Fantasy Children of Dawn || ༺ Lore Thread ༻

[Isolus]

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SPIRIT | CYPHOS: KING OF THE FAE

"But what is this! Such dull spirits will never do. You are not dead yet, so why do you despair?"​

Mirth | noun | gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter; humor or happiness.

INTRODUCTION . . . Cyphos is the spirit of summer and king of the Fae. He represents mirth, mischief and clever wagers. When not within his own realm known as the City of Dreams, Cyphos mingles his mischievous energy among vineyards, taverns and festivals.

While not a widely worshiped entity, Cyphos is a favorite among artisans, field workers and barmaids, who often think it best to leave him offerings in order to appease him. Such offerings include wine casks, coins or sweet cakes. In many elven and human cultures, its not uncommon for citizens to leave offerings before festivals in the belief that pleasing the spirit will lead to an especially joyous festival.

Cyphos is considered a trickster spirit as he neither fully good nor evil. It appears that the sole source of his joy stems from his natural desire to create mischief among men and gods alike. He is described as arrogant, playful, lazy, clever, boastful and merry. Yet Cyphos is wiser than he lets others see. He'll ask obvious or baiting questions to simply see how mortals will react and, hopefully, reveal to themselves what they need to do. He's not above putting mortals in uncomfortable or even dangerous situations simply to bring out the best of each virtue. While Cyphos, as spirits go, is among the more powerful ones, he simply chooses not to use his endless power outside of his own needs and desires. He does have the power to save this world if he really tried, yet to him that would defeat the purpose of proving the goodness of man to his mistress. Besides, it would bore him.

The death of his Fae children due to worldly degradation troubled him so deeply that he brought them into the Isle of Mirth for their own protection. It's believed that a spite against a Fae or Pixie creature is a slight against Cyphos himself and the summer spirt is wildly creative with this forms of punishment.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE . . . While Cyphos' true form has been lost to the memories of mortal-kind, he more commonly appears in the form of an elf of undetermined ethnicity. Other than this, his features change too frequently to be recognized in one form. Some have sworn to have seen him as a squat impish elf with the silver fawn legs and slender talon-like fingers that turn everything they touch into copper. Others believe him to be a spindly bare-chested lad whose arms were replaced with the wings of angels.

TO THE STAR GROUP. . .
The Children of Dawn, now made prisoners to a Mad Queen, see that a fallacious bard dressed in pale robes and a silver harp on his person has found himself a guest in the Court of Corvus. This dark elf, with his tall stature and golden hues, fancies himself important. He's proud and boastful of tales he learned from beyond the Endless Sea. Yet an observant eye may catch shimmers of starlight in his hair. And what a strange expression he wears. As if the face he bears is not his own.

TO THE DIAMOND GROUP. . .
Wandering through the labyrinth of their dreams, Cyphos form may flicker in brief glances - each flicker different to each virtue that sees him. Yet what does he look to them once they have passed through their trials to the end of the maze? They may find an ivory elf whose face has been streaked with violet paint; he wears a crown of leaves upon his head made of feathers instead of hair and his skin is grown from tree bark. It was as if he were born from the Tree of Life itself.

MOTIVATION . . . His reasonings for helping the six virtues won't be abundantly clear at first. Some might believe that Cyphos fears he will cease to exist without mortals to gain mirth from. Others may think the spirit is simply bored of remaining within his realm for so long and wishes to enter the human sphere more often. Neither are correct. Even as chaotic, arrogant and unruly as Cyphos is by nature, the purpose of his being is to serve his mistress. Enya's desire to eliminate all mortal life is seen as going against her nature. Just as the five virtues at their truest forms are free, kind, valiant, hopeful, wise, strong and faithful - Cyphos believes that his mistress, by nature, is a forgiving god. With all the evil that has tainted the world, she is simply forgotten.

 

[Isolus]

Star Group

NPC | ILSA CORVUS: MAD QUEEN OF ARIA

"I'd see our fields soaked with the blood of our own people before I'd see The Usurper rest his hand upon the throne of Aria. Lachance wishes to be our king? Then let him be king. Let him be king of our ashes."​

Wrath | noun | a great anger that expresses itself in a desire to punish someone; violence or great vengence.

INTRODUCTION . . . Ilsa Corvus the IV is the current queen of Aria. She was the eldest daughter of Rherain Corvus who, seeing that he would bear no sons, passed the crown to Ilsa to wear until the birth of her first born son. She was named after her great grandmother Ilsa the Third (or Ilsa the Wise).

Ilsa showed great promise at the start of her reign, where she was known throughout the Central and the Northern realms as a successor to her grandmother's wisdom. However, she later descended into madness largely caused by, amongst many other factors, the deaths of her three children. She had sought the dark arts of necromancy to resurrect her son and her two daughters before she was eventually imprisoned by her own sister, Vlonda Corvus, to the Drake Isles for almost 23 years.

Her paranoia grew rapidly and her cruelty grew with it until, with the aid of her supporters, she was freed from the prison where she retook the throne. Believing that her entire family had turned against her, she executed her seven sisters and made her new council prove their loyalty by devouring their hair and flesh.

The Queen is superstitious among anything else. After the slaughtering of her entire family, she ordered all cats in Aria them to be slain and skinned; for Vlonda was fond of cats and Ilsa was convinced that her sister's soul would reincarnate in one. Ilsa also performed her own smaller crusade against foreign teachers, merchants and artisans (essentially undoing an education reform set by her father to help modernize Aria), believing them responsible for 'working her only son to death'.

At the start of the First Normandy Crusades, Ilsa Corvus refused aid to the High Elves of Meridia and was only forced into the alliance with House Rosewood after her council convinced her that her dreams regarding a singing tree was a foresight to aid the woodland elves. However, Ilsa would soon be plagued further with dreams of six faces that she had neither known nor seen and this would set her in a frenzy that not even her advisors could quell no matter how hard they tried.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE . . . In her youth, Ilsa was considered beautiful among her people - She is a dark elf born under the a new moon, granting her silver skin and hair the shade of ivory silk. However her later years were less kind, brought on her imprisonment in the Drake Isles. She refused to allow anyone cut her hair, much less touch her, likely due to her acquired fear of being touched; thus her hair has grown long past her waist. Ilsa melted her family's crown, a silver circlet with diamonds, and traded it for one of her own design - a coronet of dark metal with a single pale gemstone at its center.

PERSONALITY . . . Before her fall to madness, Ilsa was a soft spoken yet insightful monarch. She was described as resolute and ambitious, choosing reason over that of frivolity. Though Ilsa was quite fond of bards and many were invited into her court on numerous occassions. However, she was quick to anger especially when her own orders were questioned and she was jealous of any attention her children gave to anyone besides herself. After the death of her youngest daughter, Ilsa's mood swings grew increasingly erratic and it seemed that no one was safe from her wrath. She began to see any unexplained event as evidence of some grand conspiracy against her. The crueler Ilsa got, the less she saw punishment as necessity and more as enjoyment.

QUEST: THE DREAMS OF THE SIX . . .“Three must you paint: one to see, one to be and one to will. Three you must taint: one to wed, one to dread and one to kill.”

 

[Isolus]

Both Groups

MONSTER | ABALONE: GROWLING SHADOW

"Tell me, my daughter. What sins have you committed for the Shadow to know your name?"​

Guilt | noun | a feeling of responsibility or remorse for an offense or crime, whether real or imagined.

INTRODUCTION . . . The Growling Shadow (or Abalone in Ardunian mythology) is a monster that lurks within the lowest bowels of the Crimson Temple. A sinister guardian, The Growling Shadow prowls the inky black halls in search of lost adventurers to capture and torment in a looping purgatory of their own personal hell.

The creature feeds off guilt and fear, which is what it uses to trap its victims. Abalone can manipulate shapes to take whatever form the viewer fears the most before trapping them in a mist of dark magic.

Its true origins are unclear as most stories claim it to either be a dead entity or a collection of corrupted creatures melded into one beast. The name 'Abalone' derives from iridescent sea mollusks found within the eastern coasts of Ardunia. One mythos states that the monster is a collective of sea creatures who were left to simmer in old magic for so long that they fused together and began to fed off the coastal men before Enya banished the creature underground.

Another common yet more elaborate origin story is that Abalone was another half of Enya. Followers of this mythos claim that the Great Phoenix once bore two faces (to represent the day and the night). One face was safe for men to look up while the other punished men for their sins in the afterlife. When Enya's veil was torn, Abalone was torn from Enya and was stripped of her godhood completely.

APPEARANCE . . . Abalone is a collective of writhing bodies melded together by grotesque eyes and tendons. However, its forms varies among those who see, as its believed that the creature can take shape of what the viewer fears the most. It can speak in any tongue and can imitate any voice it pleases; though despite having thousands of eyes, the Growling Shadow seems to navigate its surroundings by temperature and its sense of feeling. The creature also appears to have the ability to show pain and distress.

When it makes its presence known, the Growling Shadow shrouds the areas around it in complete darkness. Due to its otherworldly nature, no light that can shine in its presence, natural or manmade. Lanterns will extinguish themselves, staffs will loose their glow and flame spells have no effect against the suffocating darkness. The only exceptions is divine light or objects infused with immense amounts of powerful enchantment magic (such as Hope's Undying Light or objects enchanted by her light). Such light sources will give a fluorescent glow and will glow red whenever the shadow passes by.

 

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TIMELINE | THE DARK AGE: 1000 AT to 1375 AT

"History is written by the victors."​

INTRODUCTION . . . For the purposes of our story, here is a simple 300 year history of Ardunia spanning from the fall of the Caessian Empire to the start Dark Age. AT stands for After Tyrannius (also known as the Jade Emperor). He was the last of the gemstone emperors and his reign ended the unification of Ardunia, who split themselves into eight realms that we know today. There may be brief snips of history before this point for reference - it will be specifically marked to which character, kingdom or quest it refers to!

(0 AT) THE LAST GEMSTONE EMPORER . . . The Jade Emporer, Artemae Tyrannius, dies at age 43 (poisoned by his own council). This marks the breaking of the Empire of Ornio into what would later become Ardunia.

(8 AT) THE ARDUNIAN CALENDAR . . . Leslenor Faerwyn, Crown Prince of the Vyrthurian Elves, creates an astrological calendar based on the Gemstone Emporers. It's still used in common practice to this day.

(500 AT- 850 AT) THE AGE OF HEROES . . . Ardunia begins its purge of mythical monsters. Notable heroes include Lady Beatrice Strauss, Mira (The Raven) Magdower and Albus Stormborn. Abalone is banished to the Crimson Temple by the Great Strauss in 845 AT.

(1000 AT) THE FALL OF THE CAESSIAN EMPIRE . . . This marks the start of the 1st Dark Age. Julios of House Tibetanus was subsequently assassinated by his own son-in-law, Arthanos of House Vecathaar. While the Vecathaars retained power throughout southern Ardunia for the next 300 years, it would be in name only. This marked the start of minor conflicts between the Wolfman Tribes.

(1340 AT) THE ORC QUEEN DIES . . . The throne of Aubergine changes. Queen Asha Greygore dies at age 102. Her eldest daughter, Shaegora Greygore, take the throne of Aubergine.

(1342 AT - 1373 AT) THE 1ST GREYGORE INVASION . . . Shaegora Greygore leads her Orcs in their first her invasion against the Snow Elves of the Vyrthurian Empire.

(1349 AT) THE NORMADY CRUSADES . . . Normady Lachance has a 'vision' from Enya at the steps of Emporem's city gates, where he's told to purge Ardunia of the Elves and their pagan gods. The first phase of the Crusades begin.

(1351 AT) THE SAPIOS DOCTRINE . . . St. Benedict Torc writes 101 theses advocating the complete removal of elves as maintained through mankind's god given rights. It becomes to be known as the Sapios Doctrine and is transcribed by scribes in Emporem.

(1352 AT) THE BATTLE OF THE GOLDEN SPEARS . . . Lachance finally achieves his first victory against the High Elves of Meridia, deposing King Cirimon of House Adaere and replacing him with a puppet king, Hugo Barbossa. Meridia is converted to the Faith of Ember.

(1352 AT) THE BATTLE AT KONAN DAM . . . Lachance pushes against the Dark Elves. The Princess Elmera Corvus, sister to the queen, falls at Arcsburg.

(1367 AT - 1368 AT) THE SEIGE AT STERLING SHORE . . . House Rosewood defends Sterling Castle against House Lachance. The 18 month siege ended when Glorian Tacticians successfully tunneled underground into the chapel. Another victory for LaChance, who tore down the fortress and began construction of the Crimson Checkpoint.

(1373 AT) THE SACKING OF VYRTHUR . . . The Greygores sack the Snow Elf capital of Vyrthur and capture King Galedar of House Faerwyn. The Faerwyns are removed from power and the remnants of the Snow Elves are forced to their final stronghold of Neorn.

(1374 AT) NORTHERN ARDUNIA IS SECRUED . . . The Crimson Checkpoint is completed and fully fortified. LaChance begins to pull the majority of his forces back to the Emerald Checkpoint

 

[Isolus]

Both Groups

MONSTER | HOLLOWS: ABANDONED BY ENYA

"Do not weep for them. Their blind eyes won't see your tears flow."​

Despair | noun | the complete loss or absence of hope; a deep sadness.

INTRODUCTION . . . A Hollow is a mortal body whose soul has been stolen and thus cannot pass into the sleep of death to be judged in the afterlife. An Infested Hollow is a Hollow that has been infused with dark magic, most commonly used by witches when they corrupt a parasite through a blood spell.

Often the products of necromancers, Hollows take the shape of emaciated grayed husks that maintain the form of whatever they were prior to the loss of their soul. If not under the control of a necromancer, Hollows will simply wander the landscape until dispatched of.

Hollows not infested by a parasite are non-hostile and are simply lethargic, tortured and catatonic husks of their form selves. They may repeat one phrase or simply wail in agony. Hollows at this stage may be saved if their soul is returned to them.

Upon infection, Infested Hollows cannot be saved and will react with greater hostility to any life they come across. While an experienced fighter may dispatch of a single Hollow easily, these monsters are the most dangerous in large numbers where their extreme ferocity will cause them to tear apart their prey, even if they have to use their bare hands to do so. They do not fear pain or death and will chase their prey endlessly. A hollow is killed by removing their head.

VARIANTS . . .
BLACK WORM HOLLOW. . .
These Infested Hollows are recognized by the black puss that writhes from any open wound or orifice. They carry a distinct fishy odor and appear bloated in their abdomen, lungs and mouth. Black Worms are helminth tapeworms that feast on trout found within river deltas. However when cursed by a blood spell, the arcane magic twists female tapeworms into aggressive fiends that will actively seek wandering Hollows. Once inside their host, the parasite hooks into the digestive system and ruptures to spread thousands of arcane infused spawns within the body cavity. The nestlings survive by feating on the inflicted from the inside out - they linger in clumps through open orifices where they lay in wait for an opportunity to find other unsuspecting Hollows to latch onto. These tapeworms can induce vomiting within their hosts - witches may use this to fling the bile into open water sources, food storages or even directly onto their next host.

STONE SCAB HOLLOW. . .
These squared parasitic mites are a common infestation known for causing blistering scabs and itchy skin. They are active within highly populated areas such as urban slums or mining colonies. When poisoned with arcane magic, this parasitic mite digs through the skin and then deep into the body. Upon contact, the mite causes the inflicted’s Hollow's insides soften while their outsides harden. As a result, the skin of this Infested Hollow becomes hard like that of plate armor, making them far more resilient to damage. These Hollows are slower, yet stronger and killing such a Hollow is difficult as their hardened skin would take several blows before the head could be severed. However, they have shown increased vulnerabilities against magic attacks or enchanted blades. The proper spell can even weaken the stone around the neck or, in some cases, destroy the parasite from the inside.

MAD TONGUE HOLLOW. . .
Mad Tongue Disease is caused by a parasitic isopod which commonly preys on salt water fish and crustaceans. It is harmless to the mortal races (outside of its powerful stinger if it feels threatened) and is even cooked as a delicacy in some eastern provinces. But a Mad Tongue parasite infested with arcane magic is deadly. This corrupted isopod will seek out the oral orifice of catatonic Hollows. Once inside, it will severe the host’s tongue and embed itself in its place. From here, it will shoot its stinger through the roof of its victims mouth to release a mind controlling secretion. With frightening speed, the infection transforms the inflicted within mere seconds. The infested Hollow will grow increasingly jittery and aggressive (even more so than their counterparts) as seen through symptoms of excessive twitching, muscle spasms or unnatural postures, sensitivity to bright lights, and foaming at the mouth. Infested bodies produce high amounts of adrenaline that allows for bursts of speed in which they will attempt to outrun their prey and tackle them. As the name suggests, this Hollow is able to imitate voices and sounds to lure in prey.

 

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ARTIFACT | LADY DAWN: VALIANCE'S SWORD

"And so I raise this sword as justice to Enya, so that this poor sinner may know eternal life."​

Courageous | noun |the ability to act on one's beliefs despite danger or disapproval; bravery.

INTRODUCTION . . . Lady Dawn (or Dawn Keeper) is an enchanted longsword that was wielded by a heroine of man known as Beatrice Strauss (or 'The Great Strauss') during the Age of Heroes. Its initial discovery remains unclear, though historians of the Children of Ember commonly agree that it was the sword that found Beatrice and not the other way around.

The sword was originally thought to have been buried with the Great Strauss after her death in 850 AT. Yet upon the warrior's tomb excavation, Dawn Keeper was no where to be found among the crypt artifacts. Some theorize that it was stolen years ago by a thieves guild and sold to a curator across the Endless Sea. Others contest the accuracy of the excavation report and believe it rests in the Church's vault as a holy artifact. A rare few even deny the sword's existence entirely.

Dawn Keeper's exterior is mystically smithed by an unknown blacksmith and while many have claimed responsibility over the years, the sword's true creator is unknown to this day. Symbols of Griffins are embroidered around her cross guards and her scabbard is made of untainted, ivory leather -- the material is unknown to any living creature native to Ardunia. When touched, the sword may act by her own will and has shown the ability to discern the motives of whoever wields it. Regardless of the heat of the flame, Lady Dawn's steel cannot be damaged by fire (this includes fire spells, explosions and even dragon fire).

The blade is fiercely loyal to her wielder and will always remain sharp, so long as her bearer holds true and honorable. If anyone vile or unworthy attempts to handle the sword, the sword's flames will attempt to consume them where they stand.

ATTRIBUTES . . .

HONOR'S KEEPER. . .
It isn't just the actions of others that Lady Dawn is bound to discipline, but the actions of whoever wields it as well. By Oath of the Great Strauss, the blade itself will refuse to spill the blood of those who do not spur the anger of Enya. Attempts to harm an innocent even after the blade's warnings will result on Dawn Keeper turning on her master.

HEAVEN'S FIRE. . .
Because of its otherworldly flame, water cannot distill Lady Dawn's fire. The fire is extinguished by the will of the wielder or whenever Enya's justice has been given. Its holy light is particularly effective against undead creatures and demonic entities have learned to fear the name of whoever carries Dawn Breaker at their side.

 

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MONSTER | TIBETANUS: DEMON PRINCE

"Iucunda macula est ex inimici sanguine."​

"What a pleasant stain comes from an enemy's blood."​

Greed | noun | a selfish and excessive desire for more of something; ravenousness

INTRODUCTION . . . Tibetanus is a lesser demon that can be summoned from a forbidden divination tome simply referred to as the The Watcher's Tome. He is a spawn of a greater demon known as the Coraxium, an entity from the Outer Unknown whose sole purpose is to uncover secrets of the universe. For each secret the Coraxium learns, an eye on its body opens and a monster is born in the one of the twelve demonic halls. Tibetanus awoke in the Hall of Blight and wandered the outer realms until he was summoned by Queen Ilsa of Aria.

A deformed hunchback with sickly purple skin, Tibetanus bears a raven’s head twisted irregularly on an elongated neck. His claws and his arms are capable of growing to an abnormal size and each hand possess seven fingers. On his back, he carries an enormous bird’s cage which is most commonly used to haul the queen's sacrifices back to his den for him to devour. Tibetanus is manipulative and is nearly completely driven by his desire for sustenance. While he'll devour anything or anyone he could corner, he craves mortal flesh above anything else.

Tibetanus heard Queen Ilsa's cries from his dark crib and was summoned soon after she regained her throne in Aria, where she promised to nurse him with the flesh of the living in exchange for his pieces of his father's knowledge. From here, Tibetanus grew fat on the blood he was fed and would give the Queen peeks of her children in the afterlife. Ilsa swore she saw her son and daughters burning in torment -- she believed that their souls were unable to move into the afterlife (although it's likely that Tibetanus manipulated her visions to keep her hooked), from which she demanded to seek forbidden knowledge in bringing them back to her. When the Queen was plagued with dreams of the six virtues, she was unsatisfied by her advisors interpretations. However, she grew to believe that Tibetanus could aid her in her quest to cease the end times she supposedly foresaw.