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The Threat of Malagard - The Azure Lights
Posted: 06 Nov 2003 01:21 PM |
The threat of Malagard is great. This ancient power could pose a serious threat to all, from the highest noble to the poorest beggar. If Malagard returns, this would could be doomed as we know it.
So, a meeting was called to call together all those of brave heart, who could stand against the threat. Those who came were warned – should anyone leave this meeting without seeing it through to the end, their memory would be modified after to prevent the enemy learning of the planes of retaliation…
Father Marick Fetter opened the long, difficult meeting with a prayer.
~~Opening Prayer of the Midoran Temple~~
The one True Faith…the shining light sheltering us all, providing us with wisdom and guidance, strength and endurance beyond measure. The one True Faith of the Great One, the one True Light…
The one True Light…now barely a flickering flame in the winds of evil…
The world around is crumbles to its core, the Light barely permeating the thick, choking stench of evil surrounding the lands. Governments become corrupt, common thieves walk the street and the virtues and laws set down upon this vast realm by Midoran have been ignored and desecrated.
Chaotic gods both benign and cancerous to the lives of many good-souled peoples threaten their immortal afterlife, and in our streets and homes, the hallowed Code of Brakus is far from realized.
Our hope dims, but our strength and our faith do not. For we are the brothers and sisters of the True Faith, of the True Light that shines bright in each of our souls. Through our Code and through our shields, honor and virtue will reign. Strength, Honor, Chastity, Kindness
…these are but few of our lives' work, and for these we will lay down our lives to bring the holy Light back into the lives of the wretched and ignorant.
Go now, those of the True Order, and preach to the world through your actions, through your bravery, and through your entire lives in service to all that is good and just in these lands.
The plague of evil shall not stay long, for the tide of the divine crashes against the very bastions that seek to hold the righteous back. And in the end…
we shall prevail…
(Thanks Fenarisk!) |
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Recent Events
Posted: 06 Nov 2003 01:27 PM |
Recent Events
At last, Marick began the long tale.
It all started with the release of Igwin the Soul Reaver who possessed Chandler In the Gnoll Caverns and made it to Midor before he was stopped by a group of Hero's including Calmeir, Ysmael, Gasher and Others around the front gates that day. Chaos ensued and then Igwin, now within the body of Gasher stopped and spoke out loud one word: "VANDLE".
Chandler thought quickly and to get Igwin away from Midor's Population he lured him outside saying he knew where Vandle was. Igwin was finally defeated with their help and the Strength of Midorian driving him out of Gasher's body and freeing the souls he had taken.
At this point, Father Marick looked to the floor.
You think it would have ended there, but upon further research it appears Igwin jumped out of Gasher at the last second leaving his souls behind and took a new form. I haven't been able to track him since then. It is likely he hid in the body of an animal…perhaps a chicken.
It was after that I realized the link.
10 Years Ago reports by spies added weight to speculations of secret rituals being performed near Nebwood, and areas of cold magical darkness that lasted for days. It was also found that small numbers of villagers were disappearing under the darkness of the new moon.
A group of Rangers led by Gavin were sent out to investigate. That's when they came across the Obsidian Order. They managed to destroy the Cult they came across and the fierce warrior…
Fetter shot a strange look towards Vandle.
…that led them. What they actually seen and did none of them would ever talk about.
Captured members of the Obsidian Order denied the existence of hidden temples - but it is thought that they were concealing some terrible truth. Before any further questions could be gathered the…captured members began to die one by one all choking to death on black fluid that filled their lungs.
No manner of magic worked that could bring them back to be questioned further.
Gavin the last and leader of the group died a few short weeks ago peacefully in his sleep and took whatever secrets they knew to the Grave with him. Upon further investigation it was found that Gavin's lungs were filled with a Black tar like substance.
Who the Cult had worshipped and it's existence were thought to be a thing of the past until recently.
Villagers started disappearing again and despite searching evidence of the Cult's resurgence could not be found.
That is until I seen Vandle's Sword and what I thought to be a Story the Priests told new students to scare them became very True.
Then the links missing all these years finally made sense.
It was Malagard |
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The Name.
Posted: 06 Nov 2003 01:30 PM |
Marick continued the tale, now turning his attention to the named demon, Malagard. He who Slumbers. The Vile One.
What manner of Demon Malagard is unknown, although his name is associated with loss of strength and sanity, exhaustion and cold, fatigue, mind-bending illusions, depression, catatonia, and paralysis. Legend says that Malagard was banished and imprisoned in some unknown demi-plane by his son Siann under the Blessing of the other Powers, but there are those who strive to bring their old master forth.
Evil sorcerers seeking power are said to revere Malagard and to seek his release through the use of mighty artifacts of evil.
Sites keyed to him still exist, and his relics still hold power. I just wish we knew where. After extensive research no true depictions of him remain, he is thought to be an utterly black entity without a solid form, leaving cold, decay and insanity in his wake.
Light must be snuffed, perfection decayed, order dissolved, and minds fragmented.
Worship of the Demon Malagard takes place in unknown subterranean temples of chill, darkness, and insanity. Such places are highly secret, and many are lost or ruined. Litanies of this Power are hideous in the extreme.
All sorts of evil are described in the few remaining texts - foul rituals of sacrifice, destruction, and horrors from beyond the world unleashed upon the innocent. The teachings of his faith revolve around the number three, the discovery of items relating to his power keys to contacting him, and the means to free him from his confinement.
Even mention of his dread name is held to be a danger. Which is why we are here in the safety of the Temple talking about this very matter
The sole duty of this cult is to free Malagard from his prison. They sacrifice all to this end. Many of his clergy are mad. The rest are deluded enough to think that his release will grant them privilege when he Returns. They are very secretive, and learn to trust only other members of the cult. The extent and location of cult is unknown.
Fri’el was most agitated through this scene, over the ice bashing. |
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Dancer, the Sword.
Posted: 06 Nov 2003 01:34 PM |
Of course. The tale of Dancer, the sword of Chaos. Nearly all of those gathered in that Chapel had heard the story...but none were prepared for the new twist to the end.
This tale is ancient; it is little more than a legend, now. There are those who know some of the legend, and they are mostly those who would dismiss the tale as folly and those who whisper it on ghostly nights to scare and amuse their fellows.
But the tale is true.
Thousands of years ago, a dire power threatened the lands of this fair world. His name was Malagard, a being whose ambition was only matched by his power. He sought to control everything; cities, nations, worlds would have been ruined in his wake. Over the places he ruled, he may as well have been a god, so absolute was his power. And his eye was firmly upon this world - with him crowned as ruler.
But there were those who would challenge the unholy demon-god. One of these was Valia Aikanaro, an elven paladin who was a master of the katana, an unusual weapon for her kind. Her unique blade, Azure's Light, was unusually long and thin, yet light and deft, able to slice through her foes as if it were paper.
It glowed with holy light, enchanted with the great powers of Aros. Valia was one of the few who dared to defy Malagard - and one of the many who failed.
She and her company fought bravely, to the very gates of Malagard's dark citadel. And it was there they fell, and were captured. All of Valia's comrades were put to cruel, slow deaths; but for Valia herself, the demon-god had a worse fate in mind. He cursed her not with death - but with child.
Here, Fetter faltered in his tale. Shaz'jen had to speak of how the demon had given her a child.
A lesser being would have given up; destroyed by their failure and the demon-spawn growing inside them. But not Valia. She was a holy warrior of Aros - and she would not go down without a fight.
When the child was born, she swore that she would not let it be consumed by Malagard's hate...
Again Fetter could not continue for some time - and nothing withou a few glances in Shaz'jen's direction.
...she would raise the fiendling with love. After all, he was not just Malagard's son; he was her own.
So the young Siann Aikanaro was raised on the elven legends; of heroes brave and bold, of warriors of valor and courage; of the great fights of good against evil. She treated him with all the kindness she would have a normal child, and so Siann never felt the bitterness or hatred another of his blood
would have normally
. And although his father trained him for the life of evil Malagard desired, Siann resisted, no matter how brutal his father would be.
But Malagard had other plans for his son.
Taking the holy blade of Valia, he broke it and grafted onto the hilt a blade of tremendous evil power. Into the sword he poured his malice and cruelty, desiring to create a weapon that would lay his enemies low.
This blade he gifted to Siann, knowing that the evilness of the blade would eventually turn the young half-fiend to darkness. And so, Dancer was born, a terrible, brilliant blade, forged from two halves.
Siann was nearly lost to the blade. Born of two halves himself, he was almost possessed by the blade, and for many years wandered a cursed life, a beacon of light one moment, a pall of darkness the next. Although he did his best to resist, each and every time the blade took him, and it drove
him to despair.
The sword's will was peerless, and it did not take long for Siann to give in to the blade entirely. He wandered for perhaps 100 years, merely an extension of Dancer's will.
All that changed when Dancer drove him to claim the soul of his beloved
mother.
Siann was beyond grief when he realized that he had killed perhaps the only person who had ever cared for him. And at last, he found the will to overcome Dancer's dark whisperings - and he swore that he would destroy the source of the evil; Malagard. A task Dancer was all too willing to help
with.
The fight was one of legend. Son against Father, with the Chaos blade to
lure both on. Siann fought bravely, with the skill of his mother and the
strength of his father.
He failed the first time, and spent many a month paying for it.
But like his mother, Siann did not give up easily. Using the sword, he tore a hole in the very fabric of the world. His only chance, he wrestled Malagard and threw both of them into the hole. And both were lost from the world. Maybe forever.
All that remains of the tale is the sword.
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Sharra's Song - The Blade of Chaos
Posted: 06 Nov 2003 01:37 PM |
It was here that a young bard, Sharra P'taliel, stood up. She wished to share a song; a song that had travelled down through the generations of her family. She had thought the tale a fanciful legend - but she was standing here with undeniable proof.
So, she sang the song.
When Ancient Darkness took the land,
A long, cold, bleakness fell,
Blackness swept through hearts and homes,
Fear's icy hand.
Shining through this darkest housr,
With Azure sword of light,
Valia, the noble,
Blazed holy glory bright.
When Valia lay beaten,
The light of good still shone,
She bore a child and filled with good,
Her beloved, cherished son.
But evil took the Azure light,
And dulled the shining blade
The evil soul of darkest power,
A mighty sword, remade.
Will you dance the dance of chaos?
Will you you listen to the blade?
Cruel irony awaits you,
Will you tempt such cold, hard fate.
(Thank you very much to Lunariia/Sharra P'taliel, who wrote this song so well ) |
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Intervention.
Posted: 06 Nov 2003 01:41 PM |
At last, the long night of stories came to a respite. The adventures thought long and hard on what they had been told, and added their own thoughts - and in some cases, shocking reality - to what was already a grim tale.
Coruva Lorehammer spoke on what he thought of the events.
A part of Vandle's past was brought to life that he would rather have remained silent. It turned out that Vandle was the leader of the Obsidian order that the rangers defeated - that Vandle had once wielded the sword in rage against his own family and had slaughtered them. Vandle was barely able to come to terms with this for the rest of the meeting.
Shaz'jen then stood up and explained something about his own heritage...that he was a direct descendent of Siann Aikanaro, his own true name being Keimaini Aikanaro. |
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Ty Zen's Speech
Posted: 06 Nov 2003 01:42 PM |
At this point, the Midoran Knight who had been quietly watching the meeting stood up.
We need to form a 2 Part Organization to help confront problems facing Midor. Please let me explain.
First of all we need to gather information. Much of the information is public knowledge, at least in the regions in question. We merely wish to confirm the veracity of the information supplied to us by official sources.
This is a valuable guard against corruption for those who wish to cover their incompetence with pleasing lies. We also need to be attentive to non-public information.
A person who was publicly known to be staunchly loyal to the Church would not be privy to the same information as one whose allegiance was in doubt. Thus, by keeping your true loyalties hidden, you would have better access to rumors and occasional invitations to join in conspiracies.
Members would move about the country in ways consistent with their lifestyles – hunting, visiting relatives, making pilgrimages, and attending market fairs and tournaments. But your real motive is gathering information.
Why is Midor in need of such a service you ask?
Midor needs reliable assessments of foreign threats facing the realm.
In the past when enemies gathered to attack, local nobles and army garrisons were expected to report the activity accurately to the Chief Paladin under the church, so that he could respond by sending an appropriate number of troops to reinforce local soldiers.
But proud nobles or ambitious commanders' sometimes downplayed threats, refusing to request assistance in the hope of advancing their position. This hubris has cost the Kingdom unnecessary deaths and defeats.
Others greatly exaggerate the enemy's number, preferring that the Church send their own troops rather than order them to risk there own. These cowards and misers tie up forces that are needed elsewhere.
On more than one occasion, nobles simply failed to report obvious threats.
They were found to have been bought off; the foreign raiders were allowed free access through their lands to attack neighboring lords, and the traitorous nobles received a share of the spoils.
Our Idea is that this Order would serve as a secret check against all these possibilities.
Thus, the main threats facing Midor are internal security and foreign invasion. The Army is strong, but not large. Our heavy cavalry is formidable, but not swift. The noble units and peasant levies, when called for form the greatest army in the region, but they take time to muster.
In contrast, the Growing Number of Orcish horsemen, and the northern bandits could all strike swiftly and without warning.
The rapidity of such mounted forces and the rapaciousness of the still-threatening humanoids mean that any delay in response to invasion would cost Midor dearly, in lives, livestock, and land.
Foes could ride in, round up cattle and slaughter peasants, and race home before the Army could be mobilized, and long before nobles could be mustered.
And thus they need for the Second half of the Order
We deliberated, and decided that we need an elite force capable of holding an enemy at bay until a more conventional force can be raised. The idea is to have a force of heroes to immediately intercept any invaders.
Even if you could not stop an invasion, you could slow it, harass it, pin it down, until the regular forces could respond.
As a member of this order you would have to be fearless and staunch in your loyalty to the Order and Land where you are needed. You would be the first lines of defense. If you ran from a foe, even a superior one, the city would lose the time needed to marshal their forces.
Buildings would burn people would die in the time it takes to muster forces. If you choose to accept you would indicated your commitment to serve the Order and it's cause above all else. |
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The Azure Lights are Formed
Posted: 06 Nov 2003 01:51 PM |
The reaction to Ty Zen's speech was quite the heated debate. Many people did not like the idea of being pawns of Midor or its Church in the slightest, and demanded that the Order remained independent of such things. Ty Zen had originally hoped to see the group as an extension of Midoran's will and spread, but he was willing to give up that dream and form an Independent Order which would serve only the people of Vives. He was even willing enough to resign as a Knight of Midoran to see this.
Then the argument began as to how to lead. Many people who all for the Order being led by all of them, all with equal say in just who was allowed to join and decisions. Ty Zen, however, was not so willing to see such a thing, and persuaded the people present that it would be wise to at least elect one leader for the group.
It was decided that the group would be split into two seperate parts; the public half, and the private, unknown half. Ty Zen, as a potentially ex-Knight of Midoran, offered to lead the public side. Those who could wield a sword best were chosen for this side; as defenders of Vives, they would be more readily seen, a strong, stalwart presence against the bastions of evil.
The second group would be the private side; those who skilfully gathered information, those who worked on the darker side for the greater good. Earlier, the people had already decided that Shaz'jen would be an ideal leader for this Order, and it was certainly in his aptitude to lead this group.
Coruva voiced concerns over the early splitting, which Shaz'jen promised would be addressed.
Lastly, Sharra proffered a name for the newly formed group.
The Azure Lights, named after the holy blade valia once wielded. |
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