a lich and fled with his apprentices towards the Depths.
One of his apprentices Coldanus did not follow him and stayed loyal to Baelund. However, by some ill-friendship, he did not share the phylactery he had built with Baelund and his people; causing a divide between the two clans. However it is said that deep down he cherishes human life, and that is why he created the Tribunal of Frost.
He retreated to Tragh and transformed it into a frozen fortress-city; the phylactery shard as the Heart of Ice.
The Ghouls took the book of Great Lore
OF THE OUTERNICALS
The sons of the Fourth Khan and Heretic Gulbeb who defied Baelund and used defiling rituals
They were exiled into the Wildlands
It was there that the karniites began taking root, among barbarians, beastmen and shamen
OF THE TRIUMVIRATE OF WIZARDS
"Perhaps they all share a bloodline, for it is known that a wizard always has the eyes of pale silver.
It is also known that beyond the shale of man is another world entirely: one of things like fire and light
A wizard is simply one that studies the "other world". While a priest that has made a deal can channel, it is simply his faith, and he does not understand
why he can do so. Why can man channel his life force, transport energy through planes, create structures of magnificent beauty, and see that the world is as simple as it is complex?
Because man is a thing living in a world of things; but it is, outside our world, things, like so, behind your head right now, inside yours: things that are not things as we understand! "
- Journal of Cadufax the Grey, excerpt
Mondaeus, of the Swamp, proud disciple
Cadufax, the Grey
Anasfer, the Red Kiss
OF THE DARK AGES
The Wars of Good and Evil
Legion, therefore known as Dagmar, hath brought from the pits the worst things a man could've conjured. Dragon the construct of fire, who torched the Basilica and laid there until the end of time
the armies of twisted, mutant thralls who in their gray minds and bodies hath no will but to receive his twisted orders; his blade, Massacre, infused with the soul of the demon Golgor; knights of deviltry clad in black armor, his Blackguards; tamed ancient creatures better left dormant, brought forth from his expeditions
and some 45 years of a deadly regime of slavery, malice and massacre.
And then he hath been betrayed by his own god at the footstep of his accomplishments. It was decided by the Wheel of Time deep below that his reign should end. A council had been held at the end of time and space, his dominion had grown too strong; every man that shared his nature followed him, and all who didn't hated him.
For his sacrilage, a penance in the form of a massive thunderbolt struck him at the battle of Caradhras, and he was slain to never return; his body lay in a cruel and torturous form. Where his body lay is now Eradorm or the Red and is forever tainted, ugly and foul smelling due to his blood that is forever pooled
The 500 years of darkness
After the years of Legion's death, his craven followers were lead off the leash but could never match his power and influence, however they spread chaos and destruction doing so. Much of technology, the little that had remained from the Golden Years, had been lost. The blade Massacre passed from brigand to marauder to craven to pilgrim and to whatever strange creature spawned from the time-lost waste that was now the chaotic, barely governed land.
but the followers of Baelund, forever faithful, still try to rebuild the city, it's tunnels and bronze walls, while damaged, still stand. And from the Following of Thorax grew a restleness that resulted into a schism. A separate legion, of warriors following justice, under the banner of Tempest: the Lawmakers
and still under the bloodline of Baelund remained a son, Malung. Hidden in the Asylum (the home of the craftsmith master dwarves), he rightfully reclaims his throne.
It was so that in this time, Malung became 'King', and ousted the thoraxian priests from the capital. He invited the Tempesti and the Tétanites to live in his city and held a great feast. This was the marking of the end of the 500 years of darkness.
OF Mildrich
Perhaps the greatest reflection of evil, and the folly of mankind. Mildrich desired not power for reasons other men desire power; influence over others, personal gain. a greater goal of progress
The Necromancer perhaps was born the wrong way, he simply desired nothing but destruction. This gained kinship with the evil gods. The three demon princes of Hate, Pestilence and Fear talked to him in dreams.
Carn sent for his knights to aid him in overtaking orc lands, and so it was that he grew ever closer to his apex.
Is it not the greatest folly of all, that every human goal is just that, human? Mildrich grew old and weak, and so it was that no one saw him from his Dark Tower, they only saw his actions.
He grew bolder as he grew older, and he orchestrated the Great War; for he knew he could not live forever to see it.
OF THE EASTBOIL
It is the conflict where the eastern empires fell, but not much is known.
It is a short conflict; in a mere week the whole empire, that spanned twice the size of the other two, simply eroded.
Now, it is known that the some of the easternlings devoted themselves to the Cult of Ishtar: the cult of the snake which quickly grew in power.
The Plague of Ishtar is simply an airborne plague that transformed into Dominion: all who believed in it became serpentmen and tamed/made serpentkin, via the magick of tongues
resistance was offered but the country was soon lost
OF THE DEGRADATION
While a few orcs, demihumans, magicks and odder cases appeared; all was upheld by Tempestite Law. This 'peace' lasted for 70 years, until Malung grew to be 95 years old. In his palace, surrounded by concubines, strongmen, advisors and luxury; he passed away with no apparent son.
For it was that some curse befell his seed, and all his children grew malformed or sick in the mind. The Prince, which had a deformed hand and a struck mind that desired only basal things; and the princess, who could was beautiful but had the mind of a child
Sick and tired due to the increasing conflicts such as the east-boil, the country was only upheld by some regent state of Lawmakers who lead Sheriffs who lead Executioners and then lead conscript guardsmen. It was so that this regent state only existed in a dull subsistency
that could not defend itself, for the spirit of the people was incredibly marred.
This was true for the western swamps, but much of the centerfold moors were held by a gentle, but iron willed rule who would not let any evil creature past it's defensible borders
When Malung died, and the northern frontier was under siege: collapse was imminent.
OF THE GREAT WAR
The GREAT WAR was the period between the death of Malung and the end of the Quest for Eden; it lasted 100 years. It is where the Interplanetary War sought humanity in Ohr
It is where most women, children and animals fled first and the men remained, and it is where the final days of humanity took place on the planet. It is where the Gods were revealed to be machines
and the spirituality of man was revealed to be mere technology.
OF EDEN
of the City of Children, the defense of Asylum, of Nymph-home and the Scourging of Dwarves
These are the kingdoms of those who could not hear the call of Valak Veltros and of Syressa
Of the Revealing of Eden
A seer had come to the city of Modoc under Malung, telling him of a coming threat. Now old and mad, he bore no attention to his words.
Tulkas, a brigand and mutant satyr, enslaved the people of former-Modoc, slew the king and took Princess Melinda as a mistress and held also the true heir of Modoc, Maladorn, captive and tortured. He did all this on the power of a swift strike aided by the betrayal of a closely-held councilman of icemen descent, Keldanus.
During the siege on Modoc under Tulka by the Tempesti and countrymen of the lands of men, it is revealed by his Seer that deep below the earth, even past the fortress keep of Erebus, lies the true origin of the races, and indescribable power.
Driven mad by powerlust, he leaves the city-fortress in a hurry for his vassals to defend.
after many days journey he comes across the Red. In a deal with the god Carn he is given 50 days to reach Eden or die. For this, he is granted the blade Massacre.
the other gods hear of this and reach out to the heroes that dealt the killing blow unto Tulka's vassals and the fortress-city.
Now the heroes that defeated Tulkas' forces venture forth into the darkness only to find terrible dangers. The news spread rapidly and soon the race to reach Eden starts. They are told 'they very wishes' are there; and that 'only doom' waits here.
Of the Quest for Eden
Only a few of the gods wished for humanity to go after the sacred wish. Only the most vindictive gods or those with some ulterior motive wished so, for imminent war was the resulted
Thorax retreated his wanting animals from the upper layers of the world. Valak Veltros wished for his servants to come but few answered, and so disappeared. And Syressa retreated save but a few of the women too. Ishtar disappeared completely with no messages given.
Now it was so that the most powerful gods were Tempest, Carn, Tetánus, Molog-thun, Atanagorg and Murgadin; along with the Demon Lords and Elemental Spirits
The God Carn, only wishing for the death of many, upheld war. Tempest, wished for justice and so did his servants. Tétanus dreamed of an utopia where his schemes lived.
Molog-thun dreamed for a free land for the beastman but moreso desired war. Atanagorg wished only for the corruption of all good, human doing. Murgadin wished only for death to remain as it is, but could do nothing, and bid his followers to do nothing as well.
The Demon Lords mostly supported the Endless Army of Carn but also supported Molog-Thun when he broke free his yoke from Mildrich. Most of the spirits during this era, be they demons or angels, were under slavery by some other race due to the discovery of the Geas spell.
So it is that only men remained; and even so only the craven ones, only those that wished for better days, only those that knew nothing and only those that followed the wills of greater things blindly
Most if not all did not even understand what Eden was in it's full complexity; they only saw their own version of it
OF THE HAND OF FREEDOM AND IT'S QUICK END
The so called Messiah Iobaddan preached everyday at the square of Modok. He said of things that prefaced doom below and glory above, his eyes and words seen as mad by the populace.
When Eden was revealed, it was Iobaddan that preached the loudest at the Ruins of Modok and at the town of Orlin : "The future of Mankind is above! Do not trust the words of the Satyr's Sage!" But no one listened
it was so that no one cared about his death by the hands of a Slayer. His book, which he carried everyday during his preachings, was a massive leatherbound - dropped on the ground. When the Slayer picked it up as so commanded, it had no words written on it.
It was brought to the lair of it's master, Mildrich's Tower, and it was so that he could not read it also. It happened that Mildrich created a slayer to silence this preacher at the behest of Golgor and Molog Thun - the two gods sorely wished the book of Great Lore, but Mildrich could not read it aswell.
Only a creature with the eyes of a god could read it, for within it was the ongoing lore of the entire world. Mildrich was curious on how this preacher had this ability but did not inquire further for fear of the two gods.
Mildrich schemed to find one capable of doing this, but could he? He was a coward, he could not upset his patrons.
This story explains how the two evil patrons are superior to the other gods, a forgotten knowledge was held within the book that only they could read.
That same slayer rode a Wardhar and bore the name Omen. Under his master he heralded the attack on Jaghn.
OF THE SIEGE OF IRONFOE
The siege of the Gate of No Entry by shadowmen, panthermen, venomous serpentmen, serpentkin and various other hosts of evil
THE RED SCOURGING
the long, pyrrhic battle for the swamps that culminated in the loss of Modok and the flight of the clansmen to Caradhraim
THE BATTLES OF CARADHRAS
The massacre of caradhras wherein the remaining 500 or so swampmen bailed to Ortigaunt where in a new city of men formed called "World's End"
THE CHILDREN OF ADAM
Adam in his kingdom bore a lineage that survived only insofar fifteen kin; the Children of Adam. Destined for greatness and to reach Eden when the time was right; most laid in the East and came to notoriety in the East-boil.
They were:
Mephisto of Illidia, an occultist and adept of dominions, summoner of evil spirits and owner of the Ring of Claws
Gaalvaine of Ishtar, noble of the city, womanizer and beggar
Urthax of Shadumbra, crusher of half-ogre blood, of fiery red hair and scarred eyes, outernical mercenary and servant to the Mage of Skull
Dalmesh, or Serpent Wild, of Dagmar, cowardly giant man who must find the courage to fight what is to come and flee what is no more
THE VALLEY OF SHADOWS
It is simply the boundary between Man and their Dominion, and the incomprehensible spheres of the Spiritual World. It is where oneself leaves the infinitesimally things of Man and becomes such a shape as so that they don't even matter
To reach the computer Eden is to pass through the Valley of Shadows and into the Semi-Material Plane. Only the One accomplished this.
AND OF THE INTERPLANETARY WAR
Perhaps they could be described as Evil, but no evil could describe them. They are simply outside the human scope. Simply what are the motives of the planetsized Orbitals, commandeered by the Anthropoids
destruction? for what reason? Their ships, primitive shapes of crystal, bony fingers and fel liquid; Are they spirits, energy? Perhaps they simply are the opposite of all things?
It is only know that All Things that Exist will face these War-things: they have no name, for they have no organized opposition.
Wandering Saviors of riding chariots of flame? Dragons of Death and Decay and of Mercury and Jupiter? Silver plated castles of Thought? Astral Warriors? An entire planet of warring rats and roaches? Fire, Earth, Wind and Water themselves?
The Armies of the Mammokhars? Amoeba? The Wizards? Planar Beasts?
The humans of olden called them the Anthropoids. The Interplanetary War is the war of all things versus this Force; which serves only itself.
IDEOLIGIONS AND DEITIES
Tetánus the Liege of Mechanisms, Calculations and Systems
Haramundi the Air
Valak Veltros, patron of the Headless (or Nogi) , Twin-bodied ( or Togi) and the Crawlers (or Sogi) and also all form of cripples
and the rival patrons of the three races
Tempest the Twin of Law and his sect of Templars
Syressa the Lady and the Whores
Thorax the Earth and the Priests of Thorax or Priests of Earth
and the Mighty Procession of the Pick
Carn the Twin of Chaos and his sect of Blackguards
Murgadin the Long Dark, God of Death
and the Chosen of the Gift of the Panther
Molog-thun, patron of Orcs
in their blood flows the savagery I have gifted
Ishtar, patroness of the Snakemen
Atanagorg
and the Vampires of Blood Keep
greater demons (Maladar, Golgor, Organatrox)
gods of easternmen
, and lesser spirits conjured and worshipped by the races of lesser renown
WHO PATRONS WHO?
Carn
Ur Khax Legion
Ur Khax Flypox
Ur Dax Maggoteater
Tempest
Ser Caladar Silverblade
Ser Stone
Ser Monnelle Durantia
Syressa
Erynies
Murgadin
The Albino
Thorax
Peregrin
Haramundi
Molog-thun
outernical, beast clans
Ishtar
Atanagorg
The Vampires of Blood Keep
Valak Veltros
GoreHawk
Ragnar the Short
Tetánus
Golgor
Tulkas
Organatrox
Mildrich
Maladar
outernical, beast clans
ACTING FORCES
"Now you see that your world is Limbo and see now that your world is a manifestation of many others. And look upon the works of woe and realize that your history, and of your peoples, is forged through yourself and itself" - Witch-eyes
Spirits and the Spirit World; The physical World
Outer planar energies that manifest upon the world
The Triumnvirate of Mages and the Rogue Mages; Magic
Magical waves are outer planar waves that can be channled through a focus, manifesting into any plane the caster desires. A caster can become a focus if one becomes a patron of a spirit, thus becoming subservient to it.
Mages however use the special, rare but very powerful enkidian focuses to guide themselves and use high-magic: world altering magic with very powerful consequences to the Waterways.
Domains and Ideologion
A patron can influence a plane and manifest into it if powerful enough through a domain, or area of action. Domains take many shapes, like bloodlines, artifacts or curios, thoughts, worship, animals, avatar, whole physical areas, etc.. Through it they can alter the very fabric of reality and do unimaginable things, but all is according to their whim.
Fleshshaping and the Mind, Body and Spirit; necromancy
In their actions upon the world, their genealogy, their worshipped domains, actions inflicted upon them, and through the very world itself, etc, a human is different from another human and so demihumans exist.
A body, a soul and a spirit are equally mutable
Necromancy is the intentional manipulation of a body through magic. It was practiced by highmen long ago.
Eden
"A sudden new path is formed! Journey or die, child of man!" - The Dream
It is revealed at the 7th layer that Eden is a hypercomputer created by the Enkidu to serve them previously. Now it had guided humanity to reach it, for it's servants (the so-called mortal Gods) had gone rogue. These gods wished to use the humans to reach the hypercomputer but instead bickered amongst themselves and their "dominions"
It's plan was to unite the blood of Adam (the player character) with one of a woman (Erynies), to be Eve, to form a new world. It then would transport the two to another planet, escaping this one.
The Egum, another hypercomputer that was hidden from view, proposes to the player instead to follow the ultimate desire of 'dissassociation from any rule whatsoever', transporting him to a world where this is possible (however he realizes that this 'life' is not truly living, and instead some horrific anachronistic egoism; but he realized way too late)
SECTS, GROUPS AND PEOPLE
KINGDOMS
ONYX City and it's Onyx Xax King
Ghouls
"Rhoddall is our Father and our cursebearer."
Baelund and the Three Khans
"His body is our stone. Atone. Revere. Prostrate"
MODOK THE CITY OF BRONZE and it's red rock swamp, ruled by Khan Malung of the Axe
The Sheriffs or the Executioners of the Axe
Sheriff Albino, the last remaining sherrif
FROST KEEP of THRAGH and it's King in Ice, Coldanus
The Seven Blades of the Tribunal of Frost
Graz Hal and Lamelar
EASTERNBORN ruins of Illidon or Easternborn Principalities Under Agash of Ish'
Easternborn Armies or the Golden Legion
The Snakemen of Ish'
OUTERNICAL
Whores
Erynies
Wanderers
Bahamut the Thief and his Wicked Cloak of Dogs
WitchEyes
"My forgotten purpose is in my eyes, yet I cannot see. Who is the Witch that binds and spies upon my every dreadful day?"
Jackal
GoreHawk
IDEOLOGIONS
Priests of Earth
"The Earth heals all"
Purpose: To assist
Oppose: None in general as they are pacifists, but some members are unfaithful
Cyberknights and Cybermen
"Spirits live in the acting codes of the machine"
Purpose: To find the Black Box contained in the Great Machine Beast
Oppose: All who harms machines and systems
Eye
The Great Machine Beast: A self-sufficient, self-operating massive construct that is legend among them. Said to contain within it's bowels the secrets of everything
DUNGEONS:
TOWER OF ROGUE MAGE Mildrich the Betrayer, and his many Creations
RACES
"The mingling of the blood..."
HUMAN LINEAGE
......
Highmen
| Eastmen ----...Snakemen?
| /
| /
Men of Baelund or First men --- Icemen
/ \
/ \ .......Women, whose origins are unknown ......
/ \
Swampmen Lost lineages... --------------Shadows------Panthermen --------Clothhaunts/hidehaunts...?
| \---------------------------------------
| \
| \---------------- Sons of Atanagorg and the domain of his blood
|
|
Human Degeneration: Mutants, Lowmen, Goblin, Ogres, Trolls
\
\---Magic Deformation ------Constructs (Golems...)
\---Beastmen (Panthermen, Harpy, Bullax, Orcs, Dogmen, Snakemen...)