Flashbacks ~ Rhode Telgoth

The following takes place between 1439 and 1441.

Rhode Telgoth spent the majority of his days after leaving his hometown living as a construction worker for a small nameless town near the border of Zoeniim and Antedyne. During this time, Rhode encountered a gang of orc brigands that tried to rob the town, and came close to killing them in defense of the town. Instead, he took the advice of a little girl he had met and gave them a second chance, telling them they could keep their lives if they worked for the town, as he had. Once they had completed this, they were reformed and continued to operate as carpenters, making Rhode’s position superfluous. Content with the results of this decision, Rhode vowed to live pacifistically and left the town.

Main Scenario

As the party continued to Crytathos, Cyrus recieved a prophetic vision of the near-present. A man was murdered in the nearby town of Kimestal. As part of this vision, he also saw the silhouette of a man conjuring flames from his body.

The party took the detour and visited Kimestal out of intrigue, and encountered Ash Thatcher, the bounty hunter they had met previously. When Cyrus recognized his figure as the man in silhouette, he revealed, by displaying flames in his eyes, that he was actually a demon in the body of a man named Ash Thatcher, and that his real name was Mustakoira.

The party threatened to kill him unless he gave them any information he could on fighting demons, which he responded to by stabbing himself in the heart and falling, presumably dead. Less than a minute later, he stood back up and removed his blade from his chest, proving that demon-possessed individuals cannot be killed by mundane means.

He explained that he was not on the side of the demons which had taken control of the Antedynast government, and that he was attempting to atone for his own wrongdoings by protecting innocents in danger. He offered to provide them any information they needed if they would help him catch a Vampire that had been killing people in the town, to which they agreed.

The party discovered that the attacks were not of vampire origin, but of a lycanthrope in the town. After proving the innocence of a vampire named Frederick Maynard, Ash kept his promise and began to explain the details of the demon invasion.

Ash detailed his history as a demon who had encountered a dying man named Ash Thatcher while trying to find a host to possess, and made a deal to protect his family in exchange for giving up his soul so the demon could have a mortal-world body. The man agreed, and over a century later, the man’s family had all passed away and Ash took it on himself to protect “the rest” of the original Ash’s family, represented as the rest of humanity.

The demon occupying the body of King Arthur Feoburn was named Valokarsia Tenar’Ri, a demon which Ash had encountered many times previously, though he would not explain the full extent of their relationship. Valokarsia intended to establish a new demonic kingdom throughout the Anima continent, allowing him to create an eternal dominion free from the pain of Hell, which Ash described as “bad enough for demons to fear.” He further revealed that most of the key military officials were possessed. The queen was also possessed, by Valokarsia’s twisted lover, Hezrataos Baatezu.

Ash went on to explain that demons are immune to virtually all normal means of death. He taught Deriphem, Michael, and Cyrus a ritual to detain demons and another to banish them to Hell, where they would have to climb back into the mortal realm again. According to Ash, only two means of actually killing a demon were possible. Firstly, there were myths of a blade forged with the blessing of Destatus, the god of death, which could permanently kill any creature in any way alive (including demons and undead). Secondly, immortals are capable of killing other immortals.

When asked how that would help, since Ash admitted he would not be talented enough to slay Valokarsia, he explained that the woman that was with them when they first met, Rose, gave him a dangerous vibe, similar to that of a demon. He inferred that she must be an immortal as well, and could be of use.

The party asked Ash to meet them outside of Burnestre in two week’s time to prepare an assault against the demons. In the meantime, they would search for the legendary blade of death and gather more forces from Crytathos, planning to rescue Rose and use her to defeat Valokarsia in the event they cannot find the sword.

Flashbacks ~ Cyrus Malharath

The following takes place between 1434 and 1438.

Over the course of his life, Cyrus had a mentor of a few years older named Allen. Whenever he had crises of faith regarding having visions of the future, Allen would reassure him that history is not meant to be agonized over, but to be observed and understood. One cannot change destiny, so it is unhelpful to consider one’s visions as guides of what to change. Instead, the value of Kalashtarism is in one’s capacity to view the span of history and accept the immutability of events.

In 1436, Allen abandoned the monastery, leaving in the dead of night. Cyrus enountered him as he departed, asking him why he would leave something he loves. With a determined expression, Allen explained simply that he “had work to do, tomorrow.” He never returned.

A year later, Cyrus awoke in a sweat after experiencing a vision in his sleep. In this vision, he saw the decimation of his entire monastery community to a horrible disease. He could feel that it would begin soon and it would not be long before all he knew were dead, and he would be the sole survivor. Cyrus chose not the divulge this information to his bretheren, as he believed that it would not change the outcome and he wished to spare his family the pain of knowing when they would die.

In 1438, his prophecy came to pass. He packed his belongings and left the now empty monastery on a personal quest to see all he could, following by his god’s example as a chronicler. He took with him the personal diaries of his closest family, and began a new journal.

Main Scenario

The party entered into Antedynast territory, keeping a low profile to avoid detection by the False King’s agents. They stopped at a small western village called Greenwake to rest and strategize their path to Crytathos. Each member of the party took this opportunity to gather strength and spend time apart, as they had been travelling together for several months since meeting Rose.

Michael chose to pray and train himself, still attempting to come to terms with his new allegiance against the secretly occupied Antedyne. Rhode worked chopping wood and helping with construction of a new home for some residents. Deriphem began researching weather patterns to determine when they should depart. Cyrus spent time at the inn writing, until meet a pretty woman named Christina, taking her to bed at the end of the night.

While examining the state of magic in the air to determine coming weather, Deriphem noticed bizzare patterns. According to his study, magicks were building in the area that would cause massive anomalies in the weather, eventually resulting in catastrophies that would easily decimate Greenwake. The party decided to locate the source of this anomaly to prevent damage to the town.

While journeying they met an eccentric young woman named Lavender Linke, a self-taught sorceress who specialized in lightning magic. Her erratic and playful attitude put off the party, except for Rhode. Rhode found Lavender’s whimsy refreshing and interesting, compared to the more serious individuals they had met so far. He offered her the opportunity to help them solve the mystery of the weather crisis, which she accepted by jumping on his back, accidently digging her palms uncomfortably into his shoulders.

The strange ethereal creatures met previously were encountered again while en route to the source of the anomaly. Cyrus was able to shoot one with an arrow in what would appear to be its heart, as the figure fell the its knees before the group of figures disappeared.

The party discovered a group of humans experimenting with elemental forces in the middle of vast plains. The group, calling themselves Scientists of Ether, explained that they had been attempting to manipulate elemental energies such that the forces of nature could be manipulated at-will for military purposes. Work had been promising with the introduction of a new catalyst they had acquired. This catalyst was recently stolen from them by a man dressed in a black robe with blue pants. Rhode recognized this description as the man he had seen when he left his village. The only other clue the scientists provided was a scar on one of their bodyguards which was the result of a cut made by the stranger in an attempt at intimidation. The symbol was the same as the one on the note carried by the would-be assassins at Burnestre: the letter A crossed out with an X.

The energies spontaneously began to stabilize and the scientists attempted to harnass control and dispatch the threat the party posed. The party emerged victorious in combat and Deriphem was able to use the Deisphere to stabilize and then scatter the magic at the anomaly zone, ending the threat of catastrophe.

Afterwards, Lavender revealed herself to actually be Kelni, the Violet Dragon, polymorphed into human form to keep herself anonymous. She notes her pleasure at seeing the skills of the party and offers Michael her blessing in the form of a Dragon Pact. She also hints that she “gave a gift” to Rhode, who begins to feel his shoulder blades ache.

Kelni and the party went their seperate ways and the journey to Crytathos continued.

Flashbacks – Michael Sellis

These flashbacks have been lost and will be replaced in the near future.

Main Scenario

Garret explained the present circumstances and revealed his identity, as detailed in the flashbacks of “Against the Sun.” This clarified that the Garret the party has come to know is, in fact, King Arthur Feoburn of House Burnestre, having transferred his soul into Garret’s corpse after death by an unknown means. The entire party did not handle this information well, and questioned Garret’s sanity and reliability. The most important points of contention were whether he was telling the truth and, if so, why would he wait until after confronting Bane to tell them, since it put them far away from the administration that was the greater risk.

Garret replied by assuring them that Bane was just as great a risk, given the tales of the orb he had with him. He proves his identity to Michael by repeating the advice he gave at his parents’ funeral. The party paused conversation to escape Bane’s army’s outpost, their mission having been completed.

Outside, the party decided that investigation must be made into the means of dispatching a Demon and allies must be gathered before any action could be made against the False King. The decision was made to journey north, hiding their prescence in Antedyne, so they may confer with the Order of the Forge, the leading governmental body of Crytathos.

At the Rhodavian border, a platoon of Hobgoblin soldiers allied with the Rhodavian senate interrupted the party, suspicious of their prescence. One of these Hobgoblins recognized Cyrus’ symbol of Capelli as a token of the Kalashtar prophets, long since considered extinct. Before things escalated, Garret used a politcal passphrase to request parlay, and leaved with the soldiers in exchange for allowing the party to continue into Antedyne.

During their trek across the border, Deriphem used time at rest to examine the sphere they had obtained more carefully, using a scrying spell to determine its history. The spell did not function as it should, seemingly unable to decipher the complex history of the item. Instead, he recieved various visions, which included:

• A old man sitting in a sweat lodge, alone.
• A hallway filled with light and lined with what appeared to be mirrors.
• A young man wearing blue pants and metal chains down the front of his strange tunic.
• A wide wasteland which Deriphem remembered to be Archunadia.

Following this, a series of strange ghostly figures made of crackling grey lightning appeared and immediately attacked the party. The party fought back, only for the figures to vanish. Puzzled by this development, Deriphem stowed away the sphere, using it only as a minor amplifier for his own offensive magic. The party began referring to it as the “Deisphere”, as Deriphem’s scrying spell identified it as such.

Flash (Prologue)

The following takes place during the main scenario of “Against the Sun.”

A demon in the body of King Arthur Feoburn walks the halls of his castle with a determined look. An advisor asks him if he is retiring to the chapel, which Feoburn confirms. When asked why the chapel has been sealed from the public and the majority of the castle’s workers and officials, Feoburn abruptly scolds and dismisses the advisor without giving an answer.

Feoburn enters the chapel, where Rose hangs from a tall statue, having been pinned to it by nails in her wrists, shoulders, and ankles. The Demon King looks up at her barely concious figure and smiles, declaring,

The glory of my reign is upon us. All in sweet time, my dear…

Players,

It seems that not everything is as it appears. In the coming volume, things are going to get a lot more heated, and a conflict will drive the volume home. However, this conflict is not the tale in total. There will be questions brought up that will not be addressed again for some time, but the path is a little clearer every chapter.

Here are some things you can expect from Volume 2:

• The woman the party calls Rose will not be seen a lot in Volume 2, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be unmentioned. Unseen but important, there will be several revelations about this enigmatic girl.
• The dark voice that was heard at the beginning of Volume 1 is not so fortunate, however. That one’s going to have to take a back seat for a while as these events with Garret play out.
• Speaking of Garret, while the players know what he means, does the party? Well, yes. The party will almost immediately be caught up to speed, and rather the question is: what are they going to do about it? As interesting as this will be, don’t expect Garret to steal the show. He’s not the protagonist, and he won’t be in the spotlight for very long.
• Characters from the previous volume will reappear, as will some new ones. These new ones will vary in magnitude, but some will end up becoming more than you’d think. Expect to be underwhelmed by some characters that may end up being your best friends.

Here’s a bonus scene as a kind of trailer for the upcoming volume. The following takes place immediately following the party’s leave of the farming town.
-———-
Ash Thatcher watched the adventurers leave and bowed his head, out of respect. A passerby asked him if he was going to stay in the city for a while, as after they had stopped Thomas Sutton, the whole team was more than welcome to stay at any lodging they so chose. He smiled and replied, “No thanks. I have a long way to travel, I think.” The passerby shrugged and let him be. Ash took up his backpack and took out a roll of tobacco as he began his trek. Holding it in his lips, he whispered from the edge of his mouth, “This’ll certainly be interesting…” Holding his fingertips to the roll, and with a quick snap, a small dark fire appeared to light the end. With a quick puff and a smile, the lone swordsman went on his way.
-———-

Finally, a translation of the next chapter’s title:
“Quispiam Occultus in Obscurum” = “Something Hidden in Darkness”

See you next time, players.
-Liminal Dusk

Flashback (Epilogue)

The following takes place in 1444, just after the events of the flashback in “Against the Sun.”

Garret awoke from where he fell. With the villains who had shoved him off believing him dead, he was able to escape the castle with little interruption.

As the sun rose, Garret walked away from the castle with a determined look. He turned back and whispered,

I told you before, you monsters… I shall protect this land. I will end you.

Flashbacks ~ Michael

The following takes place between 1430 CE and 1432 CE.

Michael Sellis had been working with the military for several years, attempting to earn the title of knight. The first step, however, was to be enlisted in the Antedynast military. His primary recruiter, Javier Pentalus, took a particular interest in his development, and personally trained him for 3 years. In 1430, Michael was finally enlisted.

Two years later, however, tragedy struck. His home burned to the ground from an attack by a spontaneous group of goblin terrorists. He was stationed at the northern border and did not arrive in time to see any of the chaos which had occured. Javier explained to him what happened, as he was there, and that despite their best efforts the town was annihilated, including Michael’s mother and father, whose remains could not be identifed amid the ashes.

The king himself, addressed the town and attended the funerals of each victim. He turned to a young Michael and noted to him that as terrible as it was, the tragedy must not control his life. He left Michael with a small comfort that he intended to do everything possible to bring justice for those lost.

This did not come swiftly, however. The war with Rhodavia began in full force eleven years later.

Main Scenario

The party arrived at Burnestre Castle, and were almost immediately granted an audience with the king after disclosing that Michael’s captain was dead. The king explained the meaning behind Javier’s last words; a warlord hobgolbin named Kranedar Thyodor, nicknamed “Bane,” had created a army with the goal of seizing control of Antedyne.

Bane’s great strength in war came from an artifact he held, a kind of powerful sphere, which gave him an edge in tactics. The king requested of the party, who Javier clearly trusted, to enter Rhodavia’s border and assassinate Bane and retrieve the sphere. The mission was clearly off-the-record, and would not be disclosed to the public. The party, however, would be rewarded for success.

After accepting the king’s request, at the additional caviat that Rose be taken care of and aided in regaining her memory, the party left the castle. Rose noted to Michael, specifically, that she wished for his safe return.

In their efforts to leave the castle town, the party was ambushed by a set of would-be thieves. The thieves quickly turned out to be aiming to exterminate the party. This was unsuccessful, as the party was aided by a stranger who wielded an odd magic of total darkness. After the battle, all that could be found with the attackers was a piece of parchment listing each of the party’s names, a description of them, and a symbol which resembled a combined “A” and “X.”

The stranger, identifying himself as a rougish sneak-for-hire named Garret Grayson, offered to help sneak into the Rhodavian border. With some remarks from Garret, the party also realized that they might be able to request help in this endeavor from Syles the Gold Dragon, a dragon of law and order that might be sympathetic to the aim of eliminating terrorist threats.

The party headed southwest, towards the deserts of Rhodavia.

Flashbacks ~ Deriphem

The following takes place between 1214 CE and 1215 CE.

On Deriphem’s 25th birthday, a great tragedy struck his home country of Archunadia. The Red Dragon, a being of terrible power, burned the land with mighty flames fueled by magic. The reasons for this attack were never revealed to the populace, but none had seen the dragon since that time. Deriphem’s wife, Diana, along with his long time friend Zelphir, were unable to be found after the disaster. Deriphem searched for both of them but was pulled away unwillingly by other survivors attempting to help those still alive.

All Deriphem had left after the catastrophe was a present from his wife, a pendant, and a bright red scar along his shoulder.

A year later, Deriphem left the camp followed unwillingly by his new ally, Flane. Deriphem returned to the place of destruction in the hopes of finding anything to tell the fate of his wife and friend. Exhausted from the drain of the magical energies, Deriphem had all but given up when he was surprised to see none other than Zelphir standing before him. Quickly enough, he realized that this was just a ghostly vestige of his old friend. The apparition of Zelphir vanished into particles which entered Deriphem’s pendant. When Flane, who was unable to witness these events, asked what was wrong, Deriphem only replied,

Death doesn’t mean it’s over.

Main Scenario

The party continued north towards Burnestre, finding a small farming village to settle and rest. During this time, they conversed with Rose, attempting to learn more about her. Due to her amnesia, however, very few actual details were determinable.

Rhode was the first to notice something strange about the town. Despite its proximity to fertile land, the supply of goods in the town was surprisingly low. Some insight into the town’s goings-ons reveals that harvest has been slow, as there is a general fear among the farmers. Evidently, sightings of beyond-the-grave spirits were reported, and a curse was believed to be on the farmlands.

Most of this information came courtesy of a bounty hunter named Ash Thatcher. He had ventured into town on rumours of a ‘job’ there, which he presumed was an undead threat which could be eliminated for a fee. At the behest of the party, he accepted them to join him on the job, albiet for a reduced cut of the reward.

Over the course of investigation, the owner of one of the larger farms was determined to be the cause of the disturbance, as many of the crops around his farm were flourishing in comparison to the withered fields surrounding it. The party cased his home until nightfall, at which time corpses rose from the fields. Dealing with the threat, the adventurers broke into the house for shelter, finding the man residing with the corpse of a farmer who had been murdered years prior. The ghosts were, evidently, the victim’s attempt to exact vengeance, which the killer used Necromancy as a counter to channel the divine energy for beneficial purposes, while harming the rest of the village.

The party slayed the evil farmer, only to learn he had been dead all along, and was self-animated. Claiming that he learned the trick from an old book, the farmer attempted to defeat the party, to no avail. With Ash’s help, the party emerged victorious.

Moving on their way, Deriphem in particular appeared to be somewhat distraught. Cyrus attempted to find what was the matter, but was met with silence. The party realized they knew less about each other than they expected, and began to wonder how rational it was for them to stay together.

In spite of this, the party ventured on, nearing their target. Ash, however, remained at the village, claiming there may be another job on the horizon, but not with them. Under his breath he muttered,

…not yet, anyway.

Flashbacks ~ Rhode

The following takes place between 1427 CE and 1434 CE.

Rhode’s life began in a mining village in southern Zoeniim, where several individuals were drawn, supposedly by magical energies which may have been underground. This was quite common along the Zoeniim coast and Crytathos mountain range, where buried deposits of rare magical minerals could be found which would pulse a particular aura that certain races, including Dragonborn, were sensitive to.

When Rhode was 17, a discovery was made; a powerful magical artifact lied beneath the mines they were excavating. Word rang out through the mining village, but it was quickly determined that it would take years to uncover the artifact itself.

Years later, the artifact was supposedly unearthed, but that fact was kept secret from the village. Rhode, now an adult worker at the mine, argued with a foreman for the operation about whether the Discovery had been unearthed, and where it was. The foreman refused to tell him, but showed a clear concern about Rhode’s curiousity.

Several days later, Rhode’s house burned to the ground. His family was consumed in the fire, and he was left with nothing. This event heavily scarred Rhode, and he immediately plotted vengeance.

Less than two days later, he got his revenge. Rhode set the foreman’s home ablaze after having murdered him and his family. As Rhode left, he had a desolate look on his face, as though nothing had been made better, only worse. He noticed in the distance a man with a black jacket with a hood which covered his head. All Rhode could tell about him was he was wearing blue-colored pants.

Main Scenario

The party had found its way to the Feywood, a forested area in Antedyne where many elves and wilden resided. With an ailing Woman in their company, they sought to find a safe place to rest for the night. Michael and Deriphem both recalled a priest who once worked for the Antedynast Court who is said to reside in the forest. The decision was made to find his residence and request assistance.

After almost a day of trudging through the woods, the party found the home of Gardain Strakeln, the dwarven priest which they had recalled. He arrived at the door nursing a wound on his hand, angered that they had interupted him making dinner and making him accidently cut himself. After explaining their situation, Gardain examined the girl. He performed a basic ritual to ward dark spirits and she reacted well, but was not cured. He informed them he could better ease her pain if he had the right herbs from deep within the woods, but that the elves guarded that tarrain carefully. The party agreed to find them.

The search for the herbs ended with a confrontation with the elves, ending with a struck deal to dispatch a cursed animal in the woods. This animal turned out to be a giant fey spider which had succombed to some kind of dark magic. After slaying the vermin, the elves provided the herbs neccessary to heal the Woman, whom the party had decided to nickname “Rose.”

Though cured of the illness, Rose’s pain had left her without her memory, which Gardain found rather uncharacteristic of the ritual and ailment that was dealt with. Nonetheless, the party agreed that Javier’s message must be delivered, and that the woman wished to go to Burnestre anyway. They headed north once again.

Flashbacks ~ Cyrus

The following events take place between 1425 CE and 1443 CE.

Cyrus Malharath was mentored on the arts of healing by a medical specialist in his monastery, revealed to be an enclosed society in the northern mountains. Medical magic is but one of Cyrus’ talents, but this particular teacher appears to have caught his attention in a very profound way.

Years later, he would learn how to focus his mind and channel magic using both his body and his spirit. Cyrus had a particular gift for managing many different kinds of magics, but as a member of his Order, he also practiced a sacred art; the art of prophecy. It was this technique alone which Cyrus struggled in, as did many early practitioners.

After many years of study, Cyrus had one perfect Vision of the future. However, it was a very grave one. He saw his entire monastery devastated by plague such that none other than he survived.

Main Scenario

The four strangers stood around this woman who had so miraculously appeared before them, each with a different reaction. It didn’t take long to reach the consensus that the group would escort this woman north toward Burnestre, the capital of Antedyne, as her goal was to find the king and speak with him.

After several hours of traveling, dusk began to come, and an eery silence was noticed by everyone. A booming voice rang in their minds, mocking them. This malicious force claimed to be greater than they, and in but a moment the Woman was crippled by pain which came from nowhere. The voice left them with an odd final statement:

My fury shall become you.

The party fled to the underground tunnels which ran under Antedyne in the hopes of avoiding field monsters, given the Woman’s condition. They encountered a weary man running from Drow ruffians, who begged them to help him. Cyrus, understanding the man’s plight, agreed to help him on behalf of the party, and the group dispatched the foes, creating an easy route out of the tunnels and into the Feywoods.